Doom Patrol Season Finale Introduces Classic Comics Team Member

The season finale of Doom Patrol held quite a few surprises for the team. Not only did things open with a reveal from last week’s “Penultimate Patrol” that Niles Caulder/The Chief had, in a sense, manufactured the tragedies that gave them their powers, but the finale also saw the team take some surprising paths to dealing with that reveal. However, it was a major reveal at the end of the episode that introduced a character from the comics that fans have long-hoped would make their debut.

Spoilers for the season finale of Doom Patrol, “Ezekiel Patrol” below.

After ending up drawn back to Doom Manor thanks only them being able to hear the musical stylings of Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping”, Niles (Timothy Dalton) attempted to explain to the team why he had been a part of their transformations and everything that came after: he was looking for immortality so that he could outlive his daughter, someone powerful that he felt he needed to protect. The news that Niles has a daughter was shocking enough, but the team doesn’t have much time to process it. Niles also reveals that Mr. Nobody has taken Danny the Street and trapped them in a painting, something significant as Danny has been caring for Niles’ daughter.

The team reluctantly decides to help Niles — mostly for the sake of Danny, whom they have become fond of — which sets things off on a very strange battle, of sorts. The team quickly encounters a giant-sized version of Ezekiel the Cockroach and Admiral Whiskers that, apparently, Niles’ daughter enlarged. Ultimately, Jane is tasked with finding Niles’ daughter and the team, plus Niles and his child, manage to escape in what might actually be one of the weirdest, wackiest plans Doom Patrol has executed yet. They all end up on the lawn of Doom Manor, sitting on top of Danny, now reduced to a brick. It’s then that Niles introduces everyone to his daughter: Dorothy Spinner.

Fans of the Doom Patrol comics will recognize Dorothy, who first appeared in Doom Patrol vol. 2 #14 from 1988, most likely from Grant Morrison’s run that the DC Universe series takes much of their inspiration from. Originally created by Paul Kupperberg, Erik Larsen, and Jim Sanders III, the comics Dorothy was given up for adoption as a baby and suffered a facial deformity that made her appear more like an ape. Isolated due to her deformity, Dorothy’s only comfort was her imaginary friends and soon learned that she had the power to bring those imaginary friends to life. In Morrison’s run on the comics, Dorothy became a full member of the Doom Patrol and also ended up a target of the villain, the Candlemaker.

The season finale of Doom Patrol doesn’t get too deeply into Dorothy’s powers, but does seem to offer a few tweaks to her comic book origin. Given that earlier in the season we saw that, in the past, Niles had a relationship with a woman from a prehistoric species of man, it’s alluded that this girl is his daughter from that relationship. It’s an origin that would more organically explain Dorothy’s facial differences as well as why he may want to hide her away for safety. It also explains why she was important enough that going after was, for Mr. Nobody, the perfect way to get final revenge on Niles.

Dorothy’s arrival on Doom Patrol is one that many fans had hoped for so it will be interesting to see how things come together should the show return for a second season.

Doom Patrol is now streaming on DC Universe.

Are you excited for the arrival of Dorothy Spinner? Let us know in the comments below.