The Metal Men, criticized by fans for always fighting giant robots, decide to take on human criminals instead. They travel to various cities but are repeatedly upstaged by other superheroes like the Flash, Batman and Robin, and Wonder Woman. Returning dejectedly to headquarters, they encounter Professor Bravo, an arrogant criminal accompanied by a fantastic plastic being called "Ethy" (Ethylene). When the Metal Men attempt to stop the professor's crime spree, they discover that their standard combat tactics are ineffective against his shape-shifting plastic army, leading to a series of humiliating defeats.
