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Niles Caulder, also known as the Chief, was a member of the Ravagers and leader of the Doom Patrol before being fired from the team.

Early Doom Patrol

Caulder, in order to create his own team of superheroes, orchestrated the freak accidents that gave Cliff Steele, Larry Trainor, and Rita Farr their powers without their knowledge. Upon their transformations, Caulder swooped in and offered them spots on a new team he was creating called "the Doom Patrol."

Eventually, after saving the world together, the Doom Patrol's roster was shaken up, with Caulder now leading a team consisting of Robotman, Rebis, and Crazy Jane.

Over time, the team splintered and went their separate ways.

Doom Patrol vs. the Justice League

When the Crime Syndicate invaded Earth and apparently killed all the world's heroes, Caulder stepped up and initiated his new version of the Doom Patrol, recruiting young and inexperienced heroes to save the world. However, his plan backfired, and multiple of its members were murdered by the Syndicate. Unable to save the world this time, the Chief went back to the drawing board, recruiting a new team.

Doom Patrol Prime Earth 002

Eventually, the day was saved by Lex Luthor and his Injustice League.

The Crime Syndicate member Power Ring was killed in battle, and his evil Ring of Volthoom travelled around the world to find its new host. Caulder, tracking the ring's energy, located its newest wielder - Jessica Cruz - and dispatched his new Doom Patrol to her location to recruit her to their team.

However, upon finding Cruz, the Doom Patrol clashed with the Justice League, who wanted to negotiate with Cruz themselves. Caulder ordered the Doom Patrol, consisting of Robotman, Negative Man, Elasti-Woman, and Element Woman, to fend off the League. During the fight though, Lex Luthor revealed to the Doom Patrol Caulder's biggest secret - that the Chief himself had caused their accidents. Demoralized, the Doom Patrol conceded and disbanded, allowing Power Ring to be taken by the League.

Fired From the Doom Patrol

The Doom Patrol reformed, but this time without Caulder. Though Negative Man had grown to forgive Caulder, Robotman harbored an intense resentment for the man for ruining his original human body. Caulder continued to keep an eye on his old team until he eventually reached out to them, asking to rejoin as their leader.

Against Robotman's wishes, Negative Man and Casey Brinke agreed, and the Chief immediately began making changes to the team. The Chief altered all their outfits and allegedly improved Robotman's body and Negative Man's radioactive-retardant bandages. The team went on a few missions together until they realized that the Chief was just using them again to fulfill his own selfish goals, at which point they fired him yet again. [1]


Abilities

  • Genius Level Intellect
    • Biology: Chief is an expert biology who has a deep understanding of the workings of a human body, specifically the nerve system and the brain.[2]
    • Surgery: Niles is an expert surgeon who is able to perform procedures few others can. He was able to transfer the brain of race car driver Cliff Steele into the body of an android.[3]
  • Leadership: Niles Caulder is the founder and leader of the Doom Patrol. He has lead the team on multiple field operations as well from the seat of his wheel chair. The team is incredibly loyal to the Chief as long as their orders are moral ones.[3]
  • Marksmanship: During field missions with the Doom Patrol, Niles often carried a pistol for self-defense.[3]

Other Characteristics

  • Restricted Mobility: After being crippled, Chief was forced to use a wheelchair to move around.


Related

Footnotes



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Doom Patrol member
This character was at some point primarily a member of the Doom Patrol. A long-running team of rag-tag misfit heroes who work together for the common good, fighting evil against all odds. This template will categorize any article that includes it into the Doom Patrol members category.

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