I'm...awake? I should never be awake! I'm only human when I'm sleeping!- ―Otto/ 385901, moments before he turns into Plasmus [[Divide and Conquer|[src]]]
- I don't know what's more disgusting, Plasmus, the way you look or the stuff you eat.
- ―Robin[src]
Otto von Furth, better known as Plasmus is a villainous mutant monster that drinks toxic sewage and radioactive waste, and, by default, an enemy of the Teen Titans.
Character history[]
Plasmus' first incarnation.
While his original form is human, he involuntarily transforms into a large purple ooze monster whenever he is awake, at which at the point of awakening, his human form will be engulfed by the very slime that he expelled before becoming one with the monster. As a result, whenever he is in custody, he is put into a soundproof cylindrical stasis glass tube that keeps his human side asleep and thus, preventing him from transforming. This stasis tube is permanently sealed and mounted to the ceiling of a prison chamber to prevent any breach, and visitors and prison workers must remain absolute silent whenever inside the prison chamber.
Plasmus reverts to human Otto upon defeat.
Plasmus first appeared in the series when Cinderblock stole his stasis tank from prison so he could be reawakened and used as a decoy for Slade's wicked purposes. At first, the Titans had trouble fighting him due to the absence of Cyborg, who had quit the team; as a result, Plasmus was able to capture Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy. He attempted to destroy Robin, but the boy wonder was rescued by Cyborg, and the two defeated Plasmus and saved the others by taking him out with an explosion which causes Plasmus to revert back to the human form upon defeat.
His second incarnation in "Transformation."
In a later conflict, Plasmus began consuming waste from a sewer pipe at a football stadium. He was confronted by the Titans and fell into some sewage when Starfire shot at him. As a result, the mixing of Plasmus' temporarily disrupted body structure with raw sewage transformed him into a more inhuman version, giving him multiple green eyes and making him capable of spitting acid. It is unknown how the battle with the Teen Titans against Plasmus ended, but it was likely the Titans just defeated him without Starfire's aid.
Plasmus in a whale-shaped form underwater.
Later, Plasmus was re-recruited by Slade and Terra when Terra freed Plasmus, Overlord, and Cinderblock from Jump City prison and immediately after that, place Slade Neural Remote onto each of them so that Slade alone is in control of them like mindless puppet where he then ordered them to distract Cyborg and Beast Boy from saving the rest of the Titans. After Terra failed to defeat the Titans, Plasmus was fused with Cinderblock and Overload to form the creature Ternion, combining their powers into a more frightful and powerful version. Ternion proceeded to attack the Titans, but was eventually defeated; Plasmus, along with Cinderblock and Overload, were de-fused and went their separate ways.
Plasmus human form tries to remain asleep and not waking up.
Plasmus human form wakes up.
Plasmus shows up again to menace the Titans on their "last day" before Trigon's arrival. The titans confronted him, and was able to pin Plasmus down initially when Plasmus reverts back to his human form, but, the human side of Plasmus was not able to keep himself asleep, causing him to be reawaken and involuntarily transform back into Plasmus. Plasmus and the titans continue to fight but he was defeated single-handedly by Raven, who projected her astral form into Plasmus mind, rendering him unconscious and reverts back to his human form.
Plasmus reverts to human form, Otto, after rendered unconscious by Raven astral ability.
Plasmus later resurfaced again, this time as a recruit of the Brotherhood of Evil. When the Brotherhood carried out its plans to eliminate young superheroes all around the Earth, Plasmus was sent in Trident's company into the deep sea, where they captured Aqualad and Tramm. When Beast Boy and his Titans team arrived at the Brotherhood's base for battle, Plasmus joined the fight. He managed to catch Beast Boy in the fray, but again Raven used her astral self to render him unconscious, defeating him and returning him to his human form.
Physical appearance[]
Plasmus human form sleeping in his soundproof cylindrical stasis glass tube .
As a whole, Plasmus is a towering repulsive symbiote of dripping dark magenta slime with long, slouching arms, green eyes, and a large mouth. As of "Transformation", Plasmus, after getting exposed to the contents of raw sewage below a football field, gains a newer albeit hideous form: multiple green eyes and boils on his arms along with black lips and his massive teeth are shown.
Plasmus' human form, Otto Von Furth/Prisoner 385901, however, is that of a sleeping male in his young adulthood with a lean, slender figure, suggesting an athletic yet frail build. He sports a dark black or brown buzz cut as well as a light stubble on his chin. He wears only a pair of form-fitting, thick black briefs that resemble Speedo swim bottoms, covering his pelvis and glutes for modesty. Otto's eyes are dark brown with thick black eyelashes during the first few moments before transforming. This human form is only maintained whilst sleeping in a stasis glass tube with the contents being a sort of breathable fluid that is contained within a soundproof glass tube and kept in an ambient, isolated cell as shown in "Divide and Conquer".
Personality[]
Plasmus is a gluttonous, gross, toxic waste-consuming monster. He seemingly has no conscious or reason, just the hunger to devour unhealthy waste from chemical plants and concoctions from sewer runoffs. Plasmus doesn't speak but expresses himself through growls, high whining, and roaring. Other than that, Plasmus has some measure of obedience when he is unleashed by Slade. Plasmus is shown to have a sadistic streak as he let's out an eerie hollow cackle when he thinks he's ensnared most of Titans through his extensions.
Plasmus human form, Otto, wakes up from his sleep in his stasis tube, pleading in terror not to be awakened or his monstrous half will take over.
Unlike his monstrous habits, Plasmus's human form, Otto Von Furth/Prisoner 385901, is shown to be the polar opposite. While asleep, Otto is docile as a means to keeping Plasmus in. But once he's awakened, Otto immediately panics, meaning he greatly fears Plasmus and the havoc he can unleash on others. In the short time he is awake, Otto reacts in panic and despair as he can only be human when he's asleep. This heavily implies Otto isn't evil but a prisoner himself to Plasmus once he involuntarily transforms into the latter.
Once, Otto tried to keep his eyes closed to try to keep Plasmus at bay but to no avail.
Although it appears he has no control, Otto once had what looked to be a rare urge to resist the transformations to defy Plasmus. In "The End - Part 1", Otto struggled to keep his eyes in a forced scrunch closed for a few seconds, only to give in to the inner discomfort Plasmus had inside him to force his eyes wide open and revert to fighting the Titans. Although he tried with all his might to keep the monster in check and help the Titans, Otto still proved to be too weak to control Plasmus's carnal onslaught and power over his body.
It remains unknown how Otto came to be this way or if he'll ever be cured to live a normal life. However, based on a DC source, Otto was a miner back then until a cave-in trapped him and his miner friends for seven days while mining highly radioactive radium. Everyone succumbed to radiation poisoning but Otto is the only survivor but was heavily exposed to radiation poisoning, and was rushed to a local hospital.
Powers and abilities[]
Plasmus in his human form.
Beast Boy trapped within Plasmus.
Plasmus' primary power is super strength. As a creature composed of ooze and with no solid skeletal structure, Plasmus is able to both withstand and regenerate from a vast amount of physical damage, and it himself to make it easier to fight the titans.
Appearances[]
Teen Titans[]
Season 1[]
- "Divide and Conquer"
- "Masks" (Poster only)
- "Mad Mod" (Cameo; photograph only)
- "Apprentice - Part 1" (Poster only)
Season 2[]
Season 4[]
Season 5[]
- "Homecoming - Part 2" (Cameo)
- "Calling All Titans!"
- "Titans Together"
Teen Titans Go![]
Video game appearances[]
Gallery[]
Click here to view the gallery.
Background information[]
- In the DC Comics, Plasmus is made up entirely of burning protoplasm (hence the name), which is basically the equivalent of molten lava, instead of purple ooze.
Trivia[]
- Plasmus is one of the few characters whose signature appearance changes during the series.
- In the first episode, when Cinderblock went to free him, Plasmus human form was able to speak in utter fear, saying, "I'm awake? I should never be awake! I'm only human when I'm sleeping!", which implies that he turns into an evil monster against his will. This is the only time that he speaks before he involuntary transform into the slime monster.
- Also in the same episode, Plasmus prison number was 385901, the production number of the episode "Divide and Conquer". This episode was aired as the third one, due to decisions made by Cartoon Network executives.
- Plasmus was featured as the final villain in the computer game Teen Titans Battle Blitz.
- In "The Strangest Sports Story Ever Told", Plasmus strangely appears in his first form.
- Plasmus' human form is based off of series producer David Slack.
- In the Batman Comics Cassius "Clay" Payne the fifth Clayface is similar to Plasmus, both are human while on unconscious, and transformed when they wake up.
- This incarnation of Plasmus was designed exclusively for the show. In the comics, Plasmus is a monster made entirely of burning protoplasm, the near-exact equivalent of molten lava, instead of purple goop. A more accurate depiction in the show would be something like the radioactive slime monster the Titans deal with in Russia when they meet Red Star.