General Immortus
Encyclopedia
General Immortus is a fictional character
, a DC Comics
supervillain
. He first appeared in My Greatest Adventure
#80, the first story in the Doom Patrol
series, though they all can be seen in artwork used in a "Next Issue" ad in #79. He has also been known to be called "The Forever Soldier" or "The Forever General".
, the source of much of his current-day wealth, and he killed many of the slave workers to keep the location a secret. To this day the location has remained a secret. However, little beyond this information has ever been revealed about Immortus' past. His real name has never been revealed, nor his country of origin, although it is implied to be somewhere in Europe.
Until coming into contact with the Doom Patrol
, Immortus had sustained his unnatural long life indefinitely with a highly secretive and life-extending alchemical
potion. However, Immortus eventually lost the precious formula and was unable to reproduce it, and as his previous stocks began to run out he began to once again age, this time rapidly. Immortus hired young scientist Niles Caulder
to recreate the potion. When Caulder discovered Immortus's identity and plan, he sabotaged the "life extending ray" that he had been developing. Caulder, as "The Chief" later formed the Doom Patrol
specifically to combat one of Immortus's later schemes.
Thereafter, most of General Immortus' schemes were to sustain his longevity
by finding a substitute for the elixir of life
he had lost. Thus, he funded and became the leader of a highly secretive criminal syndicate to steal ancient tomes and mystical artifacts for the purpose of sustaining Immortus' unnatural long life. This syndicate is militaristic, hence Immortus' title of "general", and not unlike the Thule Society
in its philosophy and dabbling in the occult
. From time to time thereafter, Immortus sparred with the Doom Patrol, usually in an effort to obtain the results of the Chief's life-extension research, or the Doom Partol intercepted Immortus as he attempted to steal ancient mystical artifacts.
Immortus was a one-time member of the Brotherhood of Evil
, a group formed largely to combat the Doom Patrol.
A second Doom Patrol was initiated by an India
n woman named Arani, claiming to be Mrs. Niles Caulder and calling herself Celsius
. In Showcase
#95, the general submitted her to a mind scan to find the secret to immortality, and managed to become young for the briefest moment on his Moon Base until the Doom Patrol got free and started to destroy the base as he began regressing to his former senescence
. It turned out the immortality treatment failed because it had been prepared specifically for Arani's physiology.
In 2004, DC writer John Byrne restarted the Doom Patrol series and declared that the previous history had never happened, though this revision did not tamper with the history of all its villains, since their history had also been chronicled in various Teen Titans books. Since Infinite Crisis
, all Doom Patrol continuity Byrne attempted to wipe out is now largely restored, including that of General Immortus.
He was seen in Salvation Run
, where he was killed by Parademon
s in the final issue.
Immortus reappeared, alive and well, in Final Crisis Aftermath: Run #2, and referred to the events of Salvation Run as having been an eye-opening experience for him. He is now recruiting followers and having Professor Milo operate upon them to give them powers, including established non-powered villains Sportsmaster
, Mr Polka Dot
, Condiment King
and the Human Flame
. He ensures that use of these abilities causes pain until the villains have proved themselves unconditionally.
The Human Flame however is able to overcome both the pain, both an additional failsafe installed by Professor Milo (a wireless remote wired to his implants and granting to Immortus and Milo the ability to shut down his powers at will), grievously burning Immortus with his powers and killing all of his new followers, save for his lover, Seductress, who sways at his side. As the Human Flame goes away, in a quest for gaining new powers, a wounded Immortus asks Milo to rethink their strategy.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
. He first appeared in My Greatest Adventure
My Greatest Adventure
My Greatest Adventure was a DC Comics comic book that began in 1955 and is best known as the original title for the superhero team, the Doom Patrol.-Publication history:...
#80, the first story in the Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol
The Doom Patrol is a superhero team appearing in publications from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80...
series, though they all can be seen in artwork used in a "Next Issue" ad in #79. He has also been known to be called "The Forever Soldier" or "The Forever General".
Fictional character biography
General Immortus is perhaps centuries old, and his origins are shrouded in mystery; at some points it has even been implied that Immortus' origins lie in ancient antiquity. He once owned a diamond mineDiamond Mine
Diamond Mine is the second album by Blue Rodeo, released in 1989. It includes several instrumental interludes by Bob Wiseman between songs.-Track listing:All songs by Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy.#"Swells"#"God and Country" – 3:32#"How Long" – 3:59...
, the source of much of his current-day wealth, and he killed many of the slave workers to keep the location a secret. To this day the location has remained a secret. However, little beyond this information has ever been revealed about Immortus' past. His real name has never been revealed, nor his country of origin, although it is implied to be somewhere in Europe.
Until coming into contact with the Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol
The Doom Patrol is a superhero team appearing in publications from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80...
, Immortus had sustained his unnatural long life indefinitely with a highly secretive and life-extending alchemical
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
potion. However, Immortus eventually lost the precious formula and was unable to reproduce it, and as his previous stocks began to run out he began to once again age, this time rapidly. Immortus hired young scientist Niles Caulder
Chief (comics)
The Chief is a fictional character from DC Comics and the leader of the Doom Patrol. He first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80...
to recreate the potion. When Caulder discovered Immortus's identity and plan, he sabotaged the "life extending ray" that he had been developing. Caulder, as "The Chief" later formed the Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol
The Doom Patrol is a superhero team appearing in publications from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80...
specifically to combat one of Immortus's later schemes.
Thereafter, most of General Immortus' schemes were to sustain his longevity
Longevity
The word "longevity" is sometimes used as a synonym for "life expectancy" in demography or known as "long life", especially when it concerns someone or something lasting longer than expected ....
by finding a substitute for the elixir of life
Elixir of life
The elixir of life, also known as the elixir of immortality and sometimes equated with the philosopher's stone, is a legendary potion, or drink, that grants the drinker eternal life and or eternal youth. Many practitioners of alchemy pursued it. The elixir of life was also said to be able to create...
he had lost. Thus, he funded and became the leader of a highly secretive criminal syndicate to steal ancient tomes and mystical artifacts for the purpose of sustaining Immortus' unnatural long life. This syndicate is militaristic, hence Immortus' title of "general", and not unlike the Thule Society
Thule Society
The Thule Society , originally the Studiengruppe für germanisches Altertum , was a German occultist and völkisch group in Munich, named after a mythical northern country from Greek legend...
in its philosophy and dabbling in the occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
. From time to time thereafter, Immortus sparred with the Doom Patrol, usually in an effort to obtain the results of the Chief's life-extension research, or the Doom Partol intercepted Immortus as he attempted to steal ancient mystical artifacts.
Immortus was a one-time member of the Brotherhood of Evil
Brotherhood of Evil
The Brotherhood of Evil is a group of DC Comics supervillains, archenemies of the original Doom Patrol and the Teen Titans.-Origins:The Brotherhood of Evil was founded by the engimatic villain the Brain. In the beginning, the group's motivation was world domination...
, a group formed largely to combat the Doom Patrol.
A second Doom Patrol was initiated by an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n woman named Arani, claiming to be Mrs. Niles Caulder and calling herself Celsius
Celsius (comics)
Celsius is the superhero alias of Arani Desai, a fictional character in the DC Comics series, Doom Patrol. She first appeared in Showcase #94 , and was created by Paul Kupperberg and Joe Staton...
. In Showcase
Showcase (comics)
Showcase has been the title of several comic anthology series published by DC Comics. The general theme of these series has been to feature new and minor characters as a way to gauge reader interest in them, without the difficulty and risk of featuring "untested" characters in their own ongoing...
#95, the general submitted her to a mind scan to find the secret to immortality, and managed to become young for the briefest moment on his Moon Base until the Doom Patrol got free and started to destroy the base as he began regressing to his former senescence
Senescence
Senescence or biological aging is the change in the biology of an organism as it ages after its maturity. Such changes range from those affecting its cells and their function to those affecting the whole organism...
. It turned out the immortality treatment failed because it had been prepared specifically for Arani's physiology.
In 2004, DC writer John Byrne restarted the Doom Patrol series and declared that the previous history had never happened, though this revision did not tamper with the history of all its villains, since their history had also been chronicled in various Teen Titans books. Since Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
, all Doom Patrol continuity Byrne attempted to wipe out is now largely restored, including that of General Immortus.
He was seen in Salvation Run
Salvation Run
Salvation Run is a seven-issue 2007-2008 DC Comics limited series which was designed to tie in to the company's major event series Final Crisis in 2008.-Premise:The premise of the series, which is based on a pitch by George R. R...
, where he was killed by Parademon
Parademon
Parademons are a fictional group of aliens in the . They are monstrous shock troops of Apokolips used by Darkseid to maintain order of the planet. The original Parademons were created by Jack Kirby in The New Gods #1 .-Fictional history:...
s in the final issue.
Immortus reappeared, alive and well, in Final Crisis Aftermath: Run #2, and referred to the events of Salvation Run as having been an eye-opening experience for him. He is now recruiting followers and having Professor Milo operate upon them to give them powers, including established non-powered villains Sportsmaster
Sportsmaster
The Sportsmaster is the name used by two DC Comics villains who used their sports skills for criminal purposes. The original Sportsmaster first appeared in All-American Comics #85 , and was created by writer John Broome and artist Irwin Hasen....
, Mr Polka Dot
Polka-Dot Man
Polka-Dot Man is a DC Comics supervillain who first appeared in Detective Comics #300 .-Fictional character biography:For some unknown reason, Abner Krill decide to launch a crime spree in Gotham City revolving around spots and dots by assuming the identity of Mr. Polka-Dot. He ended up in conflict...
, Condiment King
Condiment King
The Condiment King is a fictional DC Comics villain created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini for the Batman: The Animated Series. He makes use of various condiments, sometimes capable of causing Anaphylactic shock, as his weapons...
and the Human Flame
Human Flame
The Human Flame is a comic book character, a supervillain in DC Comics' main shared universe. He first appeared in Detective Comics #274 , and was created by Jack Miller and Joe Certa.-Publication history:...
. He ensures that use of these abilities causes pain until the villains have proved themselves unconditionally.
The Human Flame however is able to overcome both the pain, both an additional failsafe installed by Professor Milo (a wireless remote wired to his implants and granting to Immortus and Milo the ability to shut down his powers at will), grievously burning Immortus with his powers and killing all of his new followers, save for his lover, Seductress, who sways at his side. As the Human Flame goes away, in a quest for gaining new powers, a wounded Immortus asks Milo to rethink their strategy.
Powers and abilities
Immortus is a cunning criminal mastermind, and has lived for centuries as a result of his life-extending potion.Teen Titans
- In the Teen Titans animated seriesTeen Titans (TV series)Teen Titans is an American animated television series based on the DC Comics characters of the same name. The show was created by Glen Murakami, developed by David Slack, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It premiered on Cartoon Network on July 19, 2003, and the final episode "Things Change"...
, Immortus (voiced by Xander BerkeleyXander BerkeleyAlexander Harper "Xander" Berkeley is an American actor. His roles include George Mason on the television series 24.-Early life:Berkeley was born in Brooklyn, New York, but has lived most of his life in New Jersey...
) is apparently much older than he was in the comic books. There are scenes of Immortus commanding troops in various battles going back to Phaeronic Egypt, and upon quoting The Art of WarThe Art of WarThe Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise that is attributed to Sun Tzu , a high ranking military general and strategist during the late Spring and Autumn period...
Immortus claims that Sun TzuSun TzuSun Wu , style name Changqing , better known as Sun Tzu or Sunzi , was an ancient Chinese military general, strategist and philosopher who is traditionally believed, and who is most likely, to have authored The Art of War, an influential ancient Chinese book on military strategy...
was one of his best students. According to Mento of the Doom PatrolDoom PatrolThe Doom Patrol is a superhero team appearing in publications from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80...
, Immortus is a master tactician as a result of his millennia of combat experience in virtually every major world conflict (saying "Because he was there"). His uniform and the uniforms of his foot soldiers resemble those of the WehrmachtWehrmachtThe Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
, implying that he may have been a Nazi party member, whilst his overall appearance is similar to Karl DönitzKarl DönitzKarl Dönitz was a German naval commander during World War II. He started his career in the German Navy during World War I. In 1918, while he was in command of , the submarine was sunk by British forces and Dönitz was taken prisoner...
It is not clear if the animated series Immortus is actually immortal, or has just been using his life extending potion for thousands of years (Immortus says, in regard to the Doom Patrol, "Persistent, yes. But not immortal.") Immortus commanded his robots to bring in ArgentArgent (comics)Argent is a DC Comics fictional superhero. She first appeared in the second series of the Teen Titans comics in issue #1. She remained a regular member of that team for a long time, up until the events of Graduation Day when the Titans were disbanded by Nightwing.-Teen Titans:Toni Monetti is the...
. During the final battle ("Titans Together"), he and his army was washed away by AqualadAqualadAqualad is the name of two fictional comic book superheroes appearing in books published by DC Comics. The first Aqualad, Garth, debuted in Adventure Comics #269 , and was created by writer Robert Bernstein and artist Ramona Fradon...
and Tramm and were soon flash-frozen.
Miscellaneous
- General Immortus and the other villains were somehow freed since he appears in Teen Titans Go!Teen Titans Go!Teen Titans Go! is a comic book series that was published by DC Comics. It is based on the 2003 animated TV series Teen Titans which is itself loosely based on the team that starred in the popular 1980s comic The New Teen Titans. The series was written by J...
#32. He also appears in issue #35 with Private H.I.V.E. as his (temporary) foot soldier and a robot army of Sladebots as his followers. He attempts to infiltrate Titans TowerTitans TowerTitans Tower is a fictional building in the DC Comics universe. Its various incarnations have been home to the superhero team called the Titans...
and use their giant defense robot against them, betraying Private H.I.V.E. in the process. He is quickly defeated.