Origin
The woman known as Plastique was a member of a band of extremist French Canadian separatists who engaged in terrorist activity against both Canada and the USA. The group believed that US capitalists exploit French Canadian resources.
Creation
Plastique was created by Gerry Conway and Pat Broderick. She first appeared in The Fury of Firestorm #7 (December 1982).
Major Story Arcs
Plastique, wearing a costume covered with bombs, invaded the offices of the New York News Express, the city’s fourth largest newspaper. She demanded that unless the News Express agreed by 10pm that night to abandon its paper mills in Quebec, she would kill everyone in the building.
Confronted by Firestorm, Plastique decided to make herself a martyr to her cause, dramatically destroying herself along with anyone else in the building. She activated the bombs in her costume which would explode within seconds. But Firestorm ruined her plans by using his matter rearranging powers to make her clothes disappear, making her a laughing stock. He then scooped up the bombs and flew them outside, where they detonated without harming anyone.
The humiliated Plastique went to prison and Firestorm foiled a plot by her fellow terrorist Le Flambeau to blackmail New York into freeing her. But Plastique’s lawyer brought her an experimental serum developed by a man called “The Doctor” for the terrorists’ Project Bomb-Burst. She had him inject her with the serum, which gave her the power to project explosive concussive blasts from her fingertips. Plastique used her new powers to break out of prison and she teamed up with the second Killer Frost.
With Killer Frost‘s aid, Plastique attempted to strike out against both the USA and Canada, which both drew hydroelectric power from Niagara Falls. Plastique told Killer Frost to freeze the falls while she herself destroyed the power plant. However, Firehawk defeated Killer Frost and Firestorm tricked Plastique into knocking herself unconscious from the recoil of one of her own explosions. Plastique would later meet and marry Captain Atom – although that did not last long as she was transferred to the Suicide Squad.
Salvation Run, JLA, and Countdown
She is seen in JLA along with the Suicide Squad gathering up the villains and fighting the JLA.
She also makes a short appearance on Salvation Run and Countdown sending the villains to the prison planet.
New 52
Plastique. Killer Frost, Black Bison, and Hyena surround Firestorm and Joanne Raymond. Each adversary attacks individually. Plastique is the last to attack Firestorm. She creates an explosion that propels Firestorm through the air and he lands on a car driven by Jason’s dad. She is later knocked out by a 2×4 from behind by Jason’s dad.
She was later seen disguising herself as a disturbed young woman who sought the advice of Madame Xanadu. Plastique was infact sent to Xanadu’s shop to assassinate her. She was sent by, and is most likely now, a member of the Secret Society, which would in turn prevent her from alerting the Leagues of the upcoming Trinity War. Plastique supposedly slaughtered Madame Xanadu by exploding her shop and all of it’s content.
Madame Xanadu is later shown to be alive (being immortal), but tied up by the leader of the Secret Society of Super Villains.
After this task she went after the Central City Rougues, who were not following the orders of the Society/Crime Syndicate. Plastique went against Heatwave, but the fight was stopped by Deathstorm, who put the Rougues on the run.
Powers and Abilities
Originally, Plastique wore a costume covered with plastic explosives, which she could trigger and detonate at her own accord. Since then she has gained the ability to project explosive concussive blasts at will by touching an object with her fingertips.
Futures End
In the potential future of Futures End, which takes place five years into the future of the current DC universe, Plastique was part of a crew Terry McGinnis assembled to break into Terrifitech Tower. Eventually she was able to discover Terry was from the future and the terrible faith he is trying to save the future from.
Over the course of the series Plastique formed a relationship with Terry sticking by him when the rest of the crew sold him out. Terry passed away in Plastique’s arms.
Other Media
Justice League Unlimited
In the episode Task Force X, Plastique is an explosives expert. Plastique has advanced knowledge of the intricacies and use of demolition weaponry. She was assigned to Task Force X, with Rick Flag, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and Clock King, on a mission to infiltrate the Justice League’s Watchtower and steal a magical automaton called the Annihilator. She was caught in an explosion of one of her own devices when Deadshot detonated it from a distance so that rest of the team could escape. She was wounded but still alive when last seen, mainly because Captain Atom attempted to take the brunt of the blast. It is unclear whether she died or survived.
Smallville (TV Series)
Jessica Parker Kennedy appears here as Plastique, in the episode “Plastique”, and involves a younger version of the character. Here, Plastique gains her powers during the Kryptonite meteor shower which had occurred in Commencement after which she was taken captive by LuthorCorp and held for three years before escaping. Because of this, she was forced to move from place to place, often encountering LuthorCorp employees seeking to take her captive. She is recruited by Tess Mercer to be a part of the Injustice League. She appeared in the episode “Injustice”, where she returns again with Parasite, Livewire, and Neutron, who form a team of meteor freak rogues who search for Doomsday. After she was arrested, Plastique returned as a member of the Suicide Squad in Season 10. Together with Rick Flag, she freed Deadshot from prison.
The Flash
Plastique was portrayed by Kelly Frye in an episode of The Flash. Bette was a bomb specialist in the US Army, she returned from Afghanistan to undergo surgery to remove shrapnel in her body when the S.T.A.R Labs Particle Accelerator exploded giving her the powers of explosive touch. Soon after General Eiling began performing experiment on her in order to replicate her powers.
Flash saved Bette from Eiling’s soldiers and was taken back to S.T.A.R Labs where Dr. Wells/Eobard talked her into attacking General Eiling by herself. After being shot by Eiling she became unstable causing Flash to carry her into a river where she can detonate without injuring anyone in the process.