Welcome to another edition of Demanded Characters. This week we take a look at a character that has a long history in the DCU, but gave his life in the line of duty. He is known as the romantic of the heroes, but also the comic relief at times during his time with the Blue and the Gold. This week’s character is Ralph Dibney, elongated man.
Last week the fans were split between the two looks, but in the end it was the modern version that took the top spot on the poll.
There is no doubt that most of us don’t want Elongated Man to be just another DCUC buck, so asking the question if he should be a collect and connect is like asking if we need a bigger Doomsday. So this week we focus on the question: Red or Purple? Before we get to the costume choices lets take a look at who this hero is named Elongated Man.
Ralph Dibney was always trying to figure things out, even at a young age. He was in awe of people who were flexible and could contort their bodies, and he had a curiosity for mysteries. Ralph tried to find out how these people could shape their bodies, and found that they all had a connection, the drink called Gingold. He studied the drink and learned that in contained the gingo fruit. Ralph was able to concentrate the fruit, and when he drank it, he was able to stretch his entire body further than anyone he had ever met. Not only could Ralph control his body’s shape, but he was also a great detective. He was known for solving crimes, and when there was something wrong or a mystery around his rubbery nose would twitch. While he had an exciting life as a hero and detective, he also had a very normal life as a husband. Ralph and Sue were one of the only successful relationships in the DCU. His wife Sue was friends with all the heroes and even came on some missions with Ralph during his time on the various Justice League teams.
During Identity Crisis it was revealed that all was not perfect in the marriage. We found out that during the Satellite era of the JLA, Sue was raped by Dr. Arthur Light. Though they came through the tragedy as a couple, their lives were forever changed. When Sue was killed during the miniseries Ralph almost lost his mind. Over the next year he tried to find ways to bring her back from the dead like so many others had done in the DCU, but with no success. He finally sacrificed himself to keep Felix Faust from getting the power of Dr. Fate, and joined his wife in the afterlife. Though they are currently dead, their sprits have helped Batman on the Outsiders, and we are wondering if they could be part of the new Blackest Night event. Only time will tell.
Now on to the costumes.
The first choice is his red and black costume. It looks sort of like Plastic Man because of the colors, but would help to continue to add to the Satellite era JLA. All the other JLA members are sporting costumes from that era, so it would make sense that the red and black would fit best in the line right now.
The second choice is his Purple look. It seems to set him apart from the other stretchy JLA member. This costume also helps to continue to build the JLI. It’s from a time where Booster and the Blue Beetle were on the team, when Max Lord was a good guy, and the team went on goofy missions. This version would add to the team with a few more members (Fire,Ice, and Guy) and we could have a great team set up.
So guys, which version of Ralph do you want if you could only choose one.
Some images courtesy of Comic Vine
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