Continuity-Related Comic Book Character | |
Doctor Fate | |
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Information | |
Real name: | Kent Nelson (human host) |
AKA: | Nabu |
Species: | Human |
Homeworld: | Earth |
Universe: | Earth-2A |
Relatives: | Inza Cramer (wife)[1] |
Affiliations: | Justice Society of America |
Weaponry: | Magic |
Justice Society Team Member
Doctor Fate is a superhero who possesses magical super powers. He is a member of the Justice Society of America and is a native of Earth-2A. He wears the Helmet of Nabu which gives him incredible abilities.
Background Information
In the parallel universe of Earth-Two (Earth-2A in the SuperFriends Universe), in 1920, archaeologist Sven Nelson and his son Kent go on an expedition to the Valley of Ur in Mesopotamia. While exploring a temple discovered by his father, young Kent opens the tomb of Nabu the Wise and revives him from suspended animation. Nabu explains that he is an immortal being from the planet Cilia. As they leave Nabu’s chamber, they discover Mr. Nelson’s lifeless body. Nabu explains that the temple was built with a poisons gas to protect it. Together they bury Mr. Nelson outside the temple. Nabu takes pity on young Kent and teaches him the skills of a sorcerer over the next twenty years before giving him a mystical helmet, amulet, and cloak. Kent then assumes the identity of Doctor Fate in order to fight evil. In 1940, Kent would meet his long-time traveling companion, Inza Cramer in Alexandria, Egypt on his way back to America.[2] After arriving back in the United States, Kent begins a career fighting crime and supernatural evil as the sorcerer and superhero Doctor Fate and sets up a base in a tower in Salem, Massachusetts.[3]
Doctor Fate helps co-found the Justice Society of America in 1940.[4]
About a year later, Kent Nelson, with the help of Inza switches to a helmet that covers half his face to allow him to live his life as both Doctor Fate and Kent Nelson.[5]
Over the next several years, the JSA began having many cross-universe adventures with their Earth-One counterparts the Justice League of America.[6]
Equipment
- Amulet of Anubis
- Cloak of Destiny
- Helmet of Nabu
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Doctor Fate's magical powers are broad. These powers are derived from the possession of Kent Nelson by Fate, a lord of Order called Nabu. Fate resides in the Helmet of Nabu. When Kent dons the helmet, he only vaguely remembers the experiences of Fate.
Sorcery: At his most potent, Doctor Fate is an accomplished sorcerer, able to match most other wizards in the Universe. He has been credited as being one of the top 12 most powerful heroes in the Universe. Kent is a powerful magician, mostly through use of his enchanted items. He has always used spells cast in the Eastern Way of internal balance and internal focusing as opposed to the Western Hermetic use of symbols and incantations.
However, in the training of Kent Nelson, Nabu taught Kent to use the following powers without the helmet:
- Personal Sorcery
- Telekinesis
- Flight: Using his telekinesis, Kent may attain remarkable airspeeds.
- Levitation
- Damage Resistance
- Enhanced Strength: Kent may use his telekinetic power to supplement his physical strength.
- Enhanced Sorcery: due to the Helmet of Nabu, Amulet of Anubis, Cloak of Destiny.
- Mystical Bolts
- Spells: Ability to summon & use large amounts of magic to perform almost any feat such as shields, teleportation, increasing size etc.
- Illusion Casting
- Invisibility
- Phasing
- Flight
- Levitation
- Divine Powers
- Astral Projection
- Dimensional Manipulation
- Time-Manipulation
- Magnetic Control
- Regeneration: able to regenerate limbs with relative ease.
- Darkness Manipulation
- Energy Manipulation
- Enhanced Intellect
- Mental Shields: offering them protection against other telepaths or other forms of mind-control.
- Time Travel: Ability to travel through the time-stream
- Energy Blasts
- Mind Control: mentally controlling people
- Telekinesis
- Telepathy
- Memory Erasing: erasing memories
- Resurrection: Ability to raise the dead. This ability also allows him to raise himself from death.
- Super Strength
- Super Speed
- Magical Resistance: Making him invulnerable to most magical attacks
- Summon & Banishment: Ability to summon creatures or banish creatures
- Invulnerability
- Interstellar Teleportation
- Solid Energy Constructs
- Transmutation
- Immortality
Abilities
- Expert Combatant: Formidable opponent at Hand-to-hand combat & Jujitsu
Weaknesses
Without the helmet, Kent Nelson in an ordinary mortal with some knowledge of the mystic arts and is not as powerful as he is with The Helmet of Nabu. Without a mortal host, Nabu, the Lord of Order that inhabits the helmet, cannot visit the earthly plane normally, however he has been able to sustain himself in the physical plane on numerous occasions. On these occasions he was disembodied and was composed of only the helmet, cloak, and Amulet of Anubis. Dr. Fate's main weakness is that his physical form can be stressed and destroyed. It is also revealed that Dr. Fate was not meant to be either male or female, but both united as one, and that unless this is realized Dr. Fate can never reach his full potential. Numerous Golden Age appearances also exploited the fact that for all his powers, Dr. Fate still needed to breathe and was vulnerable to gaseous attacks.
Justice Society Team Members
Members of the Justice Society of America |
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Superman (Kal-L) • Wonder Woman (Diana Prince) • Power Girl (Kara Zor-L) • Hawkman (Carter Hall) |
Gallery
Appearances
- Super Friends #7 and Super Friends #8 references the following cross-universe story:
- All-Star Comics, #68 (October 1977) -- implied only
- Justice League of America, Vol. 1 #147 (October, 1977) -- directly referenced
- Justice League of America, Vol. 1 #148 (November, 1977) -- directly referenced
- All-Star Comics, #69 (November 1977) -- implied only
Notes
- The original 'Golden Age' version of Doctor Fate was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, and first appeared in More Fun Comics, #55 (May 1940).[7]
- Following 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths, Doctor Fate briefly joined the Justice League.[8] Before this, Doctor Fate's character was exclusive to what was known as Earth-Two. A Doctor Fate limited series was released soon afterwards, which changed the character's secret identity.[9] DC began a Doctor Fate ongoing series by J.M. DeMatteis and Shawn McManus in winter of 1988.[10] William Messner-Loebs became the series’ writer with issue #25 (Feb. 1991).[11] When the series ended with issue #41 (June 1992),[12] DC replaced the existing Doctor Fate with a new character, Jared Stevens.
- After the Crisis, in the Super Powers Comics (1985-86), Dr. Fate shows up as a member of the JLA.
References
- ↑ Doctor Fate's love interest Inza was known variably throughout the Golden Age as Inza Cramer (More Fun Comics, #80 [June 1942]), Inza Sanders (More Fun Comics, #75, #77 [1942]), and Inza Carmer (More Fun Comics, #76, #78, #89, #90 [1942-43]), which was amended to Inza Cramer in the Silver Age (Showcase, #55–56 [1965]).
- ↑ As revealed in More Fun Comics, #67 (May 1941) and DC Special Series, #10 (January, 1978).
- ↑ As revealed in More Fun Comics, #67 (May 1941) and More Fun Comics, #55 (August 1940).
- ↑ As revealed in All Star Comics, #3 (Winter, 1940).
- ↑ As revealed in All-Star Squadron, #23 (July 1983) and All-Star Squadron, #28 (Dec. 1983).
- ↑ As revealed in Justice League of America, #21, #22, #29, #30, #46, #47, #64, #65 (1963-68).
- ↑ Go to the DC Database for more on More Fun Comics, #55 (May 1940).
- ↑ As revealed in Legends, #6 (April 1987).
- ↑ As revealed in Doctor Fate, Vol. 1 #1–4 (July – Oct. 1987).
- ↑ As revealed in Doctor Fate, Vol. 2 #1 (Winter 1988).
- ↑ As revealed in Doctor Fate, Vol. 2 #25 (Feb. 1991).
- ↑ As revealed in Doctor Fate, Vol. 2 #41 (June 1992).