Why Is Plastic Man an Egg in Dark Night: Metal?

CBR

Why Plastic Man is an Egg in Dark Night: Metal, Revealed

By Stephen Gerding

Published Jan 31, 2018

Scott Snyder explains why the typically nutty Plastic Man has opted to maintain the form of an egg throughout DC Comics' Dark Nights: Metal event.

SPOILER WARNING: The following interview contains major spoilers for Dark Nights: Metal #5 by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, on sale now.

Perhaps one of the oddest developments in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's current DC Comics epic Dark Nights: Metal has been its portrayal of Plastic Man. The traditionally wise-cracking, shape-shifting character has been a presence looming large over the storyline, but hasn't spoke a word since he's locked into the shape of a giant egg.

This week's Dark Nights: Metal #5 saw the pliable hero maintain his form, even while readers learned of his new origin story tying his powers into the mysterious metals Batman has been investigating. In an interview with CBR, Snyder expanded on the Golden Ager's newly revised origin story, and in the process, explains exactly why he's currently in his dormant state.

"The idea was to keep his origin kind of as it was, he’s kind of a neerdowell and a thief, but the vat that he falls into is this cosmic material that’s beyond his comprehension," Snyder explained. "For a while, he’s just excited to change his form, even if it drives him a little crazy — but what we wanted to do was keep him in that anti-hero mode but then give him a very heroic motivation. So, all this dark energy is rising, everyone’s fears are running through Plastic Man’s head, and he’s now comprised of this material that’s attuned to the multiverse so — imagine that you’re able to change your shape and you’re tuned in like a radio to everyone’s worst nightmares. It would be driving you insane. So his thought is 'I can’t control my form anymore, so let me compress myself into this — [Laughs] — this egg, so I can block everything out as best I can.'"

As for what will happen when -- not if -- Plas becomes an active participant in Metal's adventure, Snyder promises fans won't be disappointed. "Now, he’s afraid to come out of that safety zone because he’s afraid he might become somebody’s worst nightmare," Snyder said. " So, spoilers, but in the next issue he has to decide what to do — make a gigantic play for himself and be this sort of huge hero in this giant moment, or he needs to stay in the egg and… [Laughs] You can probably guess which one it is, but it’s one of my favorite pages in the whole thing."

Dark Nights: Metal #6, the conclusion to Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's story, arrives in stores Wednesday, March 14.