DC Finally Names Its Most Invulnerable Hero and No, It's Definitely Not Superman

Published May 27, 2025

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Custom Image by Robert Wood (from Ed Benes and Dan Mora)

WARNING: Contains Potential Spoilers for Justice League Unlimited #7!

When it comes to DC’s most indestructible hero, most fans would be quick to call out Justice League hero’s skin. Yet when the Legion of Doom strikes, only one hero is left standing, and it’s not the Man of Steel.

Mark Waid and Dan Mora’s Justice League Unlimited #7 picks up where the last issue left off and continues the We Are Yesterday storyline, which centers around Gorilla Grodd traveling back in time to reform the Legion of Doom with past versions of DC’s top villains.

This time-traveling crisis spans both Waid’s present-continuity Justice League Unlimited title and his Batman/Superman: World’s Finest series, which takes place in the past. In Justice League Unlimited #6, the Legion of Doom launched their attack against the present-day Justice League, wiping the floor with them in a matter of seconds and leaving only one hero standing: Elongated Man.

Who Is Elongated Man? The Hero Who Combines the Best of Plastic Man & Batman

Ralph “The Elongated Man” Dibny First Appeared in The Flash #112 (1960)

Some fans may be scratching their heads at the mention of Elongated Man, with the hero's name likely unfamiliar to them. Despite Ralph Dibny playing important roles throughout DC’s long history, he is undoubtedly a lesser-known character, especially to younger readers and casual fans. In the simplest , Elongated Man can be described as a Batman-coded Plastic Man, with Dibny being an accomplished detective in the DC Universe while also possessing similar powers to Plastic Man, including the ability to stretch, contort, and reshape his body into various forms.

Ralph is perhaps best known for his role in Identity Crisis (2004), where much of the plot centers on the murder of his wife, Sue Dibny. This was one of the darkest stories in DC’s comic history and understandably had a deep emotional and traumatic impact on Ralph’s character. Fast forward to the present day, Elongated Man is now a member of the larger-than-ever Justice League Unlimited, alongside most of Earth-Prime’s heroes. And now, in Waid’s Justice League Unlimited #7, his character returns to the spotlight in a way that makes it clear this underrated hero should never be underestimated.

Elongated Man Is the Last Hero Standing in Justice League vs. Legion of Doom Battle

Comic Comes From Mark Waid’s Justice League Unlimited #7 (2025) - Art by Dan Mora

Justice League Unlimited #6 ended on a cliffhanger, with the Legion of Doom launching a surprise attack against the Justice League inside their own Watchtower headquarters. While it might seem like an extremely poor tactical decision to strike Earth’s mightiest heroes in a stronghold filled with superpowered , it quickly becomes clear that the League, not the Legion, is out of their element. The Legion arrives armed with advanced weapons that even DC’s strongest heroes cannot fight against: time ray guns powered by Tachyon energy. As a result, most of the heroes are taken out almost immediately after being hit by the blasts.

Yet despite the Legion of Doom wiping the floor with DC’s most powerful and invulnerable heroes, Justice League Unlimited #7 reveals that Elongated Man was the one hero who managed to avoid being zapped. Pinning Ralph against the wall, Sinestro announces to the rest of the Legion, “Facility’s cleared. Elongated Man’s the last one standing, if you can believe it.” Sinestro’s surprise makes it clear that Ralph is the last hero they ever expected to overcome their attack, highlighting just how underrated and underestimated Elongated Man really is.

In DC Comics, Tachyon typically refers to a type of particle with unusual properties, often associated with super-speed and time manipulation.

Elongated Man Avoided a Fate Even Superman Couldn't Escape

Comic Comes From Mark Waid’s Justice League Unlimited #7 (2025) - Art by Dan Mora

Since DC has only released the preview for this issue so far, with its full release date set for May 28, 2025, fans are not yet privy to how Elongated Man managed to avoid the fate that befell all his fellow heroes. Given his unique physiology, it’s possible the Tachyon blasts did not affect him. However, it is more likely that he simply avoided being hit, using his unparalleled flexibility and mobility. As a result, fans will have to wait to see exactly how Elongated Man managed to pull this off, especially when even the Superman of the past (see: Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #39) proved vulnerable to the Tachyon ray gun and fell victim to it.