Madame Rouge

Superherobox|
comic_color=background:#8080ff
character_name=Madame Rouge
real_name=Laura De Mille|publisher=DC Comics
debut="Doom Patrol v.1" #86 (1964)
creators=Arnold Drake
alliance_color=background:#c0c0ff
alliances=Brotherhood of Evil
aliases=
powers=Shapeshifting, Elasticity|

Madame Rouge is a fictional DC Comics supervillainess. She first appeared in "Doom Patrol" v.1 #86.

Fictional character biography

Laura De Mille was originally a French stage actress. After an automobile accident, she developed a dual good/evil split personality. At this point, she attracted the notice of The Brain and his associate, Monsieur Mallah. With Mallah's help, the Brain performed surgery on De Mille that was, from his perspective, successful, sublimating her good personality and allowing her evil personality to remain dominant. As Madame Rouge, De Mille became the only female member of the Brotherhood of Evil, and assisted the Brotherhood in its continuing conflicts against the Doom Patrol. At first, Madame Rouge was simply a master of disguise; subsequent surgery by the Brain eventually gave her the ability to alter her appearance and stretch her limbs.

Later, Rouge's split personality manifested again, with her good personality occasionally appearing. Rouge was romantically linked to the Doom Patrol's leader, Niles Caulder ("The Chief"), who was able to help Rouge overcome her evil side and ally with the Doom Patrol.

Ultimately, Rouge's mind reverted back to its evil state, causing her to seek vengeance against both the Brotherhood of Evil and the Doom Patrol for their previous interference. She was apparently successful in murdering both groups. Years later, Robotman and the Teen Titans tracked down Rouge and her ally, General Zahl. Beast Boy (then Changeling) killed Rouge, although at the moment of her death, her good side apparently manifested; she forgave Changeling and called to Niles, her apparent true love.

Madame Rouge's daughter, Gemini, also a shapeshifter, appeared years later to seek revenge against Beast Boy.

In 2004, DC writer John Byrne restarted the Doom Patrol series and declared that the previous history had never happened. In spite of this, Madame Rouge was a zombie summoned by Brother Blood to keep the Titans from freeing Kid Eternity in "Teen Titans" #31 (2006). Since then, Byrne's reboot of the Doom Patrol franchise was overturned as a continuity glitch created by Superboy-Prime. As such, Madame Rouge is still dead and her history has been left intact. However, her daughter Gemini has taken up wearing her mother's costume and is a member of the new Brotherhood of Evil.

Powers and abilities

Originally, Madame Rouge was a master of disguise. Later, she gained the ability to stretch any part of her body to incredible lengths, and could alter her facial features to disguise herself as any person. In the Teen Titans animated series, Rouge retains her abilities of disguise and stretching, but her powers appear to be closer to complete body control. She can reform her body, repairing any damage yet seen, can "flow" through fences similarly to the Terminator T-1000, and has sufficient strength to throw people around like dolls with her stretched limbs. She can mimic voices and use her body to surround and smother her opponents. She can be hurt by flame or frozen by cold, and has trouble maintaining a disguise in high temperatures, but appears to be able to repair damage simply by shapeshifting into an undamaged form.

In the animated series she could extend her limbs to great lengths for surprise attacks such as seizing an enemy in her arms, and at speeds that allowed her to strike and grab Kid Flash.

Teen Titans animated series

The "Teen Titans" animated series follows fairly closely to the comics, with the exception that Niles Caulder has not been shown to exist, and Madame Rouge apparently never attempted to destroy the Brotherhood of Evil (in fact, her split personality crisis has been erased), as she is a member in this setting.

As the most conventionally superpowered of the core Brotherhood, the Brain views Rouge as one of his most valuable agents and sends her to take out Wildebeest, Hotspot, Kid Flash, and Robin. She also sees potential in Jinx as becoming a full Brotherhood member. She does not think much of her at first, as she bullies and demeans Jinx, the other HIVE members, and their base; however, this changes once Jinx attacks her and this impresses her, as Rouge was Jinx's idol. Along with the rest of the Brotherhood, she was flash-frozen into an ice sculpture at the end of "Titans Together", ironically by Wildebeest, Hotspot, and Jinx; all of whom she had antagonized.

She is voiced by Hynden Walch who also provides the voices of Starfire and Blackfire. Unlike in the comic series, Madame Rouge speaks with a Russian accent in the cartoon (rather than French, as her name would suggest).

Her first appearance in "Teen Titans Go!" was in a flashback in issue #28. She has also turned up in Justice League Adventures, more closely resembling her mainstream comics appearance.

External links

* [http://titanstower.com/source/whoswho/brotherhood.html#rouge Titans Tower Biography of Madame Rouge]
* [http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/comics101/72.html Comics 101 article regarding the Doom Patrol]