Ralph Dibny

"I smell a mystery."

- Ralph Dibny

Ralph Dibny was presumed to be one of the fourteen people who lost his life during the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator's explosion. However, Dibny reappeared in the post-Flashpoint timeline, gaining his powers due to Barry Allen's return from the Speed Force.

Detective at CCPD
In 2013, Ralph was CCPD's lead detective during the murder investigation of Judy Gimlin, one of Barry's first cases as a Junior CSI. She was stabbed to death and her husband Reagan was the prime suspect. Dibny planted evidence—a knife with Reagan's fingerprints—to "frame" the suspect for murder, and as a result, Barry testified against him after inspecting the knife and determining it to be a fake murder weapon, resulting in Dibny being kicked off the police force.

Pre-Flashpoint
After the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator exploded, Ralph was said to have been killed according to Eobard Thawne through unspecified means.

Post-Flashpoint
Ralph's timeline changed following Flashpoint, resulting in his survival from the explosion.

Dibny went on to become a private investigator specializing in infidelity cases. Given a lead by a man named DeVoe, Dibny caught Mayor Anthony Bellows in an affair. Dibny attempted to blackmail the politician in exchange for the photos. Riding a bus on October 10, 2017, Ralph was exposed to dark matter particles resulting from Barry Allen's return from the Speed Force. Ralph did not exhibit his powers immediately after that, but took a few weeks. He was visited by Barry and Joe West, but gave them no information. Soon after, two thugs came to Ralph's office. They hung him by his legs off the top of an establishment to intimidate him, inadvertently causing Ralph's powers of elasticity to manifest and allowing him to descend safely from that height. He was later brought into S.T.A.R. Labs where Team Flash there did preliminary tests to his new attributes, all of which greatly disturbed Ralph who just wished to return to normal, but could not as he was still new to his meta-human abilities, preventing him from deliberately returning his outstretched extremities back to their default state. A serum administered by Caitlin soon gave Ralph a measure of control, but was told that the concoction had not reversed his new condition but rather only made it more manageable, which Ralph quickly realizes when he successfully lost weight upon visualizing it. Ralph later met with the mayor, recanting his blackmail and returning the photos he took. He was shot by Bellows, only to find that his powers made him bulletproof. When the Flash came to save him, Breacher appeared to attack him, as he mistook Ralph for one of the invaders that ravaged his planet, so the Flash stopped him as well. While the mayor escaped with Joe on a helicopter, Barry revealed himself to Ralph and implored him to use his powers for good, so Ralph stretched to reach the chopper to allow Barry to run up and save Joe. In the end, the two reconciled. Barry offered Dibny a place on Team Flash, which Dibny considered. When Barry, out of interest, asked him about his motive for investigating Bellows, Dibny revealed that a client requested him to investigate the mayor over the phone, going by the last name DeVoe.

Personality
Ralph was initially motivated by self-interest and would stoop to morally questionable methods in the pursuit of success. Although, he did have a strong sense of justice, he was willing to go as far as to plant evidence to frame a murder suspect whom he believed to be guilty. He can also be somewhat lecherous. Ralph was also quite rude to his enemy, but ultimately Barry was able to coax him into an act of selflessness and convince him into being a hero.

Powers

 * Meta-human physiology: After Ralph was struck by the dark matter energy after the Flash's release from the Speed Force, this altered his DNA and cells, polymerizing the walls of his cellular structure, causing them to be elasticized to form an unbreakable bond at an atomic level, enabling him to access his newfound powers.
 * Elasticity: Ralph can stretch, contort, and compact various part or his entire body into a myriad of different shapes and sizes. After taking a chemical stabilizer given by Caitlin, he was able to retain a degree of "muscle memory" and revert to his leaner, fit state (or "default form").
 * Invulnerability: As a side effect of his elasticity, Ralph was also rendered highly durable. He took no harm from a bullet to the head, and a punch to the face only inconvenienced him as his body would stretch and cushion the impact to ultimately negate it.
 * Superhuman strength: Ralph has also demonstrated considerable strength, possibly attributed to the now substantial bonding of his cells at the molecular level. He was able to grab onto and stop a helicopter mid-flight with his extended arm and allow the Flash to run up his extended arm with ease, although he was somewhat strained by the act.

Abilities

 * Expert detective: Ralph runs his own private investigation business and is very experienced in detective work. At one point he was Barry's senior for this field.

Former Weakness

 * Lack of Stability: Initially, Ralph's stretching abilities were out of his control, acting instantly was exposed to enough force and would then remain stuck in that state. By analyzing the difference in Ralph's DNA from before and after his dark matter exposure, she was able to produce a stabilizer, enabling him to instinctively return to his normal shape as a default.

Behind the scenes

 * In DC Comics, Ralph Dibny was a good friend of Barry Allen and a detective who became the Elongated Man.