General Zahl is a fictional character who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Initially known as Captain Zahl, he is a former German Navy officer and enemy of the Doom Patrol.

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

Publication history

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

Fictional character biography

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During World War II, Captain Zahl is an officer and U-boat commander in the German Navy. After his boat is sunk by bombs developed by Niles Caulder, Zahl is crippled and forced to wear a neck brace.

Afterward, Zahl works as a mercenary until a conflict with the Doom Patrol forced him to retire. Later, Zahl assists Madame Rouge in battling the Doom Patrol, who sacrifice themselves to save a small town.[1] It is later revealed that Robotman survived, but was heavily injured.

Years later, the Teen Titans and Robotman battle Zahl and Rouge when they attempt to conquer Zandia. Zahl shoots at Robotman and is killed when the bullets ricochet off his body.

Powers and abilities

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Despite possessing no superhuman abilities, Zahl is a skilled military commander.

In other media

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General Zahl appears in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "The Last Patrol!", voiced by Corey Burton.[2] This version caused the Doom Patrol to disband and retire years prior after they failed to stop him from killing a hostage. In the present, he allies with the Brain, Monsieur Mallah, Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man, Mutant Master, and Arsenal to seek revenge on the Doom Patrol by exposing them as frauds. However, he and his alliance are defeated by Batman while the Doom Patrol sacrifice themselves to save a small town Zahl was threatening, which causes the world to appreciate them even more.

References

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  1. ^ a b Jimenez, Phil (2008), "General Zahl", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The DC Comics Encyclopedia, New York: Dorling Kindersley, p. 136, ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1, OCLC 213309017
  2. ^ "General Zahl Voice - Batman: The Brave and the Bold (TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved October 31, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
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