Doom Patrol Season 2's bizarre new villain, explained
The Doom Patrol has met their new foe and he wears a sparkling purple cape.
Doom Patrol Season 1 set itself apart from the rest of the superhero shows by leaning into its eccentricities. A villainous rat and a man-dinosaur-vegetable combination are just some examples of the characters that exist within the series’ wildly imaginative universe. Doom Patrol doesn’t let up on its outlandish nature in Season 2. And with Mr. Nobody is still trapped inside a painting, Season 2 moved on without him, introducing a new villain by the name of Doctor Jonathan Tyme, a mysterious disco-loving time traveler.
Some spoilers ahead for Doom Patrol Season 2.
Doctor Tyme (aka, the Terrible Doctor Tyme) makes his grand entrance in the Season 2 episode “Tyme Patrol.” With a magical clock-shaped helmet — imagine an enlarged Mr. Cogsworth from Beauty and the Beast — and a time-altering space mineral (continuinium) in tow, the Terrible Doctor Tyme is labeled a “history-hopping madman.”
He also loves roller disco.
Doctor Tyme loves roller disco.
Rita, Cliff, and Jane find Tyme in search of the continuinium, the dangerous mineral the villain uses to time travel. The only issue is that the space mineral is inside his helmet, which is firmly on his head. (It’s complicated.)
When the Doom Patrol first meets him, they’re thrown off by the villain’s sparkly cape, the never-ending roller disco party, and Doctor Tyme’s “time ray” — a beam he shoots out of his helmet to freeze people in place. It doesn’t take very long to realize they're in way over their heads.
If you're just as confused as our heroes, here's a quick explainer on one of the weirdest supervillains in DC Comics history.
Doctor Tyme’s comic book history, explained
Before becoming Doctor Tyme, he was Percival Sutter, a highly intelligent scientist specializing in the manipulation of time. After figuring out how to time travel, Sutter began using it to his benefit, committing petty theft and other small scale crime.
Doctor Tyme’s first comic book appearance was in 1964’s Doom Patrol #93: The Sinister Secret of Dr. Tyme. His attempts to rob a plane draw the attention of the Doom Patrol. Their run-in proves how formidable a villain Doctor Tyme can be, using his helmet to freeze, slow down, or stop time completely.
Doctor Tyme and his big, clock head.
However, his exploits aren’t very ambitious considering the power he wields. Despite this, Doctor Tyme has an inflated sense of ego and truly believes himself to be the Doom Patrol’s greatest nemesis. However, they don’t think very much of him and consider him insignificant at best.
What Doctor Tyme means for Doom Patrol Season 2
Unlike Mr. Nobody, Doctor Tyme doesn’t go looking for the Doom Patrol. In fact, he doesn’t seem very interested in them at all. He's too busy roller skating and partying inside a time capsule. The only reason the Doom Patrol needs him for the continuinium, which would allow Niles Caulder to live as long as his immortal daughter, Dorothy.
Doctor Tyme is pretty damn fashionable.
However, Doctor Tyme doesn’t seem like the kind of villain who will leave well enough alone. Now that the Doom Patrol have alerted him to their plans to steal his helmet, the villain might wage an offensive plan in response to thwarting his timeless fun.
While Doom Patrol’s iteration of the character seems to follow along the same path of the comics so far, it’s possible Doctor Tyme is being set up as a much more menacing foe on the show. Either that or the Doom Patrol just awakened an opportunity for the villain to stir up some trouble that he wouldn't have bothered with otherwise. Whatever the case may be, only tyme will tell.
The first three episodes of Doom Patrol Season 2 are currently available to stream on HBO Max and DC Universe.
