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Doctor Fate (also known as Fate) is the name of multiple
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
es appearing in
American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...
s published by
DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
. The original version of the character was created by writer
Gardner Fox Gardner Francis Cooper Fox (May 20, 1911 – December 24, 1986) was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. He is estimated to have written more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for DC ...
and artist Howard Sherman, debuting in ''
More Fun Comics ''More Fun Comics'', originally titled ''New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine'' a.k.a. ''New Fun Comics'',''N ...
'' #55 (May 1940). The character has appeared in various incarnations, with Doctor Fate being the name of several different individuals in the
DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lant ...
as part of a sorcerous
legacy In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property. Legacy or legacies may refer ...
with several attempts to revitalize the character. In the
DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lant ...
continuity, Doctor Fate was originally conceived as a force fighting against evil by the supernatural being Nabu, a cosmic being affiliated with the Lords of Order,
Mesopotamian deities Deities in ancient Mesopotamia were almost exclusively anthropomorphic. They were thought to possess extraordinary powers and were often envisioned as being of tremendous physical size. The deities typically wore ''melam'', an ambiguous substan ...
, and a chief enemy of the Lords of Chaos. Over time, Nabu instead empowered mortal agents to act on his behalf and the Lords of Order, the first being Kent Nelson, the Strauss family, and various others. Other versions of the character differ, acting as solely supernatural-based heroes, affiliated with the Lords of Chaos, or demon hunters. Several years after the
New 52 The New 52 is the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC canceled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new series ...
reboot, DC Comics introduced its latest and second-longest-running incarnation,
Khalid Nassour Dr. Khalid Nassour is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, being the eighth character to adopt the Doctor Fate codename in mainstream comics. Created by writer Paul Levtiz and artist Sonny Liew to emphasize dive ...
, the grandnephew of Kent Nelson chosen by
ancient Egyptian deities Ancient Egyptian deities are the God (male deity), gods and goddesses worshipped in ancient Egypt. The beliefs and rituals surrounding these gods formed the core of ancient Egyptian religion, which emerged sometime in prehistoric Egypt, prehist ...
and
archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other relig ...
s. The Doctor Fate character has appeared in various incarnations across multiple forms of media based on both comic and original characters. The Kent Nelson incarnation has appeared in several media, such as the television series ''
Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...
'', in which he is portrayed by
Brent Stait Brent Stait (born September 9, 1959) is a Canadian actor, best known for his roles as Rev Bem in the science fiction television series '' Andromeda'' and Louis Ferretti in ''Stargate SG-1''. Biography Stait was born in Snow Lake, Manitoba. Th ...
, and the
DC Extended Universe The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films and television series produced by DC Studios and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on characters that ...
film ''
Black Adam Black Adam, real name Teth/Theo-Adam, is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck, and first appeared in the debut issue of Fawcett Comics' '' The Marvel Family'' comic ...
'', in which he was portrayed by
Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (; born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He is best known as the fifth actor to play secret agent James Bond in the Bond film series, starring in four films from 1995 to 2002 (''GoldenEye'', ''Tomorrow ...
. In animated media, several incarnations of Doctor Fate have appeared in the ''Young Justice'' animated series; Nabu, Khalid Nassour and Kent Nelson's versions of Doctor Fate have appeared in the animated series alongside other original incarnations based on pre-existing characters such as
Zatara Giovanni "John" Zatara is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He debuted as a superhero, starring in his own stories in '' Action Comics'' during the Golden Age of Comics. He first appeared in the fi ...
,
Zatanna Zatanna Zatara () is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, and first appeared in '' Hawkman'' #4 (November 1964). Zatanna is a stage magician with a ...
, and
Traci 13 Traci Thirteen (also known as Girl 13 and Traci 13) is a superhero featured in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in '' Superman'' vol. 2 #189 (February 2003), and was created by writer Joe Kelly and artist ...
.


Publication history


Golden Age

The first character to debut as Doctor Fate was Kent Nelson, who appeared in his own self-titled six page strip in ''
More Fun Comics ''More Fun Comics'', originally titled ''New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine'' a.k.a. ''New Fun Comics'',''N ...
'' #55 (May 1940) during the
Golden Age of Comic Books The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and many well-known char ...
. The character was created by writer
Gardner Fox Gardner Francis Cooper Fox (May 20, 1911 – December 24, 1986) was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. He is estimated to have written more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for DC ...
and artist Howard Sherman, who produced the first three years of monthly Doctor Fate stories. After a year with no background, his alter ego and origins were shown in ''More Fun Comics'' #67 (May 1941). Stories during the Golden Age included his love interest, Inza, who was known variably throughout the Golden Age as Inza Cramer,''More Fun Comics'' #80 (June 1942) Inza Sanders, and Inza Carmer. When the
Justice Society of America The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic ...
was created for ''
All Star Comics ''All Star Comics'' is an American comic book series from All-American Publications, one of three companies that merged with National Periodical Publications to form the modern-day DC Comics. While the series' cover-logo trademark reads ''All St ...
'' #3 (Winter 1940), Doctor Fate was one of the characters National Comics used for the joint venture with
All-American Publications All-American PublicationsThe name is spelled with a hyphen per its logo (pictured) and sources includinat Don Markstein's ToonopediaArchivedfrom the original on April 15, 2012. was one of two American comic book companies that merged to form the ...
. He made his last appearance in the book in issue #21 (Summer 1944), virtually simultaneously with the end of his own strip in ''More Fun Comics'' #98 (July–August 1944).


Silver Age

Aside from the annual JSA/JLA team-ups in ''Justice League of America'' that began in 1963, Doctor Fate appeared in other stories through the 1960s and 1970s, including a two-issue run with
Hourman Hourman or Hour-Man is the name of three different fictional superheroes appearing in comics published by DC Comics. The original Hourman was created by writer Ken Fitch and artist Bernard Baily in '' Adventure Comics'' #48 (March 1940), during ...
in ''
Showcase Showcase or vitrine may refer to: *Cabinet (furniture) *Display case Music * ''Showcase'' (Bill Anderson album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Patsy Cline album), 1961 * ''Showcase'' (Buddy Holly album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Philly Joe Jones album), 1959 ...
'' #55–56, two appearances with
Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
in ''
World's Finest Comics ''World's Finest Comics'' was an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986. The series was initially titled ''World's Best Comics'' for its first issue; issue #2 (Summer 1941) switched to the more familiar name. Michael ...
'' #201 (March 1971 and #208, December 1971); an appearance with
Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
in ''
The Brave and the Bold ''The Brave and the Bold'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983. It was followed by two mini-series in 1991 and 1999, and was revived as an ongoing title in 2007. The focus of the series has varied ...
'' #156 (November 1979); and a solo story in ''
1st Issue Special ''1st Issue Special'' was a comics anthology series from DC Comics, done in a similar style to their ''Showcase'' series. It was published from April 1975 to April 1976. The goal was to showcase a new possible first issue of an ongoing series eac ...
'' #9 (December 1975), written by
Martin Pasko Martin Joseph "Marty" Pasko (born Jean-Claude Rochefort; August 4, 1954– May 10, 2020) was a Canadian comic book writer and television screenwriter. Pasko worked for many comics publishers, but is best known for his superhero stories for DC Com ...
and drawn by
Walt Simonson Walter Simonson (born September 2, 1946) is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for a run on Marvel Comics' ''Thor'' from 1983 to 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known for the creator-owned w ...
. Doctor Fate and the rest of The Justice Society returned to ''All-Star Comics'' in 1976 with #58 for a two-year run ending with issue #74 and ''Adventure Comics'' #461-462 in 1978, and ''Adventure Comics'' #466 related the untold tale of the Justice Society's 1951 disbanding. During this period, Inza Cramer's name as such was amended.


Bronze Age

Doctor Fate's origin was retold in ''DC Special Series'' #10, and Doctor Fate again teamed up with Superman in ''
DC Comics Presents ''DC Comics Presents'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1978 to 1986 which ran for 97 issues and four ''Annual''s. It featured team-ups between Superman and a wide variety of other characters in the DC Universe. A recurring back ...
'' #23 (July 1980), and featured in a series of back-up stories running in ''The Flash'' from #306 (February 1982) to #313 (September 1982) written by
Martin Pasko Martin Joseph "Marty" Pasko (born Jean-Claude Rochefort; August 4, 1954– May 10, 2020) was a Canadian comic book writer and television screenwriter. Pasko worked for many comics publishers, but is best known for his superhero stories for DC Com ...
(aided by
Steve Gerber Stephen Ross Gerber (; September 20, 1947 – February 10, 2008) was an American comic book writer and creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck. Other works include ''Man-Thing'', ''Omega the Unknown,'' ''Marvel Spotlight:' ...
from #310 to #313) and drawn by
Keith Giffen Keith Ian Giffen (born November 30, 1952) is an American comics artist and writer. He is known for his work for DC Comics on their ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' and ''Justice League'' titles as well as for being the co-creator of Lobo. Biography K ...
. Beginning in 1981, DC's ''
All-Star Squadron The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics superhero team that debuted in ''Justice League, Justice League of America'' #193 (August 1981) and was created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway. Although the team was introduced in the 1980s, its se ...
'' elaborated upon the adventures of many World War II-era heroes, including Doctor Fate and the JSA. The series ran for 67 issues and three annuals, concluding in 1987. Doctor Fate made occasional modern-day appearances in ''
Infinity, Inc. Infinity, Inc. is a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first incarnation is mostly composed of the children and heirs of the Justice Society of America (JSA), making them the Society's analogue to t ...
'' in 1984, the same year which witnessed the 22nd and final annual Justice Society/Justice League team-up. Doctor Fate also made a guest appearance in a 3-issue 1985 crossover in the pages of ''Infinity, Inc.'' #19-20 and ''Justice League'' #244. Doctor Fate then appeared in the four-part special ''America vs. the Justice Society'' (1985) which finalized the story of the Justice Society, featuring an elaboration of the events of ''Adventure Comics'' #466 and a recap of the Justice Society's annual team-ups with the Justice League. In 1985, DC collected the Doctor Fate back-up stories from ''The Flash'', a retelling of Doctor Fate's origin by
Paul Levitz Paul Levitz (; born October 21, 1956) is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002–2009, he worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles. Along with publisher Jenette Kahn ...
,
Joe Staton Joe Staton ( born January 19, 1948) is an American comics artist and writer. He co-created the Bronze Age Huntress (Helena Wayne), as well as the third Huntress (Helena Bertinelli), Kilowog and the Omega Men for DC Comics. He was the artist of t ...
, and Michael Nasser originally published in ''Secret Origins of Super-Heroes'' (January 1978) (''DC Special Series'' #10 in the indicia), the Pasko/Simonson Doctor Fate story from ''1st Issue Special'' #9, and a Doctor Fate tale from ''More Fun Comics'' #56 (June 1940), in a three-issue
limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...
titled ''The Immortal Doctor Fate''. Doctor Fate appeared in several issues of the ''
Crisis on Infinite Earths "Crisis on Infinite Earths" is a 1985 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to March ...
'', after which Doctor Fate briefly joined the Justice League.


Modern Age

In 1987, the ''Doctor Fate'' mini-series was released soon afterward, featuring the debut of Eric and Linda Strauss, who would replace the character Kent Nelson as Doctor Fate after being seemingly killed off by the antagonist of the book.''Doctor Fate'' #1–4 (July–October 1987). DC Comics. Later, DC Comics would release a Doctor Fate ongoing series focusing on both characters acting simultaneously as Doctor Fate, the first twenty-four issues written and drawn by J.M. DeMatteis and
Shawn McManus Shawn McManus (born June 30, 1958) is an American artist who has worked extensively over three decades for DC Comics and other companies, notably for DC's Vertigo imprint including the ''Fables'' series. Comics Born in Brookline, Massachusetts, ...
starting in the winter of 1988. The series focused on magically aged up Eric and Linda acting as Doctor Fate under the guidance of Nabu, whom has inhabited and taken the identity of Kent Nelson. Despite their differences in personality and both Eric's immaturity and true age, Linda is portrayed as having feelings for Erica which are mutual. The Eric Stauss character was seemingly killed off later in the run, making the Linda Strauss character the sole Doctor Fate for a time.''Doctor Fate'' (vol. 2) #12 (December 1989) The character would also briefly become a permanent member of the Justice League International. Eventually, Linda and Eric's characters were dropped as Doctor Fate, the last arc of the story revealing their fates to have reincarnated into the bodies of Eugene and Wendy DiBellia while Nabu reincarnates in Eugene and Wendy's unborn child.''Doctor Fate'' (vol. 2) #24 (January 1991) In 1991, later issues of the series saw Kent's wife Inza take over as the new Doctor Fate with a different benefactor unlike her husband, starting with the 25th issue of the series Inza's tenure as Doctor Fate differs from Nelson in her focus on
social class A social class is a grouping of people into a set of Dominance hierarchy, hierarchical social categories, the most common being the Upper class, upper, Middle class, middle and Working class, lower classes. Membership in a social class can for ...
issues and inequality, using her powers to improve one of the poorest districts in New York City while defending it from corruption and genuine malevolent evil forces. The series ended with issue #41. Following '' Zero Hour'', DC killed off both Kent and Inza and replaced them with a new character, Jared Stevens. DC eventually replaced the existing Doctor Fate with a new character, Jared Stevens. Stevens was introduced in a self-titled series called ''Fate'', launched in the wake of '' Zero Hour'' in 1994.''Fate'' #0 (October 1994) The Doctor Fate character went through a radical redesign, dropping the "Doctor" title and gaining new weapons made from the previous related artifacts of Doctor Fate. Unlike prior depictions of the Doctor Fate character as a sorcerer, the character was instead cast as a demon hunter. Considered an unpopular re-imagining of the character, the series was cancelled after 23 issues in September 1996. The character then starred in ''The Book of Fate'' written by Keith Giffen, which ran from February 1997 to January 1998 for twelve issues as part of DC's " Weirdoverse" imprint, rebooting the character's origins and adventures. In 1999, the revival of the Justice Society in '' JSA'' allowed the Doctor Fate character to be re-worked once more and subsequently killed off the Jared Stevens character.''JSA'' #1 (August 1999). DC Comics.''JSA'' #4 (November 1999). DC Comics. The next incarnation of the Doctor Fate character would come in the form of Hector Hall, the son of the Golden Age Hawkman and Hawkgirl. In addition to appearing in ''JSA'', DC published a self-titled, five-issue limited series in 2003. The character was killed in the ''
Day of Vengeance ''Day of Vengeance'' is a six-issue comic book Limited series (comics), limited series written by Bill Willingham, with art by Justiniano and Walden Wong, published in 2005 by DC Comics. Publication history ''Day of Vengeance'' is one of four lim ...
'' limited series in 2005 as part of the lead in to the 2005 company-wide event story, ''
Infinite Crisis "Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, a ...
''. In 2007, a new incarnation of Doctor Fate, Kent V. Nelson, was created by
Steve Gerber Stephen Ross Gerber (; September 20, 1947 – February 10, 2008) was an American comic book writer and creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck. Other works include ''Man-Thing'', ''Omega the Unknown,'' ''Marvel Spotlight:' ...
and
Justiniano Justiniano (born Josue Rivera) is an American comic book artist. His work includes the ''Doctor Fate'' feature in the 8-issue ''Countdown'' spin-off ''Countdown to Mystery'' miniseries (with the late writer Steve Gerber) from DC Comics, ''Evil E ...
and serves as an attempt to revitalize the Doctor Fate character. Unlike prior depictions, the character is instead no longer rooted in Egyptian/Mesopotamian mythology and is disassociated with the Lords of Chaos and Order due to being killed off during Infinite Crisis. Gerber also stated his intentions of not directly contradicting previous runs while raising the subject as little as possible. The character was also the grand nephew of the original Doctor Fate, establishing a connection to the most recognized Doctor Fate. Due to Steve Gerber's death, the seventh issue was written by
Adam Beechen Adam Beechen (born December 14, 1968) is an American comic book writer who wrote '' Countdown to Adventure'' and co-wrote ''Countdown'' for DC Comics. Career Animation Beechen has written scripts for various cartoons, such as ''Teen Titans'', '' ...
using Gerber's notes. The final issue was written by Beechen,
Gail Simone Gail Simone (aka Gladys Simonetti) is an American writer best known for her work in comics on DC's ''Birds of Prey'', ''Batgirl'', Dynamite Entertainment's Red Sonja, and for being the longest running female writer on Wonder Woman to date. Other ...
,
Mark Waid Mark Waid (; born March 21, 1962) is an American comic book writer best known for his work on DC Comics titles ''The Flash'', '' Kingdom Come'' and '' Superman: Birthright'' as well as his work on ''Captain America'', ''Fantastic Four'' and '' Dar ...
, and
Mark Evanier Mark Stephen Evanier (; born March 2, 1952) is an American comic book and television writer, known for his work on the animated TV series ''Garfield and Friends'' and on the comic book ''Groo the Wanderer''. He is also known for his columns and bl ...
, who each wrote a different ending to the story. The character would appear in the ''Reign in Hell'' miniseries and in ''Justice Society of America'' (vol. 3) #30 (August 2009), featuring in the book until its cancellation with #54 in August 2011.


The New 52

Following the events of the '' Flashpoint'' mini-series in 2011, DC's continuity was
reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
ed. As part of
The New 52 The New 52 is the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC canceled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new serie ...
initiative, an alternate version of Doctor Fate named Khalid Ben-Hassin was created by writer James Robinson and artist Brett Booth. The character was featured in the ''Earth 2'' ongoing series from #9 (February 2013) onwards.


DC You & DC Rebirth-onward

After the conclusion of the '' Convergence'' limited series in June 2015, DC launched a new ''Doctor Fate'' ongoing series, written by
Paul Levitz Paul Levitz (; born October 21, 1956) is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002–2009, he worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles. Along with publisher Jenette Kahn ...
and drawn by
Sonny Liew Sonny Liew (born 26 September 1974) is a Malaysia-born comic artist/illustrator based in Singapore. He is best known for ''The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye'' (2015), the first graphic novel to win the Singapore Literature Prize for fiction. Ea ...
as part of the DC You initiative, which saw an emphasis on "story over continuity", loosening the restrictions of continuity to allow for a diverse range of genres while some characters underwent status quo changes. The title focused on the newest and most recent incarnation of Doctor Fate, an Egyptian-American medical student named Khalid Nassour. Created with an emphasis on diversity and to take the character in a different direction, the bi-racial character's inspirations included Marvel characters like Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, the latter character having been influenced by Sonny Liew; Liew intended to depict a character entrusted with great responsibilities going through a journey of self-discovery in a world similar to the likes of ''Doctor Strange''. The series also would re-introduce a rebooted version of the Kent Nelson character, depicting him as a previous Doctor Fate with some of his old histories intact and as a mentor figure. Both Khalid and Kent would simultaneously act as Doctor Fate, the former being his apprentice to prepare to fully inherit the role. The series ran for 18 issues from June 2015 to November 2016. In 2018, DC launched a second ''Justice League Dark'' series written by
James Tynion IV James Tynion IV (born December 14, 1987) is an American comic book writer. He is best known for his work on the Batman franchise at DC Comics, his DC Black Label series ''The Nice House on the Lake'' and his independent series '' Department of ...
starring a new roster led by Wonder Woman. In this roster, Khalid and Kent Nelson were revealed to be eventual new members of the Justice League, originally acting as "advisors" in the team and became reoccurring characters. Nassour would eventually permanently become the new Doctor Fate instead of Kent Nelson in the "Lords of Order" storyline. Nassour would also receive a new redesign as Doctor Fate. Nelson's character would be later killed off in the "A Costly Trick of Magic" storyline, leaving Nassour as the sole Doctor Fate character in present times. While the original 2018 series was cancelled in 2020, the ''Justice League Dark'' series was instead re-purposed as a backup issue to the mainstream ''Justice League'' title, the backup issue written by autho
Ram V
featuring a new storyline with Khalid remaining a reoccurring member of the Justice League Dark subdivision. Khalid would also appear in several title crossovers such as ''Superman'', ''Teen Titans Academy'', and ''The Flash''. In 2021, Khalid Nassour would appear in major storylines such as the Justice League Dark's "The Great Wickedness" storyline, depicting a status quo change in which the Helmet of Fate is damaged from a previous battle with the villain, Upside-Down Man, and is inhabited by a new entity. Connected to the
Future State "Future State" is a comic book storyline published by DC Comics in January and February 2021, consisting of multiple limited series released in place of DC's regular ongoing series during those months. The event is set in the aftermath of the " D ...
crossover event depicting an older Khalid Nassour having lived through the aftermath of the events of the "Great Wickedness" storyline, the entity is revealed to be the Egyptian goddess, Hauhhet. Nassour would also play a role in the ''Justice League''/''Justice League Dark'' crossover involving the return of the character, Xanadoth.


Incarnations


Kent Nelson

The first and original incarnation of Doctor Fate, Kent Nelson was created by Gardener Fox and Howard Sherman during the Golden Age of Comics Books. Known often as the primary and most well-known incarnation of the character, Nelson serves as both the main character and major supporting character to several of the ''Doctor Fate'' titles over the years. Born as the son of an archaeologist, Kent was an American of both Swedish and British descent who ventured with his father into a tomb in Mesopotamia, discovering the human body of Nabu but at the cost of his father's life. Nabu would pity the child and train him in the ways of magic before making him Doctor Fate, an agent of the Lords of Order. Kent would begin a superhero career specializing in magic and was a founding member of the All-Star Squadron and Justice Society of America as well as bonded with his partner and eventual wife, Inza Cramer. Later revisions to his history altered his relationship with Nabu, portraying him as a overbearing, controlling figure that manipulated a young Kent Nelson into being his agent while slowly supplanting his free will with his own. In modern continuity, he is succeeded officially by his grand-nephew and apprentice, Khalid Nassour. Altered by Nabu, Kent possesses a level of immortality, invulnerability, and telekinetic abilities on his own. In tandem with Nabu's artifacts, he gains potent spell-casting capabilities and magical powers, making him among the most powerful sorcerers of his time and the most powerful incarnation of Doctor Fate. He also possesses profound knowledge in the mystic arts, is a certified archaeologist & physician (the latter in some continuities), holding a doctorate degree in both.


Eric & Linda Strauss

The second incarnation of Doctor Fate, both Eric and Linda Strauss's characters debuted in ''Doctor Fate'' #1 on July 1987. Created by J.M Dematteis and Keith Giffen, the characters were created to replace the original incarnation of Doctor Fate. Born to wealthy parents Rebecca and Henry Strauss, Eric Strauss was selected as a future agent of order, growing up aware of the existence of the Lords of Order and having a level of mystical awareness although it gave rise to an abnormal personality. He would have a bond with his future partner, Linda Strauss, whom became his step-mother after Rebecca committed suicide on account of the abuse she received from Henry. Soon, Linda herself was subjected to abuse at his hands but endured it for Eric, whom she found herself having a strange fascination with. At the age of ten, Eric was chosen as Nabu's next agent of order to inherit the Doctor Fate mantle, substantially increasing the boy's age in a similar manner to what occurred with Nelson before. This time Eric's mind did not mature.''Doctor Fate'' #1–4 (July–October 1987) He would act as Doctor Fate alongside Linda, the two often merging in order to become Doctor Fate. Nabu goes on to possess Kent's corpse in order to personally advise them. Overtime, despite Eric's mind being similar to a child of ten years old, Linda developed romantic feelings for her step-son while Eric reciprocated such feelings. Eric is eventually killed on
Apokolips Apokolips is a fictional planet that appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The planet is ruled by Darkseid, established in Jack Kirby's Fourth World series, and is integral to many stories in the DC Universe. Apokolips is co ...
during a battle with Desaad, forcing Linda to become Doctor Fate on her own. Linda is killed soon afterward by the Lords of Chaos and the two reincarnated into new bodies, living out their new lives with one another. Together, both Linda and Eric mystically merge with one another to become a being called "Doctor Fate", the act causing the various artifacts (Helmet of Fate, Amulet of Anubis, Cloak of Destiny) to appear due to the artifacts operating as part of the merger. The dominant consciousness when merged determines the appearance. Their joint act as Doctor Fate is considered to be among the most powerful mystical beings on Earth although they lacked knowledge compared to their predecessor. Both Linda and Eric can also act independently as Doctor Fate, although they possess only half of their power.


Inza Cramer Nelson

Inza Cramer-Nelson (also Inza Saunders) debuted in ''More Fun Comics'' #55 in 1940, created by writer
Gardner Fox Gardner Francis Cooper Fox (May 20, 1911 – December 24, 1986) was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. He is estimated to have written more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for DC ...
and artist Howard Sherman. Originally, the character was created as a love interest for Kent Nelson, the original character to have starred as Doctor Fate. She would eventually become the fourth character to bear the Doctor Fate name and the second female character to become Doctor Fate. In a scheme to lure in Doctor Fate, Inza was kidnapped by the scientific villain, Wotan. Inza and Doctor Fate meet, the woman enamoured with a life potentially filled with adventure and would accompany Doctor Fate as his partner. Eventually, Kent Nelson revealed his identity to her and she would support him when he became a medical doctor, accompanying him as a nurse. At some point, she also pursued a doctorate in archaeology similarly to her husband. Later, the two would marry, the magics of the Tower of Fate keeping them young. Overtime, their marriage became strained due to Nabu's influence on Doctor Fate and Inza coming to resent having to be in a passive role within the Tower of Fate, resulting in a loss of a social life. Despite later having some romantic feelings for another man, Inza ultimately remained faithful to Kent with intent on working through their marital problems. Eventually, Inza and Nelson would be killed in the wake of the cosmic event known as kali yuga, the Lords of Chaos empowered and weakening Nabu, rapidly aging both of them and the strain being too much for Inza to bear. Eventually, Nelson too was killed and in the aftermath, the two would live out their afterlfie within the Amulet of Anubis for a time, the pair creating the life they missed out in their lifetime in the dimension, including a child. Eventually, the pair are resurrected into younger bodies and Inza becomes the sole Doctor Fate for a time, unable to merge with Nelson. As Doctor Fate, Inza's methods are more proactive although she becomes more reckless in their use, stemming a temporary separation from Kent. The two reconcile their differences upon learning Inza's patron as Doctor Fate originating from a Lord of Chaos, making her an agent of chaos. The Chaos Lord revealing himself to have subtly influenced some events enough to cause the two to have strife against one another and enjoyed having the Lords of Chaos be a force of good, reasoning that even Chaos Lords did not find evil as favorable. The Chaos Lord would relinquish the powers bestowed to Inza back to himself although she would replace her chaos magic with magics stemming from life and continued acting as Doctor Fate, with Nelson acting alongside her.''Doctor Fate'' (vol. 2) #25 (February 1991) When operating as separate Doctor Fates, Inza wears the helmet and Kent's original costume while Kent wears the half helmet and costume he used in the late 1940s. Sometime later, the Nelsons and the JSA face the supervillain
Extant Extant is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to: * Extant hereditary titles * Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English * Extant taxon, a taxon which is not extinct, ...
during
Parallax Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between those two lines. Due to foreshortening, nearby objects ...
's attempt to change the history of the universe. Extant uses his time manipulation powers to rapidly age Kent and Inza to their proper physical ages. Extant also scatters the helmet, amulet, and cloak. The aged and depowered Nelsons then retire.After the New 52 reboot, Inza would make a minor appearance in a flashback, establishing her as Nelson's wife like the previous continuities. The flashback also implies her history being similar to her depiction in the Silver Age, Bronze Age, and Golden Age.


Jared Stevens

Jared Stevens debuted in ''Fate #0'' in 1994, created by John Francis More and Anthony Williams. The character was created as the fifth incarnation of the Doctor Fate character. The characer differs from all other incarnations, having a radical re-designed and re-imagined as a demon hunter although the revisions to the character made it unpopular. The character's backstory was also revised twice, his original origin in the ''Fate'' comic title and the Book of Fate re-imagining his origin. After retiring, the Nelsons hire smuggler Jared Stevens to recover the helmet, amulet, and cloak from an Egyptian tomb. When the Nelsons try to collect the artifacts, they are murdered by two demons. During the battle, Jared attempts to use the amulet as a weapon, which then explodes and imbues him with various magical abilities and a red ankh-shaped scar over his right eye. Jared's injuries force him to use the cloak as a wrap for his right arm and to melt the helmet into a set of ankh-shaped darts and a dagger for use as weapons. After defeating the demons, Jared is contacted by Nabu, who attempts to make Jared the new Doctor Fate. Jared refuses and escapes, becoming a demon hunter using the alias "Fate". During his battles, he teams up with the supernaturally powered team of fugitives
Scare Tactics ''Scare Tactics'' is an American comedy horror hidden camera television show, produced by Scott Hallock and Kevin Healey. Its first two seasons aired from April 2003 to December 2004. After a hiatus, the show returned for a third season, beginn ...
, Etrigan the Demon and other forces to combat threats from the realm of
Gemworld Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld is a superhero published in American comic books created by DC Comics. Created by writers Dan Mishkin, Gary Cohn and artist Ernie Colón, she debuted in ''The Legion of Superheroes'' #298 in April 1983. Born in ...
. Jared is later murdered by Mordru, who attempts to kill all the agents of the Lords of Chaos and Order and claim Fate's artifacts for himself.''JSA'' #1 (August 1999) Jared's equipment reverts to its original forms and returns to the Tower of Fate upon his death. During the '' Dark Nights: Death Metal'' storyline, Jared is briefly seen among the superheroes that were revived by
Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
using a Black Lantern ring. His appearance implies he was involved as an incarnation of Doctor Fate after the New 52 although the exact history has yet to be explained.


Hector Hall

Hector Hall first appeared in ''All-Star Squadron'' #25 (September, 1983) as the son of Golden Age heroes
Hawkman Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1, published by All-American ...
and Hawkgirl, both characters whose stories include
reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is a ...
as a central part of their fictional history. The character would eventually be reworked into the next incarnation of Doctor Fate in ''JSA'' #33 (October, 1999). After Jared's murder, the mantle of Doctor Fate, along with a restored helmet, amulet, and cloak, is passed to a reincarnated Hector Hall.''JSA'' #4 (November 1999) The Justice Society is reformed to protect the newly reborn Hector, who is being sought by Mordru so that he can use the boy's body to unlock the magical potential of Doctor Fate's artifacts for his own benefit. Hector's new body is the biological son of Hawk and Dove (Hank Hall and Dawn Granger), who are agents of Chaos and Order, respectively, which makes Hector an agent of balance instead of one side or the other. When the
Spectre Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to: Religion and spirituality * Vision (spirituality) * Apparitional experience * Ghost Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and writ ...
goes on a quest to extinguish magic, he banishes Hector and his wife to a snowy mountain landscape for all eternity, which they are only able to 'escape' by entering the Dream realm, although this essentially kills their bodies and means they can never return to Earth. Like other Doctor Fates, Hector's possession of the Nabu's mystical artifacts makes him among the most powerful sorcerers in the
DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lant ...
. Unlike incarnations preceding him, Hector mostly retains his agency even with Nabu inhabiting the helmet and doesn't require the use of ankhs when using his magical abilities. Hector is stated to potentially be the most powerful incarnations of all incarnations of Doctor Fate before him.


Kent V. Nelson

The latest incarnation of Doctor Fate prior to the New 52 reboot, the character debuted in the first issue of ''Countdown to Mystery'' in 2007 as an attempt to revitalize the character; unlike other Doctor Fates, the character lacks any connections to Nabu and either of the Lords of Order or Lords of Chaos, as the two factions were killed off in a previous storyline. In addition, the character's powers is not tied to any known mythology, making the Doctor Fate character exclusively a mystic superhero. A
psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...
and the grand-nephew of Kent Nelson, Kent V. Nelson would lose his status following his infidelity leading to a divorce, leading to depression and losing his license following negligent practices in the workplace. Eventually, the Helmet of Fate, seeking a new host, would choose him as the next incarnation of Doctor Fate. The character would become a member of the Justice Society of America, struggling with upholding the legacy of spell-casters with his initial lack of magical expertise.''Countdown to Mystery'' #1–8 (November 2007–July 2008)''Justice Society of America'' (vol. 3) #35 (March 2010) Kent V. Nelson possess the typical powers of Doctor Fate, allowing him to cast spells and perform various magical abilities through the Helmet of Fate. These abilities includes a half-helmet state, a "battle variant" (the classical costume of Doctor Fate), and can access a "library" of spells through the helmet despite lacking Nabu. In his early depiction in the ''Justice Society of America'' title, he was a novice sorcerer capable of casting general spells. Overtime, his skills became advanced enough to be hailed with the "Sorcerer Supreme" title. Additionally, Kent V. Nelson was a skilled psychiatrist prior to losing his license to practice.


Khalid Nassour

The current incarnation of Doctor Fate, Khalid Nassour first appeared in June 2015, starring in a ''Doctor Fate'' solo series, created as another attempt to revitalize the character, this time using the Egyptian-related background of the character. The character's journey & world would be inspired by
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
'
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...
and
Doctor Strange Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as Sorce ...
and is notably one of DC Comics's first
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
characters to headline a solo series. Unlike the other incarnations, the character's designation as Doctor Fate comes from both a cultural connection to
Egyptian deities Ancient Egyptian deities are the gods and goddesses worshipped in ancient Egypt. The beliefs and rituals surrounding these gods formed the core of ancient Egyptian religion, which emerged sometime in prehistory. Deities represented natural fo ...
and a religious connection to
archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other relig ...
s instead of Nabu. The grandnephew of Kent Nelson through his mother's side and beginning as medical student, Khalid Nassour is a Egyptian-American who was bestowed the Helmet of Fate and named the next Doctor Fate by the Egyptian goddess, Bastet. An inexperience Doctor Fate, Khalid would eventually be apprenticed by both Nabu and Kent Nelson, both Kent and Khalid using the codename for a time. Eventually becoming a member of the Justice League Dark, Khalid would become the sole Doctor Fate in the final arc of '' Justice League Dark'' when Nelson perished in battle with Upside Down Man, having completed enough of his training to be considered one of the world's foremost magicians. Later, Khalid would be depicted as both a medical school graduate and a member of the Justice Society of America. Khalid possess natural magical abilities bolstered by the Helmet of Fate and other associated items, including the Staff of Power. Initially, he was portrayed as a rudimentary sorcerer guided by Nabu and the Helmet of Fate's power. The character would later be apprenticed under Kent Nelson, his skills becoming more advanced and formidable. While his powers through the Helmet were initially provided by Nabu,
Hauhet Ḥeḥ (''ḥḥ'', also Huh, Hah, Hauh, Huah, and Hehu) was the personification of infinity or eternity in the Ogdoad in ancient Egyptian religion.Wilkinson, Richard H. (2003). ''The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt''. Thames & H ...
later becomes a patron of the helmet after it was damaged, granting him different powers; Hauhet's influences allows him to see the future at a cost of some of his sight although a possible future depicted its fully repaired state of allowing Khalid to see and experience future timelines without consequence. Khalid is also a skilled physician, holding a medical degree.


Other versions


Khalid Ben-Hassin

In 2013 several years after DC Comics rebooted the
DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lant ...
through the New 52, a new incarnation of Doctor Fate would be created for the ''Earth 2'' series; the incarnation of the character known as ''Khalid Ben-Hassin is of Egyptian descent raised in the United States. The character's descent was intentional by James Robinson, wanting an Egyptian character to hold the mantle Doctor Fate while still allowing to be Western but not making him a caricature. Unlike other versions of Fate prior to 2013, his spell-craft abilities are also centered on invoking Egyptian deities. Alongside his creation also came a re-design and reintroudction of the classic Doctor Fate archnemesis,
Wotan (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the ''Nibelun ...
.


Legion of the Super-Heroes's Doctor Fate

A future version of the character debuted in ''Supergirl'' #33 (2019), first created by writer Marc Andreyako and artist Kevin Maguire. This version of the character is a member of the
Legion of Super-Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st c ...
, appearing in a possible future in the 31st century after the alterations of reality made by Doctor Manhattan were undone during the ''Doomsday Clock'' event. Unlike other versions of Doctor Fate, the Legion of Super-Heroes' Doctor Fate is portrayed as a six-armed, male alien sorcerer. Doctor Fate assists the Legion of Super-Heroes in mystic matters and is the one who warns the Legion and the United Planets of the coming Great Darkness, the true source and embodiment of darkness in the DC Universe. He also assists the Legion of Super-Heroes in defeating the future version of Mordru, who plots to kill Superman (Jon Kent) with help from Rogol Zaar.


Doctor Strangefate

Doctor Strangefate is a sorcerer from the
Amalgam Comics Amalgam Comics was a collaborative publishing imprint shared by DC Comics and Marvel Comics, in which the two comic book publishers merged their characters into new ones (e.g., DC Comics' Batman and Marvel Comics' Wolverine become the Amalgam C ...
universe; he is an
amalgamation Amalgamation is the process of combining or uniting multiple entities into one form. Amalgamation, amalgam, and other derivatives may refer to: Mathematics and science * Amalgam (chemistry), the combination of mercury with another metal **Pan am ...
of Doctor Fate and
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
'
Doctor Strange Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as Sorce ...
, with the alter ego of Marvel Comics' Charles Xavier.


Powers, abilities, and resources

With access to various magical artifacts, all incarnations of Doctor Fate (excluding Jared Stevens due to the nature of his powers & non-spell casting abilities) possess sufficient magical power that allows them to be considered among the most powerful magical users on Earth in the DC Universe, with the character being said to possess numerous magical abilities considered nearly unstoppable. These abilities include spell-casting, flight, teleportation, invisibility, necromancy, and more. Some versions of Doctor Fate also have the ability to mystically merge both body and souls with another also selected to be Doctor Fate, creating a magical being that calls themself Dr. Fate and has access to greater power. Despite their powers, the characters possess several weaknesses dependent on the incarnations; some versions of Doctor Fate and their powers are centered around the helm, with removal of the helmet removing or limiting their powers severely. Some versions are also unable to cast counter spells that have been already cast, due to various rules of magic, able only to instead protect themselves from the effects.''Justice League of America'' #148 (November 1977) Divine sources can also disrupt the abilities bestowed to Doctor Fate's incarnations, such their healing abilities.


Mystic artifacts


Helmet of Fate

The Helmet of Fate (sometimes called the Helm of Fate, Helmet of Nabu, Helmet of Anubis, Helmet of Thoth, or Helm of Thoth) is a magical
Corinthian helmet The Corinthian helmet originated in ancient Greece and took its name from the city-state of Corinth. It was a helmet made of bronze which in its later styles covered the entire head and neck, with slits for the eyes and mouth. A large curved pro ...
that grants the bearer godly level powers and is considered one of the most powerful magical artifacts in the
DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lant ...
. While most continuities establish it to be a creation of
Nabu Nabu ( akk, cuneiform: 𒀭𒀝 Nabû syr, ܢܵܒܼܘܼ\ܢܒܼܘܿ\ܢܵܒܼܘܿ Nāvū or Nvō or Nāvō) is the ancient Mesopotamian patron god of literacy, the rational arts, scribes, and wisdom. Etymology and meaning The Akkadian "nab ...
, the fourth ''Doctor Fate'' series presents a different origin, the helmet instead associated with
Thoth Thoth (; from grc-koi, Θώθ ''Thṓth'', borrowed from cop, Ⲑⲱⲟⲩⲧ ''Thōout'', Egyptian: ', the reflex of " eis like the Ibis") is an ancient Egyptian deity. In art, he was often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis or a ...
and is presented with an altered origin, the object of power being rooted in the DC's version of Egyptian mythology; being a creation of
Osiris Osiris (, from Egyptian ''wsjr'', cop, ⲟⲩⲥⲓⲣⲉ , ; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎𐤓, romanized: ʾsr) is the god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion. He was ...
and Thoth's hand, it was created in order to trap Nabu, who once served alongside Thoth for reasons not revealed. Acting as a respository of magical energy, the helmet was constructed using the fictitious metal known as Nth metal, granting it mystical properties, as well as some anti-magic properties against those of magical origin. Bearing the helmet allows for magical capabilities (spell-casting) and grants its users numerous powers: flight, healing, and the manipulation of the natural elements (wind, earth, water, fire, and lightning). The helmet also contains a vast library of spells from which the user can draw, possesses the power to trap entities within its separate world, and is both durable and capable of regenerating from damage. However, the Helmet of Fate is not completely impervious, as powerful entities (e.g.,
Arion Arion (; grc-gre, Ἀρίων; fl. c. 700 BC) was a kitharode in ancient Greece, a Dionysiac poet credited with inventing the dithyramb. The islanders of Lesbos claimed him as their native son, but Arion found a patron in Periander, tyrant ...
, and Brimstone) have shown the ability to damage the helmet enough to require regeneration, showcasing a vulnerability to powerful forms of magic and applications from the Firestorm matrix. The helmet also can be overloaded with magical power, rendering much of its power inert; this happened during the ''A Costly Trick of Magic'' storyline, when Nabu and Nelson sacrificed themselves to create a spell powerful enough to injure Upside-Down Man, leaving Khalid's incarnation of Doctor Fate unable to call upon its powers.


Amulet of Anubis

The Amulet of Anubis (sometimes called the Amulet of Nabu or the Amulet of Thoth) is an
amulet An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word amuletum, which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects ...
that was once bestowed to Anubis's most devout follower, being created by the death god himself. The amulet itself is automatically granted to those who bear the Helmet of Fate, bestowed to them alongside the magical cloak. The amulet affords several abilities, including resistance to psychic/astral probing, allows for mind control, and bolsters a user's magical power. While seldomly used by Doctor Fate himself, the amulet also allows for the wearer to call upon the decease spirits, allowing him to commune with spirits as well as houses its own universe separate from the main universe, allowing the wearer to hide their existence or to trap powerful entities within. The amulet's history was revised several times; in one story, the Amulet of Anubis was a powerful artifact forged by the Lords of Order at the dawn of time, being so powerful the Lords of Chaos formerly sought the artifact themselves. Eventually, it came into Nabu's possession to be granted to his chosen agent.


Cloak of Destiny

The Cloak of Destiny is a magical cloak with mystic properities; the cloak is both fireproof and highly resistant towards some forms of magic in the
DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lant ...
; Jared Stevens notably used it to suppress the chaos magic that infected his arm.


Other artifacts

* Orb of Nabu: An orb-like device used by Doctor Fate in order to search for unknown threats, functioning similarly to a scrying glass. Despite its naming and Doctor Fate's association with magic, it is one of the few devices he uses not explicitly magic; the crystals that make up the orb are considered radio sensitive and react to his brain when in use. Though technological in nature, Doctor Fate often uses it and his magic in order to discern what is being hidden from them. * Globes of Power: Magically constructed globes used by the Inza Cramer incarnation of Doctor Fate, created as a method of helping others without needing to directly intervene with other citizens during her tenure in New York. The globes are powered by Doctor Fate's magic and act in a similar manner to AI, able to perform simple magical fixes or alert her to threats requiring her attention. * Staff of Power: A mystical staff gifted to Khalid Nassour's incarnation of Doctor Fate by
Thoth Thoth (; from grc-koi, Θώθ ''Thṓth'', borrowed from cop, Ⲑⲱⲟⲩⲧ ''Thōout'', Egyptian: ', the reflex of " eis like the Ibis") is an ancient Egyptian deity. In art, he was often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis or a ...
powered by the blood of a pharaoh. It allows for energy projection-related powers. Only the Khalid Nassour version of Doctor Fate can use it due to his pharaoh lineage.


List of patrons


Tower of Fate

The Tower of Fate (also called the Fortress of Fate) is the magical dwelling bestowed to bearers of the Doctor Fate mantle. The tower acts as a nexus point of magic and reality on Earth. It has no doors or windows, being only accessible by magic. The inside of the tower appears as a twisted maze of stairways and hallways in which the laws of physics do not apply. The Tower holds a large collection of arcane texts within its personal library, including materials saved from the Great Library of Alexandria prior to its burning. In addition, the Tower itself possess mystical defenses, including once having a protector in the form of Typhon, a Lord of Chaos who was an enemy of Doctor Fate and later protected the Tower from intruders.


Supporting cast


Supporting characters


Supporting teams and groups


Villains and enemies


Foes of lesser renown


Villainous teams and groups


In other media


Television


Live-action

* The Kent Nelson incarnation of Doctor Fate and his wife Inza Nelson appear in the ''
Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...
'' two-part episode " Absolute Justice", portrayed by
Brent Stait Brent Stait (born September 9, 1959) is a Canadian actor, best known for his roles as Rev Bem in the science fiction television series '' Andromeda'' and Louis Ferretti in ''Stargate SG-1''. Biography Stait was born in Snow Lake, Manitoba. Th ...
and
Erica Carroll Erica Carroll is a Canadian actress. On TV, she has played Dottie Ramsey on ''When Calls the Heart'', angel Hannah on '' Supernatural'' in seasons 9 and 10, the character Mrs. Rivera on the series '' Almost Human'', Inza Nelson in '' Smallville ...
respectively. The Helmet of Nabu reappeared in the episode "Lazarus", wherein Chloe Sullivan uses it to locate the
Green Arrow Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 in November 1941. His secret identity, real name is Olive ...
. * Doctor Fate's helmet made a brief appearance in the ''Constantine (TV series), Constantine'' episode "Non Est Asylum" as one of several artifacts stored in Jasper Winter's house. * The Kent Nelson incarnation of Doctor Fate appears in ''Stargirl (TV series), Stargirl''.


Animation

* The Kent Nelson incarnation of Doctor Fate appears in series set in the DC Animated Universe, initially voiced by George DelHoyo before Oded Fehr took over. * The Kent Nelson incarnation of Doctor Fate appears in the ''Batman: The Brave and the Bold'', voiced by Greg Ellis (actor), Greg Ellis. * Doctor Fate appears in ''Mad (TV series), Mad'', voiced by Kevin Shinick. * Doctor Fate appears in the ''DC Nation'' block on Cartoon Network. * Several incarnations of Doctor Fate appears in ''Young Justice (TV series), Young Justice''. This version features different origins for those who hold the mantle, some of whom are based on existing magic-related characters within DC Comics. Unlike the other incarnations of Doctor Fate, the mantle is the alter ego of Nabu, who became a Lord of Order. ** Nabu (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) was originally a son of Vandal Savage who was regarded in Mesopotamian mythology as Marduk and a god of wisdom before he was killed due to Savage's alliance with Lords of Chaos member Klarion the Witch Boy and spiritually ascended as a Lord of Order. Following this, Nabu must anchor himself to Earth via a physical host, whom he completely overwrites as a requirement for those whom bear his helm, and has taken many hosts over the succeeding millennia. ** Kent Nelson (voiced by Edward Asner) is a retired member of the
Justice Society of America The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic ...
and mentor to Zatara, Giovanni Zatara who ceased being Nabu's host due to its effects on Nelson's marriage. Despite being killed by Klarion, Nelson temporarily confines his spirit to the Helmet of Fate and grants it to members of the List of Young Justice characters#"The Team", Team so they can use it for emergencies. ** While in possession of the Helmet of Fate, Team members Kaldur'ahm, Aqualad and Wally West, Kid Flash temporarily take up the mantle of Doctor Fate before Nelson's spirit convinces Nabu to release them. After
Zatanna Zatanna Zatara () is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, and first appeared in '' Hawkman'' #4 (November 1964). Zatanna is a stage magician with a ...
dons the helmet to fight Klarion however, Nabu refuses to relinquish her until Zatara convinces Nabu to take him instead. As of Young Justice: Outsiders, season three, Nabu agreed to allow Zatara and Zatanna to reunite annually for one hour. ** In season four, Zatanna forms the Sentinels of Magic, which includes
Khalid Nassour Dr. Khalid Nassour is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, being the eighth character to adopt the Doctor Fate codename in mainstream comics. Created by writer Paul Levtiz and artist Sonny Liew to emphasize dive ...
(voiced by Usman Ally) and Traci Thirteen, Traci Thurston (voiced by Lauren Tom), to free Zatara and convince Nabu to alternate between all of them. * The Kent Nelson incarnation of Doctor Fate appears in the ''Justice League Action'' episode "Trick or Threat", voiced by Erica Luttrell as a child.


Film

* The Kent Nelson incarnation of Doctor Fate appears in the opening credits of ''Justice League: The New Frontier''. * An evil, unnamed Multiverse (DC Comics), alternate universe version of Doctor Fate makes a cameo appearance in ''Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths'' as a lesser member of the Crime Syndicate. * Doctor Fate appears in ''Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: The Flash'', voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson. * An original incarnation of Doctor Fate named Steel Maxum appears in ''Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay'', voiced by Greg Grunberg. He was chosen by
Nabu Nabu ( akk, cuneiform: 𒀭𒀝 Nabû syr, ܢܵܒܼܘܼ\ܢܒܼܘܿ\ܢܵܒܼܘܿ Nāvū or Nvō or Nāvō) is the ancient Mesopotamian patron god of literacy, the rational arts, scribes, and wisdom. Etymology and meaning The Akkadian "nab ...
to become Doctor Fate for his fitness until Scandal Savage and Knockout (DC Comics), Knockout betrayed him and stole a "Get Out of Hell Free" card from him. In response, Nabu ousted Maxum from the Tower of Fate for his recklessness and irresponsibility and replaced him with "some chick" according to Maxum. In the present, Maxum joins a Strip club, male strip club as the "Pharaoh" before he is simultaneously confronted by the Suicide Squad and Professor Zoom and his henchmen, Silver Banshee and Blockbuster (DC Comics), Blockbuster. While Silver Banshee knocks him unconscious, the squad retrieves and escapes with Maxum. After regaining consciousness, he explains how the card works before the squad leave him on the streets, where Zoom's henchmen catch him. * A variation of Kent Nelson / Doctor Fate appears in ''Justice Society: World War II''. This version is a Cryptanalysis, codebreaker from Earth-Two, Earth-2 who was active during his Earth's version of the titular war. * The Kent Nelson incarnation of Doctor Fate appears in the
DC Extended Universe The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films and television series produced by DC Studios and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on characters that ...
film ''
Black Adam Black Adam, real name Teth/Theo-Adam, is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck, and first appeared in the debut issue of Fawcett Comics' '' The Marvel Family'' comic ...
'', portrayed by
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.


Video games

* The Kent Nelson incarnation of Doctor Fate appears as a Non-player character, NPC, later a playable Downloadable content, DLC character, in ''DC Universe Online''. * The Kent Nelson incarnation of Doctor Fate appears as a character summon in ''Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''.


Lego games

* The Kent Nelson incarnation of Doctor Fate appears as a playable character in ''Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham''. * The Kent Nelson incarnation of Doctor Fate appears as a playable character in ''Lego DC Super-Villains''.


Injustice series

* Doctor Fate appears as a support card in the iOS version of ''Injustice: Gods Among Us''. * The Kent Nelson incarnation of Doctor Fate appears as a playable character in ''Injustice 2'', voiced by David Sobolov.


Toys

* Several Doctor Fate action figures have been released, with most of them based on the Kent Nelson version of the character. ** The first Doctor Fate figure was released in 1985 as part of the second wave of Kenner's ''Super Powers Collection''. ** ''DC Direct'' released another figure in 2000 as part of the ''Mystics, Mages and Magicians'' collection. ** A third figure was released with the ''Justice League Unlimited'' series (2004–2006) as a single figure and as part of three-pack collections. ** ''DC Direct'' released a fourth figure in December 2007 as part of its second wave of ''DC: The New Frontier'' action figures. ** Two Doctor Fate figures were released in April 2009 as part of the ''DC Universe Classics'' toyline: a Classic Kent Nelson version with regular yellow armor, and a "Chase" variant Modern Hector Hall version with gold accent armor and helm. ** The ''Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' toyline included a "Dr. Fate versus Wotan" two-pack set released in December 2009. ** The ''Imaginext'' "DC Super Friends" toyline included a Dr. Fate figure as part of their mystery package campaign in 2019. He was packaged with a snap-on lightning power accessory. * At the 2004 San Diego Comic-Con International, DC Direct announced a full-size replica of Doctor Fate's helmet and amulet for release in 2005. The helmet was displayed with upcoming items during the February 2007 Toy Fair, but is still not available for purchase.


References


External links

*DCDatabase:Doctor Fate, Doctor Fate at the DC Database * * * * * *
Grand Comics Database: Doctor Fate entries
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