10 DC Heroes With Surprisingly Tragic Origins

9. Plastic Man

DC have two stretchy guys in Elongated Man and Plastic Man, and while both have seen their fair share of trauma, it's the latter, Eel O'Brian, who's had the rougher deal.

Given the character's goofy costume and personality, that probably seems a little odd. After all, Plastic Man is the Justice League's premier jokester, and it's hard to picture anyone carrying a lot of weight on their shoulders willingly donning that jumpsuit-sunglasses combo to fight crime.

Only, in O'Brian's case, his tragic beginnings may actually be responsible for his lighthearted demeanour. You see, O'Brian was originally a criminal, and it was him getting double crossed by his associates that led to him encountering the chemicals that turned him all stretchy. Granted those are some pretty cool powers to have, but it's also worth bearing in mind that Eel nearly died during the whole affair, and that even before, he was made an orphan at ten-years-old.

It's a tough start no matter how you look at it, and we can only be thankful O'Brian turned into such a good hero after the cards he was dealt.