Warning: Contains spoilers for Doom Patrol season 3 episode 5.
In Doom Patrol season 3 episode 5, “Dada Patrol,” the show introduces The Fog in person for the first time and the DC show has made some changes to powers this minor villain has in the comics. As the world of comic book adaptations has grown larger, deeper cuts into obscure comics series are more possible and can be greeted with love from audiences as with Polka-Dot Man in The Suicide Squad. Doom Patrol is continuing to embody this idea with season 3 having already introduced The Dead Boy Detectives and now adding the full original line-up of the Brotherhood of Dada.
The Fog was originally teased as part of the Doom Patrol season 3 trailer with the character being portrayed by Wynn Everett (Agent Carter). She is then glimpsed in an old film that Laura De Mille finds in episode 4 but little is given away about the character. In episode 5, Jane and Kay meet The Fog inside a bizarre sweet shop and have a more protracted conversation as her powers start to come to light.
The Fog functions as a strong narrative foil to Jane’s struggles and the use of the character here in the show makes a lot of sense. However, Doom Patrol season 3 has made some large changes from the original comic character. Here’s who The Fog was originally, and how the show has twisted that for the needs of their story.
The Fog’s Comics Origin and Powers
In the comics, The Fog is a man named Byron Shelley, whose first and last names are both notably drawn from Romantic-era poets. He is one of the original members of the Brotherhood of Dada, a group that Eric Morden/Mr. Nobody formed after he fled the Brotherhood of Evil and set out with the new goal of focusing on the absurdity of existence. The Fog had the ability to turn into a deadly cloud that was capable of absorbing people. The minds of those he absorbed remained conscious and could still communicate, sometimes interrupting him when he was speaking. Over time, this had a deleterious effect on his mental health. While those absorbed were usually trapped forever when he absorbed Jane’s primary personality, she and her many alters were more than he could handle and he vomited her out.
The Fog’s Doom Patrol Changes and Powers
Doom Patrol’s most obvious change to The Fog from the comics iteration is an alteration to the character's gender, with her presenting as female in Doom Patrol, and the show switching her names to create Shelley Byron. All of this fits into the larger change of the Brotherhood of Dada becoming the Sisterhood of Dada. In this continuity, it seems that Mr. Nobody did not form the group and The Fog appears to serve as their leader instead with Laura De Mille (originally of the Brotherhood of Evil) having been a member at some point.
While the original Fog merely absorbed people into his consciousness, in Doom Patrol The Fog has the power to create a sort of pocket dimension within her mind where people can interact. While she references having previously struggled with having too many voices in her head she seems to have combatted this by gaining the ability to allow people to leave at her will and to section off parts of her mind to keep other personalities separate so she can enjoy some peace. The original The Fog was a short-lived character without much known about him, so while these changes might seem vast, they fit an updating of the character, and her new abilities and mental control promise to offer an interesting storyline alongside Jane’s experiences in Doom Patrol.
Doom Patrol releases new episodes Thursdays on HBO Max.
