Alternative versions of Doctor Fate
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Through the publication history of DC Comics, several alternative versions of Doctor Fate have been created with usage of the codename in DC Comics. Often defined as a legacy hero within the fictional DC Universe, the first character to adopt the codename, Kent Nelson, was created by Gardner Fox and Howard Sherman. Over the character's publication history, several other characters have adopted the name, such as Hector Hall and Khalid Nassour. Alternate versions of the character also exist within the DC Multiverse, such as Khalid Ben-Hassin and Doc Fate.
Mainstream versions
editAlternate versions
editTemporary bearers
editWithin the DC Universe, several characters briefly came into possession of the Helmet of Fate due to various circumstances, allowing them to become Doctor Fate and/or utilize their powers.
| Name/Alter ego | First appearance | Fictional biography |
|---|---|---|
| Superman | Superman #23 (July, 2020) | Superman was briefly given the Helmet of Fate by Khalid Nassour to help battle the mystical super-villain, Xanadoth.[1] |
| Batman | Batman vs Robin #4 (December, 2022) | When Nezha gained the Helmet of Fate by defeating Nassour, Batman later usurped it and briefly became Doctor Fate.[2] |
| Detective Chimp | Helmet of Fate: Detective Chimp #1 (March, 2007) | Detective Chimp was briefly chosen as Doctor Fate but relinquished it due to the overbearing information it placed in his mind.[3] |
| Sand | JSA #78 (December, 2005) | After Hector Hall's mysterious disappearance, Sand voluntarily placed the helm on his head to allow the JSA to confer with Nabu to explain his disappeance.[4] |
| Black Alice | Helmet of Fate: Black Alice #1 (May, 2007) | Black Alice was a candidate to becoming Doctor Fate but the helm rejected her in part due to her intentions and forceful nature.[3] |
Derivative villains counterpart
edit| Name | Creator(s) | First appearance | Fictional biography | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor Chaos | Burt Belker | Martin Pasko | The New Adventures of Superboy #25 (1982) | Burt Belker is a wealthy, college student studying archaeology and an assistant of Lewis Lang (father of Lana Lang) who briefly dated his daughter. Discovering a "Sumerian" helm revealed to be the Helmet of Chaos, he dons it and is taken over by the personality within it and comes into conflict with Superboy.[5] |
| Unknown | Steve Orlando
Hugo Petrus |
Justice League of America (2017) #18 | A new unnamed version of Doctor Chaos serves a protector of Chaos Realm, home of the Lords of Chaos. He is ambushed and seemingly killed by the villain, Queen of Fables.[6] | |
| Anti-Fate | Dr. Benjamin Stone | J.M. DeMatteis
Keith Griffen |
Doctor Fate #1 (1987) | Dr. Benjamin Stone is a lead doctor in Arkham Asylum driven insane by Typhon, a Lord of Chaos. Targeting an aged Kent Nelson, Typhon uses him to battle Kent and his successor, Eric and Linda Strauss, with a dark variant of the Helmet of Fate as the adversary, Anti-Fate.[7] |
| Doctor Hate | Rachel Roth / Raven | Joshua Williamson
Howard Porter |
Knight Terrors: Night's End #1 (August, 2023) | Raven is the infamous daughter of Trigon and a superhero often portrayed with empathic and sorcerous powers. Sometime after the aftermath of Lazarus Planet, the dark reflect of the Helmet of Fate, the Helmet of Hate, is created. Raven's demonic self separates from her whole self and becomes independent, donning the helm and the Nightmare Stone. As Doctor Hate, she posses powers comparable to Doctor Fate and the power to manipulate minds.[8] |
Alternate universe depictions
editSeveral other versions of the character exist in alternate versions of the DC Universe often to as the Mutliverse. Within these fictional parallel universes, each of these characters appear within their own continuity and stories, often differing from versions depicted within the mainstream comic books. These versions of the character specifically are different characters and incarnations typically disassociated with the mainstream bearers (i.e. Strangefate) and/or possess varying different characteristics despite sharing aspects (i.e. Doc Fate).
| Name | Alter ego | Creator(s) | First appearance | Fictional biography |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor Fate | Khalid Ben-Hassin | James Robinson[9] | Earth 2 #9 (April, 2013) | Khalid Ben-Hassin is an Egyptian-American archaeologist and expert on the occult and magic on Earth-2 who encounters the famed Helmet of Fate, a mother box containing the essence of the wizard, Nabu, and dons it to become the superhero known as Doctor Fate, a member of the Wonders of the World.[10] |
| Richard John "Dick" Grayson | J.T. Krul
Mikel Janin |
Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons #1 (August, 2011) | In the Flashpoint timeline, Richard John "Dick" Grayson becomes Doctor Fate following Kent Nelson's (a fortune teller in Haly's Circus and a former hero of the JSA) death and being hunted by Starfire and the Amazons seeking the helm. He is assisted by Deadman.[11] | |
| Brother Fate | Unknown | Phillip Kennedy Johnson | Batman/Superman: Authority Special #1 | On Earth al Ghul, a universe within the Dark Multiverse ruled by Bruce Wayne (known as Ra's al Ghul) and his Empire of Shadows, Brother Fate is among the heroes opposing him but is killed by one of his sons.[12] |
| Doctor Strangefate | Charles Xavier | Ron Marz | Marvel Versus DC #1 (1996) | Charles Xavier of Earth-9602/Earth-1996 is a mutant and telepath who learns the mystic arts through Nabu the Ancient One. Taking the Helmet of Strangefate and mantle of Sorcerer Supreme, he becomes a powerful but unconventional hero who often assists the Judgement League of Avengers and employs others at his steed despite his power. He is assisted by his servant, Myx.[13] This character is an amalgamation of Doctor Strange and Professor X from Marvel Comics alongside Doctor Fate. |
| Doctor Fate of the 31st Century | Uknown | Marc Andreyko | Supergirl Vol 7 #33 (November, 2019) | This unnamed Doctor Fate resides in an alternate future based upon a new future taking place adjacent to "Prime Earth". A six-armed male alien, this version is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes and a revered sorcerer known to the United Planets.[14] |
| Sofia | Geoff Johns | The New Golden Age #1 (January, 2023) | In an alternate future based upon the original version appearing in the 1958 Legion of Super-Heroes, this futuristic Doctor Fate, named Sofie, is a founding member of the 31st Century iteration of the JSA. Her time as Doctor Fate is fated to eventually be succeeded by an unnamed granddaughter.[15] | |
| Doctor Chaos | Unknown | Andy Schmidt
Kieran McKeown |
Crime Syndicate #2 (June, 2021) | Not to be confused with villain within the mainstream comics of the same name, this version is native of Earth-3, where alternate versions of the Justice League are villains (known as the Crime Syndicate), and several characters have adopted the codename. One versions is shown to be a member of the Crime Syndicate. |
| Joker | Tom Taylor
Cian Tormey |
Injustice: Year Zero #12 (Digital)(December, 2020) | On Earth-49 (the universe of Injustice: Gods Among Us), Joker becomes Doctor Chaos in tie-in comics after taking possession of its associated artifacts and targets the Justice Society of America due to being inspirations for Batman. |
Alternate versions based upon mainstream versions
editKent Nelson's alternative variations
edit| Name | First appearance | Designation/Storlyine | Fictional biography |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doc Fate | Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1 (October, 2008) | Earth-20 | This version of Nelson is an African-American gunslinger and occultist in a pulp-fiction influenced world. Possessing the Helmet of Fate, he is based out of a windowless Manhattan skyscraper, he leads a team of heroes known as the Society of Superheroes.[16] This character serves as a amalagamation of Doctor Fate and Doc Savage. |
| Doctor Fate | Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons #1 (August, 2011) | Flashpoint | In this reality, after the JSA disbanded, Nelson works as a fortune teller in Haly's Circus and has a vision of Dick Grayson's death, revealing it to co-worker and trapeze artist Boston Brand. He is killed shortly by the Amazons seeking the Helmet of Fate. Boston and Dick Grayson manage to escape with the helmet, with Grayson becoming the next Doctor Fate.[17][18][19] |
Khalid Nassour's alternate variations
edit| Name | First appearance | Designation/Storlyine | Fictional biography |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor Fate | Future State: Justice League #1 | Future State | In a potential future, an older Khalid Nassour manages to re-empower the Helmet of Fate under Hauhet and sees all potential futures, experiencing them in order to find a way to defeat an evil Merlin, who seeks to control magic.[20] |
| The New Golden Age #1 | New Golden Age | In an alternate reality and future based upon Prime Earth and a variant of the timeline featured in the 1958 Legion of Super-Heroes, in approximately near 2050, Khalid Nassour is among the older, active members of the JSA in and one of the few who bears the legacy of a founding member. This future variant alongside his reality is later erased due to Helena Wayne's temporal interference on Prime Earth.[21] | |
| Batman: Full Moon #1 | Batman: Full Moon | In this alternate reality, Nassour is seen among the members of the Justice League Dark. |
In other media
editTelevision
editAnimation
edit| Alter-Ego | Media | Designation | Fictional biography |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nabu | Young Justice (TV Series) | Earth-16 | Doctor Fate is the alter-ego of Nabu, Earth's Sorcerer Supreme who is Vandal Savage's son during a time when he mascaraed as the Babylonian deity Marduk and later reborn as a Lord of Order. Bound to a magical helm, he uses human hosts to exist, supplanting control of their body with his will. These host, based upon both pre-existing Doctor Fate characters and those in the DC Universe includes: Kent Nelson, Zatara, and a rotation of hosts featuring Khalid Nassour, Traci Thurston, and Zatanna. |
| Unknown | DC Heroes United | Earth-212 | Doctor Fate is described as a magical being presiding over the balance of order (fate) and chaos, which can either end free will or destroy the universe. He is attacked by a villain known as "Fatebreaker", who causes the Tower of Fate roots itself in Gotham City, causing a global catastrophe. |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Bendis, Brian Michael (2021). Superman: Mythological. Ivan Reis, Kevin Maguire, John Timms, Danny Miki, Joe Prado, Oclair Albert. Burbank, CA. ISBN 978-1-77950-572-9. OCLC 1238130236.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Waid, Mark (2022-12-20). Batman vs. Robin (2022-) #4. DC Comics.
- ^ a b Simone, Gail; Niles, Steve; Willingham, Bill (2007). The Helmet of Fate. DC Comics. ISBN 978-1-4012-1470-8.
- ^ Champagne, Keith (2005). JSA #78-79. DC Comics.
- ^ The New Adventures of Superboy #25 (January 1982)
- ^ Orlando, Steve (2018). Justice League of America. Vol. 4, Surgical strike. Kelley Jones, Hugo Petrus, Stephen Byrne, Michelle Madsen, Clayton Cowles, Josh Reed. Burbank, CA. ISBN 978-1-4012-8058-1. OCLC 1014090846.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ DeMattis, J.M. (1989). Doctor Fate #1-#4. DC Comics.
- ^ Taylor, Tom (2024-01-23). Titans: Beast World (2023-) #5. DC Comics.
- ^ TODAY, Brian Truitt, USA. "'Earth 2' writer puts a new twist on Doctor Fate". USA Today. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Robinson, James (2014). Earth 2: The Tower of Fate. DC Comics. ISBN 978-1-4012-4614-3.
- ^ Johns, Geoff (2011). Flashpoint. Andy Kubert, Sandra Hope, Jesse Delperdang, Alex Sinclair, Nick Napolitano. Burbank, CA. ISBN 978-1-4012-3337-2. OCLC 742511266.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Johnson, Phillip Kennedy; Hairsine, Trevor (2021). Batman/Superman Authority Special. DC Comics.
- ^ Doctor Strangefate #1 (April 1996)
- ^ Bendis, Brian Michael (2021-01-19). Legion of Super-Heroes (2019-) #12. DC Comics.
- ^ Johns, Geoff (2022). The New Golden Age #1. DC Comics.
- ^ The Multiversity: The Society of Super-Heroes #1 (September 2014). DC Comics.
- ^ Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons #1 (June 2011). DC Comics.
- ^ Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons #2 (July 2011). DC Comics.
- ^ Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons #3 (August 2011). DC Comics.
- ^ Altbacker, E. J. (2021). Future state: Justice League. Ryan Cady, Josie Campbell, Will Conrad, Sami Basri, Dale Eaglesham, Daniel Henriques. Burbank, CA. ISBN 978-1-77951-065-5. OCLC 1240265473.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Johns, Geoff (2024-02-27). Justice Society of America Vol. 1: The New Golden Age. DC Comics. ISBN 978-1-77952-914-5.