Fictional character biography
Having existed since 1940, the characters' history has been subjected to numerous revisions and retroactive changes over time. Additionally, the Doctor Fate character became a legacy hero in 1987, with numerous incarnations succeeding the character, his history told in post-humorous appearances, and being subjected to comic book deaths and revivals.
Originally, the character was claimed to have no childhood and was created by elder gods to battle evil. Later, Doctor Fate was retroactively revealed as Kent Nelson, son of archaeologist Sven Nelson who is chosen by Nabu after accidentally killing his father with poisonous gas. He explains he is an immortal alien from Cilia and pities the boy, teaching "secrets of the universe" and raising him into adulthood to become Doctor Fate. Retroactive revisions would reveal Nabu altered young Kent's mind to erase his grief and pain and gradually possess him as an adult. Another would have Nabu as a cosmic being of the Lords of Order who sought to use young Kent, aging him to adulthood instantly and imparted into him his mystical knowledge in the process. One of his earliest adversaries was archnemesis Wotan. who kidnapped his love interest Inza Cramer and tries to kill her to defeat the hero. Fate prevails, trapping him suspended animation, Fate buries him deep within the Earth. A native of Earth-Two, Nelson meets meets with the Justice League of Earth-1, a superhero team of a parallel world. Throughout his life, Nelson battled foes such as mummy sorcerer Khalis while dealing with a frustrated Inza and struggling marriage, whom he has married fifteen years after. The Lord of Chaos Totec once weaponized Inza's envy against Fate and Inza once contemplated infidelity, leading Nabu to allow Inza to join Kent in defeating a foe, gain an understanding of the efforts of Doctor Fate, and allow them to mend their marriage. After years of retirement, Doctor Fate becomes semi-active and helps the teams.
In 1985, the character later appears in the Marv Wolfman and George Pérez's Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover series, merging both Earth-1 and Earth-2 realities within the multiverse altering event, with all past definitive histories having been said to happen on this composite universe ("Earth"). The stories from his first appearances (More Fun Comics #55), his origin story (More Fun Comics #67), 1st Issue Special #9, DC Special Series #10, and all his backup stories in The Flash #306-313 are considered definitive adventures and stories for the character in which were reprinted whereas older Golden Age and Silver Age stories were no longer considered canonical to his new universe. Unlike other characters, most of his history was intact.
In the late 1980s, an older Kent Nelson becomes a founding member of Justice League International but when his advance age yields issues, he reluctantly helps Nabu choose a successor in Eric and Linda Strauss while learning of Nabu's deception over the decades, as Doctor Fate was intended to be a merging between him and Inza but the cosmic being withheld it to better control Doctor Fate, as a merged pair was too powerful for Nabu to control. Following Kent's death, his body and identity are usurped by Nabu, who intended to learn how to be human and advises the second incarnation of Doctor Fate.
Both Kent and Inza are eventually revived into younger bodies, the former becoming the incarnation succeeding the Strauss pair as they move into a district in New York. With the roles reversed and a rogue Lord of Order, Shat-Ru, inhabiting his old body in place of Nabu after his disappearance following Eric and Linda's death, Nelson poses as his own grandson whom inherited his likeness and interest in archaeology, convincing the elderly dean (whom he once taught decades ago) for an opportunity in becoming a college teaching assistant despite lacking credentials, claiming they were destroyed. Eventually, his identity and history is outed by the Lords of Chaos but with Shat-Ru's patronage, he re-gains his powers as Doctor Fate and works con-currently with Inza in the role as the pair also merge occasionally. Eventually, Nelson is killed once more although details differ; the original account had them killed off by demons hunting for the helm after being wounded by Extant but witness their future successor Jared Stevens and are granted into heaven with Spectre's appeal. A later account has Nelson trick Stevens into the role so Nabu can release their souls.
During Hall's tenure as Doctor Fate, the spirit of Nelson seemingly aids him in his first defeat of Mordru and informs him he can advise him from the Amulet of Anubis if he wishes. However, that instance proved to be false, as Nabu reveals him and other spirits he had conversed to be figments of Hector's imagination created from a need to prove himself a legitimate incarnation of Doctor Fate as he is also emotionally distraught from his wife being seemingly comatose and his magical powers unable to help her. Ultimately, it is revealed his "wife" was Dawn Granger, his biological mother in his current reincarnation enchanted with her appearance by Mordru and that his wife, Fury, was instead secretly imprisoned in Amulet of Anubis at some point alongside the spirits of other incarnations, including Kent Nelson. When Nabu usurps Hector's body to assist Black Adam, Kent alongside the others combined their powers to rest control back to Hector. Kent Nelson's spirit from the distant past (during the ordeal with Grey Man) to help Hal Jordan (Green Lantern) in more recent times while the latter is stuck on a planet with no way to escape. Kent learns of his future death but chooses to save Hal, instead, despite Hal's protests.
Since the characters' re-appearance in 2015, numerous revisions to the characters' background has kept intact some histories while changing others; Kent's history remains similar to his post-Crisis history, his marriage with Inza Cramer, and his connection with the Justice Society. Nelson also has a brother who fathers his niece, Elizabeth Nelson, and is a source of inspiration in her life to become an archaeologist.
During his earlier years as Doctor Fate, he was a member of the Justice Society Dark, a magical off-shoot of the Justice Society, and had a sidekick named Salem Nader (Salem the Witch Girl), an arrogant witch from Limbo Town who was cursed to negatively affect those she becomes close to. However, she disappeared following her cruise nearly killing Inza (his girlfriend at the time) and despite his and the team's efforts; unbeknownst to him, she was displaced from time and gradually forgotten about her.
In a time-related incident involving Per Degaton's time manipulations, he has several instances his life where he vaguely remembers, has visions of the death of the JSA across different points in time, and would aid the modern Justice Society. During his lifetime, he would originally warn Catwoman of the eventual targeting of her future daughter years before his death but aspects of this is adverted due to the involvement of a future Doctor Fate. Eventually, he is succeeded by Eric and Linda Strauss as Doctor Fate, the pair having teamed up with Darkseid, Highfather, and others to help to stop the Anti-Life entity. After their death, Hector Hall becomes the third Doctor Fate during the founding of a new JSA iteration by Wesley Dodds.
Eventually, Nelson reappears and reveals himself to Khalid Nassour, his grand-nephew, as the previous Doctor Fate and begins mentoring him, helping him in various cases such as stopping an Ifrit set to destroy New York and Osiris, who unleashes the undead and seeks retribution for Anubis's defeat by Nassour sometime prior to Nelson's revelation towards Khalid. Nelson eventually takes precedent within the role, with Nabu also briefly usurping it to battle Arion and assist the Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes). Sometime later, they are trapped by Nabu, who uses Nelson's body and conspires with other Lords of Order to destroy the source of magic following the piercing of the Source Wall. Their plans are interrupted by Wonder Woman's newly created Justice League Dark and their allies. Enlisting the power of chaos magic from Mordru, Kent is freed of Nabu's control and the team prevails in defeating the Lords of Order. Wonder Woman asks Nelson to don the helmet once more, who refuses due to his disillusionment and recommends Khalid, who then declines. The pair enlist themselves as consultant members of Justice League Dark but when the team is pitted against Circe's Injustice League Dark, Khalid becomes the sole Doctor Fate and assists in their defeat, prompting a concerned Kent. With Nassour now the new Doctor Fate, Nelson leaves the team with intent to retire once more and believes himself unable to train Nassour further. Nelson later appears for the final time as Doctor Fate during the team's battle with Upside-Down Man, when Nabu summons him. Nelson sacrifices himself when the pair unleash a critical blow at the villain, killing him and depleting the helm of its power. As Nassour sees his death as a personal failure, Detective Chimp asserts he made the sacrifice with high hopes in his grandnephew's abilities.
Now deceased, Nelson's spirit continues to influence the living; when a girl calling herself Kid Eternity follows Wildcat into the afterlife after he is killed by Lady Eve, Nelson is among the dead JSA members who tell Kid Eternity that the JSA is in danger and that they need her help.
