“ | I'm... awake? I should never be awake! I'm only human when I'm sleeping! | „ |
~ Otto before transforming into Plasmus in “Divide and Conquer” |
“ | I don't know what's more disgusting, Plasmus, the way you look or the stuff you eat. | „ |
~ Robin to Plasmus in "Transformation" |
Otto von Furth, better known as Plasmus, is one of the secondary antagonists from the Teen Titans TV series. He is a human who, when awake, transforms into a giant monster made of goo who often causes chaos and destruction around the city.
He is voiced by Dee Bradley Baker, who also voiced Cinderblock in the same series, the Brain and Clock King in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Ra's al Ghul in the Arkhamverse franchise, Bubble Bass in SpongeBob SquarePants, Daffy Duck and Wile E. Coyote in Looney Tunes, and Perry the Platyborg in Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension.
Teen Titans[]
Plasmus is really a human named Otto Von Furth with an unspecified condition that transforms him into a monster whenever he is awake. In order to keep him in check, Otto (when asleep) is placed inside a stasis tank containing a fluid that he sleeps in and the tank is in an isolated jail cell.
"Divide and Conquer"[]
When Cinderblock broke Plasmus out for Slade to use, Plasmus' human form wakes up, shocked and in a panic to discover he's awake as he pleads thathe's only human when he's sleeping. Slade, however, said that his human form is worthless to him as he said he needed Plasmus, who involuntarily starts to transform and consume toxic waste at a laboratory. Just then, the Teen Titans appeared and pinned him down, only for him to split into five smaller creatures of himself. He proved to be a formidable foe without Cyborg on the team. Robin was being chased by one of Plasmus' creatures who chased him onto a conveyor belt. At the end, lies a vat of acid in front of them. Robin manages to throw Plasmus' creature of the conveyor belt, but it then grabbed Robin by the leg and made him fell into the vat of acid with it. Just then, Cyborg appeared and saved Robin from falling, leaving Plasmus' creature to disintigrate into the vat of acid. After Cyborg re-joined the Titans, they were able to defeat Plasmus. When the smoke clears, Plasmus is reduced to his human form, Otto, asleep and harmless. The authorities later arrive to put him in a new tank to be taken back to prison. Plasmus later appeared in several other episodes.
"Transformation"[]
Plasmus' appearance changed after Starfire presumably destroyed him, and his essence fell into the pit filled with raw sewage from a football field. This process caused him to boil that acquired him green bubbles that, when popped, spat out acid.
"Aftershock"[]
When Terra joined Slade, she broke out Plasmus, Overload, and Cinderblock and placed disks upon their chests that puts them under Slade's control. They were used to weaken the Teen Titans before Terra finish them off. Cyborg and Beast Boy went after Plasmus at a chemical factory, where Plasmus was hiding inside a giant tank filled of chemicals before attacking them. They appeared once more and this time combined together and formed, Ternion, but were still defeated.
"The End"[]
Plasmus shows up again to menace the Titans on their "last day" before Trigon's arrival. The titans confronted him, but he was defeated single-handedly by Raven, who projected her astral form into Plasmus' mind, rendering him unconscious.
"Homecoming"[]
Plasmus makes a cameo as a member of the Brotherhood of Evil.
"Calling All Titans!"[]
Plasmus joined the Brotherhood of Evil and teamed up with Trident to capture Aqualad and Tramm.
"Titans Together"[]
As Plasmus tried to take on the Teen Titans and their new recruits, he tried to crush Beast Boy in his hand, but Raven flew into his body, causing him to explode. In the end of the episode, it is unknown if he was frozen alongside the Brotherhood of Evil.
Teen Titans Go![]
"The Cape"[]
It is a redub of the series "Divide and Conquer," except in this version, it is said that Cinderblock is his brother and that Slade is his father.
In this version, Otto becomes pruney after being in the bath too long, causing him to transform into Plasmus. He attacks a prune juice factory and drinks prune juice instead of chemicals to make himself bigger. When he is defeated by Cyborg and Robin, both heroes comment how filthy his human form was and wonder if he ever takes a bath.
Physiology[]
Plasmus is tall and made out of a dark red chemical substance with two small green eyes, slouching arms, and a slobbery mouth, but no skeleton. In his second appearance, Plasmus becomes thinner, the top part of his body becomes round with several green bubbles for eyes on his head, his skin becomes less wrinkly, his fingers and feet become pointy, and has teeth. Plasmus' body grows bigger and becomes stronger whenever he drinks chemicals, which one time his appearance changes after his entrails falls into sewage waste. Plasmus is capable of absorbing things into his body such as weapons and attacks by his enemies and also capable of stretching his limbs. In his new form, he now contains acid inside his body and can trap people inside his green pseudopod eyes. In the episode where Plasmus first appeared in, after the Teen Titans managed to pin him down, Plasmus escapes by separating his body into smaller creatures of himself. These creatures made from his bodies are his minions that Plasmus sent them after the Teen Titans who each chased a Titan separately. As they chased the titans, the creatures made grunting sounds, unlike the original Plasmus who screams and wails gutturally. One creature extension of Plasmus is a head with several small legs underneath him that is the leader of his minions. Another creature of Plasmus has a long, thin snakelike appearance with only a mouth that went after Starfire. A third creature of Plasmus has a squidlike appearance with only a small green eye that went after Raven. A fourth creature has a round crablike appearance with a wide mouth that went after Beast Boy. A fifth creature of Plasmus also had a crablike appearance, except it had a claw for a head that went after Robin and chased him onto a conveyor belt. That creature was disintegrated after it fell into a vat of acid. As for the other Plasmus creatures, they managed to capture the other Teen Titans until Cyborg and Robin defeated the head creature that caused the other creatures to melt.
His human form, Otto von Furth, reveals a strikingly lean and slender young man who appears to be in his late teens or early twenties. He has fair/ light skin, his head is shaved, has a light stubble around his jawline, and being half-naked is only clad in form-fitting solid black Speedo briefs that hug his pelvis tight for modesty, accentuating his somewhat athletic physique despite being frail. Just moments before he involuntarily transforms into Plasmus, Otto's eyes appear to be deep brown with thick eyelashes.
Personality[]
As Plasmus[]
Plasmus is a unique creature that thrives on consuming toxic waste, serving as a powerful representation of environmental disregard. His behavior is driven solely by a relentless appetite for unhealthy substances from chemical plants and sewer runoff. Rather than using spoken language, Plasmus expresses himself through growls, high-pitched squeals, and roars, adding to his menacing presence. Despite his chaotic nature, he displays a sense of obedience when called upon by Slade, indicating a level of loyalty. Furthermore, Plasmus has a darkly playful side, letting out a hollow cackle when he believes he has ensnared most of the Titans with his extensions, showcasing his cunning nature compellingly and vividly.
As Otto/True Personality[]
Plasmus's human form, Otto Von Furth (designated as Prisoner 385901), starkly contrasts with the monstrous nature of Plasmus himself. When Otto is in a state of slumber floating in his stasis tank, he exhibits a calm and docile demeanor that serves to keep the destructive and unclean tendencies of Plasmus at bay. However, once he is awakened from sleep, Otto is engulfed in a flurry of panic, confusion, and terror. This acute fear stems from his awareness of Plasmus's ability to unleash chaos and devastation upon others. In the fleeting moments that Otto is awake, his reactions are steeped in anxiety and despair, illustrating the overwhelming burden he carries deep inside his body. It becomes apparent that his moments of humanity are limited to his unconscious state, during which he escapes the torment of his situation. This scenario strongly implies that Otto is not inherently malevolent; instead, he is a victim—trapped in a cycle of transformation that transforms him into the terrifying Plasmus against his will. The backstory of how Otto became ensnared in this predicament remains a mystery, leaving unanswered questions about his past and whether there is hope for his future. The uncertainty of his fate adds depth to his character and highlights his plight as both a prisoner and a helpless young man fighting for his identity.