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

After his boat is sunk by bombs developed by Niles Caulder, Zahl is crippled and forced to wear a neck brace.

[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.