The following contains spoilers for Unstoppable Doom Patrol #1, now on sale from DC Comics
For almost as long as there's been a Doom Patrol, there's been a Brotherhood of Evil. A collection of monstrous villains, the team has been reimagined and reintroduced plenty of times over the years. Some of these tweaks have proven particularly enduring, such as the surprisingly heartfelt romance between two of their most unlikely members. But that romance just came to a truly brutal end, one that seems impossible to come back from.
The Brain and Monsieur Mallah are teased throughout Unstoppable Doom Patrol #1 (by Dennis Culver, Chris Burnham, Brian Reber, and Pat Brosseau), making their way through an army of soldiers while chasing General Immortus. But at a crucial moment, Mallah betrays the Brain and brutally dispatches him on the page. It's a sudden and violent turn for the pair and throws a massive bit of chaos into one of the Doom Patrol's oldest foes.
How Mallah Betrays (And Kills) The Brain
The Brain debuted in The Doom Patrol #86 (by Arnold Drake and Bruno Premiani), quickly becoming a foundational member of the Brotherhood of Evil. An evil genius reduced to living without a body, the Brain has long been tied to the talking gorillas Monsieur Mallah. This came to the point where their romantic love for each other became an enduring quality for the duo while they endeavored to bring down the tragic and bizarre heroes. This love between the two can be seen in the first part of Unstoppable Doom Patrol #1, with the Brain, now operating a robotic gorilla body, leading Mallah on an assault against their former ally, General Immortus.
But before the Brain can deliver a killing blow to his fellow villain, the attack is halted by Mallah. Holding the Brain at bay, Mallah brushes off accusations of betrayal by calling their relationship increasingly toxic. Having constructed Brain's new body, Mallah is able to focus on its weaknesses and quickly behead the robot. After giving the Brain a curt farewell, Mallah crushed the robotic head and the Brain himself. This seemingly kills the villain in a truly brutal fashion. It's a harsh and sudden turn, especially given the history of the characters.
What Mallah's Betrayal Means For The Doom Patrol
While the superhero genre always leaves a certain amount of room for retcons or resurrection, the Brain's demise in Unstoppable Doom Patrol seems fairly final. It's a particularly harsh way to dispatch a villain who's been in comics for almost sixty years, killed by the one person he actually had grown to trust. Notably, it's not the first time the Brain has died, as his Post-Crisis incarnation was murdered by Gorilla Grodd in the storyline Salvation Run. But his previous death codified his love for Mallah, while his latest demise sees Mallah turn his back on his partner and declare him a menace. The Brain's death also comes at a potentially important crossroads for the Doom Patrol, as the team is set to embrace a new path forward by focusing their efforts on helping people with Metagenes.
General Immortus and Mallah seem to have plans for the future, which may quickly impact their old rivals in the Doom Patrol. But it clearly wasn't a plan they believed the Brain would agree to. As such, the Brotherhood of Evil is more of a wildcard than it has been in the past. Mallah's betrayal comes as something of a shock for the Doom Patrol villains, as their long-standing bond has been the bedrock of their characters for years. Seeing Mallah fully turn on the Brain comes as a huge shock as a result, which opens up the possibility for Mallah to become something far more dangerous in the future.