Origin
Maurice was mutated by the lazarus rainstorm, granting him strange and confusing new abilities. Feeling like a monster, he answered an advertisement from Metagen. They were offering quick cash for metahuman volunteers to be test subjects in research and development. Their procedures were torture and when Maurice realized his powers worked the more he got angry, he decided to lash out at Metagen. The Doom Patrol responded to the lab to stop his assault and offered him a place where he would be safe, which he reluctantly accepted. He would go on to aid the Doom Patrol in their new metahuman rescue operation, finding misunderstood metahumans and give them a place where they can be trained in their new unstable abilities.
Creation
Degenerate first appeared in Unstoppable Doom Patrol #1 by Chris Burnham and Dennis Culver
Major Story Arcs
The Return of the Candlemaker

Eventually, the Doom Patrol had recruited enough new metahumans to create a new team called the Flex Force. To demonstrate their progress, their coach, Flex Mentallo, put together a friendly game of capture the flag. Unfortunately, this game was interrupted by a new Brotherhood of Evil. While the two teams join forces to defeat the Brotherhood, Willoughby Kipling gives Robotman an important message. The Brotherhood was a distraction so that General Immortus could dig up Dorothy Spinner‘s grave and use her power to channel The Candlemaker.
Kipling tried to ward Robotman against Immortus’ new magic, but Robotman was in desperate need of backup. Crazy Jane was unwilling to leave The Shelter, so she convinced The Quiz, who Immortus had rescued and enslaved from the Painting That Ate Paris, to switch sides. Combining their powers allowed them to defeat this new Candlemaker, who Quiz than threw into The Bleed.
This feet brough the attention of Peacemaker and his peacekeeping robot sentinels, which have been tracking the Doom Patrol since they crossed paths with General Blanche. With an adjustment to his fight-or-flight response from Beast Girl, Degen fought off the giant robots long enough for Doom Patrol to make their getaway.
Powers & Abilities
Appearance: Degenerate has red eyes and pale white skin. His skin is also jagged
- Shape Shifter: The angrier he gets, the more buff and feral he appears.
Berserker Strength: The angrier Degenerate gets, the stronger he becomes.