Ralph Dibny

## Elongated Man

Ken Dibny (Brother)

The Elastics (Leader)

Master's Degree, Criminology

Minor, Bio-Chemistry

(Midwestern University)

### Early Life

Ralph was born and raised in Opal City, Maryland by Wayne and Miriam Dibny. Growing up he was a very shy and awkward kid who tend to live in his make-believe worlds. His imagination created worlds far and wide he could adventure too and often fantasized of becoming a superhero like his idol Astra. Just something to make the quaint town of Opal City more exciting.

As high school approached Ralph popped out of his shell and wore the title of class clown with pride pulling pranks and creating hijinks. The problem only escalated when he was diagnosed with obssessive compulsive disorder, helping pull more elaborate pranks and schemes.

Ralph graduated with honors and got a merit scholarship to Midwestern University. Deciding to get a Master's Degree in Criminal Investigation and Minoring Bio-Chemistry. Fate decided that Ralph Dibny was to room with Ted Kord. They both spent late nights studying and helping each other with their assignments.

Late in the first semester Ralph this amazing woman in his CSI class. Her name was Sue Dearborn. Immediately they clicked and started dating. Soon after they got hitched in Vegas. They graduated from Midwestern University and settled down in Central City to start a family, but their plan was thwarted when they both caught the hero bug.

### Elongated Man

While on their honeymoon in Las Vegas they saw contortionists which fascinated Ralph. He stayed up all day and night resarching how the contortionist moved in such flexible ways and learned they all drank a soft drink called Gingold. He learned it derived from a Gingo fruit from the Yucatán. Experimenting on it and consuming gave him incredible elasticity. Ralph always yearned for justice so he took to the streets in a micro-fiber malleable spandex as Elongated Man fighting crime. He later formed a team of elasticity abilities called the Elastics as a common as well as being nominated by the Flash for the Justice League alongside his wife, Elongated Woman, as well joining the Detective Guild.

## Threat Assessment

### Powers

* **Elastisity**: As his name suggests, the Elongated Man can stretch his limbs and body to superhuman lengths and sizes. There seems to be no limit to how far or wide he can stretch but it is more difficult to control his ability the further he's stretched. Unlike Plastic Man, his elasticity has limits to his physical form; as such, he can make rounded or straight basic shapes but he cannot say stretch into a car or tools.

* **Superhuman Agility:** These stretching powers grant the Elongated Man heightened balance enabling him flexibility and coordination that is beyond the natural limits of the human body.
* **Superhuman Durability:** The Elongated Man's powers also greatly augments 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.

### Abilities

* **Contortionism:** 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.
* **Disguise:** He can also use it for disguise by changing the shape of his face, although this is painful and difficult for him.
* **Investigation:** The Elongated Man is professionally trained as a detective and is highly skilled in deductive reasoning. Often considered one of the most brilliant detectives world (second only to Batman and perhaps the Question), his name is also a play on The Thin Man detective serial.
* **Chemistry:** Ralph study chemistry through colllege.
* **Multilinguilism:** Ralph Dibny is a native English speaker, but can also speak French. He can understand Interlac well enough to translate.

### Weaknesses

* **Elastic Limitation:** Ralph's physiology has greater physical limitations than Plastic Man; there is a limit to how far he can stretch his finite bodily mass. His physiology is more like that of an ordinary human than Plastic Man and as a result he does not share Plastic Man's nigh invulnerability.

## Trivia and Notes

### Trivia

* Ralph keeps a book of step-by-step breakups and dating instructions, called the Big Book of Ralph.
* He's best friends with The Flash, but often bickers with Plastic Man.
* Ralph turns into other League members for pranks.

### Notes

* Ralph's father Jack was originally his uncle in the comics.
* Ralph's *Big Book of Ralph* is a reference to the CW series "The Flash"
* Ralph being friends with Flash is a nod to the CW series "The Flash"