Fictional supervillain
Comics character
Madame Rouge is a fictional supervillain appearing in DC Comics, first appearing in Doom Patrol #86 (March 1964).[1] The character was created by Arnold Drake.[2]
Michelle Gomez portrays the live-action version of the character in the third season of the HBO Max series Doom Patrol.
Fictional character biography
Laura De Mille was originally a French stage actress. After an automobile accident, she developed a dual good/evil split personality. At this point, she attracted the notice of The Brain and his associate Monsieur Mallah. With Mallah's help, the Brain performed surgery on De Mille that was, from his perspective, successful, sublimating her good personality and allowing her evil personality to remain dominant. As Madame Rouge, De Mille became the only female member of the Brotherhood of Evil, and assisted the Brotherhood in its continuing conflicts against the Doom Patrol. At first, Madame Rouge was simply a master of disguise; subsequent surgery by the Brain eventually gave her the ability to alter her appearance and stretch her limbs.
Later, Rouge's split personality manifested again, with her good personality occasionally appearing. Rouge was romantically linked to the Doom Patrol's leader, Niles Caulder ("The Chief"), who was able to help Rouge overcome her evil side and ally with the Doom Patrol.
Ultimately, Rouge's mind reverted to its evil state, causing her to seek vengeance against both the Brotherhood of Evil and the Doom Patrol for their previous interference. She was apparently successful in murdering both groups.[3] Years later, Robotman and the Teen Titans tracked down Rouge and her ally, General Zahl. Beast Boy (then Changeling) killed Rouge, although, at the moment of her death, her good side manifested; she forgave Changeling and called to Niles, her apparent true love.
Madame Rouge's daughter, Gemini, also a shapeshifter, appeared years later to seek revenge against Beast Boy.[4]
In 2004, DC writer John Byrne restarted the Doom Patrol series and declared that the previous history had never happened. Despite this, Madame Rouge was a zombie summoned by Brother Blood to keep the Titans from freeing Kid Eternity in Teen Titans #31 (2006). Since then, Byrne's reboot of the Doom Patrol franchise was overturned as a continuity glitch created by Superboy-Prime. As such, Madame Rouge is still dead and her history has been left intact. However, her daughter Gemini has taken up wearing her mother's costume and is a member of the new Brotherhood of Evil.
In Blackest Night, Madame Rouge has been identified as one of the deceased entombed below the Hall of Justice.[5] Madame Rouge's corpse is revived as a Black Lantern during the event.[6]
Powers and abilities
Originally, Madame Rouge was a master of disguise.[7] Later, the Brain altered Rouge's molecular structure that gave her an amorphous physiology. Now, she can stretch her own body (wholly or partly) to incredible lengths and mimic the appearance of any person at will.[8]
In the Teen Titans animated series, Madame Rouge retained her superstretching powers, but greater than before. She can reform her body, repair any damage yet seen, "flow" through fences, change color, mimic voices, and has sufficient strength to throw people around like dolls or smash brick walls. Rouge is capable of surrounding and smothering her opponents via stretched body. She could be hurt by elemental-based attacks, as well as having trouble maintaining her undamaged form in extreme temperatures.[9]
