If you weren’t aware, DC’s streaming service, the aptly named DC Universe, is humming along somewhat smoothly. Titans, their first regular series, just had their season finale this week. Swamp Thing is fully cast and slated for next summer. A few other shows are slowly developing. Yet, there’s another big show just around the corner that warrants your attention: Doom Patrol. Which just so happened to release a very short teaser earlier today.
While that doesn’t do much in terms of plot, it does give a glimpse of what the characters will look like. Mostly in the form of this version of Cyborg (Jovian Wade), probably indicating he’s not going to be seen again on the big screen. His fully metal counterpart at the end there is Robotman (DC is nothing, if not subtle). His voice may sound familiar, because it belongs to Brendan Fraser. Going by this teaser and nothing else, we’d guess the tone won’t be the same doom and gloom seen in Titans. The guy in bandages? That would be Negative Man, voiced by Matt Bomer. You may have also spied Timothy Dalton’s grinning mug at the end. He’ll serve as the person who brings the rag-tag group together.
Not up to speed on the Doom Patrol? We’ve got a rather detailed official plot synopsis to help you out:
“The Doom Patrol’s members each suffered horrible accidents that gave them superhuman abilities — but also left them scarred and disfigured. Traumatized and downtrodden, the team found purpose through The Chief, who brought them together to investigate the weirdest phenomena in existence — and to protect Earth from what they find. Part support group, part Super Hero team, the Doom Patrol is a band of super-powered freaks who fight for a world that wants nothing to do with them. Picking up after the events of TITANS, DOOM PATROL will find these reluctant heroes in a place they never expected to be, called to action by none other than Cyborg, who comes to them with a mission hard to refuse, but with a warning that is hard to ignore: their lives will never, ever be the same.”
In comic form, Doom Patrol has been around since the early 60’s. In 1989 Grant Morrison stepped in, taking over for 4 years. His run is the one most people are aware of, mostly due to how weird it was. So don’t be surprised if the show re-uses a few of his story threads. A revamped version of the series was released in 2016, written by Gerard Way (The Umbrella Academy).
Even if haven’t read any of the comics, DC seems to be hoping this will be a breakout hit. As I personally don’t know anyone who subscribes to their platform, they might need some help. Maybe one of us here will take the plunge, to keep you up to date on how this show shakes out. Doom Patrol premieres exclusively on DC Universe, on Feburary 15, with new episodes released weekly.
