Elasti-Girl

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caption="Doom Patrol" #15, art by John Byrne
comic_color=background:#8080ff
character_name=Elasti-Girl
real_name=Rita Farr
publisher=DC Comics
debut="My Greatest Adventure" #80 (June 1963)
creators=Bob Haney
Arnold Drake
Bruno Premiani
alliance_color=background:#ffc0c0
alliances=Doom Patrol
aliases=
powers=Size manipulation (shrinking and growth)
Ability to stretch or enlarge any of her limbs

Elasti-Girl is a fictional character, a superhero of the DC Comics universe and a member of the Doom Patrol.

Fictional character biography

Rita Farr is a Hollywood actress who is exposed to unusual volcanic gases while shooting a film in Africa. 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. When she gains greater control of her powers, she discovers that she can enlarge one limb at a time.

Considered a freak and a menace, her Hollywood career is ruined. However, Rita is approached by Dr. Niles Caulder (also known as The Chief) who offers her a place among fellow "freaks" attempting to use their powers for good. As Elasti-Girl, she joins Caulder's team, the Doom Patrol. Rita falls in love with, and marries, Steve Dayton, the hero Mento. Later on, the couple adopts young Gar Logan, who would become the Teen Titans' Beast Boy.

In the "JLA: Year One" storyline, the 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 met "Aliens" actress Sigourney Weaver and that she is sure she would approve of him.

Tragedy strikes when the Doom Patrol's enemies, the Brotherhood of Evil, threaten a small New England fishing village. The Patrol members elect to sacrifice themselves to save the innocents, and are killed in an explosion. Although it is revealed that several members of the team actually cheated death (to appear in Doom Patrol revivals), Elasti-Girl is the sole member of the original Doom Patrol who remained dead.

Infinite Crisis

"I remember the explosion on the island. And then nothing but darkness. Am I supposed to be dead?"— Elasti-Girl, "Teen Titans" #32, March 2006.

When writer-artist John Byrne revived the Doom Patrol in 2004, Elasti-Girl was among the team members reintroduced, as if none of the events in prior Doom Patrol continuity had ever happened.

This situation was explained as an after-effect of Superboy-Prime's pounding on the barrier to reality, which created ripples that changed reality for several characters, including the original Doom Patrol.

The Patrol members retain no memories of their previous lives —until Superboy-Prime breaks the Phantom Zone barrier during his battle with the Teen Titans and their allies. At that moment their minds discern visions of the previous Doom Patrols, and Rita remembers everything — her husband, her son, and her own death.

Rita is seen in issue #7 of "Infinite Crisis" as one of the many heroes defending the city of Metropolis from the army calling themselves The Secret Society of Supervillains. She personally battles the giant villain Giganta.

Rita makes a cameo in issue #50 of the "52" maxi-series. She is seen on a monitoring screen; she is fighting Black Adam next to the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

"Infinite Crisis" ultimately retconned Byrne's reboot out of continuity.

One Year Later

Following the One Year Later jump, the Doom Patrol changes considerably, losing several members and gaining Beast Boy, Bumblebee and Vox. ("Teen Titans" #36, July 2006)

The explanation for Rita's resurrection: The Chief salvaged a piece of Elasti-Girl's skull and used his technology to regrow her entire body due to its malleable form. Consequently, Elasti-Girl is very 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 upon Caulder (a.k.a. The Chief). 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 Mento-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 convince Kid 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 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.

Powers and abilities

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 in John Byrne's "Doom Patrol" (retconned out of existence), Elasti-Girl could change the size of objects and people by touching them; when she'd release them, they'd revert to their normal size.

Other media

Elasti-Girl has appeared as a member of the Doom Patrol in Season Five (the two-part "Homecoming" episode) of the "Teen Titans" animated series. Her shrinking ability is not demonstrated in the series, except when she returns from her enlarged state to her normal size.

She is voiced by Tara Strong, who also has provided voices for other animated superheroes, such as Batgirl and Raven.