- Offspring (comics)
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Offspring 
Cover to Offspring #1 (February 1999). Art by Frank Quitely.Publication information Publisher DC Comics First appearance The Kingdom: Offspring #1 (1999)
As Luke O'Brian:
JLA #65 (June 2002)Created by Mark Waid
Frank QuitelyIn-story information Alter ego Luke Ernie "Loogie" McDunnagh O'Brian Team affiliations Teen Titans Abilities Can stretch, change color, and shape his highly resilient body into any shape he can imagine. Immune to telepathy. Offspring is a fictional comic book superhero in the DC universe. He is the son of Plastic Man, and has the same stretching powers as his father.
Contents
Fictional character biography
Kingdom Come
Offspring's first appearance was in a one-shot issue of the same name, a spin-off of the miniseries The Kingdom. His outfit was a predominantly white all-in-one, with black areas laid out in a similar hexagon/pentagon design to a classic 32-panel soccer ball; his hair also had a hexagonal edge to its cut.
Offspring later appeared in the final issue of the The Kingdom miniseries, teamed with Kid Flash, Nightstar, and Ibn al Xu'ffasch to attempt to save the timestream from Gog. In this version he is named Ernie O Brian. He is treated as a joke professionally and personally by his friends, family, and even foes. However he learns to accept his place on the team as the funny member. His relationship with his dad is close and happy however his girlfriend is unhappy with the lack of respect his goofy behavior is causing.
Mainstream continuity
Although Offspring did not exist in the then-current DC continuity, it was revealed in the pages of JLA that Plastic Man does have a son named Luke "Loogie" McDunnagh - his illegitimate child by "Angel" McDunnagh - who has powers greater than his own, with the ability to easily change his color and mass as well as his shape. He initially appeared when Plastic Man asked Batman for his help in scaring the kid straight after he fell in with a gang, Plastic Man admitting in the process that he ran away from Luke's mother after getting over the irony of a rubber man accidentally getting someone pregnant because he was afraid of turning out like his own father. Although Batman subsequently intimidated Luke into leaving the gang and going back to his mother, he noted during a conversation with Plastic Man that he was disappointed in the other man because he had always thought that he would be the best father of the League as he believed Plastic Man would show his children that he loved them rather than just telling them, and advised him to consider getting back in touch with his son later.
After the Obsidian Age storyline saw Plastic Man spend three thousand years scattered across the ocean floor as crumbs until the League of the present were able to stick him back together, he took time off to be with Luke, even mentally 'programming' himself to forget his heroic identity and powers, but Luke and Batman convinced him to go back to action when the Martian Manhunter regressed to a 'Burning Martian' identity as the telepathy-immune Plastic Man was the only person capable of opposing him in a fight.
Offspring appears briefly in Teen Titans vol.3, #34, and it is shown that he served as a member of the Titans during the one year jump. The character wears a white costume with red goggles, a costume similar to that of The Kingdom's Offspring. In Geoff Johns's script for Teen Titans #34, it is revealed that he is indeed Plastic Man's son, Luke.[1] Additionally, in Teen Titans #38, a photograph is displayed showing Offspring and Plastic Man next to each other.
In 52 Week 35, Offspring appears, recovering from overstretching after saving twenty members of Lex Luthor's "Everyman" hero groups. Lex had deactivated their powers, causing dozens to fall from the sky. During his appearance he is called "Ernie" by Plastic Man, not Luke. In Week 40, he assists Steel in launching an attack on Lexcorp when Natasha is captured by Luthor. He's later involved with the World War III storyline. He tries to defeat the insane Black Adam by grasping his brain from the inside; this plan fails. He is able to recover fast, later joking with his father about the lack of humor of his superpowered foe.
In Countdown to Mystery it is revealed that Ernie is his middle name, and Luke his first name, as Offspring criticizes his father for preferring to call him Ernie, a name the young hero is less than enamored with.
Offspring is later one of teen heroes captured and brainwashed into fighting at the Dark Side Club. After being rescued by Miss Martian and Ravager, Offspring is offered a spot on the Teen Titans line-up by Wonder Girl. Like most of the other survivors, he declines.[2]
During Superboy-Prime's attack on Titans Tower, Offspring appears as one of the former Titan who arrives to help fight him off.[3]
Powers and abilities
Offspring inherited Plastic Man's powers, but he has "greater control," according to Batman. He can instantly change size, density, and even color more effectively and efficiently.
References
- ^ The ComicBloc - You Waited, Now See... Teen Titans #34
- ^ Teen Titans (vol. 3) #69
- ^ Teen Titans (vol. 3) #99
External links
- Luke O'Brian (New Earth) at the DC Database
- Offspring at Comic Vine
Categories:- Comics characters introduced in 1999
- Characters created by Frank Quitely
- Characters created by Mark Waid
- DC Comics metahumans
- DC Comics superheroes
- Fictional characters who can stretch themselves
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