| Elasti-Girl | |
|---|---|
 Elasti-Girl, as she appeared on the cover ofDoom Patrol #90 (September 1964), art by Bob Brown. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | My Greatest Adventure #80 (June 1963) |
| Created by | Arnold Drake Bruno Premiani |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Rita Farr Dayton |
| Species | Metahuman |
| Team affiliations | Doom Patrol |
| Notable aliases | Elasti-Woman |
| Abilities |
|
Elasti-Girl (Rita Farr Dayton, also known asElasti-Woman) is asuperheroine appearing inAmerican comic books published byDC Comics, primarily as a member of theDoom Patrol.[1] Created by writerArnold Drake and artistBruno Premiani, the character first appeared inMy Greatest Adventure #80 (June 1963).
Elasti-Girl has appeared in numerous animated television shows and films. She made her first live-action appearance on theDC Universe andMax seriesTitans, played byApril Bowlby, who reprised the role for the seriesDoom Patrol.
Elasti-Girl was created byArnold Drake andBruno Premiani. She first appeared inMy Greatest Adventure #80 (June 1963).[2] According to Drake, the issue's co-writerBob Haney was not brought on to the project until after Elasti-Girl was created.[3]
Rita Farr is anOlympic swimming gold medalist turned Hollywood actress who is exposed to unusual volcanic gases while shooting a film in Africa.[4] When Farr recovers, she discovers that she can expand or shrink her body at will—from hundreds of feet tall to mere inches in height.[5] When she gains greater control of her powers, she discovers that she can enlarge one limb at a time.[1]
Although not physically disfigured, Rita initially has no control over her powers, is considered a freak and a menace, and becomes a recluse, leaving her Hollywood career in ruins.[4] However, Rita is approached by Niles Caulder (also known as theChief) who offers her a place among fellow "freaks" attempting to use their powers for good. As Elasti-Girl, she joins Caulder's team, theDoom Patrol.[6] Rita falls in love with, and marries, Steve Dayton, the heroMento.[7] The two later adopt Garfield Logan, who becomesBeast Boy.[1]
In theJLA: Year One storyline,Martian Manhunter tells Rita that he was something of a fan of her "chiller pictures" and that he was disappointed that she did not continue making films. Flattered, she kisses him on the cheek and later tells him that she has metSigourney Weaver and that she is sure he would approve of her.
The Doom Patrol later sacrifice themselves to stop theBrotherhood of Evil from destroyingCodsville, a small New England fishing village.[8] It is later revealed that several members of the team cheated death, though Elasti-Girl remained "dead" untilInfinite Crisis.[1]
InJohn Byrne'sDoom Patrol run, Elasti-Girl and the Doom Patrol are resurrected due toSuperboy-Prime disrupting the barrier of reality. The Patrol members retain no memories of their previous lives until Prime breaks thePhantom Zone barrier during his battle with theTeen Titans. At that moment, their minds discern visions of the previousDoom Patrols, and Rita remembers everything—her family and death.
Rita appears inInfinite Crisis as one of the many heroes defending the city ofMetropolis from the army calling themselves theSecret Society of Super Villains. She personally battles the giant villainGiganta.
Rita makes a cameo in issue #50 of the 2006-07 series52, fightingBlack Adam next to theLeaning Tower of Pisa.
Infinite Crisis ultimately retconned Byrne's reboot out of continuity.
Following the "One Year Later" storyline, the Doom Patrol changes considerably, losing several members and gainingBeast Boy,Bumblebee andVox.[9]
Rita is resurrected once more by the Chief salvaging a piece of her skull and using his technology to regrow her body. Consequently, Elasti-Girl is docile and is reluctant to question the Chief. The Chief hints that her malleable form hampers her thinking abilities, leading to her lack of personal initiative which makes her dependent on Caulder. As he observes her interaction with the Chief,Robin suspects that the Chief has brainwashed Rita and the other Patrol members. Rita's husband, Mento, is under the control of his helmet and believes that his wife would never love him without it.
Following their battle against the Brotherhood, the Titans and the Doom Patrol witness the Chief working to convinceKid Devil that he is a freak and that the Titans actually dislike him. This pushes the teams to confront the Chief: Mento finally removes his helmet and pointedly tells the Chief that he is no longer the leader of the Patrol and if he ever again insults his wife and son, he will use his powers to destroy the Chief's intellect. Rita firmly stands behind her husband, breaking out of the Chief's control.
In the fifth volume ofDoom Patrol, Rita changed her codename to "Elasti-Woman".[10] It was revealed that when the Chief regrew her he did so usingprotoplasm to eliminate "weaknesses" such as bones and internal organs. When she sleeps, Rita loses her human shape and reverts to a puddle of goo, having to reshape herself daily.
Rita has the ability to expand and shrink her body. Her powers of expansion allow her to become as large as a skyscraper. She has the ability to shrink to mere inches (during one adventure, she was exposed to a gas that caused her to reduce to a microscopic scale and enter a sub-atomic universe; that experience has not been repeated). Rita can selectively shrink or expand parts of her body.As depicted inJohn Byrne'sDoom Patrol (retconned out of existence), Elasti-Girl could change the size of objects and people by touching them; when she'd release them, they would revert to their normal size.Because of her protoplasmic physiology, Rita can regenerate any part of her body. She can reconstruct a half-blown-off face or a torn leg and regrow severed limbs.
InDoom Patrol #95 (May 1965), Elasti-Girl swaps powers withNegative Man to become Negative Girl.
InTeen Titans: Earth One,Rita Markov ofS.T.A.R. Labs is the mother ofTara Markov.[11]
Elasti-Girl was ranked 88th inComics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.[12]
Elasti-Girl makes a cameo appearance inJustice League: The New Frontier.