Doom Patrol was one of DC Universe’s biggest hits, charming critics and viewers alike and delivering an interesting twist on superhero TV shows. A season 2 was a no-brainer, even if DC Universe has made some odd decisions recently, and we now have a premiere date. The show will premiere on both DC Universe and HBO Max, Warner Media’s new streaming platform, on June 25.
The show itself tells the story of a ragtag group of superheroes including Crazy Jane (Diane Guerrero), Cliff Steele/Robotman (Brendan Fraser), Larry Trainer/Negative Man (Matt Bomer), Rita Farr/Elasti-Woman (April Bowlby) and Victor Stone/Cyborg). At the end of season 1, the team defeated Mr. Nobody but was betrayed by its leader, Niles Caulder, aka the Chief (Timothy Dalton).
The season 2 plot summary shares that “the members of the Doom Patrol find themselves shrunken and stranded on Cliff’s toy race car track. Here they begin to deal with their feelings of betrayal while confronting their own personal baggage. As each member faces the challenge of growing beyond their own past traumatic experiences, they must come together to embrace and protect the newest member of the family: Dorothy Spinner (Abigail Shapiro), Niles’ daughter, whose powers remain a mysterious but real threat to bringing on the end of the world.”
What’s really interesting is the show’s dual premiere on HBO Max and DC Universe. Warner Media seems to be consolidating its streaming efforts to HBO Max and broadcast, and that may mean that it starts moving all its DC content away from DC Universe. It recently premiered the newest Arrowverse show, Star Girl, on both The CW and DC Universe as well, and it will most likely live on HBO Max alongside all of the other Arrowverse content. That includes a new Green Lantern series. Could this dual premiere spell the end for DC Universe as a streaming platform, or will dual premieres continue as DC Universe functions as a place for both DC’s shows and comic book content?