There are dozens of heroes and villains set to make their debut in James Gunn's DCU, but one hero who hasn't been hinted at yet is Patrick "Eel" O'Brian, aka Plastic Man. That is, unless The Office star Rainn Wilson finally gets a request fulfilled that he's been bugging co-DC Studios head James Gunn about for some time. Speaking at the Fan Expo in Chicago (via Entertainment Weekly), Wilson, who starred in one of Gunn's first superhero movies, Super, admitted he has been trying not only to get Gunn to give O'Brian some time to shine but also wouldn't be against taking on the role himself.
"I've hinted to James several times, like, 'Hey man, you've got to do something with Plastic Man,'" he told fans, referring to the hero that initially debuted in Quality Comics in 1941 (a whole 20 years before the debut of Marvel's Mister Fantastic). It wouldn't be until 1966 that he'd start saving the day under the DC Comics label and become a fan favourite that delivered laughs in his heroism, unlike other crimefighters at that time.
Originally a criminal, Patrick "Eel" O'Brian gained his famous stretchy powers after a heist gone wrong and instead became a force for good. While he might be one to crack jokes in his day-to-day heroism, he's a hero that's certainly not to be scoffed at. Even Batman himself deems Plastic Man to be perhaps one of the most powerful and dangerous men on the planet, with the ability to withstand a nuclear explosion and being totally immune to telepathy, given that his brain is made of an entirely different material. Well, have you ever tried to read the mind of a bouncy ball? Honestly, don't waste your time.
Since his shift to the side of good, Plastic Man's only repeat offenses are wisecracks and even breaking the fourth wall (take that, Deadpool). It's his comedic efforts that Wilson is all for getting involved in. "He had a wicked sense of humor," Wilson recalled. "The Plastic Man comics were very, very funny. That would be a fun one to unearth."
Wilson expressed his high hopes that O'Brian is somewhere on James Gunn's to-do list, even if it didn't see him taking on the dream role. "I would be a fan even if I wasn't in it," the former head of Schrute Farm revealed. "I would love to watch that... And play him." For every other DCU movie and TV show scheduled, head here, and hope that there might be space for Plastic Man to squeeze and stretch into.
