It's Really Not a Joke: Justice League's Silliest Hero Is Lowkey Horrifying
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Justice League Unlimited #3!A beloved wildcard in the Justice League has powers that are actually terrifying. Thanks to Amanda Waller's actions, heroes all over the DC Universe have swapped powers and the premier super-team is still trying to fix things. But one unfortunate hero has just found out the shocking truth about a stretchy jokester's powers.
InJustice League Unlimited #3 by Mark Waid and Dan Mora, the Atom Project is working with Plastic Man to get his powers back from his old Terrifics associate, Phantom Girl. The heroes break into Linnya's home in Gateway City, but they can't seem to find her.
After a brief investigation, they find Phantom Girl huddled in a corner. Unable to control Plastic Man's powers, Phantom Girl has become a mass of pliable flesh who can barely hold herself together. Thankfully, the Atoms use their latest invention and Plastic Man and Phantom Girl get their powers back from each other.
Plastic Man's Stretchiness is a Horror Show in Disguise
Phantom Girl Finds Out the Downside of Plastice Man's Power the Hard Way
Amanda Waller went all-out trying to rein in the DC Universe's heroes during Absolute Power and almost succeeded. Thanks to a squad of Amazos, Waller was able to drain the powers of nearly every metahuman on the planet. But the heroes rallied and triumphed over her, destroying the Amazos in the process. This gave the heroes their powers back, but in the process, some heroes accidentally swapped powers (Fire and Ice, for example, ended up trading abilities) while others' powers went to innocent civilians. To combat this, the Atoms formed the Atom Project, intent on returning every hero to normal.
Plastic Man is often portrayed as a joker, using his powers to get a laugh out of others. But as this issue showed, powers in the hands of people not equipped to deal with them can be horrifying. Plastic Man only dealt with being intangible, but poor Phantom Girl looked like something out of a body horror movie. One should remember that Plastic Man's powers aren't stretching, his entire body is a pliable plastic and he has to exert great control over his shape. Without control, Plastic Man (or anyone with his powers) can barely hang onto their natural forms.
Plastic Man is More Than Just Comic Relief
This Justice Leaguer Had to Fight to Stay in Control of His Powers
It's easy to look at Plastic Man and see a cutup who tries to make people laugh with his antics and odd shapes. But beneath all the smiles and jokes is a man who had no choice but to master his powers. If he hadn't learned the ends and outs of his pliability, there's a good chance he may have had no choice but to be the same goopy mess that Phantom Girl became when she was cursed with his abilities. He might like cracking wise, but the Justice League's Plastic Man overcame something most couldn't even imagine.
Justice League Unlimited #3 is available now from DC Comics.
