Patrick O'Brian (Prime Earth)

Patrick "Eel" O'Brian is Plastic Man, a former thief and small-time criminal who has the power to stretch, bend and twist his body, parts and limbs into any imaginable shape or form and can even inflate his body, limbs and body parts like a big and giant balloon.

History

Origins

New 52 Origin

Patrick "Eel" O'Brian was a petty mobster in Chicago prior to becoming a superhero.

After the Justice League had seemingly been killed by the Crime Syndicate of Earth 3, the villains declared that the world now belonged to the forces of evil. Eel's boss, fearing that the Crime Syndicate's version of evil meant exclusively costumed criminals, organized a meeting with other high-ranking mobsters in the Chicago area to discuss bribing Ultraman to get on his good side. Eel, as well as his crime partner Skizzle Shanks, waited outside the meeting with anticipation.

However, the meeting was interrupted by Owlman, who agreed that organized crime was against his values and murdered most of the men in attendance. Eel seemingly died in the incident, having been flung into a barrel of chemicals that melted him into a pile of human goop.^[2]

The chemicals didn't kill him, though, instead giving him the incredible power of elasticity. Interested in turning his life around, O'Brian became the new superhero Plastic Man.^[3]

Following the cosmic upheavals of the Rebirth period, this character's history was revised.

Current Origin

Patrick "Eel" O'Brian was a petty criminal doing almost any job that paid cash. One night he and his accomplices got hired to steal some documents from a chemical plant and while recovering them they were surprised by a guard and a shootout followed, the guard was killed and a stray bullet hit a chemical container that spilled its contents on Eel. They all ran away from the scene of the crime but O'Brian got thrown off the car when they judged his injuries too severe but instead of dying he was reborn as the shape-shifting hero Plastic Man.^[4]

Plastic Man worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was a member of the teams the All-Star Squadron and Freedom Fighters,^[5] active in the Golden Age of superheroes.^[6] Later, he worked to evacuate people bound for death and dissolution in the android NewMazo's "Human Reclamation Plants,"^[7] and joined an incarnation of the Justice League that was brought down by the Leaguer Batman's distrust for his teammates.^[8] He was proposed by United Nations Intelligence chief Andre Briggs as a candidate for the UN-backed Justice League International, but was not ultimately chosen as a member.^[9]

At some point, O'Brian married and divorced a woman named Angel McDunnagh. The two had a son named Luke, who would gain elastic powers himself and become the superhero Offspring.

Invasion of the Dark Multiverse

Main article: Dark Nights: Metal

When Batman met with Mr. Terrific in the Lunar Batcave, he unveiled an egg-shaped containment unit that bore Plastic Man's logo. Batman suggested that they should release Plastic Man, thus revealing he was contained in this device for an unknown period of time.^[10]

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Exploring the Dark Multiverse

Main article: The Terrifics Vol 1

After the disaster of the Dark Multiverse was averted, Plastic Man was mystically bonded to a group known as the Terrifics as they worked together to explore the Dark Multiverse.

After his return, Plastic Man visited his long estranged family. His son, Offspring, had given up on him and hated him because of his absence.^[11] They reconciled during the Terrifics's battle with the Dreadfuls,^[12] after which Offspring joined the team.^[13]

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Powers and Abilities

Powers

Elasticity: After being exposed to unknown chemicals Plastic Man gained the ability to manipulate his own body on a molecular level, meaning he has complete control over its shape, size, and density. The most recognizable aspect of his powers is his ability to stretch his body or portion of it over long distances without effort.^[4] He retains his elasticity even when unconscious.^[14]
- Metamorphosis: Plastic Man can assume any shape he desires regardless of whether it is a person or an object. When transforming into something else he maintains his red and gold color scheme.^[4]
  - Flight: Plastic Man can fly by turning in a flying object or vehicle.^[4]
  - Fangs: Plastic Man can grow strong teeth capable of biting off a Durlan's arms.^[15]
- Size Alteration: As an extension of his shape-shifting powers Plastic Man can increase or decrease his size at will.^[16] He could shrink to the point where he could hide inside Doctor Psycho's ear.^[15]
- Regeneration: Plastic Man can heal from any injury at an extremely rapid speed. After being brutally beaten and having multiple teeth and both his legs broken Plastic Man recovered in seconds and with no sign of pain.^[4]
- Superhuman Strength: Plastic Man can increase his strength by adopting larger and combat-oriented forms.^[14] He also retains some degrees of superhuman strength while in his base human form.^[16]
- Invulnerability: Plastic Man's physiology grants him vast resistance to all forms of damage. He can be shot multiple times without injury and take strong blows without showing any pain^[17] but extremely sharp claws like Man-Bat's and Catman's^[17] have been known to be able to cause superficial damage and draw some blood.^[14] He has shown complete immunity to Jeannette's screams.^[17]
- Immortality: Plastic Man considers himself to be immortal.^[14]
- Self-Duplication: After merging with one of Disposable Man's clones by swallowing him, Plastic Man gained a new ability to create an living duplicate of himself. He can also absorb them back into himself at will.^[18]

Abilities

Lock Picking^[4]
Contortionism: Plastic Man's physiology allows him to bend in ways impossible for a normal human.^[14]
Throwing^[16]
Thievery: As a former criminal Plastic Man is an expert thief.^[17]
Intimidation: Plastic Man could intimidate the Cabal into leaving his loved ones alone.^[15]

Weaknesses

Dark Energy Bonding (Formerly): After being exposed to the Dark Multiverse energy, the Terrifics members became tethered to each other, which causes an explosion if they are separated more than a mile from each other.^[21]
Vulnerability to Electricity: Despite his rubber-like consistency Plastic Man's body can still conduct electricity and strong electric attacks can cause him great pain.^[14]

Notes

Plastic Man was created by Jack Cole, first appearing in Police Comics #1. However, Plastic Man first appeared as part of Prime Earth continuity in Justice League International (Volume 3) #1 by Dan Jurgens and Aaron Lopresti.

Trivia

Plastic Man first appeared, as an established hero, on a photo in Justice League International (Volume 3) #1. However, several of the heroes mentioned in that montage were reinvented later. Plastic Man's origin was retold in Justice League (Volume 2) #25, as part of Forever Evil.

This character has been a member of the Justice League of America, or simply the Justice League in any of its various incarnations, sworn by a duty to act as guardians of America and the world by using their skills and/or superpowers to protect Earth from the clutches of both interstellar and domestic threats.
This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Justice League of America members" category.

Freedom Fighters member

This character is or was a member of the Freedom Fighters, a team of American super-heroes who fight threats to the nation and its ideals under the leadership of Uncle Sam. This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the "Freedom Fighters members" category.

The Squadron in a V shape over the Pacific Ocean

All-Star Squadron member

This character is or was a member of the All-Star Squadron in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "All-Star Squadron members" category.

[1] Dark Nights: Metal #4

[2] Justice League (Volume 2) #25

[3] Plastic Man No More! #1

[PM1-4] 4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 ^4.3 ^4.4 ^4.5 Plastic Man (Volume 5) #1

[Levent2-5] Event Leviathan #2

[Stripesy-6] Stargirl Spring Break Special #1

[BSWF16-7] Batman/Superman: World's Finest #16

[Home-8] Superman: Kal-El Returns Special #1

[JLI1-9] Justice League International (Volume 3) #1

[10] Dark Days: The Forge #1

[11] The Terrifics #11

[12] The Terrifics #13

[13] The Terrifics #14

[PM2-14] 14.0 ^14.1 ^14.2 ^14.3 ^14.4 ^14.5 Plastic Man (Volume 5) #2

[PM6-15] 15.0 ^15.1 ^15.2 Plastic Man (Volume 5) #6

[PM3-16] 16.0 ^16.1 ^16.2 Plastic Man (Volume 5) #3

[PM4-17] 17.0 ^17.1 ^17.2 ^17.3 Plastic Man (Volume 5) #4

[18] The Terrifics #21

[19] Absolute Power #4

[20] Justice League Unlimited (Volume 2) #3

[21] The Terrifics #3

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