The trailers for Black Adam depicted the titular anti-hero taking on the Justice Society. Doctor Fate, a stalwart member of the JSA, became one of the most powerful heroes DC Comics had at its disposal. However, Doctor Fate rarely got his due. Doctor Fate never attained the popularity of other Golden Age heroes, appearing in comics only through 1944.
After the Justice Society returned, Doctor Fate appeared more and more. In the 1980s, he finally got his series and the chance to demonstrate his power and heroism to a new audience of DC fans. Despite the ebb and flow of popularity, Doctor Fate had no shortage of impressive accomplishments under his belt.
10 Doctor Fate Stopped The Wizard Wotan
In More Fun Comics #55, Gardner Fox and Howard Sherman pit the new mystical hero against the wizard Wotan. Doctor Fate acknowledged Wotan as an equal in mystic power, but determined to bring his opponent to justice. However, Wotan had an advantage and was holding Kent Nelson's girlfriend, Inza Cramer, hostage.
Doctor Fate resorted to fisticuffs to overpower Wotan. Fate lifted Wotan above his head, tossing him out of a window to his apparent death. In true comics style, Wotan returned the very next issue.
9 Kent Nelson Temporarily Went Without The Helmet Of Nabu
One of the mysteries of the Golden Age was Doctor Fate moving from a full helmet to a half helmet, revealing his nose and mouth. It debuted in More Fun Comics #72 by Gardner Fox and Howard Sherman. Even after the character returned, writers never explained this change. Perhaps it was because Doctor Fate was wearing the full helmet again.
Readers finally received the answer to the mystery in All-Star Squadron #23 by Roy Thomas, Jerry Ordway, Mike Machlan, and Gene D'Angelo. Nabu had been trying to influence Kent Nelson's actions and control Doctor Fate. To diminish the power Nabu had over him, Kent Nelson and Inza Cramer had decided to carve a new helmet, allowing Kent to take back control and acquire more freedom.
8 A New Doctor Fate Defeated Anubis
At the beginning of 2015's Doctor Fate, by Paul Levitz, Sonny Liew, and Lee Loughridge, Khalid Nassour became one of the most recent wearers of Nabu's helmet, also known as the Helm of Thoth. Khalid assumed the mantle in the middle of the god Anubis's plan to flood the world.
Unsure of how to stop the god of the dead, Khalid began confronting Anubis over and over. It looked bleak as Anubis took Doctor Fate to his realm to end his life. There, Thoth assisted him, giving Khalid the strength to defeat Anubis and save the world.
7 Kent Nelson Made Peace With His Wife While Stopping A Lord Of Chaos
Doctor Fate battled renegade Lords of Order and Chaos during the stories by Martin Pasko, Steve Gerber, Keith Giffen, Larry Mahlstedt, and Tatjana Wood in Flash #306-313. Kent Nelson had left behind a struggling marriage. His wife, Inza, flirted with a possible affair but changed her mind.
The problems in their marriage stemmed from Kent's mental stress from transforming into Doctor Fate. To provide the power needed to triumph in their current battle, Doctor Fate merged Inza with her husband. This experience gave Inza a fresh perspective on the toll her husband experienced as Doctor Fate. The couple reconciled, deciding to work on their relationship.
6 Linda Strauss Carried On As Doctor Fate After Her Stepson Died
In the 1980s, Dr. Fate used Eric Strauss and his stepmother Linda as merged hosts. When Eric fell ill and died following a battle with Darkseid, the loss hit Linda very hard. Transforming into Dr. Fate, Linda went to the afterlife, talked to Eric, and made peace with his passing.
Linda took some time to mourn her stepson. At first, she resisted going on as Dr. Fate but persevered with her friends' help. She even assisted Justice League International before perishing herself while battling the Anti-Fate.
5 Nabu Rescued Ultra Boy From A Lord Of Chaos
Five thousand years ago, Nabu operated in Ancient Egypt, as depicted in Legion of Super-Heroes #19 by Keith Giffen, Tom and Mary Bierbaum, Al Gordon, and Tom McCraw. When the villain Roxxas stranded the Legionnaire Ultra Boy in the past, Nabu observed him for months.
Nabu watched Hytuurnus, a Lord of Chaos, seduce Ultra Boy using the memories of the Legionnaire's dead fiancée, Phantom Girl. When King Amenemhet learned of the situation, he commanded Nabu to stop the Lord of Chaos. Nabu killed Hytuurnus, and Ultra Boy resigned himself to loneliness when Nabu returned to him and sent him home.
4 Doctor Fate Reformed The Justice League
In the Legends miniseries by John Ostrander, Len Wein, John Byrne, and others, Darkseid turned the public against superheroes. Kent Nelson recognized something larger at work. Becoming Doctor Fate, he collected various heroes, including Batman and Superman.
Doctor Fate confronted Darkseid's minion Glorious Godfrey on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and brought the assembled heroes together, stopping Godfrey and Darkseid's plan. Afterward, the group remained together to fight evil. Because the Justice League of America was no more, they take on the mantle of the new Justice League.
3 Earth 2 Doctor Fate Defeated Wotan.
In Earth 2 #10-12 — by James Robinson, Nicola Scott, and Trevor Scott — the wizard Wotan confronted Khalid Ben-Hassin, who'd found the Helmet of Nabu two years prior. Wanting the Helmet of Nabu from the tower of Fate, Wotan ordered Jay Garrick and Khalid to retrieve it, holding Jay's mother hostage.
Inspired by Jay Garrick's bravery, Khalid became Doctor Fate and saved Jay's mother from Wotan. This act alone was brave enough, as the helmet nearly broke his mind when he first put it on. He then launched a pitched mystical battle that Nabu feared he couldn't win. With knowledge of the abilities of Ancient Egyptian deities, Khalid banished Wotan to another realm.
2 Hector Hall Became Doctor Fate And Defeated Mordru
Following the rebirth of the JSA, Doctor Fate's helmet reformed after being turned into a knife during Zero Hour. In JSA #4 (by James Robinson, David S. Goyer, Stephen Sadowski, Michael Bair, and John Kalisz), Hector Hall inherited his father's destiny of reincarnation and became an infant. Young Hector became linked to Doctor Fate's helmet and amulet, objects coveted by the sorcerer Mordru.
The JSA delayed Mordru enough for Stargirl to follow Kent Nelson's guidance, and she aged the infant into an adult in an instant. Becoming the new Doctor Fate, Hector battled Mordru, trapping the sorcerer in the amulet. Then Hector reintroduced himself to the JSA, inspiring the team with his return to the living.
1 Kent Nelson Rescued The Spectre At Great Personal Risk
In All-Star Squadron #27-28, by Roy Thomas and Richard Howell, Doctor Fate used the full power of Nabu's helmet to find The Spectre, a powerful spirit under the thrall of his foe, Kulak. Doctor Fate battled the Spectre, unable to break Kulak's spell. Momentarily gaining the upper hand, The Spectre sent Fate falling through dimensions.
As Kulak sent The Spectre to battle his allies in the Justice Society, Sargon the Sorcerer rescued Doctor Fate. Kulak overpowered Fate and took the helmet, but rather than gain its power, Kulak found himself falling through dimensions. Having won against nearly impossible odds, Kent Nelson returned to his post and to wearing his half-helmet.