No, he’s not the Invisible Man, he’s Negative Man. He’s got a radioactive soul and wants some peace and quiet. So how do you go from a hot shot pilot to a mummy-looking fellow? What’s this about a radioactive soul? Let’s find out!
Larry Trainor was once a great pilot for the military. If it had an engine, he could probably fly it. It was his greatest joy to be in the air, especially trying out new experimental machines. This would end up biting Larry in the butt, or well, all over, really. While testing a new jet in the upper atmosphere, Larry would fly into a radioactive field, it would change him. Crashing down, Larry would find his body horribly scarred from the landing and irradiated. Even stranger, Larry would find he now had a “Negative Soul” that he could command by releasing from his body. Leaving his unconscious body vulnerable but allowing Larry to become a being of pure negative energy that could fly, pass through objects and blow them up as he passed through them.
So with great power came great alienation, his body deformed and irradiated, Larry would wrap his body in bandage wraps so he looked like something out of an old Universal horror film, which also kept the radiation in check. Larry would leave his old life behind, finding himself to be dead to the world anyway. Eventually he would come across Dr. Niles “The Chief” Caulder, a genius with a home he had made to keep people like Larry safe. At this mansion, Larry would find others with powers that felt more like a curse, himself being one of the first. He would find camaraderie with his fellow freaks, a family was made, and a team of heroes as well.
Life with the Doom Patrol was anything but normal as Larry would come to find. They would deal with some of the strangest heroes and villains in existence. Whether it was a heroic sentient street, a villainous brood who worshiped the chaotic nature of Dadaism, or just their usual suspects of Big Brain and Monsieur Mallah, a genius brain in a jar and a genius gorilla married couple. Members of the Doom Patrol would come and go, sometimes of their own choice, sometimes by death, even Larry would experience death on more than one occasion. Larry wouldn’t be the only person to control the Negative Soul, others would take over or merge with him to become new Negative People but in the end, it tends to be Larry who is left possessing it and vice versa.
There you have it! Negative Man has been a staple of the Doom Patrol with its many incarnations whether it’s Larry behind the Soul or biding his time, his bandaged visage will eventually make an appearance if the team needs him. He’s been animated several times and has a new live action appearance on the small screen. Will we ever see Negative Man appear on the big screen? Who knows? See you next time!
Suggested Reading
My Greatest Adventure #80
Doom Patrol
Dr. Bustos
drbustos@comicattack.net
Just saw the first episode of Doom Patrol and it’s good! Didn’t know who any of these characters were but now I want to