Last episode of Titans introduced a lot of characters, so we’ll alternate them to the others popping up in the other shows in the next days. In order of appearance, the first one showing in Doom Patrol is Niles Caulder, the genius scientist portrayed by Bruno Bichir. He first appears in a flashback, in full hazmat suit, as he saves Gar from his rare fever, only to make a full appearance later in the episode as he brings a new patient to the house. He’s the leader of the Doom Patrol, and also the one who saved the life of every member of the team. As the episode progresses, we can already sense some ambiguity behind the facade of genius philanthropist, and this will undoubtedly be deepened in the upcoming spin-off series, where the role will pass from Bichir to Timothy Dalton. Now, let’s take a good look at the founder and mentor of the team of freaks we’ll learn to know little by little.
Niles Caulder’s life is dense of events, some of them known, many others unknown, some others revealed only decades after they happened, with Caulder being exposed as the mind behind them. We know that since he was a child his genius intellect amazed many, and that he decided at a very early age, inspired by his readings of Frankenstein and The Singing Ring Tree, to make life better for human beings. He dedicated his life to study, and before he was an adult he could already master many scientific fields, with peeks of excellency in engineering, surgery and chemistry. Even brilliant as 
he was, it wasn’t easy for someone so young to find funds for his research, but Caulder was lucky, as some mysterious benefactor saw his true potential and funded his entire research, allowing him to make remarkable progresses. The only condition for the money to come in was that he dedicated part of his research to the invention of a chemical capable of prolonging human life indefinitely, and so he did… until he found out that his mysterious guardian angel was none others than General Immortus, a centuries-old mass murderer whose immortality serum was failing, and who wanted a substitute. Knowing who his research was helping, Niles refused to continue, but his objection wasn’t well received, and Immortus implanted a bomb in his chest: he could activate it by remote, if the scientist refused to work, and it automatically exploded if Niles tried to remove it. Caulder devised a plan to free himself of the bomb: he programmed a robot to surgically remove it, then tricked Immortus to shoot him. The robot operated while his heart was stopped, so he removed the bomb without triggering the explosion… alas, it took more than expected, and by the time Caulder was reanimated, he was free from Immortus, but he had lost the use of his legs. Being crippled, however, served as a life lesson for Caulder: a better life could (and maybe must) come from surviving tragedy, and his following work was aimed to prove this point.
The name and work of Niles Caulder disappeared from records, and the scientist started to be called simply The Chief. He continued his research, and he traveled the world looking for candidates whose life could be perfected by his intervention. One of his first subjects was a colleague, a rival scientist of great intellect: he caused an explosion that totally destroyed the scientist’s body, leaving his brain intact. Chief had plans to implant the brain into a robotic body, but the victim’s assistant, the super-intelligent ape Monsieur Mallah, stole it and downloaded his master’s conscience into a computer network, giving birth to The Brain. Unhappy with the conclusion, Chief replicated the “incident” with 
a racer, Clifford Steele, this time successfully transferring his living brain into a robotic body of his invention. After this first “success”, he manipulated the guiding systems of an experimental jet, causing test pilot Larry Trainor to be dragged into a field of lethal radiations; Larry survived, but he became an energy creature unable to keep himself together, and at this time, obviously, Chief appeared “saving” him by giving him special bandages that gave him a physical form. Last, he targeted a famous actress, Rita Farr, and tricked her to be exposed to primeval gases in Africa: as a result, she lost control of her molecular structure, and she shrank, grew or changed shape without control. With her career ruined, also Rita was providentially saved by Chief, who welcomed her in his growing “family”. Chief convinced the three misfits that their tragedies, just like his own, could be the beginning of a greater, inspiring life, and that they should use their gifts to prove to the world that they were better people, even if they were considered freaks or monsters. Not knowing Caulder’s role behind their accidents, Clifford, Larry and Rita became the founding members of the first incarnation of the Doom Patrol, a team of superheroes that The Chief guided to defend a world that feared and despised them. It all would have been quite heroic, if it wasn’t for the small detail of Niles Caulder’s deranged vision…
Niles Caulder is a real genius, one of the most brilliant minds in the world… unfortunately, he’s also a sociopath who lacks the slightest empathy for other human beings, and who’s ready to sacrifice anyone in his good-willing but deranged vision of a better world. As The Chief, he puts his genius at the service of humanity with a number of futuristic inventions, spanning from functioning robots to a “life ray” that can resurrect people who died recently; he’s a master in chemistry, engineering, physics, surgery, biology, electronics and many other fields, thus being one of the most accomplished scientists alive. Learning from his personal history, The Chief firmly believes that a tragedy can make a person better, contributing to the empowerment of the whole species: for this reason, he personally provides to create tragedies, so that he can forge a new humanity… possibly from the ashes of the previous one.
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