General Zahl

General Zahl is the name of a fictional character appearing in DC Comics.

General Zahl
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceDoom Patrol v.1 #121
(October 1968)
Created byBruno Premiani
Murray Boltinoff
In-story information
Full nameZahl
SpeciesHuman
Notable aliasesCaptain Zahl
AbilitiesMilitary training

Publication history

General Zahl first appeared in Doom Patrol #121 (October 1968) and was created by Bruno Premiani and Murray Boltinoff.[1]

Fictional character biography

General Zahl is a former Nazi U-boat captain who tangled from time to time with the Doom Patrol, originally as "Captain Zahl".

As a U-boat captain, Zahl was ruthless and effective, achieving the highest kill number of any commander in the German fleet. After the fall of the Nazis, Captain Zahl worked as a mercenary, until a conflict with the Doom Patrol forced him into retirement. Due to the conflict, he was forced to wear a neck and back brace. Later, Zahl (now calling himself "General Zahl") assisted Madame Rouge in apparently killing the Doom Patrol. Madame Rouge had previously succeeded (also apparently) in destroying the other members of the Brotherhood of Evil.[1]

Years later, Changeling, Robotman and the Teen Titans tracked down Zahl and Rouge. Near the conflict's end, Zahl, determined to not be taken alive, fired upon Robotman, knowing the bullets would ricochet and strike Zahl, which they did. As Zahl lay dying, he declared: "I die now, but that is all right. I haff the last laugh, Robotman!" Unrepentant to the end, his final words were "Hei...Heil Hitl...".[1]

Powers and abilities

Zahl is a skilled military commander and soldier, but has no superhuman powers.

In other media

Television
  • The character General Skarr, who was originally featured on Evil Con Carne and became a supporting character on The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, bears many resemblances to Zahl.
  • General Zahl appears in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "The Last Patrol!" voiced by Corey Burton. In a documentary about the Doom Patrol, it is mentioned that he fought the Doom Patrol in France with his defeat being the last time anyone has seen the Doom Patrol. Years later, General Zahl assembles Brain, Monsieur Mallah, Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man, Mutant Master, and Arsenal into targeting the Doom Patrol members. After Arsenal was defeated, General Zahl arrived in a ship and attacked Batman and the Doom Patrol with knock-out gas. Some minutes later on General Zahl's ship, General Zahl had Chief mention the real reason why the Doom Patrol broke up. It turned out that back in the Doom Patrol's last fight with General Zahl in France, General Zahl held a woman at gunpoint. Though General Zahl was defeated, the woman was killed. Now General Zahl reveals that he had planted two detonators on two nearby islands with the Doom Patrol deciding on which island to save with the choice being televised around the world. When Batman breaks free enough for the Doom Patrol to escape, General Zahl assembles the villains he had gathered. When General Zahl mentions that the actual detonator control is on his hat and activates it, the Doom Patrol are caught in the explosion while Batman used a knock-out gas on the other villains. General Zahl even mourned the Doom Patrol's sacrifice (namely because he failed to reveal them as "frauds" and making the world love them even more, thus disappointing him). General Zahl and the other villains are later arrested by the authorities.

References
  1. Jimenez, Phil (2008), "General Zahl", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The DC Comics Encyclopedia, New York: Dorling Kindersley, p. 136, ISBN 0-7566-4119-5, OCLC 213309017
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