ALL THE SMALL THINGS

WHEN WE LAST SAW THE DOOM PATROL THEY’D BEEN SHRUNK DOWN TO TWO INCHES IN HEIGHT. BUT THE DC MISFITS ARE AIMING HIGH IN SEASON TWO, AS SHOWRUNNER JEREMY CARVER EXPLAINS

- BRYAN CAIRNS

THE DOOM PATROL know trouble well. The TV series follows the titular ragtag group of unlikely heroes, who obtained their abilities under tragic circumstances. The current roster includes Jane (Diane Guerrero), who has 64 distinct personalities. Former diva actress Rita (April Bowlby) found her cellular structure forever altered, and consequently struggles to maintain a solid human form. Following a car-racing accident, the brain of driver Cliff (Brendan Fraser) was transplanted into a robotic body. US Air Force pilot Larry (Matt Bomer) discovered an entity composed of negative energy residing in his body. Rounding out the band of misfits are cybernetically enhanced Vic (Joivan Wade) and the gang’s leader, medical doctor Niles Caulder, aka the Chief (Timothy Dalton).

Season one culminated with the Doom Patrol rescuing Caulder from the clutches of the malevolent Mr. Nobody (Alan Tudyk). However, that daring escapade left all except Larry shrunken down to miniature size. To further complicate matters, Caulder’s missing teenage daughter, Dorothy (Abigail Shapiro), hitched a ride home from another dimension. She harbours a power unlike anything they’ve ever encountered… one that could lead to the obliteration of the planet.

FRIENDS OF DOROTHY

“Where we pick up is a number of weeks after our finale, but the team remains two inches high,” showrunner Jeremy Carver tells SFX. “They’ve been living life as two-inch-high people for some time. Before they get too used to it, they need to find a way to get big again – because one of the major characters we’re introducing is the Chief’s daughter, Dorothy. The bigger picture for the season, the question that haunts them all, is, ‘What do we want to be when we grow up? What do we actually want to be when we grow big again?’