...Madame Rouge just declared all-out war! So if you want to sign up, this is the recruiting office! 
- — Robotman
Doom Patrol #121 is an issue of the series Doom Patrol (Volume 1) with a cover date of October, 1968.
Synopsis for "The Beginning of the End!???"
Madame Rouge embarks upon an ambitious plot to avenge herself against the Doom Patrol. First though, she decides to send the Doom Patrol a message by destroying her old colleagues the Brotherhood of Evil. Rouge and her henchmen bomb the lair of the Brain and Monsieur Mallah, seemingly killing them both.
She then sends a team of goons to open fire on innocent pedestrians just outside Doom Patrol headquarters. Larry Trainor sends the Negative Man to whisk survivors to the hospital while Robotman collects the spent shell casings. He brings them inside for ballistics testing, but one of them turns out to be a dud. The Chief suspects a trap and orders Robotman to bury the dud bullet inside the sofa cushions. The bullet explodes, tearing Robotman's arm off. The Chief tells Cliff that Madame Rouge knows everything about them, and would have predicted that they would bring the shells inside the mansion for ballistics testing.
Meanwhile, Steve Dayton returns home to his wife Rita. He asks Rita why she insists on staying with the Doom Patrol, but Rita tells him that she will remain with them for as long as they need her. Rita sees a news broadcast detailing the DP headquarters drive-by and changes into costume. Steve grows frustrated as Rita rushes off.
At Doom Patrol Headquarters, three attack helicopters hover above the mansion and firebomb the roof. Fortunately, the house is treated to withstand such damage, and Doctor Caulder activates a panel of anti-aircraft weapons that blast the helicopters out of the sky.
After the dust settles, the Doom Patrol receives a visit from Wilmer Boggs of Washington, D.C. Boggs tells the D.P. that their continued presence in the city makes them a threat to everyone around them. He tells them that the United States government is evicting them from the city. Robotman is ready to throttle Boggs, but Rita calms him down. Doctor Caulder agrees to comply with the eviction.
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Zahl taunts the Chief and the Doom Patrol
As they leave, the Chief tells the others that he has prepared for such a situation. He has set up a secondary headquarters on an unnamed island in the Caribbean. Unfortunately for them however, the location of the island is known to Madame Rouge. Rouge teams up with a former Nazi U-boat commander named Captain Zahl. Zahl and Rouge pilot their submarine to the island. Zahl blames Niles Caulder for his disability and wants to kill him, but Rouge wants the Doom Patrol left alive so they can continue to suffer unending humiliation. Zahl launches several weapons designed to counter each of the Doom Patrol members' special abilities. He then tells them that he has planted a bomb in a small fishing village in Maine named Codsville, population: 14. He has a second bomb ready to destroy the Doom Patrol's island. He leaves it to the Doom Patrol to decide which bomb he shall detonate – confident that they will elect to save their own lives rather than that of fourteen strangers. Surprisingly, the Doom Patrol decide to sacrifice themselves rather than risk the deaths of the people of Codsville. Zahl pushes the plunger and the island explodes, killing the Doom Patrol.
The Doom Patrol choose.
Appearing in "The Beginning of the End!???"
Featured Characters:
- Doom Patrol
- The Chief (Apparent Death)
- Elasti-Girl (Apparent Death)
- Negative Man (Apparent Death)
- Robotman (Apparent Death)
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Captain Zahl
- Madame Rouge
- Brotherhood of Evil
- The Brain (Apparent Death)
- Monsieur Mallah (Apparent Death)
Other Characters:
- Steve (Single appearance)
- Wilmer Boggs (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in Doom Patrol Archives Vol. 5.
- When originally printed, this issue was intended as the canonical deaths of the entire Doom Patrol, as well as the Brain and Monsieur Mallah. Later accounts however, reveal that all of the members of the Doom Patrol and the Brotherhood of Evil survive.
The editorial appeal on the letters page.
Trivia
- Editor Murray Boltinoff and artist Bruno Premiani make an appearance in the introduction to this issue.
- This issue reveals that the Chief's contributions to radar technology greatly benefited the Allies and their defeat of the German navy during World War II.