THE DOOM PATROL MEMBERSHIP TOUR (Part II)

The Doom Patrol is a team of misfits and outcasts who band together to battle evil and help mankind using powers they have been gifted with (or cursed with, based on one's point of view).

The original Doom Patrol premiered in 1963.  Since that time, there have been numerous versions of the team that DC Comics has published.

Here at The Eggman's Comic Book Tours, we've already taken a look at the first two versions of this offbeat team.  As we continue this tour, we'll look at the additional heroes who were members of more updated versions of the Doom Patrol beginning in 2001 through 2018.  This is Part II of our look at the membership of the Doom Patrol.  Fasten your seatbelts and let's put this tour into motion!

We'll start with a brief recap.  The adventures of the original Doom Patrol team were published from 1963 through 1968.  The primary team consisted of The Chief, Robotman, Elasti-Girl, and Negative Man.  Their series ended when the four heroes were thought to have been blown up by their enemy General Zhad.

In 1977 a second Doom Patrol came on the scene.  Over the next 18 years, many members came and went.  During this same time, it was revealed that Robot Man, the Chief, and Negative Man all survived the explosion that killed the original Doom Patrol.  Apparently, Elasti-Girl was the only hero who didn't survive General Zahd's explosion.

In 1995, the second volume of the Doom Patrol ceased publication.  In 2001 a third version of the Doom Patrol was put into publication.  With this third volume of the Doom Patrol, we continue our tour.

(Note:  Over time, many previous members of the team are reintroduced or rejoined the team.  This second leg of our Patrol tour will only provide individual entries for new characters added to the many rosters of the Doom Patrol  Please refer to Part I of this Doom Patrol Tour for entries of characters not covered in Part II of this tour.)

This spin on the Doom Patrol was created by writer John Arcudi and artist Tan Eng Huat.  Unlike the previous volume which was cover marked For Mature Readers and published through DC's Vertigo line of titles, volume 3 of Doom Patrol was published in the mainstream line of titles.

Doom Patrol (vol. 3) #1, cover art by Tan Eng Huat

A multi-billionaire named Thayer Jost wants to own his own superhero team.  Jost pays Robotman for the rights to the Doom Patrol name and employs Cliff to be the leader of his new Doom Patrol.  Jost already has 4 young possible heroes lined up.

Fever

Real Name: Shyleen Lao

First Appearance:  Doom Patrol (vol. 3) #1 (Dec. 2001)

Created by:  John Arcudi and Tan Eng Huat

Fever can speed up molecular vibration, giving her a form of pyrokinesis and the ability to generate fire. Her control of this power was erratic.  Jost left it to Robotman to help her hone it.

Kid Slick

Real Name: Victor Darge

First Appearance:  Doom Patrol (vol. 3) #1 (Dec. 2001)

Created by:  John Arcudi and Tan Eng Huat

Victor is surrounded by a forcefield/aura that prevents enemies from physically attacking him. This same aura also gave him the ability to slide across surfaces. He also possesses super speed.

Freak

Real Name: Ava (no last name given)

First Appearance:  Doom Patrol (vol. 3) #1 (Dec. 2001)

Created by:  John Arcudi and Tan Eng Huat

Freak is a young woman from India who is the host of an alien parasite. This alien entity provides Freak with super-strong prehensile hair.

Fast Forward

Real Name: Theodore "Ted" Bruder

First Appearance:  Doom Patrol (vol. 3) #1 (Dec. 2001)

Created by:  John Arcudi and Tan Eng Huat

Fast Forward has the power of precognition, being able to see 60 seconds into the future. He has an extremely abrasive personality.

As Ted's powers began to increase, he found himself inadvertently crossing dimensions and causing havoc. He attempted to suppress his abilities through medication but eventually had be be placed into a self-induced coma, hoping for a cure to eventually be discovered.

As the volume starts off, there is a discussion between Thayer Jost and Cliff (Robotman) Steele acknowledging the original Doom Patrol and their untimely demise. Yet, any references to the second incarnations of the team are glaringly absent.

An unexpected consequence for Cliff and his new team is that they soon discover that they are restricted from helping anyone their boss, Thayer Jost, doesn't order them to save.  Based on their contracts to be part of the Doom Patrol, their powers and altruistic desires are completely subject to their employer.  This doesn't bode well with the team and they eventually all decide to resign.  But Jost still owns the rights to the Doom Patrol name.  So, this new ragtag team, led by Cliff, uses the unofficial name, Doom Force. 

In the meantime, Thayer Jost simply assembles several more established heroes to his payroll and creates an entirely new Doom Patrol.  

Doom Patrol (vol. 3) #4, cover art by Tan Eng Huat

The only member of Jost's new team with connections to the original Doom Patrol is Beast Boy.  The rest of his new team is comprised of former members of the Justice League.

Metamorpho

Real Name: Rex Mason

First Appearance:  The Brave and the Bold #57 (Jan. 1965)

Created by:  Bob Haney and Ramona Fradon

Metamorpho has the ability to convert all, or any part, of his body to the entire spectrum of elemental compounds.  

Dr. Light

Real Name: Kimiyo Hoshi

First Appearance:  Crisis on Infinite Earths #4 (July 1985)

Created by:  Marv Wolfman and George Perez
Shown Here:  Portrayed by Malese Jow on the CW television series The Flash.

Dr. Light can control light and light sources.  She can employ light-based power blasts and blind opponents by creating blinding light bursts.  She can also refract lightwaves and create light-based holographic images. Kimiyo is also a brilliant scientist and astronomer.

Elongated Man

Real Name: Ralph Dibny 

First Appearance:  The Flash (vol. 1) #112 (February 1960)

Created by:  John Broome and Carmine Infantino
Shown Here:  Portrayed by Hartley Sawyer on the CW television series The Flash.

On the final page of issue #5, the Doom Patrol and Doom Force are working together.  Metamorpho asks Robotman to clear something up.  Metamorpho states that JLA records say Robotman and what was left of the Doom Patrol were all killed in action four years ago.  Upon hearing this... Robotman expresses shock and then fades out of existence.  

Turns out that this Robotman had been a creation of Dorothy Spinner who is lying in a coma in a hospital.  It becomes unclear if Jost actually owns the rights to the Doom Patrol anymore so his version with Elongated Man, Dr. Light, and Metamorpho disbands.  Meanwhile, Beast Boy and the newbie members play detective and find the real Cliff Steele's head...and his brain is still viable.  He's given a new robot body but knows nothing about this new team or any arrangement with billionaire Thayer Jost.

From here the title struggles to figure out what it wants to say.  Cliff doesn't want to be on a team, the new members spend all their time bickering.  Cliff leaves town to find himself, and the new members continue bickering.  Thayer Studios sets out to create a Doom Patrol television series, and the new members continue bickering.  Eventually, Jost abandons his team.  The four new members no longer have a salary so they go their separate ways.  Most of them never heard from again.  This third volume of Doom Patrol sputtered to its conclusion after 22 issues.

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It would take just 2 years for DC to attempt another run at the Doom Patrol. This time under the helm of comic industry giant John Byrne. Byrne would be both the artist and the writer of the fourth volume of Doom Patrol. It was decided to begin the Doom Patrol from scratch. All previous Doom Patrol continuity was deemed erased. Unlike most major reboots of this kind, this recreation of the Doom Patrol didn't coincide with any company-wide crossover/reboot event. This strategy presented continuity problems for the character of Gar Logan (Beast Boy) over in Teen Titans, since he had been a member of the original Doom Patrol, and had been adopted and raised by Doom Patrol members Elasti-Girl and Mento.

This version of the team was promoted with the tagline, "Together Again for the First Time!" To help promote sales for the team, this version of the Doom Patrol was given an introduction in JLA #94 through #99 in 2004.

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This adaptation of the team features tweaked versions of the original Doom Patrol along with several new members. Larry Trainer is a former test pilot and operates as Negative Man. But in this incarnation, he's originally covered in a leather-style outfit (it later changes to bandages) and the Negative Entity is capable of speech and appears more skeletal than shadowy. Rita Farr is Elasti-Girl, but rather than being an actress, she is the extremely intelligent assistant to Niles (The Chief) Caulder, a wealthy scientific genius confined to a wheelchair. Cliff Steele (Robot Man) is a former racecar driver who, after a horrible accident, had his brain transferred to a robot body.

This version of the Doom Patrol also featured several new members.

Nudge

Real Name: Mi-Sun Kwon

First Appearance: JLA #94 (May 2004)

Created by: John Byrne and Chris Claremont Nudge is a metahuman with telepathic and hypnotic persuasion abilities. Her powers are dependent upon her will being stronger than the will of the individuals she is attempting to affect. Nudge can also influence the emotions of others. Nudge and her friend Grunt were both members of a traveling circus. When Niles Caulder hears of Grunt he seeks him out to extend membership to his Doom Patrol. Nudge uses her abilities to push The Chief into extending membership to her as well.

Grunge

Real Name: Henry Bucher

First Appearance: JLA #94 (May 2004)

Created by: John Byrne and Chris Claremont

Henry Bruckner was a young human man who was kidnapped and subjected to medical experimentation. His brain was transplanted into a genetically manufactured four-armed ape. He was part of a traveling circus along with his friend Mi-Sun (Nudge) until offered an opportunity to join the Doom Patrol. He took on the codename Grunt. Grunt often seemed to have a lower intelligence and was prone to being very impulsive. He's also very protective of Nudge.

Grunt has superhuman speed, strength, endurance, and reflexes.

Vortex Real Name: Unknown

First Appearance: JLA #94 (May 2004)

Created by: John Byrne and Chris Claremont

Vortex is a being from the future who is composed entirely of energy. His physical being is established using a body suit with a facial stimulator. Anyone looking directly at his face when his true form is exposed will go insane. Vortex can also project a silent scream from his stimulated mouth that causes a force blast.

Vortex came to the past to free one of his kind who no one knew was merged with Larry Trainer's negative entity. Once this mission was completed Vortex left the team to return to the future.

Faith

Real Name: Unknown

First Appearance: JLA #69 (Oct. 2002)

Created by: Joe Kelly and Yvel Guichet

Little is known about Faith's history. She worked in a U.S. Special Ops team before being recruited into the Justice League by Batman. While a member of the JLA she met Niles (The Chief) Caulder who requested that she join his Doom Patrol as well, to assist Nudge in developing her powers.

Faith's primary powers are telekinesis and telepathy. Her telekinesis can be used to create mental blasts and force fields, and it also grants her the ability to fly. Faith stayed with the Doom Patrol for just 5 issues before returning full-time to the Justice League.

The team operates out of an old Confederate prison on Key Mordaz, Florida.  While it was nice to have the original team back, the new members really didn't add much to the group.  

Byrne utilized a style of storytelling where the reader is dumped into the middle of high action and then is given "18 hours earlier..." or "yesterday..." flashbacks filling in what had happened leading to the events that are unfolding. This style became monotonous as it forced readers to rehash events over and over. Couple this with stories that weren't really that interesting... and it becomes clear why this volume lasted only 18 issues. It's clear that the book's cancellation was known in advance as the series tied most plot points up in the final issue. Vortex returned to the future. Nudge is reunited with her mother and brother, though she decides to stay with the Doom Patrol. Robotman's body is destroyed and he is given a new one by the Chief. This new robot body is the same as the one the character had when he debuted back in 1963. The skeletal Negative Entity is released from Larry Trainer, but in its wake, Larry is left with residual negative energy that is shadowy-looking.... just like when Negative Man debuted in 1963. What was new is now old again! The final issue of this volume of the Doom Patrol was published with a cover date of January 2006.

A few months later in 2006, during the events in the crossover limited-series, Infinite Crisis, another reboot of the DC universe was playing out.  The Doom Patrol were among those altered by these events.  In Teen Titans (vol. 3) #32 the current version of Doom Patrol meets Beast Boy.  The characters have only a limited knowledge of each other, believing they are all meeting for the first time.

During this awkward meeting, other events regarding the Infinite Crisis are still playing out.  Before long, numerous historical glitches and inconsistencies come crashing into each other as the DC universe is once again reborn (or, more realistically, as writers at DC attempt, yet again, to solve continuity problems!).

As the universe is adjusted and corrected, all the previous versions of the Doom Patrol are integrated and returned to existence.  Memories begin flooding back.  Gar (Beast Boy) remembers that Elasti-Girl and Mento are his adoptive parents, and the history they all share is once again considered historical canon.  

Directly following the conclusion of Infinite Crisis, the storylines in all of DC's regular monthly titles jump one year forward. In Teen Titans (vol. 3) #34 through #36 we find out what the Doom Patrol is up to one year following their last appearance (just one issue earlier!).

Teen Titans (vol. 3) #36, cover art by Tony S. Daniel, Richard Horie, and Tanya Horie

The team has abandoned their black and white uniforms. Grunt and Nudge are not seen or referenced. The membership consists of the Chief, Robotman, Elasti-Girl, Negative Man, Beast Boy, and two former members of the Teen Titans. We find out that at some point during the One Year gap, Bumblebee and Herald were lost in deep space and faced some complications. These incidents left them in need of the specialized care of the Chief.

Bumble Bee

Real Name: Karen Beecher Duncan

First Appearance: Teen Titans (vol. 1) #45 (Dec. 1976)

Created by: Bob Rozakis and Jose Delbo

Karen Beecher debuted as the girlfriend of Teen Titan member Mal Duncan.  She was a scientist and created a costume that gave her blasting powers and allowed her to fly.  She joined the original Teen Titans and fought injustice along with Mal.  She and Mal would later marry.

After being exposed to radiation, Karen was shrunk to a diminutive size. She joined the Doom Patrol when Niles was able to offer scientific ways to keep her alive and offered hope that he would seek a way to return her to her normal stature.

Vox

Real Name: Malcolm Duncan

First Appearance: Teen Titans (vol. 1) #26 (March 1970)

Created by: Robert Kanigher and Nick Cardy

Mal Duncan joined the Teen Titans during their original incarnation. At first, he used no codename and was credited only for his street smarts and fighting skills. He would later assume several costumed identities. He served periods as Guardian, Hornblower (ugh!), and Herald. Each identity came with different abilities all through external enhancements or devices. After being subjected to a deep space accident, Mal requires the use of a mechanical voice box which can also be used to create sonic blasts and it can also be used to open interdimensional portals and wormholes. Following this incident, he takes on the codename Vox and joins the Doom Patrol along with his wife, Bumblebee.

In this One Year Later story, there are portraits of former members of the Doom Patrol (Dorothy Spinner, Blaze, and Crazy Jane) seen in the background on the walls of the Doom Patrol headquarters. This confirms that the melding of all the Patrol's past incarnations was still affirmed continuity as established after Infinite Crisis. Another revelation was the explanation of how Elasti-Girl was still alive. At the onset of this volume of Doom Patrol, her presence wasn't a problem, since writer John Byrne created the series on the premise that the team had never existed before. However, with the history and the timelines of all the previous versions of the team returned to canon, this was now an issue. Elasti-Girl died in the first volume of the Doom Patrol and remained dead in volumes 2 and 3. How could she suddenly be back? Well, in the new post-Infinite Crisis reality, it turns out that the Chief was able to find Rita Farr's skull in the waters where General Zhad blew up the Patrol's island base. For years he treated the skull with synthetic proteins until her malleable powers eventually kicked in and were able to regrow an entirely new body. This 2006 storyline would be the last prominent outing for the 4th volume of the Doom Patrol.

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Volume 5 of the Doom Patrol began its run in 2008. Like the volume before it, a comic bigwig writer. This time around it is industry stalwart Keith Giffen who attempts to put his spin on the team. Art is by Matthew Clark and in my opinion, is some of his best.

The team operates from a facility on Oolang Island, a sovereign nation with the Doom Patrol being its primary source of protection.

When this series begins the team contains no new members. It is comprised of Chief, Robotman, Elasti-Girl (now using the codename Elasti-Woman), Negative Man, Bumblebee, Nudge, and Grunt. Nudge and Grunt are murdered while on a mission with the rest of the team in the first issue. The other Patrol members treat this in a rather callous manner, almost with a snark of "they knew what they signed up for". Giffen took the time to infuse the members with distinct personalities that many hadn't had in the past. The biggest change was with Rita Farr. Rita is turned into the narcissistic character that a former movie star and mega-celebrity might well be. It is also revealed that when the Chief recreated her after finding her skull, the treatments he subjected her to had her grow as a large blob, not a formed human being. (If you are a fan of the Silver Age Legion of Super-Heroes, think of her as being a larger version of Proty, Chameleon Boy's companion.) It requires a great deal of effort for her to maintain her human form.

Keith Giffen included many an homage to past Doom Patrol stories and past Doom Patrol members. As the series progressed many previous DP members had guest appearances, or updates on them were provided. Crazy Jane and Danny the Street rejoined the team as the series continued. Danny the Street for a time was Danny the Hut, and near the end of the run he became Danny the Island! Only one actual new member was added to the group during this volume.

Ambush Bug

Real Name: Irwin Schwab

First Appearance: DC Comics Presents #52 (Dec 1982)

Created by: Keith Giffen

This character is a brilliant example of tongue-in-cheek. Often inserted into "mainstream continuity", he's ridiculous and often breaks the fourth wall to speak directly to readers. Ambush Bug's primary power is that of teleportation. He can teleport himself and others. His suit also grants him limited invulnerability.

This volume of the Doom Patrol lasted just 22 issues. It was an interesting run, and it should be noted that I personally liked the way Giffen integrated many new recurring characters who were residents on Ooolang Island.

The series came to its conclusion (July 2011) with a fantastic use of the Ambush Bug character. Ambush Bug whispers into the ear of the woman that Mr. Somebody is possessing. He tells her that the current Doom Patrol series is being canceled. Mr. Somebody calls it a day and departs her body!

Sales on the series weren't spectacular, but they also weren't horrible. A primary reason this Doom Patrol series was brought to a quick conclusion is that DC Comics was about to roll out its biggest reboot to date.

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Following the events in the Flashpoint miniseries in 2011, DC rolled out a complete company-wide relaunch. This relaunch is referred to as The New 52. Every single DC title was canceled and their entire roster of heroes started anew, erasing almost all of DC's history. Within the New 52 continuity, there is a Doom Patrol, and the majority of its members are versions of characters from previous incarnations of the team.

When first seen, the team includes consists of Celsius, Negative Woman, Tempest, the Chief, Blaze (now called Scorch), and Karma.

Karma, Scorch, and Negative Woman are murdered by members of the Crime Syndicate, and Celsius and Tempest are MIA and presumed dead. The Chief sets out to add new members to the Doom Patrol lineup. His new members are Robotman, Negative Man, Elasti-Girl, and Element Woman.

Element Woman

Real Name: Emily Sung

First Appearance: Flashpoint (vol. 2) #1 (July 2011)

Created by: Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert

Element Woman can manipulate the elements of water, wind, fire, and earth. She can also convert her body into other compounds and can morph the size and shape of her body.

(Note: She should not to be confused with Element Girl, a very similar-looking character created in 1967 whose real name was Urania Blackwell)

This version of the Doom Patrol is quite dark.  The Chief is extremely maniacal and has somewhat brainwashed the members of his team into believing he can do no wrong, that they shouldn't think for themselves, and that they wouldn't be alive if not for him.

Element Woman is actually held hostage by the Chief as he works to manipulate her mind, causing her to distrust the Justice League, a team in which she had previously served as a member.  He breaks her down and she too joins what is for all intents a cult more than a superhero team.  The members of the Doom Patrol exist solely to do whatever the Chief bids.  

It is revealed that Celsius and Tempest did not die, but instead used the chaos of the Forever Evil conflict that was playing out in Justice League to flee the control of The Chief.

Outside of this multi-issue storyline in Justice League in 2013, this version of the Doom Patrol had little other exposure during the period of DC's New 52.

Though the New 52 relaunch provided DC with a large amount of publicity and some initially impressive sales, it eventually proved to be disliked by DC readers.  In 2016, just five years later, a new initiative called Rebirth was announced and began rolling out in DC's titles.  This returned a majority of the legacy that The New 52 had erased. 

This New 52 version of the Doom Patrol was no more.

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The next version of the Doom Patrol began its publication in 2016 under DC's Young Animal imprint which was also formed in 2016.

Young Animal was created to have titles that are more mature and experimental in content than the stories being told in DC's mainstream titles.  

This version of the team was written by Gerard Way and drawn by Nick Derington.  The central character is Casey Brinke, an ambulance driver. 

Casey Brinke

First Appearance: Doom Patrol (vol. 6) #1 (Sept. 2016)

Created by: Gerard Way and Nick Derington
Shown Here: Portrayed by Madeline Zima on the Max-streaming series, Doom Patrol.

Casey Brinke is really a creation of Danny the Street.  She isn't real, and yet now she is. 

Casey was a comic book heroine known as Space Case who appeared in comic books that existed only within Danny World.  In those comic books, Space Case had a secret identity where she was an EMT and her father was a supervillain.  At some point, Danny became powerful enough to push this imaginary comic book character from within his world, into the real world.  He then needed Casey to help organize a new Doom Patrol. 

 

Danny the Street takes on the form of Danny the Ambulance, and Casey is one of his drivers, agreeing to help Danny in a quest to form a new Doom Patrol to battle the aliens known as Vectra who want to kidnap and control Danny to exploit Danny's powers.

Members of previous versions of Doom Patrol who get rounded up by Danny and Casey include Robotman, The Chief, Negative Man, Crazy Jane (now referred to simply as Jane), and Elasti-Girl.  

The team eventually kicks the Chief out of the Doom Patrol following a botched mission and his gambling addiction.

Several new characters also join this version of The Doom Patrol.

Flex Mentallo

Real Name: Flex Mentallo

First Appearance:  Doom Patrol (vol. 2) #35 (Aug. 1990)

Created by:  Grant Morrison and Richard Case

Shown Here:  Portrayed by Devon Chandler Long on the Max-streaming series, Doom Patrol.

Flex is a character that assisted the second version of the Doom Patrol on a few occasions, but never actually joined the team until now.

Flex is a parody of the Muscle Man on the Beach from Charles Atlas advertisements that ran in comic books for years in the 1970s.  

When Flex flexes his muscles he can warp reality in numerous ways.  Whenever he employs his powers, his "hero halo" shimmers above him... a projection of the words "Hero of the Beach"!   He has super strength, durability, and stamina.  

Lotion

Real Name: Lotion

First Appearance: Doom Patrol (vol. 6) #1 (Nov. 2016)

Created by: Gerard Way and Nick Derington

Lotion is Casey Brinke's cat, who escaped into the city when the villain Vectra destroyed a wall in Casey's apartment.

After consuming a mysterious substance, Lotion became humanoid in size and gained the ability to speak. Outside of having claws and fangs, it exhibited no additional special abilities.

Terry None

Real Name: Terry None

First Appearance: Doom Patrol (vol. 6) #1 (Nov. 2016)

Created by: Gerard Way and Nick Derington

Terry None, like Casey Brinkes, shouldn't exist in the real world, yet she does. She is the daughter of one of the Doom Patrol's most powerful enemies, Mr. Nobody. Her powers are described as chthonic ie. from the underworld.  She can shoot chthonic blasts from her hands.  She also has a perception of the world that is enhanced beyond normal people.  

Lucius Reynolds

Real Name: Lucius Reynolds

First Appearance: Doom Patrol (vol. 6) #4 (Jan. 2017)

Created by:

Lucius is the son of Sam Reynolds, the primary driver of Danny the Ambulance and a regular supporting character of the team. Lucius comes from a family where every other generation is gifted with magical abilities. Lucius's magical powers include reality alteration, pyrokinesis, electro-blasts, geokinesis, flight, and golem animation.

This volume of Doom Patrol lasted 12 issues. A second series called Doom Patrol: Weight of the World featured this same team and was published in 2019, again under DC's Young Animal imprint.

At this point, we close out Part II of our tour of all the members of the Doom Patrol.  We have profiled thirty-nine characters in our two-part Doom Patrol Membership tour, covering 1963 through 2020.

As this tour comes to a conclusion, I will note that DC is currently publishing a new volume of the team.  This new Doom Patrol series began in 2023.  Because the series is still in publication (that's a good thing!), we will cover any new Patrol members from this team in a future blog.

As always, please feel free to give feedback, comments, corrections, or any thoughts you may have on this particular journey centered around the amazing group of superpowered misfits known as the Doom Patrol!

The Doom Patrol and all related characters, names, and elements and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of DC Comics, Inc.