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, gaining his powers due to Barry Allen's return from the Speed 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
Due to Barry's meddling with the timeline from Flashpoint, Ralph's timeline changed and as a result he is now alive.

Barry reveals to Iris that five years ago Ralph was the 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" a suspect for murder, and as a result, Barry testified against him, resulting in Dibny being kicked off the police force.

Dibny went on to become a private investigator specializing in infidelity cases. After catching the mayor in an affair, Dibny attempted to blackmail the politician in exchange for the photos. It is revealed that Dibny was not a "dirty cop," as Barry and Joe believed, but that he was convinced of the suspect's guilt and was attempting to stop the man from getting away with murder.

He gained his powers from the dark matter exposure resulting from Barry's return from the Speed Force. Ralph was shot by the mayor, only to find that his powers made him bulletproof. When The Flash came to save him, Breacher appeared to attack him as he thought Ralph was one of the invaders that ravaged Earth-19 so Flash stopped him as well. While the mayor escaped with Joe on a helicopter, Barry revealed himself to Ralph and implred 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 reconcile after Dibny recants his blackmail of the mayor and returns the photos he took. Barry offers Dibny a place on Team Flash, which Dibny considers. 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.

Powers

 * Meta-human physiology: After Ralph was struck by the dark matter energy after the Flash was released from the Speed Force, this altered his DNA and cells, enabling him to access his newfound powers.
 * Elasticity: Ralph can stretch his limbs and body to superhuman lengths and sizes. It also allows him to make himself thinner.
 * Invulnerability: As a side effect of his elasticity, Ralph is also rendered him highly durable. He was barely harmed by a bullet to the head, and a punch to the face only inconviences him.

Behind the scenes

 * In DC Comics, Ralph Dibny was a good friend of Barry Allen and a detective who became the Elongated Man.
 * Towards the end of "Elongated Journey into Night," Barry suggests that Dibny be called Plastic Man, a reference to another DC comics character with similar powers.
 * It is as yet unrevealed whether Dibny's survival, like Al Rothstein's, is an error on the show or a mistake made by "Wells".
 * EPs Andrew Kreisberg and Todd Helbing confirmed that Ralph is indeed alive due to Flashpoint (source: http://ew.com/tv/2017/10/31/flash-ralph-dibny-reference-season-1/)
 * The Title of this episode comes from the play named A long Day's Journey into Night.