The Molder

When the Elongated Man read about the bank-robbing exploits of the Chane Gang, he knew he had to solve the mystery. He used his stretching powers to alter his face, preparing to go undercover. Shortly after arriving in Central City, as he drank a new dose of Gingold, the Flash arrived to bring him to a robbery in progress. They learned that most members of the Chane Gang were simply holograms, decoys to allow the real thief to escape. On capturing him, they found only half the loot: one more thief, an identical twin, was still at large.

That night, his alter ego met with the remaining member of the Chane Gang, and demonstrated a new ability: turning objects to putty with a touch. As an audition, he destroyed a multi-million dollar super-sonic jetliner...then turned his power on the Flash, transforming him into a puddle of goo.

The speedster used his last moments to leave a clue to how he could be revived. His wife Iris got the message, administered an electric shock, and reactivated the Flash’s control over his molecules. Having learned his adversary’s identity, he reasoned that his speed vibrations had altered the Gingold, giving Ralph different powers and changing his personality to match the intended masquerade.

With the fame he gained from “killing” the Flash, the Molder was recruited by foreign agents to score a propaganda victory against a defector. The Flash was waiting, and injected his former ally with a fungus that attacked the gingo tree. The fungus destroyed the contaminated Gingold, exhausted his new powers and restored Ralph’s original personality.

• Art Credits
• Silver/Bronze-Age Appearances

Art

• Flash #253 (September 1977) - Irv Novick & Frank McLaughlin

Silver/Bronze-Age Appearances

• Flash #252 (August 1977): “Double Dose of Danger,” Cary Bates
• Flash #253 (September 1977): “Don’t Mess With The Molder!” Cary Bates

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