As we continue our exploration of the less mainstream characters being discussed for future film inclusion, we will now move from Marvel’s Prince of Atlantis to DC’s Golden Age Master of Magic and Mystery, Dr. Fate. If ever a superhero needed a scorecard to keep track of his incarnations, it is Dr.Fate.
Doctor Fate debuted in More Fun Comics #55 in 1940. Many Golden Age heroes got their start in More Fun Comics. As created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, he started as a backup feature after the Spectre created by Jerry Siegel (he of Superman fame) and artist Bernard Bailey . As Fate would have it (sorry, I couldn’t resist) the character eventually became more popular than the Spectre, and displaced him on the cover. In this original version, Fate was actually Kent Nelson, who had gone on an expedition with his father and discovered the tomb of the ancient Egyptian wizard Nabu.(Remember this name, it is important…and repetitive). They unfortunately accidentally triggered a booby trap that released a poisonous gas, which killed Kent’s father. Because of his father’s death, Nabu took pity on Kent, and taught him about magic and gifted him with a magical helmet, amulet, and cloak. Through his time with Nabu, he also met Inza Cramer, who would become his wife. With his new found abilities, he decided to fight crime and along the way, helped to found the Justice Society of America. The magic of the amulet helped Kent and Inza to live to an extraordinary old age, until the late 1980’s when its magic was disrupted in a fight with Kali Yuga. This caused them both to rapidly age. As she aged, beyond her control, Inza eventually committed suicide while Kent made it a point to find the next Doctor Fate before he succumbed to his old age. Thus began the many incarnations of Dr. Fate.
Following the death of Kent, the persona of Dr. Fate was assumed by not one, but two people 
combined. Eric Strauss, a ten-year-old who was aged into adulthood to become Doctor Fate, and Linda Strauss, his stepmother. Together, they merged to become Doctor Fate. This storyline is the work of J.M. DeMatteis who brought Dr. Fate back for his own title in 1987.
If that wasn’t enough to make readers go what???? Nabu, it is revealed, was mentoring them by possessing the dead body of Kent Nelson. The story goes that this was how it was always supposed to be, as a trio: Man, Woman, and Fate. However, DeMatteis wasn’t done playing, as Eric then died and Linda had to be Doctor Fate alone. Soon after, Linda also died and they were both reincarnated into a new pair, Eugene and Wendy DiBellia, who were husband and wife. Before this storyline could advance, it was time for the “true” Doctor Fate to return.
The character of Dr. Fate became a giant laboratory for writers to play in so it should come as no surprise when the original couple of Kent and Inza Nelson’s souls were found to be in the amulet of Anubis. This allowed Nabu to resurrect them into younger bodies. ( That Dead Egyptian wizard had way to much free time on his hands, apparently.) In this scenario, only Inza could wear the helmet as Dr. Fate. It is then revealed that it is not Nabu that inhabits the helmet but one of the Lords of Chaos. This caused Inza to become a bit unstable for a short time. Eventually she and Kent were reunited once again and were able to merge into Doctor Fate or become Fate individually. Unfortunately, once again Fate intervened (I’ll try not to do that again, I swear?) during the Zero Hour crossover event. The demon Extant rapidly aged Kent and Inza once again and then scattered the cloak, amulet, and helmet across the world. These events would usher in the next incarnation of Fate: Jared Stephens.
Jared Stevens was a smuggler hired by Kent and Inza to relocate the amulet, cloak, and helmet. The 
Nelsons then tried to pick up the artifacts but had their story ended when they were murdered by two demons. (Don’t you HATE when that happens?) Jared attempted to pick up the amulet but it exploded in his face, giving him an ankh-shaped scar. Stevens, who obviously had no respect for the antiquities, melted the helmet down and made it into ankh-shaped darts and a really big knife. He became the character known just as FATE. This form of Dr. Fate was about as different as it could be. Of course, it was done during a time in comics where many characters were being changed to be more “edgy,” (think the Azrael version of Batman). This book lasted until 1996. In 1999, writer James Robinson decided to bring back the Justice Society of America and in doing so, he killed Jared Stevens off and had the weapons revert back to their original form. So now we need a new Dr. Fate…Enter Hector Hall.
Hector Hall was the son of the Golden Age Hawkman and Hawkgirl, Carter and Shiera Hall. He eventually became the superhero the Silver Scarab and married Lyta Trevor, daughter of the Golden Age Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor. Sounds nice doesn’t it? But then Hector died. (Does anyone survive in the comics?) Hall’s story didn’t end there, as it never does, and he briefly became the Sandman, protector of the Dream Dimension. Morpheus was brought in and put this to an end and Hector was still dead. But not so fast…
Hector was able to be reincarnated into a new body which was that of the son of Hank Hall and Dawn Granger, Hawk and Dove. In JSA#4, he became the new Dr. Fate. Hector went on as Fate, while at the same time trying to find his wife Lyta. He eventually found her and it appeared that they would live happily ever after…at least until Infinite Crisis. The Spectre (you remember him, the one that Dr. Fate usurped from the cover of More Fun Comics) decided to destroy everything magical. So there they were, trapped on a frozen mountain, fighting demons, when their son Daniel appeared and offered them a place in the Dreaming. They accepted and left with their physical bodies dying and their souls leaving for the Dreaming. So the world was without Dr. Fate once again. Until…its all in the family.
The Helmet of Nabu circulated for a bit with various heroes trying to wear it, until it finally reached the 
hands of Kent Nelson. No, not THAT Kent Nelson. This would be Kent V. Nelson, the great grandson of the original Dr. Fate. Kent’s Story was published in an eight issue mini-series called Countdown to Mystery and written by the legendary Steve Gerber. The story goes that after the Helmet of Nabu circulated around for a bit with various heroes attempting to wear it, it finally (in a twist of Fate…I know I promised, but I had my fingers crossed) ended up in Nelson’s hands. Nelson was a psychiatrist who after having an affair with a patient. His wife left him, and then had another one of his patients run down thirteen people with a car (talk about having a bad streak of luck). He became divorced, an alcoholic, and eventually homeless before he found the Helmet. In another of his unfortunate decisions, he then used the helmet for gambling.
As the tale continues, Nelson meets a woman named Inza and falls in love again. His spectacular winning streak continues as Inza is then liquified by the demon Negal. Once again alone and depressed, Nelson gives away the Helmet to a woman named Maddy and he starts drinking again. Maddy tries to use the helmet but is then sucked into Hell. Nothing EVER goes as planned. Before the story could be concluded, writer Steve Gerber died. The last issue was written by four different writers and was dedicated to him. There were four different endings written for the series. Each ending had Kent, Inza, and Maddy escaping from Negal and everyone was happy. But it also left us without Dr. Fate again, until the New 52 and Khalid Nassour.
Khalid “Kent” Nassour is a Muslim Egyptian-American med student who was apparently chosen by Nabu to stop a flood of biblical proportions from taking place. (Nabu is a restless guy). Nassour is actually the 2nd Dr. Fate in the New 52 as the mantle was also held by Khalid Ben-Hassin from Earth 2. Nassour is the current Dr. Fate and who knows what adventures he faces. The world of Dr. Fate is a rich one with mystical realms, reincarnation, and magical possibilities. It is no wonder when the thought of adding a character to the DCEU, Dr. Fate is mentioned. His story is ripe for writers to add another chapter in the vast repertoire of his history and that of the DCEU. Would you like to see Dr. Fate get his own film or perhaps be a member in a JLA or JSA story? Share your thoughts and who should play the mysterious Dr. Fate with us at GVNation.
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 50 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove head first over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 18 year old boy with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
