Shrinking Violet


 * This page discusses the pre-Zero Hour and post Infinite Crisis versions of the character. For the post-ZH version, see Violet (comics).

Shrinking Violet is a fictional character in the DC Universe, a member of the far-future Legion of Super-Heroes. Her real name is Salu Digby and she comes from the planet Imsk. She was created by writer Jerry Siegel, the co-creator of Superman, and artist Jim Mooney. She has the power to shrink to tiny size, as do all Imsk natives.

Pre-Zero Hour
In the original pre-Zero Hour continuity she was the thirteenth person to join the Legion of Super-Heroes. She first appeared in Action Comics #276 (1961). She tried out for membership at the same time as Sun Boy and Bouncing Boy. At that same try-out, Supergirl and Brainiac 5 joined the Legion. Shrinking Violet joined the Legion later, as did her fellow applicants Sun Boy and Bouncing Boy. Despite her shyness, Shrinking Violet, known as Vi to her teammates, served as an exemplary Legionnaire. She became romantically involved with Duplicate Boy of the Heroes of Lallor.

Years later, she was kidnapped by Imsk-native radicals. She was replaced in the Legion by Yera, a Durlan actress who used her native shapeshifting abilities to assume Violet's identity (the radicals had told her that Violet wished to go on a secret vacation). Some other Legionnaires became suspicious of the fake Violet when Yera, wearing Violet's form, suddenly fell in love with Colossal Boy, who had had an unrequited crush on the real Violet for years. Yera's charade was exposed and the real Violet was rescued. After her recovery from the trauma of her abduction, Violet resumed her Legion career; she also broke up with Duplicate Boy when she learned that, although he had discovered Yera's secret some months earlier, he had neither told anyone nor tried to rescue her.

After returning to active duty, Violet had a short-term romantic relationship with fellow Legionnaire Sun Boy. Some time afterwards, it was implied (but never fully stated aloud) that she entered into a longer, more serious romance with another teammate, Lightning Lass.

After the Legion's disintegration in the aftermath of the Levitz-written era, Violet returned to Imsk and was drafted to fight in a war against Braal, the home planet of her fellow Legionnaire Cosmic Boy. This ended with the "Battle of Venado Bay", during which she found herself saving a grievously-injured Cosmic Boy from her own comrades; he, delirious with pain, did not recognize her, and attacked her face, destroying her right eye and leaving her with a long scar along her face. The two later reconciled, and although she had her eye repaired, she chose to keep her scar as a reminder.

Before the Legion reboot, one of Violet's legs was disintegrated and subsequently replaced with an artificial one.

Post-Zero Hour
Post-Zero Hour, while she was initially known as Shrinking Violet, she would become possessed by the Emerald Eye (as Emerald Violet), then later obtain Leviathan's growth powers and switch between the codenames LeViathan and simply Violet.

Current Continuity (2005- )
In current continuity, Shrinking Violet is also known as Atom Girl, a myth to all but the founding Legion members. She was considered a joke by the second wave of Legionnaires, until Brainiac 5 revealed her in the battle against Elysion of Terror Firma. She says she was exploring Brainiac 5's microverse and simply lost track of time. Invisible Kid used her name as a cover up to veil his tracks while spying on Brainiac 5. Subsequently, she assaulted Invisible Kid and after suspending him over the city, forgave him. She seems to quite like the image this gives her of being slightly crazy. She is fiercely loyal to Brainiac 5. Atom Girl over-reacts to comments about her size and appears to have a complex about appearing small in the eyes of the other Legionnaires

Elseworlds and other versions of Shrinking Violet
Shrinking Violet appeared in the Amalgam Comics title Spider-Boy Team-Up. She was merged with Marvel mainstay the Wasp to form the character Lady Bug. She was a member of the Legion Of Galactic Guardians 2099. Shrinking Violet has appeared in the Legion of Super Heroes (TV series). She was mentioned in "Man of Tomorrow", and had cameos in "Timber Wolf", and "Chain of Command", but her first real appearance wasn't until "Sundown - Part 2".