General Immortus

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caption = General Immortus threatens the Doom Patrol on the cover of "My Greatest Adventure" #80, the first appearance of both Immortus and the Doom Patrol.
character_name = General Immortus
publisher = DC Comics
debut = "My Greatest Adventure" #80 (June 1963)
creators = Arnold Drake
Bob Haney
Bruno Premiani
Murray Boltinoff
alter_ego =
full_name = Unknown
species =
homeworld =
alliances = Brotherhood of Evil
aliases =
supports=
powers = Longevity
Criminal genius

General Immortus is a fictional character, a DC Comics villain. He first appeared in "My Greatest Adventure" #80, the first story in the "Doom Patrol" feature, 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 was the leader of a criminal syndicate who had lived for centuries due to a life-extending potion. As his potion began to run out, he 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.

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. 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 Indian 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 an old man. The immortality treatment failed because it had been prepared specifically for Arani's physiology. The new Doom Patrol which Celsius was trying to form was solidified out of the actions of General Immortus.

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 Parademons in the final issue.

Powers and abilities

Immortus is a cunning criminal mastermind, and has lived for centuries as a result of his life-extending potion.

Other Media

Teen Titans

In the Teen Titans animated series, Immortus (voiced by Xander Berkeley) 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 War Immortus claims that Sun Tzu was one of his best students. According to Mento of the Doom Patrol, Immortus is a master tactician as a result of his millennia of combat experience in virtually every major world conflict. His uniform and the uniforms of his foot soldiers resemble those of the Wehrmacht, implying that he may have been a Nazi party member, whilst his overall appearance is similar to Karl Dönitz.

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, although the former is more likely (Immortus says, in regard to the Doom Patrol, "Persistent, yes. But not immortal.")

Immortus commanded his robots to bring in Argent. During the final battle, he and his army was washed away by Aqualad and Tramm. Soon he was flash-frozen in "Titans Together".

Apparently, he and the other villains were somehow freed, since he appears in "Teen Titans Go!" #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 Tower and use their giant defense robot against them, betraying Private H.I.V.E. in the process. He is quickly defeated.