According to the Doom Patrol series, Rita Farr was a Hollywood actress who was exposed to unusual volcanic gases while shooting a film in Africa. When Farr recovered, she originally discovered that she could only grow or shrink her body at will from microscopic to hundreds of feet tall. She later gained greater control of her powers, enabling to return to normal size and enlarge one limb at a time.

Considered a freak and a menace, her Hollywood career was ruined. However, Rita was approached by Dr. Niles Caulder (also known as The Chief) who offered her a place among fellow "freaks" attempting to use their powers for good. As Elasti-Girl, she joined Caulder's team, the Doom Patrol, at which point she fell in love and married Steve Dayton AKA Mento. Later on, the couple would adopt young Gar Logan, who would be known as the Teen Titans' Beast Boy. In the [[JLA: Year One:vol:6171]] storyline, the Martian Manhunter tells Rita that he was something of a "fan" of her "chiller pictures" and that he was disappointed that she did not continue making films; flattered, she kissed him on the cheek and later told him she had met actress Sigourney Weaver, and that she was sure she'd approve of him (as a joke to Weaver's Aliens films).

Tragedy struck when the Doom Patrol's enemies, the Brotherhood of Evil, threatened a small New England fishing village. The Patrol members elected to sacrifice themselves to save innocents and were seemingly killed in an explosion. Many members of the team subsequently cheated death or were returned to life in later Doom Patrol revivals. However, Elasti-Girl was the sole member of original Doom Patrol who died during the series and remained dead thereafter. At least, for a time...