As DC’s streaming series, Doom Patrol, premieres its penultimate episode, fans are now eagerly awaiting the finale to the popular show. The series, inspired by the comic book of the same name, has distinguished itself amongst the superheroes genre through its total embrace of the weird and wacky. The show follows a band of misfit characters, each with their own powers and inner turmoils.
Audiences get to see the team come together and develop relationships following the abduction of “Chief” by the show’s main antagonist, Mr. Nobody (Alan Tudyk). Mr. Nobody is certainly a lesser-known villain from the comics, but the show has spun him in a very weird and interesting way. Still, however, there are many things about Mr. Nobody that the show has yet to address. Here is our list of 10 facts about Mr. Nobody that the show leaves out.
Appearance
One of the most noticeable differences between the show and the comic is in Mr. Nobody’s immediate appearance. In the comics, he looks more like a broken up, two-dimensional shadow with eyes and gloves. Whereas, in the show, he looks more like a poorly assembled Jenga puzzle of a human body.
The show’s interpretation also maintains the likeness of Alan Tudyk, likely as a means of showing off some bigger name talent. There are also several smaller moments in the show where Mr. Nobody is seen in an undisclosed location as the normal, humanoid version of himself. Though Mr. Nobody has changed his appearance every so often in the comics, it is not something he does on the regular, unlike in the show.
The Brotherhood of Evil
Another big fact that the show has yet to address is that Mr. Nobody was an original member of The Brotherhood of Evil. The Brotherhood is a smaller organization that pops up throughout DC Comics publications on occasion. However, the organization has been around for many years and is constantly rotating members.
Mr. Nobody was not only a member of the original team, but he was also active as the human version of himself, Eric Morden. At this time (during WWII in the comic’s timeline), Eric had no special abilities and was simply an evil genius type character. It wasn’t until he got into a conflict with Brain and Monsieur Mallah when his origin story truly began.
His Feud With Brain And Monsieur Mallah
Like Mr. Nobody himself, Brain and Monsieur Mallah are two lesser-known villains in DC Comics. However, the two have also appeared in other media, such as DC’s other hit TV show, Young Justice. In the comics, Brain is a detached brain from the body of an evil French scientist. This scientist also raised and trained the lab’s gorilla, Monsieur Mallah, which is why the two are so close. After an explosion in the lab destroyed his body, Brain has been wandering around in a large metal jar ever since.
In regards to their relationship with Mr. Nobody, it is never explicitly said on what he did to upset the pair to the point where they threatened to kill him. This conflict, however, would lead Mr. Nobody to Paraguay, where the next step in his origin takes place.
Dr. Bruckner
In the Doom Patrol show, Mr. Nobody is very independent throughout his origin, with the occasional intervention of one Niles Caulder, or “Chief.” However, the show completely leaves out Dr. Bruckner, likely the single most important figure in creating Mr. Nobody.
Bruckner was a Nazi scientist who escaped to Paraguay following the end of WWII. It was with Bruckner that Eric Morden sought refuge. Of course, since it is the world of comics, putting two evil geniuses together became the perfect recipe for disaster. Shortly after, Bruckner would construct a chamber and lock Morden in, leading directly to the creation of Mr. Nobody.
Bruckner’s Chamber
Another key difference from the show is that the writers always portray Mr. Nobody as mad, even before his creation. In the comics, however, that is not the case.
In a monologue from Doom Patrol vol. 2 #26, Mr. Nobody explains how he was driven mad only a few days after being locked in Bruckner’s chamber. Furthermore, when Bruckner was found out by police, an explosion in the lab combined with a serum that Bruckner had previously issued Morden resulted in the creation of Mr. Nobody.
An Absence Of Niles Caulder
Niles Caulder (Timothy Dalton) in the show plays a significant role in the origin of Mr. Nobody. It is implied that the two had a long-standing feud, as Niles is eventually revealed to be even older than he looks. In the comics, however, Niles Caulder has absolutely nothing to do directly with the creation of Mr. Nobody.
Nowadays, it seems as though Niles Caulder somehow had his hands involved in everything throughout history. However, at the time when Mr. Nobody first tells his origin, Niles had nothing to do with it. Though it makes sense for the show to take this approach (as it gives the two characters a personal reason to attack each other), Mr. Nobody in the comics just coincidentally happens to run across the Doom Patrol, as they were the first to learn of his next villainous plot.
Brotherhood of Dada
During Grant Morrison’s run on Doom Patrol, Mr. Nobody would come to found the Brotherhood of Dada. In the comics, this was a group of fellow low-tier villains who teamed up with Mr. Nobody as their leader. The interesting thing about this group, however, is that they aren’t quite a group of villains.
Mr. Nobody explicitly mentions the break from the Brotherhood of Evil, as the Brotherhood of Dada is more like a group of rebellious anarchists. While the Brotherhood of Dada has yet to be part of the Doom Patrol TV series, the door is open for them to be a big part of season 2.
Mr. Nobody is Not A Major Threat
Ironically enough, Mr. Nobody in the comics is not nearly as threatening as the Mr. Nobody in the series. The show approaches him as some large mastermind who threatens the whole world, but in actuality, his antics are never as large a scale as they are on the show.
During his first appearance in Morrison’s run, he and the Brotherhood of Dada steal a painting with supernatural powers that sucked the group into itself. As the Doom Patrol tries to recover the painting, they encounter the Brotherhood and must both escape before the painting’s dimension collapses on itself. Though Mr. Nobody is certainly capable of more, he doesn’t pose such a worldly threat like he does in the show.
No Fourth Wall Breaking
Ever since Deadpool (2016) came out, it seems that breaking the 4th wall has been the cool thing to do. Mr. Nobody on the Doom Patrol series is no exception. Alan Tudyk regularly narrates, addresses the audience, and even flaunts DC and Doom Patrol paraphernalia.
Though the show definitely gets as weird as the comics at times, breaking the fourth wall is something that Mr. Nobody has yet to do. With that in mind, the character also doesn’t have an extensive history, so DC could still spin this version of the character to be a bit more like the TV show’s version if they want to.
Mr. Somebody
It is very unlikely that the show will explore Mr. Nobody’s other persona, Mr. Somebody. During Gerard Way’s first run on Doom Patrol, it is revealed that Eric Morden has changed his appearance and name to a white Mr. Somebody. He now inhabits a different body, though, as he mind-controls billionaire Thayer Jost.
Though it is unlikely that the show will explore this version (as Mr. Somebody only appears for a single issue), there is still enough of a concept there for the show to potentially explore during season two.