DOCTOR FATE

'Doctor Fate' is a DC Comics superhero and wizard, best known as a member of the Justice Society of America. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' #55 (May 1940).
This was 'Kent Nelson', the best known and longest used Doctor Fate. He was an archeologist who discovered the tomb of the mystical being Nabu and was trained by him in the arts of magic.
This character was also used by DC in its Golden Age all-star group the Justice Society of America and was an essential part of the group during its 1970s revival.
Afterwards, DC introduced several new versions of Doctor Fate. These included: 'Eric and Linda Strauss', a man and woman who could merge to form Doctor Fate; 'Inza Nelson', Kent Nelson’s reincarnated wife; a mercenary named 'Jared Stevens' who used Nelson’s weapons as simply 'Fate'; a resurrected 'Hector Hall', the son of Justice Society of America members Hawkman and Hawkgirl, and 'Kent V. Nelson', grand-nephew of the original,^[1] who begins his journey as Doctor Fate in Las Vegas (also home to the writer), with no awareness of his family's connection to mysticism.
The revivals prior to Kent V. Nelson were relatively short-lived; and as such Doctor Fate's appearances in other media and comics set outside the continuity of the DC Universe (for instance, in the DC animated universe) tend to be of the original Golden Age Kent Nelson incarnation.

Contents

Publication history

Fictional biographies

Kent Nelson/Nabu

Eric and Linda Strauss

Inza Nelson

Jared Stevens

Hector Hall

Nabu

''52''

''The Helmet of Fate''

Other versions of Doctor Fate

Doctor Chaos (Earth-One)

Fate (''Kingdom Come'')

Future (''Books of Magic'')

Doctor Strangefate (Amalgam Comics)

''52''

Powers and abilities

Helm of Nabu

Amulet of Anubis

Awards

Other media

Action Figures

References

External links

Publication history

''More Fun Comics'' #55 (May 1940) first introduced the character of Doctor Fate. A year later, in ''More Fun Comics'' #67 (May 1941), his alter ego of Kent Nelson and origins are introduced. After a year with little or no background, the character was presented as the son of an archaeologist who had discovered the tomb of an Egyptian wizard named Nabu. Visually, the character was unusual in that he wore a full face helm in his earliest appearances.
When the Justice Society of America was being designed for ''All Star Comics'' #3, Doctor Fate was one of the characters National Allied Publications provided for the joint venture with All-American Publications. He continued to appear in the book through issue #23, many months after his own strip in ''More Fun Comics'' had ended.
In ''More Fun Comics'' #72 (Sept 1941), Doctor Fate's appearance was modified, exchanging the full helmet for a half-helmet so his lower face was exposed. The focus of the stories also shifted away from magic to more standard superhero action. By the end of the following year, the character had been changed into a medical doctor with more of the mystic elements being droped. The character's popularity waned faster than many of his contemporaries, and he disappeared from the scene before the 1940s were out.
Doctor Fate was revived along with many the Justice Society members in the 1960s through the annual team-ups with the Justice League of America. These stories established that the two teams resided on parallel worlds. Unlike many of his JSA teammates, Doctor Fate did not have an analogue or counterpart among the JLA. This was perhaps because the Silver Age revivals initiated by Julius Schwartz took a more science fictional bent, with which the character was not essentially compatible. In addition, this may have boosted his long-term popularity especially considering he is the closest counterpart the company has had to Marvel Comics' Doctor Strange.
Aside from the annual team up in ''Justice League of America'', DC featured Doctor Fate in other stories through the 1960s and 1970s. These included: a two issue run teaming him with Hourman in ''Showcase'', #55-56^[2] (wherein it was revealed Kent Nelson and Inza Cramer had married since the end of the Golden Age); team-ups with Batman in ''The Brave and the Bold'' and with Superman in ''World's Finest Comics'' and ''DC Comics Presents''; and a solo story in ''First Issue Special'' #9 (1975), written by Martin Pasko and drawn by Walt Simonson. Pasko's story added a major new aspect to the character: that the spirit of Nabu resided in the helmet and took control of Nelson whenever the helmet was donned. In the early 1980s, Roy Thomas incorporated this into his ''All-Star Squadron'' series, set in late 1941, as an explanation of the changes in the character's helmet and powers. (In a caption box on the final panel of ''Squadron'' #28's main story [December 1983], Thomas indicated an explanation of how and why Nelson returned to the full helmet and possession by Nabu when the JSA reactivated in the 1960s was forthcoming, but it was never published.) This led to DC featuring Kent and Inza, combining into one Doctor Fate, in a series of back-up stories beginning in ''The Flash'' #305 (February 1982) and running through #313 (September 1982). Keith Giffen drew all nine stories and Cary Bates wrote the initial one, with Pasko taking over as writer in issue #306, aided by Steve Gerber from #310 to #313. DC later collected these stories, the Pasko/Simonson one, a 1978 retelling of the origin by Paul Levitz, Mike Nasser & Joe Staton, and a previously unreprinted tale from the original 1940s run (specifically, the second, from ''More Fun'' #56), in the three-issue limited series titled ''The Immortal Dr. Fate''.
Following 1985's ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'', Doctor Fate briefly joined the Justice League and was the star of a self titled, four-issue limited series by J. M. DeMatteis and Keith Giffen. In this story Kent Nelson finally died of old age and the mantle of was passed to a pair of humans, Eric and Linda Strauss, who would merge into one being to become Doctor Fate (similar in this regard to Firestorm, and to Kent and Inza in the 1982 back-up feature). Nelson's body was reanimated by Nabu who, revealed to be a Lord of Order at this point, started calling himself Kent to help train the pair in their new role. Based on the success of the limited series, DC continued the story in a separate ongoing series, also titled ''Doctor Fate'', by DeMatteis and Shawn McManus.
After two years, the series and character shifted such that Nelson's wife Inza inherited the Doctor Fate mantle and starred in a year's worth of stories in which she tried to change the world for the better using her powers.
After this, DC retired the classic characters, and "Fate" replaced Doctor Fate. He was a mercenary whose weapons were the transformed helm and amulet of Doctor Fate. He starred in two of his own series, ''Fate'' and ''The Books of Fate'', but both were canceled after relatively short runs.
In 1999, during the revival of the Justice Society in ''JSA'', DC allowed the character to be reworked. The initial story arc mirrored the transition from Doctor Fate to Fate, the old character was killed and the mantel, along with the original name and a restored helm and amulet, was passed to a new character. In this case the character was a reincarnated Hector Hall, son of the Golden Age Hawkman and Hawkgirl. In addition to appearing in ''JSA'', DC produced a self-titled, five-issue limited series featuring Hall in 2003 and positioned him as a prominent magical character in various company wide event stories.
The character was again set up for change during the ''Day of Vengeance'' limited series, part of the lead in to the 2005 company wide event story, ''Infinite Crisis''. This included both Hall and Nabu being killed and the sole remaining artifact of Doctor Fate, the helmet, being sent to find a new wearer.
DC has since used the helmet as a character in the weekly limited series ''52'', where it is in the possession of, and acting as a guide for, Ralph Dibny. It is later revealed that it is not the Helm of Fate that Dibny was in possession of, but rather Felix Faust masquerading as the Helm.
In early 2007, DC published a series of bi-weekly one-shot comics featuring the helmet passing through the hands of various magical characters. These included the Shadowpact's Detective Chimp; Ibis the Invincible; Sargon the Sorcerer; Zauriel; and Black Alice.^[3] The one-shots were intended to be followed by a new Doctor Fate title in February 2007, written by Steve Gerber and illustrated by Paul Gulacy, featuring Kent V. Nelson, Kent Nelson's grandnephew, as the helm's new wearer.^[4] However, the series was delayed due to extended production and creative difficulties. According to Steve Gerber and Newsarama, the Doctor Fate title will instead be the first half of ''Countdown to Mystery'', a dual-feature eight issue series with Eclipso as the second story, which is set to launch sometime in September 2007.^[5][6]

Fictional biographies

Kent Nelson/Nabu

Kent Nelson, the son of Sven Nelson an American archaeologist, accompanies his father on an expedition to the Valley of Ur (not Egypt as is often, mistakenly reported) in the year 1920. When his father opens the tomb of the wizard Nabu, a poison gas was released which ultimately resulted in the death of Sven Nelson. Nabu takes pity on the orphaned Kent. The wizard raises him and teaches him the skills of a wizard. Then bestowing upon him a mystical helm and amulet.
(Nabu is named after a god from Babylonian mythology. The Nabu of the DC Universe may originally have been meant to be this god.)

By 1940, Nelson returns to the United States and resides in an invisible tower in Salem, Massachusetts. From this sanctum he embarks on a career fighting crime and supernatural evil as the hero, Doctor Fate. During the early part of this career he meets, romances, and eventually marries a red-headed woman named Inza.
In late 1940, Doctor Fate is among the founding members of the Justice Society of America.^[7] He remains active with the group through the middle of the decade, withdrawing in 1945. By the end of the decade he has withdrawn entirely from public activities, either retiring or turning his attention elsewhere. When the team comes out of retirement to work with the Justice League, he returns as well, rejoining his old teammates.
In 1942, he is forced to change the helmet he uses, changing to a half-helmet that leaves his lower face exposed. Partially this is due to Nabu's personality which resided in the full helmet and exerts some control over Nelson when he wears the helm.^[7] The change, while stripping him of most of his sorcerous might, leaves Nelson in full control of his actions. Shortly thereafter, when a supervillain steals the Helm of Nabu, Nelson loses all access to the Helm as both it and the thief are cast into an alternate dimension.^[7] At some point between his withdrawal from the JSA and his return, he is able to retrieve the Helm as he returns to wearing it and relying on Nabu's presence.
Even with the return of the JSA, Doctor Fate's activities are less than public. These include assisting fellow JSA member Hourman against Solomon Grundy and the Psycho-Pirate,^[7] and teaming up with Superman.
When the JSA re-establishes itself early in the modern age of heroes, Doctor Fate is among the returning members. Though he has become increasingly erratic and withdraw from humanity, he is still committed to protecting Earth against supernatural menaces. During this time Nelson also goes through a period where, in order to become Doctor Fate, he must fuse with his wife, Inza.
After helping to stop Darkseid's plans to discredit the heroes of Earth in the eyes of humanity, Kent, as the sole wearer of the Helm, joins the re-constituted Justice League. He serves for a time, but eventually the magics he was using to maintain his and Inza's youth fail. This results in the pair aging and passing away in a short span of time.

Eric and Linda Strauss

With the passing of Kent Nelson, Nabu begins the search for a new host. This search takes him to Eric and Linda Strauss. He binds them so that they must merge to become Doctor Fate, but they otherwise lead separate lives. He then animates Kent Nelson's corpse to join them as an advisor and instructor. Since the tower Nelson used as a sanctum is apparently destroyed, the pair operate out of Linda's apartment. Over time they are joined by a small, kind demon they dub Petey and a lawyer named Jack C. Small. Petey and Jack provide moral support and manage to assist in some of the battles.
During a battle on Apokolips, Eric is killed, leaving Linda to carry on as Doctor Fate on her own. Eventually the Helm rejects her. Eric's soul is not allowed to pass on, but is instead placed in the dying body of Eugene DiBellia, who had been severely injured in a car crash. Eugene is the father of a cosmically important girl named Raina, who is to usher in a new age for mankind.
Even though she is no longer Doctor Fate, the Anti-Fate, Doctor Benjamin Stoner, returns to plague Linda. This forces her to merge with Nabu to become Doctor Fate once again. Before retreating, the Lords of Chaos succeed in assaulting Linda and killing her. As with Eric, her soul is placed in the dying body of Wendy DiBellia, Eugene's wife, so that she and Eric can take care of Raina. The DiBellias were always fated to die, but thanks to the timely intervention of the Phantom Stranger and a character serving as the human avatar of God, Raina is not left without her caretakers.

Inza Nelson

Inza and Kent Nelson's souls, which had been inhabiting Doctor Fate's amulet, are resurrected in new young bodies. They find however that now only Inza is able to become Doctor Fate. She spends her time striving to improve the lot of humanity, but Kent chides her about her "reckless" use of magic.
She strives to use her new powers proactively, unlike Kent, who waited for trouble to manifest before using his powers. Her inexperience initially works against her, but she grows more competent with experience. She is instrumental in defeating Circe who had orchestrated a war among the gods of antiquity.^[7]
Her growing confidence leads to increasing recklessness. The people under her protection become dependent on her to solve every little problem. Instead of retreating from this co-dependency, she makes matters worse as she develops spheres that respond to the people's wishes.
This abuse of power ends up separating Kent and Inza as they steadily find themselves opposing each other's actions. The Nelsons learn that a Lord of Chaos has taken residence in the Helm of Nabu and has been providing Inza with magic derived from Chaos instead of Order. This Lord of Chaos is also the reason that they cannot merge and become Doctor Fate. Kent eventually returns to his wife's side and helps her defeat this Lord of Chaos. Inza then learns that she draws her new powers from the people of Earth, rather than Chaos or Order.
Inza continues her proactive behavior, causing the US government to take notice of her and put her on trial before Congress. After giving a stern lecture to the Congressmen, she temporarily turns them all into newts.
After defeating the Lord of Chaos, the Nelsons began merging as the male Doctor Fate again. The Nelsons did retain the ability though to become independent Doctor Fates if the situation called for it. In these cases Kent's form would resemble that of his days of using the half-helm.
In their last actions as Doctor Fate, the Nelsons, along with the rest of the JSA, face the supervillain during the attempt by Parallax to change the history of the universe. Extant, with seeming ease, causes most of the JSAers to rapidly approach their proper physical ages. He also separates the Nelsons from the raiments of Doctor Fate, the Helm, Amulet, and cloak. The greatly aged and depowered Nelsons are returned to Salem and to a forced retirement.^[7]

Jared Stevens

:Main articles: Fate (comics)


After the return of the Nelsons to Earth, Jared Stevens discovers the raiments of Doctor Fate. He alters them into a knife, set of throwing darts, and an arm binding and begins a career as a balance between Order and Chaos as simply "Fate". His sole encounter with the Nelsons results in the death of the couple and the return of their souls to the Amulet.
His apparent end comes at the hands of Mordru as part of the dark wizard's attempt to inherit the mantel and artifacts of Doctor Fate.

Hector Hall

:Main articles: Hector Hall


Nabu, aware of Mordru's ambitions, has planned ahead to insure that his Helm and the mantle of Doctor Fate will pass to a reincarnated Hector Hall. This plan coincides with the rebirth of the Justice Society which acts to protect the newly reborn Hector.
The nature of the body into which Hector is born defines a change in purpose for Doctor Fate. The child is the son of Hank Hall and Dawn Granger, agents of both Chaos and Order once known as Hawk and Dove. This makes the child an agent of balance instead of an agent of one side or the other.
Later the Spectre, attempting to expunge evil by extinguishing magic, confronts Hector. This results in him and his wife, Lyta, being banished to "Hell," a snowy mountain landscape, where he would be forced to spend eternity. After protecting his unconscious wife from a group of demons, Hector collapses, just as Lyta wakes. She reveals that she had communicated with her son Daniel Hall, now the Lord of Dreams, and made a deal. The two join their son in the Dreaming, seemingly giving up the mortal world forever.^[7]

Nabu

Unaware of the reasons behind the disappearance of Hector Hall, his teammates in the Justice Society travel to the Tower of Fate, hoping to use his services to travel to the Fifth Dimension and find Jakeem Thunder. At the Tower they find the raiments of Fate, but not Hector. Seeking to call forth Nabu, Sand dons the raiments allowing Nabu speak and act through him. He prepares a spell through which some of the team can travel to the Fifth dimension. However, Mordru returns before the spell is complete and causes it to malfunction.

In turn, Mordru subjugates the remaining JSA members and Nabu. Mordru seemingly crushes Nabu and his helmet, which restores Sand's freewill and he uses his powers and free himself and his teammates. They regroup and engage Mordru, allowing Nabu time to channel himself through the raiments of Doctor Fate without a host. He attacks Mordru, transporting him to differing dimensions in hopes of defeating him. (Among the alternate realities visited were those of ''Kingdom Come'' and ''.)
The two continue their struggle, with Mordru seeming to get the upper hand, until the arrival of Jakeem and the rest of the JSA. Jakeem and his Thunderbolt single-handedly subdue Mordru. The Justice Society offer Nabu membership, but he senses that a crisis is coming and that his presence is required elsewhere and disappears.
During the waning hours of the Ninth Age of Magic, Nabu calls together the remaining great magicians to deal with the Spectre and the destruction of the Rock of Eternity. Nabu personally confronts and goads the Spectre, whose anger grows so great that he fatally wounds Nabu. This causes the Presence to take notice and send the Spectre to his new host. As a result of Nabu impending death, the Ninth Age of Magic ends and the birth of the Tenth Age begins.
Before his death, Nabu gives the Helmet to Detective Chimp to give to the Doctor Fate of the new Age, telling him that the Helmet will still have certain abilities, even though Nabu will no longer be contained within it. After Detective Chimp finds that the Helmet will not fit him, he asks Captain Marvel to throw the helmet down to Earth and let it land where it will, letting Fate pick its next Doctor.^[7]

''52''

Main articles: 52 (comic book)


Felix Faust disguises himself as Nabu in the Helmet of Fate, and attempts to trick Ralph Dibny into trading his soul for Faust's freedom from Neron by telling Dibny how to resurrect his dead wife, Sue. In his masquerade, Faust kills Tim Trench and fools the Shadowpact, but is found out by Dibny, who dies after binding Faust and Neron within the Tower of Fate.

''The Helmet of Fate''

The helmet resurfaces a year after Infinite Crisis, crossing paths with various heroes. In these appearances it resembles the half-helm that Kent Nelson used during the 1940s. These appearances are depicted in a series of one-shots collectively titled ''The Helmet of Fate''.
It returns again to the possession of Detective Chimp, who finds he can now wear the altered helmet. After acting as Doctor Fate for a short time, he decides he does not have the temperament to wear the helmet and sends it on its way (''The Helmet of Fate: Detective Chimp'' #1).
Next, the helm comes into the possession of Ibis the Invincible, and attracts the attention of the dark god Set. Set defeats Ibis, forcing the hero to retreat into hibernation as a mummy to heal. Ibis' last act is to choose his replacement. The new Ibis confronts Set, retrieves the helmet and then sends it on (''The Helmet of Fate: Ibis the Invincible'' #1).
Travelling from place to place, the helm is interrupted by the spirit of Sargon the Sorcerer, who diverts it in an effort to protect his grandson, David. David bestows something of himself into the helmet before returning it to its journey (''The Helmet of Fate: Sargon the Sorcerer'' #1).
Black Alice is the next recipient, who unsuccessfully tries to make the helm obey her. When the helmet starts to indiscriminately punish everyone who wronged her, including her loved ones, she realises the helmet would fulfill her desires, but destroy her life in the process. Black Alice then relinquishes it (''The Helmet of Fate: Black Alice'' #1).
The helmet crosses paths with the angel Zauriel (''The Helmet of Fate: Zauriel'' #1), who also passes it along.
It is intended that the helmet will fall to Kent V. Nelson, grandnephew of the original Kent Nelson, who will then become the new Doctor Fate. This was to be depicted in a new Doctor Fate miniseries, but Steve Gerber's health problems led to scheduling delays. The material planned for the miniseries will now be included in a new split format miniseries titled ''Countdown to Mystery''; each issue will contain an installment of the new Doctor Fate story backed with an episode of a story arc featuring Eclipso.

Other versions of Doctor Fate

Doctor Chaos (Earth-One)

In ''New Adventures of Superboy'' #25 (January 1982), Professor Lewis Lang and his assistant Burt Belker discover a helmet identical to the one used by Nabu in the Valley of Ur which contained a Lord of Chaos. The Lord of Chaos possesses Burt to become Doctor Chaos, whose agenda differs from the one of Earth-Two's Doctor Fate. Doctor Chaos' costume mirrors Doctor Fate's, with an inverted color scheme. Superboy confronts him and is able to remove the helmet from Belker and jettison it into space.
There was no record of the helmet ever returning to Earth, and the merging of alternate universes during the ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' removed the occurrence from DC Universe continuity.

Fate (''Kingdom Come'')

The limited series ''Kingdom Come'' featured a version of Nabu, similar to his later appearance before his death, who was able to channel his consciousness through the Helm and Cloak without the need for a host body. This version of Fate sided with Batman's group during the series, and was amongst the survivors at the end of the story.

Future (''Books of Magic'')

In the fourth Book of the ''Books of Magic'' limited series by Neil Gaiman, Mister E shows a future version of Doctor Fate to Timothy Hunter. This one is a corrupt version of the Helmet which looks like a human skull. It would ultimately kill any of its worshippers that wears it. This one no longer cares about the war between Order and Chaos and believes that there is no meaning in life; just flesh and death. Mister E says he wanted to kill Doctor Fate and destroy the helm long ago, but the Justice League prevented him. (Note: In the first book, Hunter and the Phantom Stranger observe Kent Nelson, though Nelson was not aware of their presence.)

Doctor Strangefate (Amalgam Comics)

In the Amalgam Comics published jointly by DC and Marvel Comics, Doctor Strangefate is equivalent of Doctor Fate combined with Doctor Strange and Charles Xavier of Marvel Comics. His powers are based on both Doctors, but Charles Xavier is the man under the helmet. Doctor Strangefate is the protector of the Amalgam Comics universe, built up the universe around him from the battle between DC Comics and Marvel Comics respectively, and would literally kill to prevent his world from collapsing.

''52''

In the final issue of ''52'', a new Multiverse is revealed, originally consisting of 52 identical realities. Among the parallel realities shown is one designated "Earth-2". As a result of Mister Mind "eating" aspects of this reality, it takes on visual aspects similar to the pre-Crisis Earth-2, including Doctor Fate, among other Justice Society of America characters. The names of the characters and the team are not mentioned in the panel in which they appear, but the Doctor Fate is visually similar to the Nelson, Strauss, and Hall versions.^[15]
Based on comments by Grant Morrison, this alternate universe is not the pre-Crisis Earth-2.^[16]

Powers and abilities

Doctor Fate possesses a variety of mystical powers. In general, even without wearing the Helmet of Nabu, the host can fly, is resistant to damage, has minor telekinesis, and has greater-than-human strength.
At his most potent, Doctor Fate is an accomplished sorcerer, able to match most other wizards in the DC Universe. He has been credited in DC's ''Who's Who'' as being one of the top twelve most powerful heroes in the DC Universe.
Doctor Fate has been observed throwing bolts of mystical energy, teleporting across the universe, crafting solid objects out of energy, and transforming objects into other kinds of matter. The full limits of his magical skills are unknown, and have varied greatly from one appearance to the next depending on the needs of the story. For example, in ''Swamp Thing'' #50 (July 1986), he slays the demon Abnegazar of the Demons Three with very little effort. Conversely in ''Justice League of America'' #148 (November 1977), the Demons Three control him and set him against his fellow heroes.
At perhaps the peak of his abilities, he was able to take control of Etrigan the Demon, Darkseid, Highfather and Orion and harness their powers to take on the Anti-Life entity. In this instance, he was powerful enough to destroy a reality in order to halt the advance of the entity using a "Mystic Firebreak". As powerful as he is, he has been shown to be on the losing side of drawn out battles with the Spectre, as shown in the recent ''Day of Vengeance'' series.
Over time, Marvel Comics' Doctor Strange has evolved to be somewhat similar to Doctor Fate, in that both possess amulets which can emit beams of light, and both live in mysterious abodes filled with mystical books and objects. Fate is considerably more withdrawn from humanity in both demeanor and locale than is the Manhattan-based Strange.

Helm of Nabu

The helmet that Doctor Fate wears is the focus of the Doctor Fate identity. It originally housed Nabu's spirit and allowed him to possess the current host, it later only allowed him to advise the host instead. The helmet is what provides the link to Nabu and by not wearing it, as Kent Nelson did at one time, Doctor Fate loses much of its power and knowledge.
Putting on the helmet usually results in its wearer being clad in the other raiments of Doctor Fate, unless the one with the actual claim to the helmet wants to prevent it. On several occasions, villains seeking the power of Doctor Fate have stolen the helmet, in which case the result has typically been that the wearer goes insane when they try to put on the helmet.

Amulet of Anubis

The circular device that adorns the livery collar worn around Doctor Fate's chest and shoulders is the Amulet of Anubis, which gives anyone who wears it vast magical abilities. It holds many similarities to the Amulet of Agamotto of Marvel Comics character Doctor Strange, with both Amulets being capable of revealing and recognizing magical characters. The amulet has also been shown to house the souls of many who have worn the vestments of Fate. In JSA, the amulet contained the image of a farmhouse with the souls of Kent and Inza Nelson, Eric and Linda Strauss, Jared Stevens and Kid Eternity inhabiting it. This dimension was used more than once as a refuge for the JSA to regroup in battle or access the advice of previous Doctor Fates. Mordru was imprisoned in this dimension for some time.

Awards

Both the character and the comics of the same name have received recognition, including:

★ ''1963 Alley Award for Strip Favored for Revival''

★ ''1965 Alley Award for Best Revived Hero''

Other media

Doctor Fate has guest appeared in animated form on '', ''Justice League'', and became a member of the Justice League in ''Justice League Unlimited''. The Doctor Fate in those series is the Kent Nelson version. In ''Superman: The Animated Series'' George Del Hoyo provided his voice. In his return appearances in the ''Justice League'' series, Oded Fehr provides his voice.
In his ''Superman'' appearance, "The Hand of Fate", Superman seeks Fate's help when a supernatural threat named Karkull, whom Fate has defeated previously, seizes the Daily Planet. Fate, depicted as middle-aged, refuses to get involved because he is tired of the eternal struggle between "good" and "evil". Superman's insistence on returning to fight on his own, despite his success being unlikely, inspires Fate to join the "good fight" again.
This fatigue with mortal concerns has continued in his animated incarnations, as seen in his next appearance on ''Justice League'' entitled "The Terror Beyond". He and Aquaman help Solomon Grundy escape from the authorities so they can enact an age-old spell to save this dimension from an invasion by the Old Ones, creatures based on the writings of H. P. Lovecraft. They are stopped by the League and end up fighting the Old Ones in their own dimension.
Only after this episode does it seem that Fate maintains any continual relationship with fellow superheroes (miscommunication being the reason for the struggles between him and the League in "Terror"), including joining the expanded League in ''Unlimited''. However, he is still not much of a team player, maintaining his own little mini-League of outsiders within the League. This team is a disguised version of Marvel Comics' Defenders, including Aquaman for Sub-Mariner, Hawkgirl for Nighthawk, Solomon Grundy for the Hulk and Amazo for the Silver Surfer. Fate is a stand-in for Doctor Strange.

Action Figures

To date, three versions of Doctor Fate have been made available in action figure form. The first Doctor Fate toy was released in 1985 under the second wave of Kenner's Super Powers Collection. The Super Powers Collection version also included a mini-comic book. In the book, Doctor Fate was forced to fight Superman and the Martian Manhunter who had fallen under control of Darkseid and were sent by him to collect Doctor Fate's artifacts.
DC Direct released the second in 2000 as part of the Mystics, Mages and Magicians collection.
The third was released with the ''Justice League Unlimited'' series several times as a single figure and as part of three-pack collections. Also, Minimates has released a 2-pack featuring Dr.Fate and Power Girl.
All versions were the Kent Nelson form of Doctor Fate.
A full-size replica helmet and amulet was announced by DC Direct at the 2004 San Diego Comic-Con International, for release in 2005.^[17] It was besieged by manufacturing problems and delays and was never released. In September of 2006, the DC website indicated that DC Direct "hope(s) to have this great replica ready in 2007."^[18]

References

1. http://www.stevegerber.com/sgblog/2007/03/03/some-thoughts-on-doctor-fate-part-1/
2. SHOWCASE #55: The Glory of Murphy Anderson
3. Dr. Fate's Helmet Tours the DCU Before Return Next Spring
4. A Twist of Fate
5. DC Announcement
6. Heroes Con/WW: Philly '07 - DC's Counting on More Countdown
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

16. "THE 52 EXIT INTERVIEWS: GRANT MORRISON"
17. 2004 San Diego Comic Con International: DC Direct
18. Ask DC Direct: #9

External links

★ [1] Comic Book Awards Almanac

★ The Grand Comics Database Project - Links to the various volumes of ''Doctor Fate''.