View source for Elongated Man

{{short description|Fictional character in DC Comics}}
{{redirect|Dibny|his wife|Sue Dibny}}
{{Infobox comics character 
| image = Elongated Man.jpg
| caption = Elongated Man as depicted in ''[[Who's Who in the DC Universe]]'' #7 (September 1985). Art by [[Carmine Infantino]].
| character_name = Elongated Man
| real_name = Randolph William "Ralph" Dibny
| species = [[Metahuman]]
| publisher = [[DC Comics]]
| debut =''[[The Flash (comic book)|The Flash]]'' #112 (February 25, 1960)
| creators = [[John Broome (writer)|John Broome]] (writer)<br>[[Carmine Infantino]] (artist)
| alliances = [[Justice League]]<br>[[Doom Patrol]]<br>[[Black Lantern Corps]]<br>[[Secret Six (comics)|Secret Six]]<br>[[Justice League Europe]]<br>[[Justice League Task Force (comics)|Justice League Task Force]]
| partners = [[Sue Dibny]]<br>[[Barry Allen|The Flash]]<br>[[Plastic Man]]
| aliases =
| powers =
'''(As a metahuman)''':
* [[Elasticity (physics)|Elasticity]]
* Superhuman durability, agility, and sense of smell
'''(As a ghost)''':
* Non-corporeal form 
'''(Both)''':
* Deductive reasoning skills
* Talented chemist
}}

'''Elongated Man (Randolph William "Ralph" Dibny)''' is a [[superhero]] appearing in [[American comic book]]s published by [[DC Comics]]. He first appeared in ''[[Flash (comics)|The Flash]]'' #112 (February 25, 1960).<ref name="dc-ency">{{Citation|last = Beatty|first=Scott| author-link=Scott Beatty|contribution=Elongated Man|editor-last=Dougall| editor-first=Alastair|title=The DC Comics Encyclopedia|page=114| publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]]|place=New York|year=2008|isbn=978-0-7566-4119-1|oclc=213309017}}</ref>

The character made his [[live-action]] debut on [[The CW]]'s live-action [[Arrowverse]] television series ''[[The Flash (2014 TV series)|The Flash]]'', portrayed by [[Hartley Sawyer]]. Additionally, [[Jeremy Piven]], Sean Donnellan, and [[David Kaye (voice actor)|David Kaye]] have voiced the character in animation.

{{TOC limit|limit=3}}

==Publication history==
Elongated Man was created by writer [[John Broome (writer)|John Broome]] and [[penciler]] [[Carmine Infantino]], with significant input from editor [[Julius Schwartz]], who wanted a new supporting character for the [[Wally West|Flash]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Misiroglu |first1=Gina |title=The Superhero Book: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Comic-Book Icons and Hollywood Heroes |date=2012 |publisher=Visible Ink Press |isbn=9781578593972 |pages=130–131}}</ref> Schwartz has noted that Elongated Man was only created because he had not realized that [[Plastic Man]] was available due to DC obtaining the rights to him in 1956 alongside other [[Quality Comics]] properties. However, Infantino and inker [[Murphy Anderson]] stated that they never used Plastic Man as a reference.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m1MKdUvE3LUC&q=carmine+elongated+man+plastic&pg=PA80|title=Carmine Infantino: Penciler, Publisher, Provocateur| first=Jim|last= Amash|publisher=[[TwoMorrows Publishing]]| location = Raleigh, North Carolina|isbn=978-1605490250|year= 2010| page=80|quote= [Jim Amash]: Was there any discussion about Plastic Man when you did 'The Elongated Man' with Julie? [Carmine Infantino]: No, he never mentioned him.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WGVUcoG0Q6UC&q=elongated&pg=PA150|title=The Life and Art of Murphy Anderson| page=150|year=2003|first= R.C.|last= Harvey|author-link=R.C. Harvey| publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing| location = Raleigh, North Carolina|isbn= 978-1893905214| quote=Not knowing that DC owned these old Quality characters—and Julie'll deny it, I guess, and say they wanted to do something different—but they came up with the Elongated Man instead of Plastic Man, and they came up with the Atom instead of Doll Man. They could have resurrected either of these two characters ... [b]ut the whole concept of Plastic Man would have escaped them. It's just crazy humor, and it needs someone who really understands that stuff.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Elongated Man |url=http://www.toonopedia.com/elongman.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240527212204/https://www.webcitation.org/6iKHWCnyo?url=http://toonopedia.com/elongman.htm |archive-date=May 27, 2024 |access-date=April 25, 2011 |publisher=[[Don Markstein's Toonopedia]] |quote=...editor Julius Schwartz later said that if he'd known DC owned the name 'Plastic Man' (which it had acquired when Quality Comics, Plas's publisher, sold its properties to DC in 1956), he'd never have chosen such an unwieldy name for his own character.}}</ref>

In his 2000 autobiography, ''The Amazing World of Carmine Infantino'', the artist wrote, "I really liked Elongated Man because it was comical and I enjoyed drawing comedy. It was also one of my favorite strips, because it was as close to animation as I could do in a comic book. I liked being able to test the limits of the comic book form and this strip allowed me to do that."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Infantino |first1=Carmine |title=The Amazing World of Carmine Infantino |date=2001 |publisher=Vanguard Productions |isbn=978-1887591126 |page=65}}</ref>

Elongated Man received a solo backup feature in ''[[Detective Comics]]'', where he was redefined as a detective who loves odd mysteries and travels the [[United States]] in a convertible with his wife, searching for them.<ref name=Guide>{{cite book |last1=Cowsill |first1=Alan |last2=Irvine |first2=Alex |last3=Korte |first3=Steve |last4=Manning |first4=Matt |last5=Wiacek |first5=Win |last6=Wilson |first6=Sven |title=The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe |date=2016 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-1-4654-5357-0 |page=101}}</ref> Sometimes they would travel the world or meet other DC superheroes like [[Batman]], [[Green Lantern]], the [[Atom (character)|Atom]] and [[Zatanna]]. This feature became sporadic during the late '60s and throughout the '70s. However, in 1973, he became a member of the Justice League of America, and he is mostly seen in that title from 1973 to 1995.

==Fictional character biography==
As a teenager, Ralph Dibny was fascinated by contortionists, or people who displayed feats of agility and suppleness. He learned that all of the body-benders he spoke with drank a popular soda called "Gingold". Ralph set to work learning [[chemistry]] and developed a super-concentrated extract of the rare "gingo" fruit of the [[Yucatán]], which gave him his elasticity.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Greenberger |first1=Robert |author-link=Robert Greenberger |title=The Essential Batman Encyclopedia |date=2008 |publisher=Del Rey |isbn=9780345501066 |pages=128–129}}</ref> In his first appearance, the Flash suspects Elongated Man is behind several crimes, but he helps capture the criminals, who reveal they used a helicopter to frame him.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cowsill |first1=Alan |last2=Irvine |first2=Alex |last3=Manning |first3=Matthew K. |last4=McAvennie |first4=Michael |last5=Wallace |first5=Daniel |title=DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle |date=2019 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-1-4654-8578-6 |page=94}}</ref>

Ralph Dibny was one of the earliest [[Silver Age of Comic Books|Silver Age]] DC heroes to reveal his secret identity to the public, and also one of the first to marry his love interest. After teaming up with several other superheroes like Batman, Green Lantern, the Atom, Zatanna and the Justice League of America, he became a member of the team. Eventually, his wife Sue Dibny became a member as well. The couple was also notable in having a stable, happy, and relatively trouble-free marriage—an anomaly in the [[soap opera]]tic annals of superhero comic books.

===''Identity Crisis''===
Ralph Dibny played a central role in the events of ''[[Identity Crisis (DC Comics)|Identity Crisis]]'', with the main arc of the series revolving around Sue Dibny being murdered. The two's relationship, and the events that led to and resulted from her death, were used as primary narrative devices throughout the series for examining the respective personal relationships of other JLA and [[Justice Society of America|JSA]] members.

The effect of Sue's death on Ralph (compounded by the fact that Sue was apparently pregnant at the time of her death) would come to shape his character significantly in the events following ''Identity Crisis'', eventually culminating at the end of ''[[52 (comics)|52]]''.

Ralph and Sue appeared as members of the Justice League offshoot the [[Super Buddies]] in the miniseries ''[[Formerly Known as the Justice League]]'' and its sequel story arc "[[I Can't Believe It's Not The Justice League]]" published in ''JLA: Classified'' #4–9. The latter arc was produced before ''Identity Crisis'', but published afterwards. A running joke in "I Can't Believe It's Not The Justice League" involves the possibility of Sue's pregnancy.

===Death===
In the 2006 series ''[[52 (comics)|52]]'', a grief-stricken Ralph Dibny is contemplating suicide when he is informed that Sue's gravestone has been vandalized with an inverted version of the [[Superman logo]]—the [[Kryptonian]] symbol for resurrection.<ref>''[[52 (comics)|52]]'' #1 (July 2006)</ref> Ralph travels to [[Doctor Fate]]'s tower and attempts to use Fate's helmet to resurrect Sue, only for [[Neron (character)|Neron]] and [[Felix Faust]] to appear, with Faust being revealed to have been posing as [[Nabu (comics)|Nabu]]. Neron appears and kills Ralph, but realizes that he cast a binding spell that traps him and Faust in the tower.<ref>''52'' #42 (April 2007)</ref>

Following Ralph's death, he and Sue appear as ghosts and gain the ability to possess human bodies, similar to [[Deadman (character)|Deadman]].<ref name="dc-ency" /><ref>''52'' #52 (July 2007)</ref><ref>''[[Outsiders (comics)#Batman and the Outsiders (vol. 2, 2007)|Batman and the Outsiders]]'' (vol. 2) #5 (May 2008)</ref><ref>''[[Reign in Hell (comics)|Reign in Hell]]'' #1 (September 2008)</ref> In the 2009 event ''[[Blackest Night]]'', Ralph and Sue Dibny are temporarily resurrected as [[Black Lantern Corps|Black Lanterns]].<ref name="bn1">''[[Blackest Night]]'' #1 - 3 (July - September 2009)</ref>

===''The New 52''===
In ''[[The New 52]]'' continuity reboot, Ralph Dibny is resurrected and depicted as a rogue member of the [[Secret Six (comics)|Secret Six]] under the alias of Damon Wells a.k.a. Big Shot.<ref>''[[Secret Six (comics)|Secret Six]]'' (vol. 4) #3 (June 2015)</ref> Dibny makes his return as Elongated Man in ''Secret Six'' (vol. 4) #12.<ref>''Secret Six'' (vol. 4) #12 (May 2016)</ref>

==Powers and abilities==
Elongated Man gained his abilities by drinking a refined version of a soft drink named Gingold that contains gingo fruit extract. It is revealed in ''[[Invasion! (DC Comics)|Invasion!]]'' that Elongated Man is a [[metahuman]] and that the Gingold interacted with his latent meta-gene. An ordinary human would not develop such powers through ingesting the extract.<ref>''[[Invasion! (DC Comics)|Invasion!]]'' #3 (January 1989)</ref>

As his name suggests, Elongated Man can stretch his limbs and body to superhuman lengths and sizes. These stretching powers grant him heightened agility, enabling flexibility and coordination that is beyond the natural limits of the human body. He can contort his body into various positions and sizes impossible for ordinary humans, such as being entirely flat so that he can slip under a door, or using his fingers to pick conventional locks. He can also use it for disguise by changing the shape of his face, although this is painful and difficult for him. Ralph's physiology has greater physical limitations than [[Plastic Man]]; there is a limit to how far he can stretch his finite bodily mass, and he cannot open holes in his body as Plastic Man can.

Elongated Man's powers also greatly augment his durability. He is largely able to withstand corrosives, punctures and concussions without sustaining injury. It has been demonstrated that he is resistant to high velocities that would kill an ordinary person and that he is also more resistant to blasts from energy weapons that would kill ordinary humans.

In addition to his stretching abilities, Elongated Man is a professional [[detective]] and highly skilled in [[deductive reasoning]]. He is considered one of the most brilliant detectives in the DC Universe, comparable to [[Batman]]. He is a talented amateur chemist as well. A meta-side effect of his powers coupled with his detective skills is enhanced [[olfactory sense]], allowing him to "smell" when something is "not right", or if a clue or mystery is at hand.

==Other versions==

* An alternate universe variant of Elongated Man appears in ''[[Kingdom Come (comics)|Kingdom Come]]''.
* Elongated Man appears in ''[[JLA/Avengers]]'' #3.
* An alternate universe variant of Elongated Man appears in ''[[The Dark Knight Strikes Again]]''.
* An alternate universe variant of Elongated Man from [[Earth-51]] appears in ''[[Countdown to Final Crisis]]''.<ref>''[[Countdown to Final Crisis]]'' #18 (December 2007)</ref><ref>''Countdown to Final Crisis'' #17 (January 2008)</ref>
* '''Elongated Maniac''', an evil alternate timeline variant of Elongated Man, appears in ''The Flash'' #53.

==In other media==
===Television===
[[File:EMJLU.jpg|thumb|right|Elongated Man (left) alongside [[Booster Gold]] (right) and [[Skeets (DC Comics)|Skeets]] (background) in ''[[Justice League Unlimited]]''.]]
[[File:TheFlashHartleySawyer.jpg|thumb|right|Hartley Sawyer as Elongated Man in ''The Flash'']]
* Elongated Man appears in ''[[Justice League Unlimited]]'', voiced by [[Jeremy Piven]].<ref name="btva">{{cite web |title=Elongated Man Voices (DC Universe) |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/characters/DC-Universe/Elongated-Man/ |access-date=December 13, 2023 |publisher=Behind The Voice Actors}} A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.</ref> This version is a member of the [[Justice League]].
* Elongated Man appears in ''[[Batman: The Brave and the Bold]]'', voiced by Sean Donnellan.<ref name="btva" /> This version possesses shapeshifting abilities and a rivalry with [[Plastic Man]].
* Elongated Man appears in ''[[Mad (TV series)|Mad]]'', voiced by [[Ralph Garman]].<ref name="btva" />
* Elongated Man appears in ''[[Young Justice (TV series)|Young Justice]]'', voiced by [[David Kaye (voice actor)|David Kaye]].<ref name="btva" /> This version is a member of the Justice League.
* Ralph Dibny / Elongated Man appears in media set in the [[Arrowverse]], primarily portrayed by [[Hartley Sawyer]]<ref name="cast">{{cite web |last=Ching |first=Albert |date=July 31, 2017 |title=OFFICIAL: The Flash Casts Its Elongated Man |url=http://www.cbr.com/the-flash-elongated-man-hartley-sawyer/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801032425/http://www.cbr.com/the-flash-elongated-man-hartley-sawyer/ |archive-date=August 1, 2017 |access-date=July 31, 2017 |website=[[Comic Book Resources|CBR]]}}</ref> and an uncredited actor in the episode "Mother".
** Dibny first appears in ''[[The Flash (2014 TV series)|The Flash]]'' television series.<ref name="Sawyer">{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2018/06/the-flash-season-5-hartley-sawyer-elongated-man-series-regular-the-cw-1202411128/ |title='The Flash': Hartley Sawyer Upped To Series Regular on the CW Superhero Drama |last=Pedersen |first=Erik |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |date=June 15, 2018 |access-date=December 14, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615183307/https://deadline.com/2018/06/the-flash-season-5-hartley-sawyer-elongated-man-series-regular-the-cw-1202411128/ |archive-date=June 15, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Jenna |date=January 30, 2018 |title='The Flash' Plans an Unlikely Escape in 'True Colors' Preview |url=https://comicbook.com/dc/2018/01/31/the-flash-season-4-episode-13-true-colors-preview/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180201052554/https://comicbook.com/dc/2018/01/31/the-flash-season-4-episode-13-true-colors-preview/ |archive-date=February 1, 2018 |access-date=November 28, 2023 |website=[[ComicBook.com]] |publisher=}}</ref><ref name=":fired">{{cite web |last=Petski |first=Denise |date=June 8, 2020 |title='The Flash': Hartley Sawyer Fired After Racist, Misogynist Tweets Resurface |url=https://deadline.com/2020/06/the-flash-hartley-sawyer-fired-racist-misogynist-social-media-1202953632/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608182306/https://deadline.com/2020/06/the-flash-hartley-sawyer-fired-racist-misogynist-social-media-1202953632/ |archive-date=June 8, 2020 |access-date=June 8, 2020 |website=Deadline Hollywood}}</ref>  While he was originally stated to be deceased due to [[Eobard Thawne (Arrowverse)|Eobard Thawne]]'s particle accelerator explosion in the [[The Flash season 1|first season]], Dibny's death was undone following the destruction of the "[[Flashpoint (comics)|Flashpoint]]" timeline in the [[The Flash season 3|third season]] before he makes his first appearance in the fourth season episode "Elongated Journey Into Night".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Agard |first=Chancellor |date=October 31, 2017 |title=The Flash: About that Ralph Dibny reference in season 1... |url=https://ew.com/tv/2017/10/31/flash-ralph-dibny-reference-season-1/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171101200414/https://ew.com/tv/2017/10/31/flash-ralph-dibny-reference-season-1/ |archive-date=November 1, 2017 |access-date=March 29, 2018 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref> This version was a police detective for the Central City Police Department until [[Barry Allen (Arrowverse)|Barry Allen]] discovered that he had committed [[perjury]] by planting evidence. After Dibny was ousted from the police force, he became a [[private investigator]] specializing in infidelity cases. In the present, the [[Clifford DeVoe (Arrowverse)|Thinker]] manipulates Team Flash into exposing Dibny to [[dark matter]], granting the latter his elastic powers. While helping him stabilize, Allen reconciles with Dibny, who eventually becomes the Elongated Man to help him defeat the Thinker and fight crime until he suffers grievous injuries while raiding a [[Black Hole (DC Comics)|Black Hole]] facility and leaves with [[Sue Dearbon (Arrowverse)|Sue Dearbon]] to travel the world and stop other criminal organizations like Black Hole.
** Dibny appears in the [[Crossover (fiction)|crossover]] event "[[Crisis on Infinite Earths (Arrowverse)|Crisis on Infinite Earths]]".<ref name="OnSetPhotos">{{Cite web |url=https://www.inverse.com/article/60025-crisis-on-infinite-earths-leaked-cast-set-photos-reveal-new-heroes-cw |title=New "Crisis on Infinite Earths" photos blow away 'Avengers: Endgame' |last=Francisco |first=Eric |date=October 10, 2019 |website=[[Inverse (website)|Inverse]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191011162717/https://www.inverse.com/article/60025-crisis-on-infinite-earths-leaked-cast-set-photos-reveal-new-heroes-cw |archive-date=October 11, 2019 |access-date=October 11, 2019}}</ref>

===Film===
* '''Extruded Man''', an evil, alternate universe variant of Elongated Man, makes a non-speaking appearance in ''[[Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths]]'' as a member of the [[Crime Syndicate of America|Crime Syndicate]].{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}
* Elongated Man makes a cameo appearance in ''[[Teen Titans Go! To the Movies]]''.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}

=== Video games ===
Elongated Man appears as a character summon in ''[[Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Eisen |first=Andrew |date=October 2, 2013 |title=DC Characters and Objects - ''Scribblenauts Unmasked'' Guide |url=https://www.ign.com/wikis/scribblenauts-unmasked/DC_Characters_and_Objects |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131011130702/https://www.ign.com/wikis/scribblenauts-unmasked/DC_Characters_and_Objects |archive-date=October 11, 2013 |access-date=July 23, 2024 |website=[[IGN]] |language=en}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Flash}}
{{Starman}}
{{Secret Six}}
{{Justice League characters}}
{{Doom Patrol}}
[[Category:Characters created by Carmine Infantino]]
[[Category:Characters created by John Broome]]
[[Category:Comics characters introduced in 1960]]
[[Category:DC Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability]]
[[Category:DC Comics characters with superhuman senses]]
[[Category:DC Comics metahumans]]
[[Category:DC Comics male superheroes]]
[[Category:DC Comics scientists]]
[[Category:DC Comics shapeshifters]]
[[Category:Fictional characters who can stretch themselves]]
[[Category:Fictional characters with body or mind control abilities]]
[[Category:Fictional chemists]]
[[Category:Fictional ghosts]]
[[Category:Fictional private investigators]]
[[Category:Fictional characters from Nebraska]]
[[Category:Justice League characters]]