Doom Patrol: Negative Man’s Origins and Powers Explained

Doom Patrol’s Negative Man has a tragic backstory — not unlike many other superheroes — but the exact nature of his powers, and his relationship with the negative spirit, is not always clear. Larry Trainor, a.k.a. Negative Man, is probably the most important DC TV character right now, but while being LGBTQIA was a new addition to this version of the character, his powers remained pretty close to his comic counterpart.

Larry Trainor was a test pilot who suffered a tragic radioactive accident while testing an experimental space jet. While flying near Earth’s orbit, Larry merged with a strange being, later called the Negative Spirit. The spirit gave him powers but they were also forced to share the same body. The accident left Larry permanently scarred, isolating him from his friends and family in the 1950s. He was one of the first members of the Doom Patrol, joining Rita at the Doom manor after Dr. Niles Caulder rescued him from the Bureau of Normalcy. Larry and Rita quickly formed a bond over their tragic situations. Like her, Larry couldn’t control the Negative Spirit and he would often lose consciousness every time the spirit took control of his body. Because of this, Larry resented and rejected the presence inside him.

Larry’s contentious relationship with Negative Spirit meant he didn’t explore all the powers he now possessed as the Negative Man. During season 1 of Doom Patrol, his character arc was dedicated to his journey of self-discovery and acceptance. Slowly, Larry begins communicating with the spirit, trying to understand its motivations. The spirit, on the other hand, appears to want Larry to come to terms with his past mistakes and with his present condition. The more Larry worked on his emotional struggles, the better the spirit and he got along. By the end of season 1, things have improved between them. In season 2, their relationship is less adverse, although there is still a lot to know about the spirit.

As Negative Man, Larry emits radiation from his body. In season 2’s episode “Space Patrol,” Larry meets a woman who also has a Negative Spirit inside her. Unlike him, she has completely merged with the spirit and thus can control the radiation her body produces — seemingly at the cost of having human emotions. For now, Larry can’t do the same, but his friendly partnership with his spirit means he no longer falls unconscious every time the spirit is released, although it does weaken hi significantly. Once out of Larry’s body, the spirit can fly away, possess other people and objects, phase through solid matter, and transport beings to other dimensions.

The presence of the spirit inside him also appears to have stopped Larry from aging and gave him the ability to withstand extreme temperatures. Doom Patrol‘s episode “Space Patrol” indicates that Larry’s emotional state of mind greatly influences the spirit and their relationship. It seems when they merged, the spirit accessed his memories and feelings. The distress he felt after the accident affected the spirit negatively, and when Niles was able to communicate with it, the spirit described his situation with Larry as “torture.” It only got better when Larry started embracing and accepting all aspects of himself.

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