Plasmus as depicted in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #18 (August 1986). Art by Marv Wolfman (penciller) and George Pérez (inker).
Plasmus (/ˈplæzməs/) (Otto Von Furth) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is a German supervillain and an enemy of the Teen Titans who possesses a protoplasmic touch and was formerly a miner before General Zahl rescued him from a cave and later mutated him.[1]
Dee Bradley Baker and Yuri Lowenthal voice reimagined versions of Plasmus in Teen Titans and Young Justice. Both are depicted as more sympathetic than the comics version, respectively being a human with an uncontrollable monstrous form and a child who was kidnapped and exploited for his abilities as part of a human trafficking operation.
Otto Von Furth is a miner in East Berlin, Germany until he and several other miners are trapped in a cave-in while mining radium. He is later rescued by General Zahl, who transforms him into a metahuman with plasma-based abilities. Subsequently, he joins the Brotherhood of Evil as Plasmus.[3] He and the Brotherhood of Evil fight the Teen Titans on different occasions. He enjoys these fights, but regrets not being able to kill Zahl. Later, Plasmus is one of several metahumans who are corrupted and brainwashed by a cult-leader.[4] The rest of the Brotherhood of Evil reform into the Society of Sin. Plasmus is later recruited into Lex Luthor's Suicide Squad before being killed in battle with Imperiex.
In One Year Later, Plasmus rejoins the Brotherhood of Evil. In Salvation Run, Lex Luthor uses Plasmus as a power source for a teleportation device, which self-destructs and kills him.[5]
In The New 52, Plasmus appears as one of several villains who seek to take Blue Beetle's scarab for the Brotherhood of Evil.[6]
Powers and abilities
Plasmus' protoplasmic body gives him superhuman physical abilities as well as a healing factor. His touch can melt others, reducing them to protoplasm.[7]
In other media
Television
Plasmus appears in Teen Titans (2003), voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.[8] This version uncontrollably transforms into a sludge monster while awake, only reverting to human form while unconscious. Additionally, he can detach varying quantities of himself which can act independently and often take on insectoid forms. Later in the series, Plasmus mutates further, gains the ability to generate acid, and joins the Brotherhood of Evil.
Plasmus, based on the Teen Titans (2003) incarnation, appears in Teen Titans Go! (2013).[8]
Plasmus appears in Young Justice, voiced by Yuri Lowenthal.[8] This version is a Markovian child who was kidnapped and had his meta-gene activated, transforming him into a fiery golem, as part of a metahuman trafficking operation. Additionally, he has a sister named Ana (voiced by Grey Griffin),[9] who was similarly mutated and controlled by the Light. Both are later killed in battle with the Justice League.[10]
Video games
Plasmus appears in Teen Titans (2005), voiced again by Dee Bradley Baker.[8]
^Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019). DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. p. 195. ISBN978-1-4654-8578-6.
^Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 232. ISBN978-1-4654-5357-0.
^Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. p. 268. ISBN0-8160-1356-X.
^Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #18 (August 1986)
^ abcd"Plasmus Voices (Teen Titans)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved April 6, 2024. 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.
^"Ana Von Furth / Plasma Voice - Young Justice (TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved April 6, 2024. 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.
