How Old Is Larry Trainor In Doom Patrol?
Over the last few years, the meteoric rise in popularity of underdog super-teams, like the Suicide Squad and the Umbrella Academy, have introduced TV audiences to some of the comic book world's oddest characters. While Task Force X and the Academy have their fair share of kooky and offbeat "heroes," though, the real oddities are found on HBO Max's "Doom Patrol."
On "Doom Patrol," there's the faded movie star who transforms into an amorphous blob, a Tin-Man with the brain of a racecar driver, and a woman with 64 personalities — each with their own power. Another long-time member of the tribe is Larry Trainor, a former military test pilot whose body is inhabited by a sentient being of negative energy. Like most of his fellow Doom Patrolers, Larry spent decades hiding from the world, struggling to accept his past and embrace a future. While we know he's been at Doom Manor for quite some time, it's not exactly clear just how old Larry is. But, there are some clues.
Larry Trainor had a family in 1961
Prior to his life-changing introduction to the negative energy entity in 1961, Larry Trainor (Matt Bomer) was a married father with two youngsters. While outwardly appearing as the ideal American family, Larry's marriage was barely holding together due to his ongoing affair with John Bowers (Kyle Clements), a fellow serviceman in the Air Force.
Known as one of the military's top test pilots, Larry hoped his handling of a new "rocket plane" would secure his inclusion in NASA's Project Mercury. Unfortunately, while flying the rocket plane, Larry and the jet "collided" with the negative energy. The resulting mid-air explosion should have killed him, but the negative spirit bonded with his body. Though it didn't heal his extensive burns, the spirit's energy kept Larry alive. After the accident, Larry spent a number of years at The Ant Farm, a secret research facility run by the Bureau of Normalcy. There, Larry was subjected to endless "tests," which in truth were torture, to see the capabilities and limits of his otherworldly hitchhiker.
Doom Patrol provides a few clues to Larry's age
In Season 1 of "Doom Patrol," it's revealed that Larry came to Doom Manor in 1966, where he then spent decades in relative seclusion until the series' main storyline picks up in 2019. The season also provides a few more dates that help determine Larry's age. In "Cult Patrol," viewers learn that Larry graduated high school in 1946. As there's no mention of him skipping grades or being held, we can assume he was 17 or 18 years old upon graduation. That would put his year of birth in either 1928 or 1929. Though the math is accurate, the validity may be less certain. At one point in Season 1, which is set in 2019, Mr. Nobody (Alan Tudyk) states that Larry is 95 years old. If true, that'd mean he was born in 1924. Admittedly, Mr. Nobody isn't the most trustworthy source of information.
While a definitive age is currently impossible to determine, the show's various details indicate Larry was born between 1924 and 1929, which would make him between 90 and 95 years old. But, when you have a negative energy spirit keeping you alive, what's a few years' difference?