Summary

• Wonder Woman teams up with Plastic Man to retrieve her stolen Lasso of Truth.
• Plastic Man's backstory reveals he has powerful abilities, making him a valuable ally.
• The unlikely pairing highlights the importance of mutual respect and the potential in underrated heroes.

Part of DC's Trinity, Plastic Man.

While in her own book, Diana Prince has been fighting the secret American monarchy and discovering a new Amazonian child, this side story appears in the anthology Batman: The Brave and the Bold #19. In DC Comics' November solicitations, readers can get a teaser for Wonder Woman's next adventure — and it involves a brand-new partner in the form of Plastic Man.

While Plastic Man can seem like a joke character and a Z-tier member of the Justice League, Wonder Woman has long feared Plastic Man's powers. In Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Four Annual #1 by Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, Jordi Tarragona, Sergio Sandoval, Rex Lokus, and Wes Abbott, for example, she reminded heavy hitters like Superman, Sinestro, and the Flash to be on alert and wary of what Eel O'Brien can do.

Wonder Woman and Plastic Man Are an Unbeatable Combination

Batman: The Brave and the Bold #19 Variant Cover by Riley Rossmo

Plastic Man has a silly costume, hairstyle, and even name, but his backstory reads like the Joker's crossed with Victor Hugo's Les Misérables. A career thief, one of Patrick O'Brien's heists went sideways, creating the freak accident that gave him his powers. A group of monks took him in and allowed him to recover, showing him a kindness he had never experienced before, which made him decide to turn his life around and use his new abilities for good. Those abilities make Plastic Man incredibly powerful: he can change his size, change his appearance, carry items within himself, and stretch himself thin to infiltrate anywhere.

Plastic Man fans new and old can't miss his forthcoming Black Label series; Plastic Man No More! #1 by Christopher Cantwell, Jacob Edgar, Alex Lins, Marcelo Miaolo, and Becca Carey is available September 4th from DC Comics.

As Wonder Woman is one of the of the Justice League who respects Plastic Man's worth, it makes sense that she'd choose him to help her locate the Lasso of Truth. She recognizes that it's important to let him know he's a valued member of the team, because if he ever decided to turn back to a life of crime, Plastic Man would be almost unstoppable. His powers pair perfectly with the thievery skills he already had, so while Batman might be the world's greatest detective, a godlike thief is actually the best partner she could ask for in this endeavor.

Plastic Man Seems Like a Goof, But He's Almost a God

Created by Jack Cole, Plastic Man Debuted in Quality Comics' Police Comics #1 in 1941

As she's shown in her current solo series by Tom King and Daniel Sampere, Wonder Woman is unstoppable — not just because of her physical power, but because of her spirit and determination. She sees the best in people and never gives up, a ion that goes well with Plastic Man, who needs someone to believe in him and show him kindness. The variant cover for the issue shows the pair standing strong against an onslaught of arrows, hammers, and bombs. Plastic Man is an underrated hero, but his power can truly shine when he's with Wonder Woman.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold #19 is available November 27th, 2024 from DC Comics.