Doctor Fate is a legacy of heroes in the realm of magic who act as agents of the Lords of Order in the battle against chaos, using the powerful Amulet of Anubis, Cloak of Destiny and Helmet of Fate. Kent Nelson was the original, given his powers by Nabu and residing in the Tower of Fate in Salem.
Fictional character summary[]
In the DC Universe, Kent Nelson and his father discovered a tomb that held the ancient being known as Nabu, one of the fictional Lords of Order and a Mesopotamian deity. When Kent's mind was influenced by Nabu to release him from his mystic stasis, the gas that filled the tomb killed his father. Feeling pity for the boy, he would take the young Kent Nelson as his apprentice, using his vast magical powers to age him to adulthood and groomed him into the ways of sorcery to become Doctor Fate, one of the agents for the Lords of Order. Standing out as a mystic superhero, Nelson was a member of several superhero groups over the years, including the All-Star Squadron and the Justice Society of America. Overtime, Nelson struggled with both his mentor's spirit supplanting his own will and his increasingly strained relationship with his wife, Inza Cramer, due to the conflict between the Lords of Chaos and Order and its toll on himself and their social life. Nelson would find himself succeeded by numerous characters such as Hector Hall, Jared Stevens, and his grand-nephew, Kent V. Nelson.
In other media[]
- Doctor Fate first appears in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "The Hand of Fate", voiced by George DelHoyo. After initially refusing to aid Superman against his enemy Karkull, Fate changes his mind after seeing Superman head off to battle him despite knowing he will almost certainly die and helps Superman seal Karkull. Despite sustaining injuries, Fate vows to continue being a hero.
- Doctor Fate appears in the Justice League animated series, voiced by Oded Fehr. In the episode "The Terror Beyond", Fate recruits Solomon Grundy and Aquaman for a ritual to banish the Great Old Ones and their leader Icthultu after discovering they were ready to return. However, the Justice League interrupt, believing him to be torturing Grundy. After a fight, Fate explains his actions and Hawkgirl suggests simply killing Icthultu. Fate agrees, and the Justice League, Fate, Grundy, and Aquaman travel to Icthultu's dimension. They succeed in killing Icthultu, but Grundy dies in the process.
- Kent Nelson / Doctor Fate appears in Young Justice, with the former voiced by Edward Asner and Nabu voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson. This version is a retired member of the Justice Society of America. He first appears in the episode "Denial" and subsequently appears in the episodes "Revelation", "Misplaced", and "Agendas". After Nelson dies in a conflict between the Team and Klarion the Witch Boy, the Helmet of Fate is stored within Mt. Justice. Over the course of the series, the helmet is temporarily taken up by Wally West in "Denial" and Aqualad in "Revelation". In both instances, Nelson's spirit, choosing to reside in the helmet a while longer, convinces Nabu to release the host. However, in "Misplaced", after Zatanna dons the helmet to stop Klarion, Nabu refuses to release her due to the belief that the world needs Fate to protect the world against chaos until her father Zatara offers to become Nabu's host in her place. In flashbacks depicted in the episode "Og Hitrof Dna Reugnoc!", Nelson served as a mentor to Zatara.