Plastique (Bette Sans Souci) is a

supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

. She is an enemy of

Firestorm A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been used ...

and both an enemy and love interest of

Captain Atom Captain Atom is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books, initially owned by Charlton Comics before being acquired in the 1980s by DC Comics. All possess some form of energy-manipulating abilities, usually relating to nuc ...

Publication history

Plastique first appeared in ''

The Fury of Firestorm Firestorm is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by Gerry Conway and Al Milgrom. Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein first fused together to become Firestorm in ''Firestorm, the Nuclear Ma ...

'' #7 (December 1982) and was created by

Gerry Conway Gerard Francis Conway Thomas, Roy. "Roy's Rostrum" (" Bullpen Bulletins") in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #43 and other Marvel Comics cover-dated May 1974. (born September 10, 1952) is an American comic book writer, comic book editor, science ficti ...

and

Pat Broderick Pat Broderick (born November 26, 1953) is an American comics artist, known for his work on the '' Micronauts'' and '' Alpha Flight'' for Marvel Comics, and ''Legion of Super-Heroes'', '' Captain Atom'' and '' Green Lantern'' for DC Comics. Brode ...

Fictional character biography

Plastique was introduced in ''The Fury of Firestorm'' #7 (December 1982), as a terrorist attempting to coerce the separation of

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

from the rest of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. She subsequently makes several appearances during Conway's tenure as writer of that series. Plastique also appears in ''

'' as an adversary, later love interest, of the titular hero.

Firestorm

In her first appearance, Plastique attempts to bomb the ''New York Herald-Express'' before Firestorm defeats her. Later, via genetic engineering, she gains the ability to project explosive force outward from her body. Her last major public operation as a terrorist is depicted in her first ''Captain Atom'' appearance, wherein she attempts to destroy the Canadian Parliament Building in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

and the

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, as well as assassinate the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

and the

Canadian Prime Minister The prime minister of Canada () is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons; as such, the prime minister typically sits as a ...

. Her plans were thwarted, and Plastique herself is captured by Captain Atom.

Suicide Squad

She became a member of the

Suicide Squad The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...

for the duration of a single mission. She attempts to betray the team during their second field operation in Qurac (under the command of

Amanda Waller Amanda Belle Waller (née Blake), also known as "the Wall", is a fictional character featured in some American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in '' Legends'' #1 in 1986 and was created by John Ostrander, Len We ...

), but she is stopped by

Nemesis In ancient Greek religion and myth, Nemesis (; ) also called Rhamnousia (or Rhamnusia; ), was the goddess who personified retribution for the sin of hubris: arrogance before the gods. Etymology The name ''Nemesis'' is derived from the Greek ...

and subsequently brainwashed to suppress all memories of her membership in the Squad. Plastique later reforms, becomes a mercenary, and marries Captain Atom. However, she later separates from him and returns to the Suicide Squad.

''The New 52''

In ''

The New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...

'' continuity reboot, Plastique appears as a member of the

Secret Society of Super Villains Secret Society of Super Villains (SSoSV) is a DC Comics title that debuted in May–June 1976. The series presented a group of DC's supervillains, mostly foes of the Justice League, Justice League of America. The series was cancelled with issue #1 ...

. She later infiltrates

A.R.G.U.S. A.R.G.U.S. (Advanced Research Group Uniting Super-Humans) is a fictional government organization appearing in DC Comics. A.R.G.U.S. first appeared in ''Justice League'' vol. 2 #7 and was created by Geoff Johns and Gene Ha. Headed by Amanda Walle ...

to plant a bomb on Doctor Light's body. In ''

Forever Evil "Forever Evil" is a 2013–2014 crossover (comics), crossover comic book storyline published by DC Comics that began in September 2013 and ended in May 2014, consisting of an eponymous, central miniseries written by Geoff Johns and art by David F ...

'', the Crime Syndicate sends Plastique,

Black Bison B'wana Beast Zviad Baazovi Baby Boom Baby Boom is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was among the children who were experimented on by Doctor Love while they were still in their mother's wom ...

Hyena Hyenas or hyaenas ( ; from Ancient Greek , ) are feliform carnivoran mammals belonging to the family Hyaenidae (). With just four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the order Carnivora and one of the sma ...

Multiplex Multiplex may refer to: Science and technology * Multiplex communication, combining many signals into one transmission circuit or channel ** Multiplex (television), a group of digital television or radio channels that are combined for broadcast * ...

, and

Typhoon A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere and which produces sustained hurricane-force winds of at least . This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, accounting for a ...

to attack a hospital to finish

Gorilla Grodd Gorilla Grodd is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, the character first appeared in ''The Flash'' #106 (May 1959). He is an evil, super-intelligent gorilla who ...

's work in Central City.

''Futures End''

In the ''Futures End'' storyline, Plastique is working as a thief and mercenary in the year 2020. She crosses paths with

Batman (Terry McGinnis) Terrence "Terry" McGinnis Wayne, also known as Batman Beyond or Batman of the Future after his animated television series to distinguish him from his predecessor Bruce Wayne, is a superhero appearing in media published by DC Entertainment. The ...

, who has traveled back in time to stop a robot apocalypse. Caught in his time wake is a cybernetically converted Plastique. After killing the cyborg, McGinnis is forced to bring her body with him so the future technology will not fall into anyone's hands. Plastique finds the body, causing her to freak out, fight alongside the heroes, and becomes romantically involved with McGinnis.

Powers and abilities

Originally Plastique wore a costume covered with plastic explosives, which she could trigger and detonate manually. She has since gained the ability to project explosive force at will by touching an object with her fingertips.

In other media

Television

* Plastique appears in the ''

Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is an American superhero animated series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with DC Comics in season 3 and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Universe, and ...

'' episode "Task Force X", voiced by

Juliet Landau Juliet Rose Landau (born March 30, 1965) is an American actress, director, producer, and ballerina best known for her role as Drusilla on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and its spinoff show ''Angel'', the latter appearance earning her a Sat ...

. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version is an explosives and demolition expert and a member of the eponymous Task Force X. * Plastique appears in ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produce ...

'', portrayed by

Jessica Parker Kennedy Jessica Parker Kennedy (born October 3, 1984) is a Canadian actress known as Melissa Glaser in '' The Secret Circle'', Max on '' Black Sails'' and Nora West-Allen / XS in ''The Flash.'' She also had guest roles on ''Smallville'', '' Undercovers' ...

. This version is a

metahuman In the DC Universe, a metahuman is a human with superpowers. The term is roughly synonymous with the terms '' mutant'', '' inhuman'' and '' mutate'' in the Marvel Universe and '' posthuman'' in the Wildstorm and Ultimate Marvel Universes. In ...

and member of the Suicide Squad who was previously kidnapped and held prisoner by LuthorCorp as a child. * Bette Sans Souci appears in ''

The Flash The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...

'' episode "Plastique", portrayed by

Kelly Frye Kelly Frye (born December 6, 1984) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in '' Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders'', ''Criminal Minds'', ''Rake'' and ''The Flash''. Early life Frye was born in Houston, Texas, and attended Clear L ...

. This version is an EOD specialist for the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

who gained her abilities after being exposed to

dark matter In astronomy, dark matter is an invisible and hypothetical form of matter that does not interact with light or other electromagnetic radiation. Dark matter is implied by gravity, gravitational effects that cannot be explained by general relat ...

from the explosion of S.T.A.R. Labs' particle accelerator and fused with bomb shrapnel embedded in her body. While on the run from

General Wade Eiling General Wade Eiling, sometimes known as The General, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is a prominent military general who contributed to Nathaniel Adam's transformation into Captain Atom and l ...

, who intends to weaponize her, Souci encounters the

Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * The Flash, several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Barry Allen ** Wally West, the first Kid Flash and third adult Flash ...

and his allies, who create special gloves to negate her abilities. Subsequently, she is killed while secretly attempting to kill Eiling. * Plastique appears in the ''

Harley Quinn Harley Quinn (Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, PhD) is a fictional American character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for ''Batman: The Animated Series'' as a henchwoman for the ...

'' episode "Harlivy", voiced by

Kari Wahlgren Kari Wahlgren (born July 13, 1977) is an American voice actress who has provided English-language roles for animated movies, TV series, and video games. She got her start in anime voice-overs as List of FLCL characters#Haruko Haruhara, Haruko H ...

. This version is a minor member of the Suicide Squad. After being kidnapped by

and

Poison Ivy Poison ivy is a type of allergenic plant in the genus '' Toxicodendron'' native to Asia and North America. Formerly considered a single species, '' Toxicodendron radicans'', poison ivies are now generally treated as a complex of three separate s ...

calls in Plastique to successfully buy her time to escape. Ivy then restrains Plastique, who commits suicide via one of her explosives.

Film

Plastique makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in ''

Injustice Injustice is a quality relating to unfairness or undeserved outcomes. The term may be applied in reference to a particular event or situation, or to a larger status quo. In Western philosophy and jurisprudence, injustice is very commonly—but ...

''.

Video games

* Plastique appears as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''. * Plastique appears as a playable DLC character in '' Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham''.

Reception

The character of Plastique has been portrayed in diverse ways in its various appearances: considered "a classic DC villainess" by Tierney Bricker, "she has flirted with good on occasion". Reviewers Scott Von Doviak, Brianna Reeves and Felix Böhme found Plastique’s appearance in ''The Flash'' TV series interesting and nuanced, both in comparison to other representations of the character as well as other comic antagonists: she is shown as a victim, but still as a dangerous and uncontrolled force, making how to deal with her a moral conundrum for the team of the titular hero. Reviewer Rachel Paige commented on the impact of Plastique's changing backstory: she found the idea from the comics, that the character got her supernatural explosive abilities by "some handy genetic engineering" terrifying, but getting her powers from the S.T.A.R. Labs explosion like the Flash from the TV series only mildly so. Brent Frankenhoff included Plastique in his list of ''Comics' Sexiest Bad Girls'' due to the accentuated depiction of her body, while the character was still portrayed with a sense of shame when unclad in public.

References

External links

DCU Guide: ''Fury of Firestorm'' #7

DCU Guide: ''Captain Atom'' #8
{{Suicide Squad Characters created by Gerry Conway Characters created by Pat Broderick Comics characters introduced in 1982 DC Comics female superheroes DC Comics female supervillains DC Comics superheroes DC Comics supervillains DC Comics metahumans Fictional Canadian people Suicide Squad members