Origin
Born and raised in Australia, Selinda and her brother Baran were bullied by their peers for their emerging metahuman abilities. They used these abilities to lash out, and were eventually sent by their father to Dr Helga Jace. She taught them to develop and control their abilities, which made them much more powerful. Despite efforts to convince them to use their powers for good, Selinda and Baran turned to crime. Baran became Mammoth, while Selinda adopted the alias Shimmer.
Creation
Shimmer was created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, and she first appeared in The New Teen Titans #3, January 1981.
Major Story Arcs
Fearsome Five
Shimmer and Mammoth join Psimon, Dr Light, and Gizmo to form the Fearsome Five. For some time, Shimmer works alongside her brother as a member of the villainous team, committing various crimes and clashing mainly with the Teen Titans and the Outsiders, and once with Superman. She and her brother eventually decide to retire from villainy, travelling to a Tibetan monastery. At the monastery, Mammoth and Shimmer encounter Psimon. Angered by their abandonment of the team, Psimon mentally subdues Mammoth and turns Shimmer to glass, shattering and killing her.
Five by Five
Shimmer is eventually revived by Doctor Sivana, who brings her into the reformed Fearsome Five. She joins in a plot to short sell LexCorp stock by stealing account information and killing people in LexCorp buildings. When she and the other members demand Sivana allow them to assault a LexCorp nuclear facility, Sivana refuses, killing Gizmo and severing ties with the remaining group. They attempt to take the facility anyways, and are stopped by the Outsiders. Shimmer is able to evade capture.
Villains United
Shimmer and the remaining surviving members of the Fearsome Five join up with the Secret Society of Super Villains. She and the rest of the team are sent after, and manage to capture, Pariah.
Salvation Run
Shimmer is among the villains who are transported to the planet Salvation. She appears to join Team Lex, though her brother seems to have joined Team Joker.
New Fearsome Five
Shimmer and Mammoth try to kill the heroic Dr Light in tribute to the deceased villainous Dr Light, though they are unsuccessful. Later, they rejoin their Fearsome Five allies, who have been hired by Calculator to fight the Teen Titans.
Forever Evil
Shimmer is invited to join the Crime Syndicate’s Secret Society of Super Villains. She does so, and she and other members of the Fearsome Five are sent after the Rogues. She is trapped in a mirror alongside several other villains and shattered.
The Suicide Squad
Shimmer briefly reappeared as a member of the Suicide Squad and is Implied to have developed a relationship with Scream Queen while imprisoned at Belle Reve. She would be quickly killed by Cadence Laramie and, in a fit of rage, Scream Queen would execute her as revenge.
Alternate Versions
Young Justice
The version of Shimmer introduced in the Young Justice television series appears in issues #16 and 17 of the comic book adaptation of that series.
Personal Information/ Characteristics
First Appearance: The New Teen Titans (First Series) #3
Real Name: Selinda Flinders
Base: Mobile
Status: Super Villain
Occupation: Professional Criminal
Height: 5 feet 7 inches
Weight: 125 pounds
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Red
Powers and Abilities
Shimmer has the metahuman ability to transmute matter, allowing her to transmute an element or compound into any other. There appears to be no limit to what elements she can transmute, however her changes only last a few minutes, and are only effective within a radius of three feet. As she focuses her powers through hand gestures, binding her arms severely restricts her ability. She has no fighting skill, and is extremely dependent on her brother for protection.
Other Media
Young Justice
Shimmer appears as a minor antagonist in seven episodes of this series, making her first appearance in “Drop-Zone.” She and her brother are initially portrayed as members of the Cult of the Kobra, and later become agents of The Light. This iteration of the character is unique in that she is portrayed as having developed her powers only after experimentation by the Reach. She does not speak.