Doctor Fate

Cosplayer playing the character.

Doctor Fate (also known as Fate) is the name of multiple fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Many people become Doctor Fate in the DC Universe when they become sorcerers. The original version of the character was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, and first appeared in More Fun Comics #55 (May 1940).

Versions

The best known character who became Doctor Fate is Kent Nelson, an archaeologist who is empowered by Nabu of the Lords of Order. The current version of the character, Khalid Nassour, is an Egyptian-American physician (originally medical student) empowered by the Egyptian gods and archangels and has received critical acclaim. Other versions of the character include step-mother/son duo Eric and Linda Strauss, archaeologist Inza Cramer, smuggler Jared Stevens, former psychiatrist Kent V. Nelson, and the reincarnated son of Hawkman and Hawkgirl, Hector Hall.

In other media

The character has appeared in various incarnations across multiple forms of media based on both the comics and original characters; the Kent Nelson version notably appeared in the television series Smallville, in which he was portrayed by Brent Stait. The Kent Nelson version of the character is also played by actor Pierce Brosnan in the DC Extended Universe movie Black Adam (2022). The Khalid Nassour version debuted in the Young Justice animated television series alongside others based upon pre-existing characters not typically associated with the character's comic book iterations, including Giovonni Zatara, Zatanna Zatara, and Traci 13.