DOC DREAD

Real Name: Unrevealed

Class: Human technology-user

Occupation: Supervillain

Group Affiliation: Science Squad

First Appearance: Metamorpho I #8 (September-October, 1966)

Powers: Doc Dread was a brilliant criminal mastermind and schemer who commanded a loyal gang of criminals. He was armed with ionizer grenades and  ray-guns that shot fire, ice, or ions. Doc Dread was based out of a castle protected by cobalt mines, snipers and electric eyes.

History: (Metamorpho I #8) - Doc Dread was an infamous criminal mastermind whose daring robberies could never be solidly linked back to him. The police commissioner and governor realized they could never get enough evidence for a warrant, so they had Metamorpho create the villainous identity of Dyna-Man to infiltrate Dread’s gang. He broke into Doc Dread’s castle, and challenged him to a showdown. Using a raygun to channel his element powers he defeated Doc and took control of his gang. Doc Dread begrudgingly accepted being second-in-command, although he planned to avenge himself, and led Dyna-Man and his former gang to a shipyard where gold was being delivered disguised as scrap iron. After the heist the police were in pursuit, and to establish Dyna-Man as a capable leader they allowed him to escape, melting the gold down, and flushing it into the sewer, where he later re-collected it in an oil truck. Java broke into Doc’s castle and gave away Metamorpho’s identity, hoping that Doc would kill him and that Metamorpho’s girlfriend Sapphire Stagg would then be his. Doc broke into Stagg’s mansion, stole the Orb of Ra that gave Metamorpho his powers, and then gave Dyna-Man their next job, stealing the government computer Smarty-Pants as it was being transported via railroad. They pulled the heist, and as Dyna-Man was about to apprehend Doc Dread the villain produced the Orb. The Orb weakened Metamorpho, and his true identity was revealed, so the gang switch allegiance back to Dread and made off with the computer. Sapphire saved Metamorpho was hurling the Orb into the distance, and Metamorpho caught up with Doc and his gang and captured them.

(Doom Patrol V #10) - Doc Dread began to fear his work would become obsolete, and worried that he’d be forced off the Science Squad. He identified with the “red shirts,” crewmen on Star Trek that always ended up dying while the stars saved the day, and began wearing a red shirt in solidarity. He walked Oolong’s beached when he was confronted by Porcelain Doll, a villain aiming to destroy the Doom patrol, oolong’s resident super team. She turned her body to shards and killed Doc Dread, slicing him to ribbons.