Plastic Man
Plastic Man is a male comic superhero who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Quality
Eel O'Brian was a male human whose parents had died when he was 10 years old leaving him alone in the world. He tried to work hard but was always pushed around by others causing him to lose faith in mankind and leading to him pushing others around. O'Brian later adopted the life of a criminal with such notoriety that he was wanted in eight states by the police. (Police Comics v1 #2) He later joined a gang that decided to break into Crawford Chemical Works as part of their heist. They were discovered by security guards who shot at them causing the gang to scatter but some bullets hit a barrel of acid that spilt on Eel. He was then abandoned by his comrades and the wounded Eel had to flee by himself as the chemicals went into his wounds. O'Brian escaped through the swamps but later collapsed from the injury where he was saved by a monk from the nearby Rest-Haven retreat. He tended to O'Brian and even turned away the police that were still searching for him. The act restored his faith and whilst at the retreat he discovered that the incident had given his skin a plastic-like quality allowing him to stretch and reshape it. He believed that this was a powerful weapon that he could use against evil and give him the chance to atone for his past. Among his first acts was getting a costume and arresting the gang that accompanied him to Crawford. He began to secretly operate as Plastic Man whilst maintaining his civilian life separate as his secret identity. (Police Comics v1 #1) He later aided the police in arresting the opium smuggler Dopey Joe who had an operating bringing drugs from Canada into the U.S. (Police Comics v1 #2) Plastic Man had become an ally of the police commissioner at this point and he was enlisted to help capture the clever criminal known as Baldy. (Police Comics v1 #3) Afterwards, he battled Madam Brawn who headed the Crime School for Delinquent Girls that took women recently released from prison and trained them in hand-to-hand skills or weapons to be skilled molls. This group quickly moved to take over criminal operations and protection rackets in the city. (Police Comics v1 #4)
A new criminal by the name of the Gag Man came to operate in the city where he arranged for distractions to keep Plastic Man busy whilst he performed burglaries. The master crook began by sending children to Plastic Man to keep him occupied allowing for the Gag Man to rob the bank and leave his mark to mock the hero. He then arranged for a trap to kill the hero but Plastic Man uncovered it and captured the criminal but the Gag Man arranged for another distraction by children to allow himself along with his men to escape. Plastic Man then decided to follow a loose-end where one of the Gag Man's henchmen was sent to kill a target. However, O'Brian captured them and assumed their identity allowing him to infiltrate the Gag Man's gang who attempted to escape but was knocked out by Woozy Winks leading to his arrest. (Police Comics v1 #67)
At some point, a man named James Towne was murdered with Plastic Man investigating the matter where he infiltrated the Chance Club. Disguised Miss La Rue, he infiltrated the establishment and found an underground arena where the blood cult enacted their Games of Death. With Woozy Winks aid, Plastic Man came to determine that the killer was actually Mrs. Towne who had ordered her sons death for breaching the rules of their secret society. (Plastic Man v1 #1)
Plastic Man would next encounter Clarence Skidd an inventor who was known as the King of Zing. The short man had created Zing that was the world’s slipperiest oil. He intended to use it eventually to rob the 13th National Bank. Plas came to find that a soapless detergent counteracted Zing's slippery oil, so he shook some on the King’s chin and knocked him out with a punch. (Plastic Man v1 #9)
He would next encounter Woozy Winks who was a man that saved a wizard from drowning. In response, the man would use magic that would lead to Woozy being immune from harm with this all being mystically redirected from him. Winks would use this power to become a criminal and steal money with all attempts stopping him failing because of this enchantment. Plastic Man himself could not capture Woozy Winks but would learn that the man was being hired by Mister Mire to accomplish his own goals. After finding this out, he had the authorities arrest Mire but was still unable to stop Woozy. However, Plastic Man was able to appeal to Winks good sense, and convince him to surrender to the police. At the police station, Plastic Man delivered Woozy and all the money that had been stolen in the prior weeks. (Plastic Man v1 #13)
Afterwards, a new criminal mastermind emerged in a beautiful red-headed woman who went by the name of the Figure who was brilliant in arithmetic. Using her intelligence, she took over the crime racket and managed her gang in earning their fortune through their illegal ventures. (Plastic Man v1 #23)
Plas was trying to get dirt on crook Corkscrew Collins, and caught him posing as a sorcerer and swindling millionaire Winthrop Snavely with the help of his girlfriend Devastating Dinah. He produced a magic potion and made Dinah seem to appear from thin air, convincing Snavely to give him $50,000 for the formula. Plas pursued the crooks, but Woozy kept getting in his way because he was smitten with Dinah. Plas chased them from their hideout, and they returned to Snavely to get more money to leave town, but Snavely, knowing he’d been swindled, threw the potion in Collins’ eyes, blinding him and allowing Plas to apprehend him. Chief Brenner showed Plas and Woozy around the government’s new top-secret department Project X. Woozy recognized one of the workers as Wilberforce, a performer at county fairs with a photographic memory, and suspected him of being a spy. He dragged Plas to the Scarlet Sarong nightclub, where Wilberforce requested a song from the singer Gigi. She began the song, which contained the word Cairo in the title, and Plas saw two suspicious types leave, so he followed them and watched them give a message to the espionage artist the Leader involving Cairo. Wilberforce appeared, knocked out Plas and Woozy, and killed the two hoods for leading Plas to the Leader. Plas’ only other lead was Gigi, so even though she was an unwitting part of the Leader’s plans he tried to have her killed. Plas made the save and uncovered the Leader as Wilberforce, who was transmitting code to himself to test the loyalty of his henchmen. While chasing a girl Woozy ran into the hypnotist and jewel thief Hypno the Great, who mesmerized him and gave him directions to a house on Laurel Drive. He sent Woozy to bring Plas there, and rigged the house full of explosives, hoping to eliminate Plas so he could move his jewels without interference. Plas avoided the trap, and disguised himself as a jewel on Hypno’s finger, and when the time was right revealed himself and took out the crook. Plas confronted the crook Spats Spiro and warned him not to try the job he was planning on the Horgan Trust. Spats wasn’t frightened, and took a taxi to the bank, not realizing his driver was a disguised Woozy, who was keeping Plas informed of the ongoing situation. Two of Spats henchmen blasted their way into the bank, and Plas apprehended them, but Spats laughed that Plas couldn’t pin the job on him. Knowing that Spats suffered from motion sickness Plas made himself into a hammock and rocked the crook until he confessed. Gat Gatsby robbed the city bank in broad daylight by distracting the public and guards with a plane modified to look like a U.F.O. Woozy’d gotten a camera for his birthday from Plas, and had stumbled across Gatsby’s goons mocking up the U.F.O. while looking for photo subjects. He wasn’t taken in by the fake and followed the goons to Gatsby’s headquarters in an attempt to round them up. He was nearly killed, but fortunately Plas was following him and saved the day. (Plastic Man v1 #27)
Plas and Woozy were assigned to guard a priceless French statue being taken by Jacques Gasteau from America to France by boat. Femme fatale Shasta stole the statue and tied up Woozy, but when she took on Plastic Man she met her match. When gunning him down didn’t work she threw the statue overboard, not wishing anyone to have it, but Plas extended his harm to save it. Plas and Woozy busted up the crime enterprise of Hoko, who stumbled upon a chemical that made glass disappear, and had his gang pose as window washers to rob stores in daring daytime robberies. Smuggler Dutyfree Schultz evaded Plas due to his hi-tech gadgets, and when there were spottings of the legendary Monster of Llendwymorra in the Atlantic Plas guessed that Schults was involved. Woozy made a bet with a man from Llendwymorra that he could disprove the creature’s existence, and stumbled up the alleged creature, actually a submarine built by Schultz. Plas rescued Woozy from Schultz and brought the smuggler to justice. Innundo was draining the city reservoir, and demanded one million dollars or he’d make sure the reservoir was boner dry. Plas and Woozy investigated and found a pipeline pumping reservoir water straight into the ocean. Plas found Innundo’s hq and brought him to justice. (Plastic Man v1 #28)
Plas and Woozy encountered a gang robbing warehouses on the waterfront, using movie projected criminals on a different warehouse to distract any potential witnesses. Plas followed them back to their hideout and met Professor Valence, their leader, who wanted to become the Overlord of Crime, and intended to do away with Plas. He tried to melt Plas in a chemical solution, and when that failed froze him stiff. Woozy warmed up Plas with his body heat before Valence could shatter Plas with a hammer. Valence was about to use a lightning generator on the heroes when Plas knocked him out and sent him to jail. The Chief sent Plas and Woozy to Midville, where regional crime syndicate bosses were having a meeting. No one knew the identity of the east and west leaders, so their assignment was to take pictures of them. Unfortunately Woozy used up the whole role on a pretty switchboard operator that he convinced to pose for him. Plas tried to take pictures of Baxter and Wheel, the bosses, but they spotted him and pursued Plas. When Woozy told Plas of his error he knew he’d actually have to bring the bosses in to the police. Plas disguised himself as a camera, and when the bosses tried to destroy it Plas caught them. The Chief sent Plas and Woozy to Lavish Park to guard young heir Phil T. Rich II, whom kidnappers had made attempts on. The Terrible Two and a Half Gang snatched Phil, switching him with Stretch, the midget of the gang. Plas was wise to them, followed them to their hideout and rescued Phil. (Plastic Man v1 #33)
When smugglers continued to evade the coast guard they asked for volunteers to patrol the shore, and Plas and Woozy gave credentials to private yacht owner Van Victor and his secretary Dotty. Woozy ripped his pants, and out of modesty ran into a building on Victor’s estate, but Victor dragged him out, telling him it was unsafe. Woozy told Plas he saw cargo in the building, and Plas was suspicious enough to scout the Victor place at night. Plas allowed Victor to capture him, and learned that he ran the smuggling ring. The smugglers arrived in a submarine, and they prepared to throw the heroes overboard when Plas made himself into a steering wheel and brought the sub to the coast guard. Plas and Woozy went on vacation to a north woods lumber camp run by Mr. Armstrong. Plas found the latest mauling victim of the Wolf Men, and Armstrong told Plas that most of his workers were planning to quit in fear of being attacked. Plas discovered that the camp’s foreman Waldo and his underlings were dressing as wolves, and making attacks with trained wolves to wrest control of the camp from Armstrong. The heroes exposed Waldo and defeated him. Chief Brandon sent Plas and Woozy to investigate the steep drop in military enlistment in Rinald County. Plas talked to the recruitment officers, while Woozy got invited to a party by a pretty girl. Subversive Ivanov threw his decadent parties full of beautiful women to convince men they’d be losing out on all the fun of they went into the army. He recognized Woozy, and guessing Plas had found him out he kidnapped Woozy and sent a ransom note demanding that Plas leave town. Plas disguised himself as a potential army recruit to get one of Ivanov’s girls attention, and armed with Ivanov’s address he busted up the subversive ring and freed Woozy. (Plastic Man v1 #34)
Plas and Woozy investigated a UFO in Corn Flats after objects started disappearing from the area. The aliens were the Invisible Invaders, who tried to kidnap Woozy and others because they needed to study humanity before invading Earth. Plas boarded their ship and forced them to flee back to Saturn. (Plastic Man v1 #35)
The Chief sent Plas and Woozy two find two missing atomic scientists, and while on the road the heroes stopped to have a picnic and were assaulted by giant ants. They fled and met the atomic scientists who’d created them to conquer civilization. They told Plas they didn’t count on the ants gaining human intelligence and rebelling. Plas made himself up as a giant anteater, causing the ants to run over a cliff in terror, falling to their death. The scientists decided to make Plas and Woozy their new test subjects, but Plas scared them by shaping himself like a giant ant, and they were terrified enough to be captured. Plas and Woozy went to Mexico to investigate a ring smuggling illegal immigrants to America. They posed as Mexicans, made contact with the ring, and arranged to be brought over the border so they could see how the operation worked. Woozy blabbed that they were F.B.I. agents to impress a girl, but she was part of the ring and informed her boss. The ring put Plas and Woozy on a plane and threw them out, but Plas made himself into a parachute. He posed as Woozy’s ghost and got the girl and the boss of the ring to confess. During a drive in the country Woozy stopped to pick flowers and fell down a hole. Plas followed him down, and it led to a deep subterranean city inhabited by Inner Earthmen. They planned an invasion of the surface world, and had a bomb ten times more powerful than the atom bomb as their secret weapon. They wanted to use Plas and Woozy as test subjects for their weapons, but the heroes escaped. Plas stole the Inner Earthmen's bomb, and used it to destroy their civilization. (Plastic Man v1 #37)
Plas captured the brutish thief Ogre, but Ogre was freed from custody by Marloff, who performed scientific experiments on Ogre and made him superhuman. Plas fought the duo, but found he was no match for Ogre physically. He surprised Marloff and Ogre by hiding in an armored car they tried to rob, and then tied Ogre to an electric generator, reversing Marloff’s process and leaving Ogre powerless. Plas learned of a Tong plot to kill Lotus Lantern, who witnessed one of their hits. She refused his protection, seeing no reason for it, but he followed her and saved her from several Tong hatchet men. Plas realized she was waiting for new contact lenses, and was never aware that she witnessed a hit or that the Tong was after her. (Plastic Man v1 #45)
A Communist agent then operated in the city where she adopted the guise of Madam Morpheus and was using a sleep weapon to allow her and her operatives to rob from an army ordnance. (Plastic Man v1 #51)
He was later tasked with helping to rescue the amnesiac actor Rheinhold Slaschenwacker who had been tricked to join the criminal duo of Puttyface and Rubberneck as their strongman. The two burglars were formerly Mal E. Abel and Perry Skope until they were accidentally splashed with an experimental acid that gave them plastic powers similar to Plastic Man. Tracking the criminals to the Vera Hruba Ralston Arts Center, he managed to thwart an attempted burglary where Slaschenwacker suffered a hit on the head that helped him regain his memories where he aided Plastic Man in arresting the two superpowered burglars. (Super Friends v1 #45)
DC
Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. He was born Patrick O'Brian in Brooklyn, New York to an Irish mother who was heartbroken to see her son become a criminal. (JLA v1 #50) As a child, his father used to sing him to sleep with whisky on his breath and abused him by burning out lit cigarettes on his arm. (JLA v1 #65) His parents were said to had died when he was 10 years old and people began to push him around in life to the point that he responded in kind. In time, he later became a wanted criminal that was known as Eel O'Brien. (Secret Origin v2 #30) A fellow criminal and colleague was a man by the name of Skizzle Shanks with the two beings friends. (DC Comics Presents v1 #93) One of his jobs with his gang was breaking into the Crawford Chemical Works but their break-in was discovered by a rental cop. As they escaped, the cop fired his gun that struck a barrel of acid that spilt on O'Brien with his comrades leaving him behind. Eel went on the run by himself and collapsed where he was saved by Brother Ellis from Rest-Haven who sheltered and cared for him. O'Brien discovered that that the acid from the accident had changed his body turning it into plastic allowing him to stretch to great degrees. (Secret Origin v2 #30)
In time, he gave up being Eel O'Brien and began to work with the Chief in the FBI where he helped put away a number of hoods that included the Hood, Elektra and the Mirror Man. (Secret Origin v2 #30)
Skizzle Shanks who knew of O'Brian sought to replicate his powers and exposed himself to similar chemicals leading to him being a green-suited supervillain named the Malleable Man. (DC Comics Presents v1 #93)
He once grew tired of the life of being Plastic Man and wanted to live an ordinary existence. Thus, he abandoned his superhero identity and assumed a new shape where he took the name Kyle Morgan. During this time, he became involved with noted businesswoman Ruby Ryder with the two falling in love. Sometime afterwards, he came to learn that Ruby was a cruel and selfish person with 'Kyle Morgan' deciding to flee from her as he went to South America to live alone. She came to hire Batman to recover her love 'Kyle' who was brought before her and she shot him for rejecting her. Ryder then vanished until she was caught by Batman who revealed that 'Morgan' was not dead and was in fact Plastic Man. (The Brave and the Bold v1 #95)
During these years, he met Angel McDunnagh where he felt that he was not proud of his actions during this point in his life. He married Angel and together the had a son named Luke but he split from his wife where over marital differences as he considered her an unpleasant person. After learning he had become a father, Plastic Man left his wife and child as he did not want to end his life as a superhero and saw himself as a poor father figure. As Luke grew up, Angel told her son that his father had died but he did not believe her and secretly believed his dad to be Plastic Man. (JLA v1 #65)
In his guise as Matches Malone, Batman recruited Eel O'Brien at a bar in New York City for a mission. (JLA v1 #11) He was sent to aid the Justice League by being sent to infiltrate the Injustice Gang where he disguised himself as the Joker. (JLA v1 #15) Plastic Man later joined the new incarnation of the Justice League after it expanded its members where he participated in fighting against Prometheus. (JLA v1 #16) He was among the League heroes that confronted Wade Eiling when he became The General after he transferred his mind into the Shaggy Man. (JLA v1 #26) Plastic Man was on the Watchtower when it came under attack from a new incarnation of the Injustice Gang. (JLA v1 #37)
Plastic Man was rendered into an inert fragile rock material during an attack by the League of Assassins after Ra's al Ghul managed to acquire Batman's secret plans on his comrades various weaknesses in case he ever had to battle them. He was put together by the Flash and later assisted in removing the countermeasure in Wonder Woman. (JLA v1 #45)
O'Brian accompanied the League in capturing the various meta-criminals that had been infected by the Joker. Among those infected was Doctor Polaris who in his insane state attempted to destroy the world through his magnetic powers. He was able to fight off the Justice League by polarising any trace of metal on them which was when the heroes used Plastic Man as he had nothing metallic on him allowing him to capture the supervillain. (JLA v1 #59)
He later learnt from Angel that their ten-year old son Luke McDunnagh had joined a criminal gang and had manifested greater shapeshifting abilities than his father that he used for his new 'friends'. As a result, Plastic Man asked for Batman's help in saving his son from a life of crime. (JLA v1 #65)
He remained trapped and the pieces of his body scattered across the ocean for 3000 years with Firestorm heading the efforts to recover him in the modern day. Plastic Man briefly lost control of his body upon assembly with him attacking everyone near him until he regained his senses. Afterwards, he decided to leave the Justice League as over the thousands of years he had a lot of time to think and wanted to now spend time with his son. (JLA v1 #76)
When Fernus of the Burning Martians emerged from J'onn J'onnz, the Justice League struggled against their former comrade due to his strength and telepathic abilities. As a result, Batman called upon his contingency which was Plastic Man who was suspected to be immune to telepathy. However, Plastic Man had used hypnotism to revert his mind into his civilian persona and he wanted to stay to be a good father to his son. Batman with Plastic Man's son managed to convince him to resume the role of a superhero where he used his natural shapeshifting talents along with immunity to telepathy to fight the Burning Martian. (JLA v1 #88)
He was later abducted where tissue samples were taken from him with Plastic Man being kept in a cryostasis tube until he was accidentally found by Green Arrow and Black Canary. (Green Arrow and Black Canary v1 #9)
Plastic Man came to re-join the ranks of the Justice League where he responded to the call for heroes to stop the Royal Flush Gang who had taken the Startopia Hotel in Las Vegas hostage. Arriving at the scene, he managed to sneak into the building where he got the drop on the villains allowing his teammates to get the drop on them. (Justice League of America v2 #35) The team then responded to a diamond heist by the gang only to find that all the people involved were being remotely controlled. It was then that the Royal Flush Gang struck multiple sites forcing the League to divide its strength to respond to each incident. (Justice League of America v2 #36) Plastic Man was partnered up with Doctor Light Kimiyo Hoshi as they went to stop the Royal Flush Gang who were attacking Stellar Studios. Working together, they managed to apprehend the villains whilst putting aside their differences as they began to see each other as teammates. They then accompanied the rest of the Justice League as they confronted the true masterminds by the recent criminal operations with these being Professor Amos Fortune and his partner Roulette. Despite their efforts, the two supervillains managed to escape on a boat where they used an explosion to fake their deaths. (Justice League of America v2 #37)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.
According to one account, Eel O'Brian was a mobster in Chicago with his partner Skizzle Shanks when the Crime Syndicate of Earth-3 invaded the world. In this time, Owlman struck a meeting of gangsters that caused a barrel of toxic chemicals to fall on O'Brian thus turning his skin into a plastic-like substance. (Justice League v2 #25)
Batman came to realise that Plastic Man's unique molecular structure had a super-conductive reaction to the energies of the Dark Multiverse. He then sent Plastic Man as a probe into that universe but when he came out he went into a dormant state. (The Terrifics v1 #1)
Mr. Terrific called upon Plastic Man to Stagg Enterprises when Simon Stagg attempted to use Metamorpho as a doorway into that realm which went out of control. O'Brian when exposed to the energies of the Dark Multiverse became active once again and saved Holt along with Mason when the three were propelled into that universe. (The Terrifics v1 #1)
Due to the effects of the Dark Multiverse energy, Mister Terrific concluded that they could not go their separate ways due to this inescapable bond. (The Terrifics v1 #3) The team goes through several adventures whilst being attacked by a figure known as Doctor Dread, who is later revealed to be Java. (The Terrifics v1 #10) This revelation coupled with the team curing their condition caused everyone to split up. Plastic Man attempts to connect with his ex Angel and their son Luke, who has inherited his stretching powers. (The Terrifics v1 #11) Despite the initial rejection, he once more attempted to reconnect with his son Luke with the boy being more receptive when the pair went on a ride in the Batmobile. He then received a distress call from Phantom Girl requesting aid for Mr. Terrific where Plastic Man asked his son to join them on a mission. (The Terrifics v1 #12)
They are then called upon by the rest of the team to band together and save Mr. Terrifc from the Terribles, a team of their evil doppelgängers put together by Doctor Dread. Plas and Luke, now suited up in his Offspring look, work together to take down a vampiric version of Plastic Man from another dimension. Following the Terribles' defeat and imprisonment, the Terrifics officially reunite as a team, with Luke, Element Dog, and Miss Terrifics joining the roster. (The Terrifics v1 #14)
Overview
Personality and attributes
During his criminal years, his ability to snake through the tightest spaces leading to him being given the nickname 'Eel'. (JLA v1 #50) He once assumed the name of Kyle Morgan when he wanted to live an ordinary life. (The Brave and the Bold v1 #95) After attempting to live a civilian life, he had his mind wiped and assumed the identity of Ralph Jones in order to raise his son. (JLA v1 #87)
He was noted for being a lateral thinker which was a trait he shared with John Henry Irons. (JLA v1 #37) He jokingly claimed that women were his greatest weakness. (JLA v1 #65)
Batman had always thought that Plastic Man would make a great father even better than Superman. This was because he believed that Plastic Man would show his children that he loved them instead of telling them. Furthermore, he felt that he would make them laugh all the time. (JLA v1 #65) He said that he would do anything to protect his son. (Superman/Batman v1 #30)
He developed a reputation as the toughest gangster afoot with criminals respecting him for his bold disregard of the law. (Police Comics v1 #2)
A life of being pushed around caused him to adopt a harsher view of the world and mankind to the point that he similarly pushed others around. This changed following his recovery by a monk who looked after him that restored his faith of people and led to him seeking to atone for his evil past. (Police Comics v1 #1) Plastic Man himself had a low opinion of himself namely that as a lowlife he would always be a lowlife. It was this that led to him leaving his wife and son with it being easier to do so the further he got away from them. (JLA v1 #65)
As Plastic Man, he was a champion of justice and masqueraded in his criminal identity in order to get inside information on criminal activities. (Police Comics v1 #2)
Powers and abilities
As a result of acid chemicals entering his wounds causing a physical change to his skin gained the ability to stretch like a rubber band. He was able to lengthen his arms, stretch his form and take other shapes whilst retaining plastic-like qualities allowing him to bounce his body. (Police Comics v1 #1) This protected him from attacks such as from a knife attempting to stab him as it simply bounced off his body. (Police Comics v1 #2) He could even survive being run over by a steam roller and still get back up to fight. (Police Comics v1 #3) It was said that he lacked any organs or blood with any cuts on him being sealed shut by his body. (Green Arrow and Black Canary v1 #9) His auditory nerves could withstand several foot-pounds of pressure before experiencing damage. (JLA v1 #51) It was noted by himself that rubber was a notorious non-conductor. (Justice League of America v2 #37) However, powerful heat attacks were able to cut through his skin with it taking time and strength for O'Brian to re-assimilate his body back to its original form. (JLA v1 #57) It was also possible to take tissue samples from him with Plastic Man stating that he could feel a piece of himself missing as a result. (Green Arrow and Black Canary v1 #9)
Plastic Man could change his facial appearance with his power allowing to change himself into appearing as an old man. (Police Comics v1 #2) It was said that his shapeshifting abilities were inspiration given form and that he did not need to concentrate in order to alter his shape. (JLA v1 #88) He was able to reverse magical spells that turned him into animals with his shapeshifting allowing him to return to his original form such as when Circe turned him into a pig. (JLA v1 #15)
He could have such fine control over his substance that he could make it thin enough to go through the ear of a person and go to their brain. (JLA v1 #45)
One effect of his transformation was that his mind was no longer organic which made him untouchable by telepathy. (JLA v1 #88)
His body was said to be composed of unstable molecules. (Dark Nights: Metal v1 #2) As a result, he had nothing metallic in his body that could be manipulated by those with electromagnetic powers over metal. (JLA v1 #59) He was able to survive with the pieces of his body scattered across the ocean and live 3000 years until his body was reconstituted with his body regenerating the tissue that could not be salvaged. This meant that he could effectively no be killed and could survive centuries without aging. (JLA v1 #76)
Plastic Man's body was not capable of surviving intense periods of cold leaving him in a near frozen state in extreme weather conditions. (JLA v1 #59)
Notes
- Plastic Man was created by Jack Cole where he made his first appearance in publisher Quality Comics Police Comics v1 #1 (August, 1941).
- The character was later introduced into DC Comics in 1956.
- In JLA v1 #50 (1999), he was identified as Patrick O'Brian instead of O'Brien.
- In Wizard Magazine, writer Grant Morrison commented on their use of Plastic Man in their JLA comic:
- "I [wanted] to use Plastic Man because he's a guy who doesn't have his own book, but he's one of those superheroes where even people who don't read comics know the name and recognize him. [Since longtime Justice League readers] are definitely used to the Elongated Man, I thought, 'Well, let's get the real guy in.' He's going to be goofy, but hopefully we're going to try and make it work, so he doesn't just take over the whole thing as a joke [...] There's always this kind of figure in every pantheon of every nation, in every country in the world—someone who punctures the pomposity and makes the jokes and does the crazy things. [Plastic Man] comes in there as the trickster [character in the JLA pantheon].
- "The way I [wrote] Plastic Man is just to do him as Jim Carrey doing Ace Ventura. So the guy is constantly hyper. He's on a sugar-high constantly and he's just a real pain in the neck, but he gets the job done."
Alternate Versions
- In Kingdom Come v1 #2 (1996), an alternate version of Plastic Man appeared in the Kingdom Come reality that was designated as Earth-22 in the Multiverse.
- In Tangent Comics: Secret Six v1 #1 (1997), an alternate version of Plastic Man appeared in the Tangent Comics reality that was designated as Earth-7 in the Multiverse. Gunther Ganz was a scientist where he came to be turned into a superhuman composed entirely of plastic where he joined a collective to oppose Dr. Aquadus, a living ocean; this group became the Secret Six. The Secret Six were effective in their plan to stop Dr. Aquadus (also known as Aquaman) and the team went on to have many other successful missions. One such mission Ganz with the help of Secret Six teammates Flash and Spectre were able to retrieve Ganz's real body from the labs of Nightwing. During a firefight with Nightwing Firestorm troopers Ganz learned that his real body could be conscious and control his plastic form as well.
- In Flashpoint: Legion of Doom v1 #1 (2011), an alternate version of Plastic Man appeared in the altered timeline of the Flashpoint that existed in a world within the Multiverse.
- In Justice League: Generation Lost v1 #14 (2011), a Plastic Man appeared in the alternate future where Maxwell Lord's O.M.A.C. army conquered the world and hunted its Metahuman population that was set one hundred and twelve years in the future. This version was a red-skinned clone of the original that was a member of the Justice League in this era.
- In Injustice: Year Three v1 #7 (2015), Plastic Man appeared in the alternate world setting that was a tie-in to the video game. Patrick O'Brian was shown as being the father of Luke McDunnagh who inherited his fathers abilities and had become a shapeshifter. His son Luke was apprehended by Superman's One Earth Regime and sent to the prison known as the Trench. This led to Plastic Man opposing the Regime as he broke into the prison and freed its various prisoners along with his son. He then fled into the Mirror World with Luke in order to escape Superman's despotic rule of the world.
- In Freedom Fighters v3 #1 (2018), an alternate version of Plastic Man was shown to had existed on Earth-10. This one was captured by Nazi forces during World War II where his powers were given to German officers that became the PlaSStic Men. They came to serve as shapeshifting spies and secret police that were dispatched to infiltrate the American resistance as the U.S. fell to Nazi Germany.
- In The Terrifics v1 (2019), an alternate version of the character known as Plasma-Man appeared in a reality that was designated as Earth-43 in the Multiverse. Similar to other inhabitants of that world, he was a vampire and retained his elastic powers where he sought to feed on others along with turning them into more of his kind. He was recruited by Doc Dread to join the ranks of his Dreadfuls as they intended to ambush the Terrifics.
- In The Terrifics v1 #19 (2019), an alternate version of the character known as the Disposable Man appeared in the Bizarro World reality that was designated as Earth-29 in the Multiverse.
In other media
Television
- In Super Friends, Plastic Man made his animated debut in the 1973 animated television series in the episode "Professor Goodfellow's G.E.E.C." where he was voiced by actor Norman Alden.
- In The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show, Plastic Man featured in the 1979-1981 spin-off animated series where he was voiced by actor Michael Bell.
- In Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Plastic Man made multiple appearances in the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Tom Kenny.
- In Young Justice, Plastic Man made a non-speaking cameo appearance in the animated series in the episode "Revelation".
- In The Flash, the name Plastic Man was referenced in the live-action television series set in the Arrowverse with it being mentioned in the episode "Elongated Journey Into Night". Barry Allen suggested it as a possible name for Ralph Dibny's superhero identity after he had become a Metahuman that had elastic skin allowing him to stretch his body into other shapes.
- In Justice League: Action, Plastic Man made multiple appearances in the animated television series where he was voiced again by actor Dana Snyder.
Films
- In Injustice, Plastic Man appeared in the setting of the animated film adaptation where he was voiced by actor Oliver Hudson. After Superman transformed the Earth into a police state using surveillance drones, Batman had Plastic Man break Mister Terrific out of prison and leaks video footage of Superman killing a group of partying teenagers inspired by Joker to ruin his public image, shocking Wonder Woman as a result.
Video games
- In DC Universe Online, Plastic Man was referenced in the setting of the MMORPG video game.
Appearances
- Police Comics v1: (1941)
- Plastic Man v1:
- The Brave and the Bold v1:
- Super Friends v1:
- JLA v1:
- Plastic Man Special v1:
- Green Arrow and Black Canary v1:
- Justice League International:
- Justice League v2:
- Dark Knights: Metal v1:
- The Terrifics v1:
- Plastic Man v5:
- Justice League v4:
External Links
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