Eel O'Brian (Quality Universe)

Plastic Man was once a small time crook, who turned superhero, and could stretch his body into any shape.

History

In 1941, petty crook "Eel" O'Brian was shot during a botched robbery attempt and his wound contaminated by unknown chemicals which altered his body chemistry, giving him the ability to change shape. Nursed back to health by an order of monks, and now truly repentant, O'Brian embarked on a new career as the crime busting Plastic Man (often aided by his idiot sidekick Woozy Winks).

Powers and Abilities

Powers

• Unique Physiology
  • Elasticity
    • Metamorphosis: He can turn himself into objects or other persons. ^[1]
    • Superhuman Durability: His rubber-like body can repel bullets.^[2]
    • Regeneration: Even totally sliced, he can regain his form within a very short time.^[3]

Abilities

• Thievery
• Interrogation^[4]
• Hand-to-Hand Combat (Basic)^[5]

Notes

• This version of Plastic Man, including all history and corresponding appearances, was erased from existence following the collapse of the original Multiverse in the 1985–86 Crisis on Infinite Earths event and later restored following the rebirth of the infinite Multiverse during the Dark Crisis of 2022-2023. Even though other versions of the character may have appeared, this information does not apply to those versions.
• In 1956, DC Comics obtained the rights to the Quality Comics characters, and re-introduced them 17 years later as the Freedom Fighters in Justice League of America #107 (October 1973).

• The Freedom Fighters were relocated to a parallel world, one called "Earth-X", where Nazi Germany had won World War II. The team was featured in its own series for 15 issues (1976–1978), in which it temporarily left Earth-X for "Earth-One" (where most DC titles are set).

• In 1981, some Quality Characters became recurring guest-stars of All-Star Squadron, a superhero-team title set on "Earth-Two", the locale for DC's WWII-era superheroes, and at a time prior to when the Freedom Fighters were supposed to have left for Earth-X. They later appeared with the rest of DC's superheroes in Crisis on Infinite Earths, a story that was intended to eliminate the confusing histories that DC had attached to its characters by retroactively merging the various parallel worlds into one. The Freedom Fighters became a mere splinter group of the All-Star Squadron.

• This is the original version of Plastic Man, published by Quality Comics from 1941 to 1956. This version of Plastic Man lived in Mammoth City within the Quality Universe. He never met nor joined the All-Star Squadron nor the Freedom Fighters.
  

Trivia

• The character is a somewhat of a precursor to elastic heroes like Elongated Man and Marvel's Mr. Fantastic.

Related

• Appearances of Eel O'Brian (Quality Universe)
• Images featuring Eel O'Brian (Quality Universe)
• Quotations by or about Eel O'Brian (Quality Universe)
• Character Gallery: Eel O'Brian (Quality Universe)

Footnotes