Our favorite DC superhero team of misfits is coming back for one last hurrah in the second half of Doom Patrol season 4. The HBO Max series first premiered in 2019, introducing viewers to the team and their tragic backstories. While taking refuge with Dr. Niles Caulder (Timothy Dalton) in his mansion, they find themselves thrust into heroism when Caulder is abducted. Since then, they’ve been forced to discover truths about themselves and their situation as they become a full-fledged superhero team.
Doom Patrol is one of the best live-action DC TV shows out there, boasting a stellar cast, a delightfully weird premise, and a bold look at mental illness and trauma. Unfortunately, fans will soon have to bid goodbye to the off-kilter superhero team. Despite a stellar critical reception, Doom Patrol was one of the titles cut amid the Warner Bros. Discovery shakeup. As a result, the show’s fourth season is also its last.
News of the show’s cancellation hit just weeks after the first half of Doom Patrol season 4 arrived on Max, making many fans fearful that the cancellation meant the second half would be shelved. However, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn recently confirmed via Threads that the final episodes of season 4 are “absolutely not” being shelved. And now we have more details on the final episodes of Doom Patrol, including a release date and a trailer!
Doom Patrol‘s final episodes will arrive on Max on October 12, 2023. Fans can expect a two-episode premiere, after which one episode will be released weekly through November 9.
Max dropped the first official trailer for Doom Patrol‘s final episodes on September 21, 2023.
The trailer teases a wild but bittersweet ending to Doom Patrol. There are many reminders that we’ll be bidding farewell to the team in these final episodes. However, they’re rallying together for one last mission for “old time’s sake.” Team morale is a little low in the beginning as we see the team struggling with dejection after losing their longevity. They question if this is really the end for them, but ultimately decide that they’re not giving up without a fight. Of course, their options aren’t very good, as they’re going up against an immortal enemy and a horde of butts. Still, going up against impossible and ridiculous odds is their thing, so we soon see them diving into their usual action-packed and explosive adventures. We even get a surprise pep talk from Jane (Diane Guerrero) that further promises a final partial season filled with the same hilarious and sweet antics of the Doom Patrol.
The official logline for Doom Patrol‘s final season reads:
In the series’ gripping final episodes, the Doom Patrol meet old friends and foes as they race to defeat Immortus and get back their longevities. Battling between saving the world and each other, the Doom Patrol are forced to face their deepest fears and decide if they are ready to let go of the past in order to take their future into their own hands… and away from the zombie butts.
Doom Patrol season 4, part 1 ended on a cliffhanger, giving us a pretty good idea of the direction part 2 is going in and the questions that will need to be answered. The major plot point we are anticipating is the reveal of General Immortus, a mysterious presence hanging over Doom Patrol season 4. Ever since the trailer was released, we’ve been warned that “Immortus is real, and it’s coming.” However, it wasn’t until the final episodes of part 1 that Doom Patrol revealed its unique take on the DC villain. In the comics, he’s a criminal mastermind obsessed with extending his life. In Doom Patrol, though, he’s introduced as a god-like entity capable of granting immortality, rewriting history, and even destroying all of reality.
Part 2 is expected to see the team face their most formidable foe yet, likely featuring the awakening of Immortus and his official introduction. Before they can combat Immortus, though, the team will need some saving, as we last saw them being taken prisoner by Immortus’ cult in the pocket dimension, Orqwith. Rita (April Bowlby) and Laura De Mille (Michelle Gomez) seem like the team’s biggest hope and will likely have to work together to pull off a rescue mission. It would be a nice way to see Laura’s redemption story come full circle after her betrayal of the team.
There may also be another Buttpocalypse on the horizon. In Doom Patrol season 4, part 1, the team got a glimpse of a terrifying impending apocalypse of zombie Were-Butts. They seemingly managed to prevent this timeline from happening. However, the mid-season finale revealed that the one remaining frozen Were-Butt thawed and managed to escape, meaning that the Buttpocalypse may still yet happen. Between Immortus and the Were-Butts, the team will have quite a few enemies to deal with while also examining their relationships, mortality, and purposes in Doom Patrol season 4, part 2.
Who’s new and who’s returning for Doom Patrol‘s final episodes?
The main cast of Doom Patrol is expected to return for season 4, part 2. This includes Diane Guerrero as Kay Challis (a.k.a. Crazy Jane), April Bowlby as Rita Farr (a.k.a. Elasti-Woman), Matt Bomer and Matthew Zuk as Larry Trainor (a.k.a. Negative Man), Brendan Fraser and Riley Shanahan as Cliff Steele (a.k.a. Robotman), Jovian Wade as Vic Stone (a.k.a. Cyborg), Michelle Gomez as Laura De Mille (a.k.a. Madame Rouge), and Abi Monterey as Dorothy Spinner.
Meanwhile, we’re also anticipating the returns of a few new characters introduced in season 4, including Sendhil Ramamurthy as Rama (a.k.a. Mister 104), Madeline Zima as Casey Brinke (a.k.a. Space Case), and Elijah Rashad Reed as Cyborg’s pal Deric Hayes. One character whose return is uncertain is Timothy Dalton’s Dr. Caulder. Dr. Caulder seemingly died in season 3, but there have been a few teases that his decapitated head might live on, as it did in the comics. He did not pop up in part 1, and there’s little evidence of his return, but it remains a possibility for Doom Patrol‘s final episodes.
(featured image: Max)
