Dorothy Spinner was a member of the Doom Patrol with the ability to draw imaginary beings from her mind into the real world.
History
Dorothy was adopted as a child by a couple living in rural Mid-western America. Her childhood was made difficult by her facial deformity which provoke bullying and repulsion from most other people that she encountered, she was subsequently unable to go to school as her fellow children were afraid of her. In her isolation Dorothy developed many intricate imaginary friends to keep her company that were also somehow able to teach her how to read and write. Over time Dorothy came to realise that her friends were no longer imaginary and had in fact come to life. Eventually some of the imaginary friends started to scare Dorothy with grisly fairy tales and so she shot them with an imaginary gun.[1]
After one episode of particularly intense bullying, Dorothy wished to a mysterious voice that her bully was dead and the very next day he was found brutally murdered. Dorothy was horrified at what she had done and swore to never make wishes again despite the insisting voice in her head.[2]
When her parents realised they were no longer capable of keeping their daughter safe from her psychic powers they decided to call Niles Caulder of the Doom Patrol, who took Dorothy to the Patrol's new mountain-side base. There, Dorothy would largely be looked after by Josh Clay rather than Caulder himself.[3] Shortly after arriving, her powers would go haywire due to the interference of a reality altering device called the Materioptikon which had been stored in the Doom Patrol's base. This resulted in Dorothy's imaginary friends returning form the dead, which terrified her but with the help of she was able to make peace with her imaginary friends when she realised they were trying to help her overcome her anxieties about starting puberty. After that incident Dorothy began to mature a little and became slightly more comfortable in her skin although she still remained timid and easily scared.[4]
When the rest of the Doom Patrol relocated to the Danny, a sentient crossdressing street, Dorothy would move with them and continue to develop control and understanding over her powers with Josh's help. Not long after moving on Danny, Dorothy was caught by the Men from N.O.W.H.E.R.E. when they were kidnapping the hero Flex Mentallo.[5] The pair were taken to the Men's lair underneath the Pentagon, known as the 'Antfarm', where they were hunted by the monstrous being called Telephone Avatar that was capable of harnessing the dead to build an army for the Men from N.O.W.H.E.R.E.. Before the Telephone Avatar could kill them, Flex tried to interrupt the source of its power by turning the Pentagon into a circle, which weakened the Avatar but did not stop it outright. At the last moment the dark voice returned to Dorothy's head in a vision and she told it she wished that her friends were all right. When Dorothy opened her eyes she saw that the Telephone Avatar had hung itself before it could kill her or Flex. [6]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Reality Alteration: She has the ability to manifest her imagination into reality and make anything that she can imagine real. As a young girl, this means that her imaginary friends become real. These beings can survive as long as Dorothy is alive, although they usually only appear for a short time before Dorothy dismisses them.[7]
Weaknesses
- Monstrous Appearance: Dorothy was born with ape-like facial features, making her prone to bullying throughout her life.
- Power Instability: Dorothy can sometimes lose control of her imaginary friends, having them come into existence without her permission. At other times they can be manifested entirely subconsciously and take on a life of their own without even realising they are imaginary.[8][9]
Recommended Reading
Related
- 70 Appearances of Dorothy Spinner (New Earth)
- 12 Images featuring Dorothy Spinner (New Earth)
- 2 Quotations by or about Dorothy Spinner (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: Dorothy Spinner (New Earth)
Footnotes
Doom Patrol member |
This character exists under the Vertigo Imprint which is intended for Mature Readers.Their continuity takes place within the context of Vertigo titles although they may cross over into regular DC continuity.