DOCTOR FATE versus THE SPECTRE

A Spectre is Haunting the Multiverse! (DC)
Where: All-Star Squadron #27 When: November 1983 Why: Roy Thomas How: Richard Howell

The Story So Far...
While The Atom lies in a hospital bed suffering unknown side effects from absorbing the radiation of Cyclotron, his comrade at arms, Doctor Fate, continues their search for missing teammate - The Spectre!

Using Wonder Woman's electro-magic sphere, the Justice Society is able to witness Doctor Fate's journey beneath the great lakes of Cliffland, where he found The Spectre's mortal host Jim Corrigan suspended in animation.

The magic of Nabu's Helmet and The Amulet of Anubis flow through the lifeless police detective, who rises to point the way through an inter-dimensional portal to a place beyond the sea of worlds where The Spectre stands vigil at the door of a mysterious crypt!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Doctor Fate 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Spectre 7 (Omnipotent)
Speed: Spectre 7 (Lightspeed)
Stamina: Spectre 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Spectre 7 (Unlimited)
Fighting: Draw 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Draw 7 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Spectre 41 (Omnipotent)

Doctor Fate is Kent Nelson: wearer of the Helmet of Fate and an agent of Nabu & The Lords of Order.

His mystical domain concerns the very balance of reality, and grants him access to ancient magical wisdoms, perception, and spells. This includes the powers of The Amulet of Anubis and Cloak of Destiny, which grants him levitation and physical invulnerability even without his helmet!

Nelson's physical prowess was on display when he withstood battle with Hawkman while wearing a replacement half-helmet in All-Star Squadron #4, and when he absorbed the super-human blows of Ultraman in All-Star Squadron #15.

The Spectre is a divine spirit of vengeance usually bound to a mortal host, Detective Jim Corrigan, but now moves untethered to access the fullest of his powers and fury with total discretion.

Typically The Spectre is a grim force for good, turning bitter ironies against evil doers deserving of vengeance. That which can be imagined is within The Spectre's means, as when he disintegrated Black Hand's offending fist while bound to the spirit of Hal Jordan in Green Lantern: Rebirth #1.

The Spectre is also a defender against dark magics, fighting alongside Doctor Fate and the Justice Society of America against the eldritch horror of Morgauth in JSA Strange Adventures #1, and removing the influence of Eclipso from Superman during Superman #216.

These are two of the most awesome and esoteric magical forces in the DC Universe -- how can we possibly hope to quantify their unfathomable powers? The only way to find out is to see what happened!

The Tape: The Spectre Ranking: The Spectre (#100)

What Went Down...

With a simple gesture The Spectre succeeds where words have failed -- suspending Doctor Fate in the gaping void that overlooks the threshold of a mysterious stone structure. He orders his teammate to leave.

Stunned by the ease of Spectre's magic, Doctor Fate relishes the opportunity to learn who is the greater mage between the two.

He breaks the hold, splitting his energy into four fearsome Fates!

This time it's The Spectre's turn to be impressed by the magical display, unable to divide himself and "still retain ectoplasm enough to oppose the real one!"

While The Spectre stands at the door grappling with copies, the real Doctor Fate glides through the stone walled structure to discover the sleeping form of Kulak - High Priest of Brztal!

Fate scans the malevolent mystic's mind, witnessing the horrifying collapse of untold worlds and civilizations -- all ripped apart by Kulak's spells of hatred until The Spectre intervened with the Ring of Life!

The Doctor sees the glowing scarlet ring now on Kulak's hand, but before he can reclaim it -- a gigantic green fist bursts through the wall to seize him!

A giant-sized Spectre pulls his erstwhile friend through the wall and warns him to cease his trespass and return to the mortal world.

"In the world of mere men you are feared -- but here you are only one more worm to be trampled underfoot -- or squashed by a far mightier hand! Swear to depart and never return -- and I shall release you!"

Doctor Fate defiantly refuses to leave, bursting free of The Spectre's grip and mystically matching -- and exceeding -- his titanic size!

The lord of order now grips his opponent in his hand and demands to know if it is truly the will of The Spectre to defy him -- or if Kulak indeed sways his fate.

In an instant The Spectre is free and again facing his old teammate eye to eye, but not as an equal -- or so he claims!

"Equals? Hardly! You are a lord of order, incarnated in the human form of Kent Nelson -- and that is your weakness. I am man's spirit -- freed of all corporeal restraints when I am not in Jim Corrigan's body -- and that is my strength! Do not force me, wizard -- to kill you!"

A mystic bolt deflects from Spectre's chest as the powerful pair each grab for the other's wrist. Doctor Fate knows Kulak has turn his friend into a killer.

Despite his cold resolve, Spectre confesses a warmth in his unbeating heart for Fate -- even as his awesome magic drives the Doctor to his backside.

Unwilling to concede, Doctor Fate invokes the immortal might of Nabu the Wise: "-- but Doctor Fate is more than a man!"

In desperation he conjures a portal to The Netherworlds, calling forth a hideous green squid-like behemoth to attack The Spectre in his stead!

Spectre bats away the eldritch horror's squirming limbs, but its spiked tail becomes his true concern as it swings dangerously against the tomb of Kulak.

Like a deft hand-to-hand combatant, Spectre swings around the beast and squeezes his arm beneath the creature's head. The tightening chokehold delivers it back to the hellscape it was spawned from.

It leaves only Doctor Fate to stand alone against the death gaze of The Spectre!

The unfettered wrath of The Spectre engulfs Doctor Fate as his stone cold stare unleashes occult forces that would kill an ordinary man. Instead, Kent Nelson is sent tumbling through realities untold -- lost amidst an "infinity of dimensions".

The Hammer...

The magician is condemned to fall uncontrollably through a multiverse of realities to the "end of unrecorded time", likely to return to the world he knows once its reduced to "a dead husk, barren of life and meaning for a billion billion years!"

The Spectre's mildly petulant victory is short-lived, however, as the tomb he's guarding begins to bulge and glow with energy -- exploding behind him to reveal the awakened might of Kulak!

The High Priest of Brztal quickly dominates the vengeful spirit, but that's a fight for another day. For now let us simply take in the stunning defeat of Doctor Fate and the awesome display of supernatural sorcery from the DC Universe.

I tend to think of these characters as more complex and esoteric than they are, but this battle is a nice reminder that for all their awesome powers, they are combatants in the same arena of good versus evil as any other character. They just go about it in a slightly different, more imaginative way.

It won't surprise you to know this has been one of the battles on my desk for quite some time. I've been eager to get to it. Checking off a few other All-Star Squadron issues along the way, but never forgetting this engaging dream match!

As I've waxed in the past: there's an innate "cool factor" with these characters, levied off the back of strong visual designs by original Golden Age artists, and a sense of awe and wonder about the incredible scope of their potential.

The Helmet of Fate is one of DC's most striking images and it's been little surprise that the character has been embraced by moviegoing audiences enticed by the simple visual of Pierce Brosnan's portrayal in Black Adam. I'm not sure why the live-action version lost his eye holes, but at least they got the basics right.

There may be inevitable confusion and comparisons with Marvel's theatrical forebear, Doctor Strange, but as we all know, Doctor Fate predates Marvel's magician by a good twenty-three years, and commands an aura of mystique all his own, with far greater connections to Nabu, and the all-seeing Lords of Order.

The characters do work well as general counterparts. A fact played up with the creation of Doctor Strangefate during DC and Marvel's joint venture of Amalgam Comics: hybrid creations based on an iconic character from each company. 

Otherwise, they're quite different, even if we might see the cinematic Strange borrow a page from Fate, as in the spell to split himself into multiple incarnations, as we saw early in today's featured fight!

If you'd like to find more battles with magic or Golden Age icons you can find them all by diving into the arcane Secret Archive! That's where you'll find a complete index of featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue!

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured more than 700 battles and ranked  well over 1,000 characters! If you like what we're all about and want to see more you can help make that happen by becoming a Patreon supporter!

Patrons help keep projects like this up and running, and as a gesture of gratitude you'll unlock additional updates, options to sponsor article content, including featured fights and Top 10 lists based on the Fight Club Rankings. Keep reading to the bottom of this page to check out today's major rankings update!

Get daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day by subscribing via Twitter and Facebook, or become a follower on Patreon to get free public updates. Don't forget to smash that like, fave, and share -- and keep your eyes peeled for the week's top trending battles every Sunday on Twitter & Patreon!

Winner: The Spectre
#60 (+40) The Spectre
#353 (-193) Doctor Fate

ULTRAMAN versus DOCTOR FATE, ROBOTMAN & SUPERMAN

"Master of Worlds and Time!" (DC)
Where: All-Star Squadron #15 When: November 1982 Why: Roy Thomas w/ Gerry Conway How: Adrian Gonzales & Jerry Ordway

The Story So Far...
The year 1942 is a mere page in history for the villain known as Per Degaton. From 1947 he moves effortlessly through time to rewrite events in favour of his own designs for global domination.

Returning to the Second World War with nuclear missiles acquired from 1962 Russia -- and members of the once banished Crime Syndicate of Earth-3 -- Degaton launches a fresh assault that draws the attention of the All-Star Squadron and their future counterparts in the Justice Society & Justice League!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Superman 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Robotman 5 (Professor)
Speed: Superman 6 (Mach-Speed)
Stamina: Superman 6 (Generator)
Agility: Superman 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Ultraman 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Doctor Fate 7 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Ultraman 34 (Super)

It's a crisis of multiple Earths! From the morally inverted world of Earth-3 comes Ultraman: Sinister Kryptonian leader of The Crime Syndicate of America -- now working for Per Degaton in exchange for freedom from imprisonment in limbo!

Ultraman shares much the same story and invulnerability as Superman, with the vital difference that he gains his powers from the radiation emitted by fragments of his home planet -- the very Kryptonite that weakens Superman!

Ultraman's body can store Kryptonite radiation to retain his powers long after exposure, with potential for residual side effects of sapping Superman, but fortunately for him he's joined by Robotman of Earth-One's All-Star Squadron, and his contemporary from Earth-Two's Justice Society, Doctor Fate!

Robotman is Robert Crane: a brilliant scientist who helped design a functioning robotic body capable of sustaining a human brain. Crane was mortally wounded during an attempt to steal the robot, transplanted by his partner to become a metal powerhouse with the All-Star Squadron once World War Two broke out!

Doctor Fate isn't afraid to fight in the trenches either, as we saw when he clashed with Hawkman, but the true scope of his power goes well beyond trading punches, wielding the might of order against occult threats like The Demon's Three, and the Lovecraftian horror of Morgauth!

Ultraman possesses considerable willpower but has no natural defenses against reality-defying mysticism and magic. His considerable will may resist, but Fate's magic could affect him as easily as Clea's belt controlled Superman and that may be their best bet if Superman can't go toe-to-toe with the powerhouse.

The Tape: Doctor Fate, Robotman & Superman Ranking: Superman (#4)

What Went Down...

Superman carries Robotman under his arm as they follow Doctor Fate into the outer atmosphere towards their target: Degaton's anachronistic orbital satellite!

They get to work tearing the technology apart, but as they search for a means to trace their opponent, Robotman stumbles upon a lead box and pulls it open before Superman can object -- bathing the Man of Steel in the content's green glow!

Superman begins to drift helplessly, but before Robotman can hurl the Kryptonite rock into the airless void -- Ultraman swoops in to snatch it from his hands!

"You can't hurt me with fancy words, Fate -- and I'm nobody's lackey! As for Kryptonite -- why, that's like mother's milk to me, see?"

Doctor Fate springs into action, summoning the powers of life and order to blast Ultraman with magical force!

The esoteric assault has no effect on the Crime Syndicate's superman, who laughs off the notion of order and bursts toward Fate to deliver a vicious left hook!

Doctor Fate's "eldritch aura" protects him from the full crushing force of the punch -- but he still drops lifelessly to his back on the satellite.

Thus, Ultraman turns his attentions to the last hero standing.

Robotman meets his opponent gladly, rushing in for a clean shot -- but his charging punch falls short of a dodging target.

Ultraman steps back to avoid the hit and grabs hold of Robotman's extended arm to wrench it out of its socket!

Literally disarmed but not out of the fight, Robotman takes the surprising measure of leaping from the satellite!

Ultraman is disappointed to have his prey slip away, but sees no reason to bother himself with finishing what the gravitational pull of Earth will do for him.

He fails to consider that the one-armed Robotman is drifting in the direction of Superman -- and can still manipulate the wires protruding from his arm socket to take hold of the Kryptonite rock that keeps The Man of Steel unconscious!

While the metallic all-star works to assist his ally; Ultraman gets to work attempting to fix Per Degaton's satellite -- only to be interrupted again by the magic of Doctor Fate!

The powers of order clutch metal and wires, preventing Ultraman from making the necessary repairs to resume successful spying on the heroic assembly of the All-Star Squadron, Justice Society, and Justice League back on Earth.

A tap on the shoulder alerts Ultraman to the awakening of another hero, too!

Superman unleashes a haymaker that sends Ultraman hurtling across the satellite!

Fully revived thanks to Robotman's heroics -- he glides across the orbital battlefield to sink his right fist into Ultraman's mid-section!

With Ultraman falling to his knees, Superman grabs the tuft of the villain's cape to hold him up for a right hand that launches him into space!

The Hammer...

You may have noticed I used a Frank Quitely image for our Ultraman mugshot in The Tape section. You almost certainly know it. It adorned the stark white cover of JLA Earth-2: a 2000 collaboration with Grant Morrison that reintroduced and defined The Crime Syndicate for a new generation. An image many will instantly recall, but objectively lacks the hallmarks of instantly identifying a character, once cropped.

If I could think of, or find, a suitable rendering by Doug Mahnke, it would've been my preferred option. His work on Final Crisis: Superman Beyond has imprinted itself in my mind as the definitive Ultraman. He simultaneously brings Quitely's design -- with removed wide collar, and added yellow background to the upward point of a bordered U symbol -- closer to modern Superman, while also infusing it with an instantly identifiable demeanor & baring all Ultraman's own.

Mahnke's Ultraman could never be mistaken for a displeased Superman.

His Ultraman oozes hostility. He's all teeth, eyes, brow, and bulging muscle. Even united with fellow supermen against a common threat at the edge of reality that could destroy them all -- he seethes with derangement & unfocused aggression. He is Superman unchained, untethered, and always on the verge of evil.

When Morrison and Quitely revived Ultraman for the modern age, the internet was propagating a notion that Superman was 'too good'. A boy scout who never loses or breaks bad, and is therefore 'unrelatable'. Posed as a bad thing -- apparently.

Twenty years on, that always dubious meme has evolved into a preoccupation with Superman as antagonist. A tearing down of the heroic aspirational ideal in favour of base thrills, mortality, and selfish audience validation.

The Boys' Homelander examines this phenomenon by holding a mirror to the dark impulses that fuel some of the contempt for Superman. It's a critique of the audience as much as DC's American ubermensch, and the worlds they occupy.

More contemptible is DC's own 'bad guy' Superman: The star of the Injustice video game and tie-in franchise, whose only push to become a murderous tyrant was the death of Lois Lane and their unborn child, at the hands of a decidedly unmotivated Joker. A sophomoric and simplistic conceit to prepare the game's premise, hamfistedly initiated without evident reference or subtext. A road leading nowhere. An erosion of the company's own world-famous mascot in a multimedia franchise intended to reach gamers, and a non-traditional audience.

DC Comics already has its fair share of evil Supermen. Characters ordained as true villains, ripe with potential to whole-heartedly explore and commit to the concept of an amoral Superman in direct opposition to the genuine article.

Analogous villains like General Zod and Bizarro not only present the idea of Superman's powers gone bad, but also in turn contribute to the original characters' world, and larger fabric of the DC Universe, developing new nuances and ideas beyond mere alternate realities.

Ultraman is closer in step with the Injustice concept, with just a little bit more going on to better differentiate -- and commit -- to its basic premise. This outright commitment to flip the moral polarity of characters may seem simplistic, but lacks the metallic after-taste of every pubescent boy's notebook fantasy of what would happen if his heroes broke bad and fought each other.

Let's not forget where we are. I'm certainly not opposed to the simple thrill of a superhero brawl, but as I mentioned in the last entry, I've grown more than tired with the ugly, cheesy cliche of stripping heroes like Superman of their heroic core. Intelligent people see through the flimsy facade, and can almost certainly accept and understand that which is presented as true to their fiction. There are heroes and there are villains. Good will triumph over evil. Get on with it!

I also found myself reevaluating some of my feelings about the DC multiverse, but that's something we can get into next time. For now: it's been nice to take in a simple bout with some interesting characters like Doctor Fate and Robotman!

If you'd like to find more battles with some of DC's pantheon of other heroes & villains you can find them all by diving into the Secret Archive! That's where you'll find a complete index of featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue!

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured more than 700 battles and ranking well over 1,000 characters! If you like what we're all about and want to see more topics tackled you can help make that happen by becoming a Patreon supporter!

Patrons help keep projects like this up and running, and as a gesture of gratitude you'll unlock additional updates, options to sponsor article content including featured fights and Top 10 lists based on the Fight Club Rankings. Keep reading to the bottom of this page to check out today's major rankings update!

You can also get free daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day by subscribing via Twitter and Facebook. Don't forget to smash that like, fave, and share -- and keep your eyes peeled for the week's top trending battles every Sunday!

Winner: Superman (w/ Doctor Fate & Robotman)
#3 (+1) Superman
#160 (--) Doctor Fate [+1 assist]
#626 (new) Robotman (Robert Crane) [+1 assist]
#974 (new) Ultraman

HERO OF THE WEEK: DOCTOR FATE #155 (DC)
Real Name: Kent Nelson
Battles Recorded: 3
Wins: 1  Losses: -  Ties: 1
Win Percentage: 50.0%
Recent Opponents: Hawkman, Morgauth, The Demons Three
First Appearance: More Fun Comics #55 (May, 1940)
Patron: Become a Tier 2 Patron to choose a Hero of the Week!

When his archaeologist father perished unearthing an ancient Mesopotamian tomb; young Kent Nelson became the ward of the revived Lord of Order inside - Nabu. Nelson was trained to master the mystic arts, eventually receiving three objects of great power: The Amulet of Anubis, The Cloak of Destiny, and The Helmet of Fate. With these artifacts he would become an agent of order and enemy of evil!

Doctor Fate has appeared sporadically in DC multimedia, most often as the iconic Kent Nelson. It has recently been announced that Pierce Brosnan will appear as the hero in the 2022 feature film Black Adam. Although details of the plot remain limited, Brosnan's Fate is expected to share the big screen with a version of the Justice Society of America.

Did You Know: Kent Nelson has not been the sole custodian of The Helmet of Fate. His mantle has been taken up by many men and women, including his wife Inza Cramer, great nephew Kent V. Nelson, Eric Strauss, Linda Strauss, Jared Stevens, Hector Hall, Khalid Nassour, and Nabu himself!

Fight Club Remarks: We've barely scratched the surface of Doctor Fate's vast mystic domain. The scope of his concern transcends hand-to-hand combat, but there are still many battles to be examined.

Featured Fights:
- Doctor Fate versus Hawkman (All-Star Squadron #4)
- Justice Society versus Morgauth (JSA Strange Adventures #1)
- Justice League versus The Demons Three (Justice League Unlimited #14)

Want to see a particular character in the Hero of the Week spotlight? Subscribe to Patreon at the Hero of the Week Tier to support your favourite character and Secret Wars on Infinite Earths!

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DOCTOR FATE versus HAWKMAN

Chapter Three: What Price Vengeance? (DC)
Where: All-Star Squadron #4 When: December 1981
Why: Roy Thomas How: Rich Buckler

The Story So Far...
December 8, 1941: The combined powers of The All-Star Squadron race to the Hawaiian island of Oahu to witness the aftermath of a terrible attack! The decimation of Pearl Harbor shocks their senses, and strengthens America's resolve to answer the call to World War II.

The unprecedented assembly of heroes flights East to meet their attackers head-on, unaware that a conspiring force anticipates their arrival! The Dragon King lies on a small island somewhere between Hawaii and Japan, plotting to manipulate the super-powered All-Stars with methods of science and the super-natural!

What good will the Justice Society and their allies be when their most powerful members become dedicated agents of The Axis Powers?!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Doctor Fate 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Doctor Fate 5 (Professor)
Speed: Hawkman 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Doctor Fate 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Draw 2 (Average)
Fighting: Hawkman 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Doctor Fate 7 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Doctor Fate 31 (Super Powered)

When it comes to super-powers in the DC Universe -- they don't often come much more powerful than Doctor Fate!

As the wearer of the Helmet of Fate; Kent Nelson is in commune with the very matter and energy of the universe! Guided by Nabu and the Lords of Order: he possesses phenomenal magical arsenals and acumen. He is nigh immortal, invulnerable, and capable of manipulating time, space & reality!

Hawkman certainly has his work cut out for him if he's going to beat his JSA team mate! Not that he's any stranger to fighting beyond his weight class!

In Justice League of America #200 we saw Hawkman go up against Superman in a similar scenario. He was outmatched, but when they met again many years later in Superman/Batman #4 -- The Claw of Horus gave him the physical might to knock Superman out with the force of an entire planet!

The Claw won't show up for twenty years after our featured fight, but the Nth metal its made of is a mainstay of Hawkman's arsenal. Originally "Ninth Metal", it allows him to fly, heal wounds, increases his strength and durability, and has even been known to have occult properties. Is that enough to help him?

Hawkman has the minerals to face down just about any foe, but his usual array of medieval weaponry won't mean much against Doctor Fate!

At the time of this battle, the mighty mystic wears his "half helm". This shortened version reduces the power of his magic in exchange for relieving the possessive nature of the Helmet of Fate. Despite this reduction, he remains super-humanly strong and durable!

If Hawkman's to give himself his best shot, he may need to hit his hexed friend hard and fast -- and hope the peculiarities of magic create a loophole that evens the playing field! We saw how that can work when Doctor Fate was unable to intervene against The Demon's Three in Justice League Unlimited #14.

The Dragon King's mind manipulation targets magically inclined heroes more than others, but who knows what that means! Let's find out!

The Tape: Doctor Fate Ranking: Hawkman (#32)

What Went Down...
Together America's greatest super-powers soar the skies as a single force: The All-Star Squadron! Leaving the battered shores of Pearl Harbor they fly across the Pacific Ocean -- unwittingly passing over a small, sinister outpost!

From the seemingly deserted tropical island: The Dragon King activates a machine powered by The Holy Grail, and designed to target the Justice Society's most magic sensitive heroes! The dynamo spews forth undetectable waves of energy that ripple through the All-Stars like a tingling shock of electricity!

Green Lantern is the first to act upon the impulse to turn against America, soon followed by Johnny Thunderbolt! As Hawkman swoops in to intervene with a voice of reason -- Doctor Fate glides in for a surprise attack!

The sudden uppercut connects with Hawkman's unsuspecting jaw -- but his aerial expertise allows the winged hero to recovery quickly!

He repositions himself to be facing his unlikely attacker, while the mad Doctor Fate orders Green Lantern to destroy the flightless heroes among them!

Hawkman has no choice but to pit his spiked mace against the Helmet of Fate!

Hawkman sends the spiked-ball of his chained weapon colliding into Fate's metallic half helm, but it barely stuns him! Though the mystic may have lost his magical mastery -- he remains an unnaturally strong physical opponent!

The sky becomes the scene of an uncanny chase as Doctor Fate relentlessly pursues Hawkman. His words aim to demoralize as he boasts equal speed and superior endurance to the winged hero. Hawkman listens!

His chained mace drags stubbornly against the wind as Hawkman carves a hard and sudden change in direction! It follows as he flies a path directly for Fate -- undeterred by the mind-altered hero's snide boasts of invulnerability!

The moment of collision arrives -- but Doctor Fate has had a change of heart!

Aerial maneuvers had inadvertently taken them beyond the field of The Dragon King's machine! Doctor Fate's mind returns to that of a great hero, no longer impelled to wage war against the Justice Society of America!

The Hammer...

Let the debate rage on: Who would have won had the fight continued?

It certainly seemed as if Doctor Fate's incredible invulnerability put him firmly in command, but Hawkman's never-say-die attitude is legendary! I'm sure most will come down on the side of Fate, but I like to think Hawkman's will still could've found a way. The Doctor certainly looked worse for wear at the end!

This month on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths we're spotlighting some of the heroes and villains featured in Injustice 2! The fighting game sequel is out now for home consoles, offering an eclectic mix of DCU icons in a universe where Superman has become a threat to truth, justice and freedom.

The exciting addition of Doctor Fate was the subject of Hero of the Week back in March, but alas, Hawkman is yet to make an appearance in the DC video game series! A fighting game without one of DC's greatest fighters?! I know!

Hawkgirl took up the slack with a lone playable appearance in 2013's Injustice: Gods Among Us. Better later than never: the sequel introduces a concept called "Premier Skins", which map all new character assets to existing gameplay. The perfect system for delivering both Hawks, should either ever appear again!

Think Professor Zoom using the moves of The Flash, or Hal Jordan's moves as a base to map John Stewart's voice and appearance into the game. An appropriate compromise to include characters who might otherwise be functionally similar in a video game setting. Imperfect, but a net positive.

Even Jay Garrick gets a run in the Premier Skin system! When you think about the tough times the Golden Age heroes have had of late, especially in comics - that's pretty nifty!

There's really no under estimating the simple "cool factor" at work with Golden Age heroes. Doctor Fate and Hawkman really only need to show up to spark an ember of interest. I've never been a big fan of the "half helm" seen in today's feature fight, but you get that full Helmet of Fate out, and it demands attention!

I can't help but think of the cover of Hawkman (Vol. 4) #24. A pretty cool action shot of Hawkman clubbing Doctor Fate - just like our featured fight! It doesn't actually reflect the contents of the issue, but it's the kind of cover that draws your eye. These characters are just so visually thrilling!

Such is the baffling quandary of publishers shuttling their classic characters out of continuity, or trying to disguise them. Tell readers the story exists in a cordoned off bubble and you might alleviate the "completist" anxieties of a few timid "new readers". Once that plays out, all that's achieved is further division of the audience, and a reinforcement of the idea that backstory is a problem.

In my experience; the uninitiated are often drawn to a visually striking character like Hawkman or Doctor Fate, and have a healthy appetite for learning more of 'the bits that matter' in their history. These "new readers" are willing and interested to engage in deep comics backstory, provided its in a no frills, easily digested format. A litany of reboots and reinventions can only discourage.

Good fiction is constructive, and needn't dwell on details that aren't immediately relevant. Our own lives are an example of the ways old relationships and details can be stirred to relevance, but we don't dwell on everything every time we enter into a situation. A good comic tells you what you need to know.

1981's All-Star Squadron roughly had a foot in both camps. I tend to think the division of Earth-1 and Earth-2 was more trouble than its worth, and freezing the characters in the 1940s is a trickier prospect now - another thirty years on from World War II. Not that its impossible. Retro visions like Sandman Mystery Theatre are, in my opinion, evergreen as a genre style. I also think Nazis deserve their place as the perennial bad guys asking for a kicking!

Ultimately, I prefer the consolidated, forward moving approach that made the mid-2000s a great run for JSA and Hawkman. For a while there, Geoff Johns was the master of striking a balance between the immovable qualities of Golden & Silver Age characters, and their intuitive placement in the modern age.

The more the entertainment world tries to forge hastily assembled histories and imitation shared universes -- the more it seems absurd that comics would ever do anything but promote the unique feature of their genuine back catalogue!

Do you think Hawkman and Doctor Fate are obviously awesome? Be sure to follow links throughout this post, or dive into the Secret Archive Index, to discover even more gems, rants, and superhero smackdown!

Follow along on Twitter and Facebook to get daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day! A like, share, or retweet is a great way to support the site and spread the battle cry of The Comic Book Fight Club! You can also use the Amazon link provided to sponsor the site at no extra cost to your purchase!

Note: All-Star Squadron #1-#18 are collected in the Showcase reprint series [pictured right], which are a black and white publication. For Carl Gafford's vibrant colours you'll have to seek out original back issues, or digitally sold equivalents. For buyer satisfaction, always remember to research products before buying!

Winner: Draw (Inconclusive)
#31 (+1) Hawkman
#128 (+18) Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson)

HERO OF THE WEEK: DOCTOR FATE (DC)
Real Name: Kent Nelson
First Appearance: More Fun Comics #55 (May, 1940)
Fight Club Ranking: #144

Featured Fights:
- vs MORGAUTH: JSA Strange Adventures #1 (Oct 2004)
- vs DEMONS THREE: Justice League Unlimited #14 (Dec 2005)

The big reveals for DC Comics fighting game Injustice 2 keep coming with what might be the most exciting new addition yet: Doctor Fate! The good doc was unveiled in a new trailer late last week, which delivers a promising first look at the golden age hero's fighting game debut!

I'm not totally sold on the slightly robotic, in-helmet voice, but it's an otherwise enjoyable depiction based on what we've seen. NetherRealm Studios being what they are, they've fiddled with the generally simple design that serviced the character since his introduction in the 1940s. Given their penchant for straps, shoulder pads, flaps, and other clutter, it's a tasteful adaptation. The gold is nice, and extra panels of armor and patterns are kept to a relative minimum. The faint gold on his stomach reads a little like an unfortunate food stain beneath his armored bib -- but it's not too bad.

The aesthetic appeal of Doctor Fate's helmet is always a pleasure and should be more than enough to excite a neophyte gaming audience about the character. I'm a little less confident in what the story mode will put forward.

One of the most critical flaws of the much praised Injustice: Gods Among Us was its half-hearted plot and characterization. It remains the toughest aspect to sell, even though it tends to be one of the most lauded on release. A lot of reviewers and fans have already begun to turn on the first games flimsy premise. Here's hoping greater investment can be made to up the quality and DC Comics reference.

I'm not holding my breath, but I like enough of what I'm seeing to make Doctor Fate our Hero of the Week! With any luck we can back that up some time in the future with a few more featured fights. The two battles (noted top) tap into Fate's charming affiliations with the JSA and Justice League, but do little to feature the hero like he should be! One of many for the To Do List, methinks!

Injustice 2 is out in two months, coming May for PS4 and Xbox One. With any luck we'll get a chance to look more closely at some of the interesting new characters. If that isn't enough for you, why not flash back to the last time Doctor Fate made the grade as a 2009 HOTW! You can also find plenty more DC Comics heroes & villains in action by following links and diving into the Archive Index! The Lords of Order compel you!

<< Hero of the Week 03/13: Iron Fist     [Home]     Hero of the Week 02/27: Wolverine >>

Hero of the Week #24: Dr. Fate

DOCTOR FATE (DC)
Real Name: Kent Nelson
First Appearance: More Fun Comics #55 (May, 1940)
Group Affiliation: Black Lantern Corps, Justice Society of America (former)
Gaming Credentials: DC Universe Online (TBA)
Infinite Wars Cumulative Ranking: #122



If you've had your ear to the ground, you'll know all about the announcement that superstar comics writer, Geoff Johns (Blackest Night; Green Lantern; Flash: Rebirth), will be writing a special guest-appearance on TV's Smallville by the Justice Society of America! Not only that, the two-parter has since been upgraded to a full fledged movie-length special, suggesting more than a passing cameo by Hawkman, Stargirl, and our Hero of the Week, Dr. Fate!

Johns is no stranger to these characters!
It was in the pages of JSA -- alongside fellow Hollywood alumnist, David Goyer -- that he first established his reputation and knack for indulging historically rooted characters, and bringing out the best in them for the modern age. Johns returned to the team for one last run in 2007, but has continued to maintain their presence as elder statesmen in the DCU through many of his projects, including his current event-titles; Blackest Night and Flash: Rebirth.

While you're almost certainly familiar with aspects of the writer's work, there's also been ample opportunity to get to know the good Doctor, as well!

Despite being one of the great heroes of the Golden Age of comics (1940s) -- Dr. Fate's mystic presence has spanned the decades, reaching as far as the most recent present! The helmeted agent of order has registered modern appearances you might have seen in animated episodes of; Superman, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, and most recently, Batman: Brave and the Bold. The original Dr. Fate even holds the distinction of being one of the few characters to gain membership with both the Justice League and the Justice Society!

The introduction of the JSA as battle weary predecessors to Tom Welling's Superman and the other heroes of Smallville should be a very interesting experiment in exposing the uninitiated to the concept of legacy in DC comics.
Whilst the nineties animated versions of characters walked closer to their comic book counterparts than was previously customary, there is a still significant divide between the interpretations of the much-loved Bruce Timm attributed cartoons, and the material that inspired them. The gap between source material and the mainstream, however, appears to be ever closing as cartoons like Batman: Brave and the Bold, and movies like Iron Man, introduce design and concept tropes taken specifically from various eras of comics. The Brave and the Bold series, in particular, deserves a lot of credit for borrowing heavily from less popular eras in comics, such as Batman's adventures of the fifties and sixties.

Modern comic book superheroes as we know them owe much of their origins to the pulps of the twenties and thirties. The era of characters like Doc Savage and The Shadow overlapped with early appearances of the first comic book heroes, seemlessly bleeding in to the dawn of Mandrake the Magician, The Phantom, Superman, Sandman, and Batman. The influence of the thirties and forties, and those periods that followed, continues to be a great source of inspiration and homage to modern comic books, even if the value of this history is sometimes mischaracterized and misinterpreted in the internet age. This reverence for the past and indulgence in it's ideas has been key to DC's recent turnaround that has included a rare domination of the top ten selling comics and the reexpansion of brands like Green Lantern and the Flash.

It's interesting to see how perceptions have been, in part, shaped by the presence of these characters in other entertainment mediums. Spider-man made perhaps the most significant transition in the modern age, establishing himself as a multimedia icon early through his animated adventures in the sixties. Rarely has a year gone by since that the character hasn't found his way into television programming, spawning multiple TV series, video games, and some of the biggest grossing cinematic blockbusters the world has known. This presence in the pop culture zeitgeist has arguably been invaluable to maintaining the illusion that Spider-man is a less complicated or storied character, fostered through a sense of familiarity and regularly constructed 'do-overs.'
The fruits of DC's crossmedia labours appear to be baring similar results, with the nineties Timm cartoons gaining cult-like status amongst a fiercely dedicated fanbase.

It will be very interesting to see how perceptions change after Dr. Fate and the JSA get their time to shine in Smallville, and next year, join the ranks of the Massively Multi-player Online extravaganza, DC Universe Online! Video games have long been an oversight for the DC icons, but they'll be out in force when players get the chance to literally jump into the DC Universe and experience face-to-face encounters with the likes of Superman, Batman, and even Dr. Fate, too!

The original Dr. Fate died a few years back in the comics (of mystically reverted old age), but you'll find his resurrected undead corpse waging war on the living in the pages of Blackest Night!
You can also find the newest wearer of the helmet of nabu (Kent V. Nelson) in the pages of Justice Society of America, who probably won't have to wait long to face-off against his predecessor in a Blackest Night mini-series. All of this makes him a pretty good choice for HOTW!

Just in case you're interested -- check out some of the previous HOTWs to come directly from the Golden Age: Batman (1940); Captain America (1941); Superman (1938); Hawkman (1940); Aquaman (1941); Joker (1940); Scarecrow (1941); Green Arrow (1941); Solomon Grundy (1944).

<< Hero of the Week 11/22: Sandman       [Home]       Hero of the Week 11/08: Magneto >>

Originally posted: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9009878

JUSTICE SOCIETY versus MORGAUTH
"It was a Dark and Stormy Night..." (DC)
Where: JSA Strange Adventures #1 When: October 2004 Why: Kevin J Anderson How: Barry Kitson

The Story So Far...
In a world where the fantastic powers of the Justice Society of America make even the most bizarre science-fiction story appear pedestrian, the tastes of the masses are changing!

Circulation of the Amazing Stories pulp magazine is falling in a 1940's America concerned with the threat of Nazi violence, and the exploits of the nation's greatest super powered heroes. In an effort to save his business, budding editor, Hugo Gernsback, calls upon his most popular writer to work with a little-known author, whose submissions have been rejected for years.

As a member of the JSA; Johnny Thunder has had a ground zero vantage point of the team's greatest exploits, experiencing them from behind the might of his mystically charged Thunderbolt! His latest submission is yet another tale of personal triumph, when only he and his Thunderbolt have the keys to defeating the mysterious monster menace of Morgauth!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Wonder Woman 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Spectre 7 (Omnipotent)
Speed: Flash 7 (Lightspeed)
Stamina: Spectre 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Spectre 7 (Malleable)
Fighting Ability: Hawkman 6 (Warrior)
Energy Power: Spectre 7 (Cosmic)


- The JSA are: Green Lantern, Starman, Hawkwoman, The Spectre, Dr. Mid-Nite, Dr. Fate, Mr. Terrific, Hawkman, Atom, Flash, Wildcat, Hourman, Wonder Woman, Star-Spangled Kid, Sandman, Dr. Occult, Johnny Thunder, and The Thunderbolt.

During the Golden Age of superheroes in the forties, many of the heaviest hitting heroes united to form a powerful syndicate of heroism called the Justice Society.
Among the well-known founding members were; Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Sandman, the Spectre, Dr. Fate, Hourman, and the Atom.

Despite an ebb and flow through time that has seen the team maintain varying degrees of activity, they have endured to the modern day. Extending the JSA's lifespan is a new legacy policy which allows a new generation of new members inducted by relation to former members, be they by blood, or by spirit.

- Morgauth is a hellish tentacle beast from the darkest depths of occult imagination. The extent of the lovecraftian creature's powers are uncertain, but it's resistance to magic appears to extend even to the might of The Spectre, whose powers only appeared to make the monster grow larger in their only confrontation (in JSA: Strange Adventures).

Math: JSA Ranking: Hawkman (#31)

What Went Down...
"It was a dark and stormy night...," recounts the pencil of Johnny Thunder.
At the mysterious Hotel Necro the JSA are locked in mortal battle with an immortal creature of infernal origins! Dr. Fate and Starman do their best to stem the creature's writhing tentacles as it bursts from every orifice of the hotel!

The Spectre grows to towering proportions to bathe the Hotel Necro in the glow of his wrathful arcane energies! Dr. Mid-Nite delivers a grim prognosis, unable to sense any ill effects felt by the creature. To the contrary, Morgauth bursts from the bondage of the hotel architecture, seemingly invigorated by Spectre's blast!

The Green Lantern joins Starman in an aerial assault on the bustling monster, but their energies, founded in strange science, appear to have no effect on the creature raised from a runestone.

From the ground; the Sandman attempts to turn the tables to no avail, using his custom gas gun to try to give the nightmare creature a bad dream of it's own. All the while Hawkwoman, Hourman, the Star-Spangled Kid, Flash, Mr. Terrific, and Wonder Woman all grapple with the growing sprawl of animated tentacles!

Wildcat's blows bare a brutish charm as he battles the snarling tendrils with old fashioned fisticuffs. On the verge of running out of luck, the champion brawler finds himself surrounded, only to be saved by the pint-sized might of the Atom!

From the neighbouring rooftops above Dr. Occult clutches his mystic disc and compells it's energies to strike at the beast. Instead, the mortal man summons only the wrath of Morgauth, whose giant tentacle reduces his vantage point to firewood! Only the highflying intervention of Hawkgirl saves his life!

Meanwhile; Johnny Thunder was receiving a helping hand of his own from Wonder Woman and her indestructable golden lasso! Her rescue leaves Johnny Thunder able to cite the mystic command, "Cei-U," calling forth the mighty Thunderbolt!

Johnny directs his friend to the menacing monster, whose weak point proves to be it's gigantic central eye! The Thunderbolt streaks directly into he beast, reducing it to slop with his triumphant emergence!

The Hammer...
Well, of all the tangled tales to tie into... We're tempted to call this one a shared victory for the entire Justice Society, but it would be not without some contrivance. Technically Thunderbolt deserves the win, even though the story is told from Johnny Thunder's perspective, and we could assume the already admirable efforts of the JSA deserve more than a statistical assist credit. This isn't the only layer relevant to our on-going statistical tally, however...

The presence of characters like Dr. Occult and Star-Spangled Kid have raised certain questions about the situation of the story in DC history. With only the most unique exception, we analyse characters from alternate universes as part of the potential of their key-universe counterparts, so it's effectively a non-issue.
Strange Adventures could, however, very easily be interpreted as an untold tale from late in the pre-Crisis (or Earth-2) JSA; if not a stand-alone story.

Whew. If you found that paragraph utterly asinine, more power to you!

I like the Justice Society! I like the Golden Age!
I can't claim to be any kind of expert on the intricate histories of all these heroes, but there's an instant asthetic that makes them instantly recognisable, and delightful. It has come to my attention, however, that there are shade of ignorance that can radically change the interpretation of what these characters are.

If you've been reading the Infinite Wars of late you know that October is all about monsters and spooks, and that before that, we'd been paying quite a lot of attention to the meeting of Mortal Kombat and the DC Universe [ie; Dark Kahn]!

It's been an interesting interpretation that the T-rated departure for the blood soaked franchise is an admission that the appeal of the series skews toward a younger demographic. It's quite possibly true, but at the very least, I've found, the MK audience has a far less exposed palate with which they taste the fictional domain. For many, brightly coloured characters like Captain Marvel and Green Lantern were bitterly received, with no notion of the irony.

This trend might cast a lot of aspertions toward MK fans, but to look inward, it probably also reminds us how important perspective is to understanding, and appreciating, some of these most beloved relics of comics' Golden Age.

A regularly recurring subject has been the asthetics of "darkness" read as both adjective, and abstracted noun. The word's use as a buzzword in mass media has ensured fans of all walks of entertainment have their own shallow expectations of the word. It's fair to say even in comics there is a widespread misconception about what darkness might entail and how it applies to the DC Universe.

For the original heroes of the thirties and forties -- a certain amount of thematic darkness was retained from it's pulp predecessors, before being sanitized and reprocessed as post-Werthem goo. Heroes like Batman, Green Lantern, Sandman, and many others of JSA fame, all tackled macabre and horrific tales in their early adventures. While the debate is an evolving one, these World War II era characters also shared a moral compass that has come to accept certain extremes of violence, in the case of some, prosecution by murder.

In recent years DC comics has gone to great lengths to give it's characters and universe a hard edge of consequence. Despite being well recognised for their accessible materials for children, the publisher has managed to avoid being as conservative with it's sacred cows, placing violent stakes on the threats they face with a conceptual drive that has fairly justified them [see; the totem of justice].

Wonder Woman's penchant for swordplay and fatal brutality (breaking Maxwell Lord) garnered much more attention than the genocidal mass murder of three million undertaken by Black Adam. These hero-driven events say nothing of the controversy stirred by novelist Brad Meltzer's 2004 mini-series, Identity Crisis, which set the tone for the DCU with the rape of a beloved supporting character and a string of murders.

Attentive writing has really been on DC's side for the past decade as they've rebuilt the DC Universe as a cohesive entity. It's fair to say of most comics that they challenge the shallow nature of "darkness" as defined by gimmickery and trinkets, benefitting so from a language and precedent developed over seventy years. The emotional, psychological, conceptual, and ethical are all on display.

What is darkness? I think it's all these things.
I do hope, however, that fans of both Mortal Kombat and DC Universe can come to accept certain grounds of perspective. The DCU deserves full credit for the luxuries it is afforded by it's extensive network of titles, characters, writers, artists, and decades of history. This perspective is communicated through it's properties in ways the uninformed may not appreciate, but do not diminish.

I cannot communicate adequately the particulars of what it is about these antiquated heroes that is so charming and valuable. In meeting the much younger, less exposed audience it really has brought this home.
I suppose what I'm musing is that it's a misconception that does them the disservice. These characters in their long lives possess so much of the same make-up that their many descdents have - and then some!

At the same time, the great charm of a Sandman or Starman might just be the quaint simplicity that encompasses their character. They are the among the purest superhero concepts, summed up by their design and place in the world.
The popularity of retro-modern in the mid-00's really captured that and while it might have been better done in Detective Comics or JSA at the time, it's still very evident in Strange Adventures.

Suffice to say, there is still much to ponder, and more spooks and monsters to see as the month progresses. [EDIT: However, Mike fell ill after writing most of this entry, and consequently the month may be condensced upon his return.]

The Fight: 4 The Issue: 4

To the best of our knowledge JSA: Strange Adventures has not been collected, but you'll find plenty more on offer in the Infinite Wars Amazonian Gift Shoppe! Collections featuring most issues reviewed previously on the site are all on offer and by using purchase links provided you not only benefit from Amazon's services, but also help sponsor future entries in the Infinite Wars!