10 Criminally Underrated Super Teams In DC Comics
9. Doom Patrol
The Rodney Dangerfield of the DC Universe, the Doom Patrol never seemed to get any respect. Their origin is somewhat dubious, with startling similarities to the X-Men based on their powers and composition, even debuting within months of one another.
However, since their inauspicious start, the Doom Patrol have distinguished themselves as outcast heroes who live in a world of tragedy.
Dr. Niles Caulder is the mind behind a team of individuals deemed unwanted by society.
The primary group includes Mento, a telepathic hero who has oftentimes used his abilities for nefarious purposes. Elastigirl, a former movie star who gained shape-changing powers she could barely control, and who winds up marrying Mento. Robotman is a brain trapped in a body longing to be human. And Negative Man, a man exuding radiation who can project a being of pure energy out of his body.
Perhaps these descriptions gave it away, but each member of the Doom Patrol is broken in some way. Each sees their abilities as curses rather than gifts, and struggles to the point where Dr. Caulder made the team in order to house them from the outside world.
All of these facets make the team inherently tragic and likeable in the same breath, and their standing in the DC world at large means they will likely never receive the normalcy they so desperately seek.