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Shimmer (comics)
Encyclopedia
Shimmer is a fictional character, a supervillain
in the DC Comics
universe. She was created by George Pérez
and Marv Wolfman
and first appeared in New Teen Titans #3 (January 1981).
) are superhuman natives of Australia
. Teased by their fellow classmates for being different, the frustrated children used their powers to fight their tormentors, only to be driven out of town by the angry and frightened parents. Selinda and Baran's parents send them off to the country of Markovia
, where they are put in the care of scientist Dr. Helga Jace. While Dr. Jace tries to teach the young mutants a sense of morality, the two instead turn to a life of crime.
Shimmer is one of the founding members of the Fearsome Five
, which she joins after answering an advert placed in the Underworld Star by Doctor Light
. Shimmer and the Fearsome Five fought with the Teen Titans on numerous occasions; they also have battled Superman
. Shimmer eventually renounces her criminal life and retires, along with Baran, to a Tibet
an monastery. Later, her peaceful existence is ended when her former teammate Psimon
tracks her down. Using his psychic powers, Psimon turns Shimmer's body to glass and shatters it.
Shimmer later returns to life. Dr. Sivana assembles a new version of the Fearsome Five, including Shimmer's brother Mammoth. Sivana is able to recruit Mammoth by promising to resurrect his sister. Sivana has Psimon reassemble the broken shards of Shimmer's glass body, then uses his superscience to restore her to life. In this new form, Shimmer adopts a revealing Goth
-like black leather outfit in place of her original gold bodystocking.
Shimmer is mentioned as a possible, but not likely, source for kryptonite
in Countdown to Infinite Crisis
(2005).
Shimmer is one of the villains featured in Salvation Run
.
She and Mammoth eventually join up with a new Fearsome Five roster that is hired by Calculator
to kidnap Wonder Girl and distract the new team of Teen Titans while he abducts Kid Eternity
. Shimmer and her teammates are eventually defeated, but in the process manage to cause the death of Kid Devil
. Shimmer and the Fearsone Five apparently escape soon after their incarceration. They attempt to assassinate Donna Troy
when she attends the opening of a resort in Miami. Troy easily defeats the villains, but Shimmer taunts her by refusing to reveal who hired them.
with ability to transmute any element
or compound
into any other. The change only lasts for a few minutes, and she can only affect materials within a radius of 3 ft (0.9144 m).
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
in the DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
universe. She was created by George Pérez
George Pérez
George Pérez is a Puerto Rican-American writer and illustrator of comic books, known for his work on various titles, including Avengers, Teen Titans and Wonder Woman.-Biography:...
and Marv Wolfman
Marv Wolfman
Marvin A. "Marv" Wolfman is an award-winning American comic book writer. He is best known for lengthy runs on The Tomb of Dracula, creating Blade for Marvel Comics, and The New Teen Titans for DC Comics.-1960s:...
and first appeared in New Teen Titans #3 (January 1981).
Fictional character biography
Selinda and her brother Baran (a.k.a. the supervillain MammothMammoth (comics)
Mammoth , a fictional character that is a comic book supervillain from DC Comics. The character was created by George Pérez and Marv Wolfman.-Fictional character biography:...
) are superhuman natives of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Teased by their fellow classmates for being different, the frustrated children used their powers to fight their tormentors, only to be driven out of town by the angry and frightened parents. Selinda and Baran's parents send them off to the country of Markovia
Markovia (comics)
Markovia is a fictional nation in the , first seen in The Brave and the Bold #200 .-Fictional history:Markovia is a small country in Europe, ruled by the Markov family. They suffered a Nazi invasion during World War II. In the same period, the commando team known as the Losers died defending...
, where they are put in the care of scientist Dr. Helga Jace. While Dr. Jace tries to teach the young mutants a sense of morality, the two instead turn to a life of crime.
Shimmer is one of the founding members of the Fearsome Five
Fearsome Five
The Fearsome Five is a fictional group of comic book supervillains from DC Comics. They were created by George Pérez and Marv Wolfman, and first appeared in The New Teen Titans #3 , going on to become recurring adversaries for that superhero group...
, which she joins after answering an advert placed in the Underworld Star by Doctor Light
Doctor Light (Arthur Light)
Doctor Arthur Light is a fictional supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the third individual to have adopted the persona of Doctor Light, after a Golden Age foe of Doctor Mid-Nite and Arthur's associate Jacob Finlay...
. Shimmer and the Fearsome Five fought with the Teen Titans on numerous occasions; they also have battled Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
. Shimmer eventually renounces her criminal life and retires, along with Baran, to a Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
an monastery. Later, her peaceful existence is ended when her former teammate Psimon
Psimon
Psimon is a fictional comic book supervillain from DC Comics created by George Pérez and Marv Wolfman. He first appeared in New Teen Titans #3 as one of the founding members of the Fearsome Five, which became a frequent enemy of the Teen Titans, Superman, and the Outsiders.-Fictional character...
tracks her down. Using his psychic powers, Psimon turns Shimmer's body to glass and shatters it.
Shimmer later returns to life. Dr. Sivana assembles a new version of the Fearsome Five, including Shimmer's brother Mammoth. Sivana is able to recruit Mammoth by promising to resurrect his sister. Sivana has Psimon reassemble the broken shards of Shimmer's glass body, then uses his superscience to restore her to life. In this new form, Shimmer adopts a revealing Goth
Gothic fashion
Gothic fashion is a clothing style worn by members of the Goth subculture; a dark, sometimes morbid, eroticized fashion and style of dress. Typical Gothic fashion includes dyed black hair, black lips and black clothes. Both male and female goths wear dark eyeliner and dark fingernails. Styles are...
-like black leather outfit in place of her original gold bodystocking.
Shimmer is mentioned as a possible, but not likely, source for kryptonite
Kryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material from the Superman mythos —the ore form of a radioactive element from Superman's home planet of Krypton. It is famous for being the ultimate physical weakness of Superman, and the word kryptonite has since become synonymous with an Achilles' heel —the one weakness...
in Countdown to Infinite Crisis
Countdown to Infinite Crisis
DC Countdown, commonly referred to as Countdown to Infinite Crisis, is a one-shot publication and the official start of the Infinite Crisis storyline. It was released 30 March 2005, sold out, and quickly went to a second printing. When this comic was first published, the cover showed Batman holding...
(2005).
Shimmer is one of the villains featured in Salvation Run
Salvation Run
Salvation Run is a seven-issue 2007-2008 DC Comics limited series which was designed to tie in to the company's major event series Final Crisis in 2008.-Premise:The premise of the series, which is based on a pitch by George R. R...
.
She and Mammoth eventually join up with a new Fearsome Five roster that is hired by Calculator
Calculator (comics)
The Calculator is a fictional supervillain published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Detective Comics #463 , and he was created by Bob Rozakis and Mike Grell.-Publication history:...
to kidnap Wonder Girl and distract the new team of Teen Titans while he abducts Kid Eternity
Kid Eternity
Kid Eternity is a comic book superhero who first premiered in Hit Comics #25, published by Quality Comics in December, 1942. The character - as well as all of Quality's intellectual properties were sold to DC Comics in 1956...
. Shimmer and her teammates are eventually defeated, but in the process manage to cause the death of Kid Devil
Kid Devil
Red Devil , formerly known as Kid Devil, was a superhero in the DC Comics universe. Created by Alan Kupperberg, Dan Mishkin, and Gary Cohn, he first appeared in Blue Devil #14.-Origin and early heroics:...
. Shimmer and the Fearsone Five apparently escape soon after their incarceration. They attempt to assassinate Donna Troy
Donna Troy
Donna Troy is a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics. She first appeared in The Brave and the Bold vol. 1 #60 , and was created by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani...
when she attends the opening of a resort in Miami. Troy easily defeats the villains, but Shimmer taunts her by refusing to reveal who hired them.
Powers and abilities
Shimmer is a metahumanMetahuman
Metahuman is a term to describe superhumans in DC Comics' shared universe, the DC Universe. It is roughly synonymous with both mutant and mutate and posthuman in the Wildstorm and Ultimate Marvel Universes. Use of the term in reference to superheroes was coined in 1986 by author George R. R...
with ability to transmute any element
Chemical element
A chemical element is a pure chemical substance consisting of one type of atom distinguished by its atomic number, which is the number of protons in its nucleus. Familiar examples of elements include carbon, oxygen, aluminum, iron, copper, gold, mercury, and lead.As of November 2011, 118 elements...
or compound
Chemical compound
A chemical compound is a pure chemical substance consisting of two or more different chemical elements that can be separated into simpler substances by chemical reactions. Chemical compounds have a unique and defined chemical structure; they consist of a fixed ratio of atoms that are held together...
into any other. The change only lasts for a few minutes, and she can only affect materials within a radius of 3 ft (0.9144 m).
Television
- Shimmer (alongside Mammoth) appears in the Young JusticeYoung Justice (TV series)Young Justice is an American animated television series created by Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti for Cartoon Network. Despite its title, it is not an adaptation of Todd Dezago and Todd Nauck's Young Justice comic series, but rather an adaptation of the entire DC Universe with a focus on young...
episode "Drop Zone" voice by an uncredited Danica McKellarDanica McKellarDanica Mae McKellar is an American actress, academic, and education advocate. She is best known for her role as Winnie Cooper in the television show The Wonder Years, and later as author of the three The New York Times bestsellers, Math Doesn't Suck, Kiss My Math, and Hot X: Algebra Exposed, which...
. She and Mammoth are portrayed as bodyguards working for KobraKobra (comics)Kobra is the name used by two fictional supervillains published by DC Comics. The Jeffrey Burr Kobra first appeared in Kobra #1 , and was created by Martin Pasko, Steve Sherman, Jack Kirby, and Pablo Marcos...
. Shimmer did not demonstrate any superpowers, but was shown to be very proficient in martial arts. She was ultimately defeated and left tied up by RobinDick GraysonDick Grayson is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and illustrator Jerry Robinson, he first appeared in Detective Comics #38 in April 1940....
. In "Terrors", Shimmer is among the supervillains being held at Belle Reve PenitentiaryBelle ReveBelle Reve Penitentiary is a fictional prison and sanitorium in the DC Universe, first appearing in Suicide Squad #1 by John Ostrander and Luke McDonnell.-Fictional background:...
. She attempts to help Killer FrostKiller FrostKiller Frost is the name of two fictional characters in the DC Comics universe. They are both supervillains that appear mainly as foes of the superhero Firestorm.-Crystal Frost:...
and the other female inmates during an escape attempt, but is presumably recaptured and returned to her cell.
External links
- Shimmer and the Fearsome Five at Titans Tower