A member of the
Justice League of America published by
DC Comics.
Ralph Dibny is the real name of the hero the Elongated
Man. Growing up thin and lanky, Ralph idolized
sideshow contortionists, aspiring to be one. He
interviewed many contortionists, trying to discover what
gave them their abilities. Finally, Ralph found that
all of the contortionists drank Gingold Soda. Researching
the drink, Ralph found that it contained the juice of
the gingo, a fruit from the tropics. Distilling it
down to its very essence, Ralph took the concoction and
discovered that it gave him the ability to stretch his
body. Craving public attention, Ralph adopted a costumed
identity with which to fight crime. In this way,
Ralph Dibny became the Elongated Man, one of the most
poorly-named heroes in all comicdom.
Ralph and his wife Sue proceeded to have many adventures,
becoming the Nick and Nora Charles of the DC Universe,
if Nick could stretch any of his body parts and wore a
really ugly costume. They solved mystries together, which
Ralph usually announced by twitching his nose and
saying 'I smell a mystery!"
The Elongated Man eventually became a member of the Justice
League of America and served many years in its varied
incarnations. Currently, he is not an active member of the
group.