“Black Adam” is one of DC’s first supervillains to have a lead solo film. The titular villain is also known to be one of the strongest metahumans in the DC Universe, but now he has competition.
Recently, James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan was confirmed as Doctor Fate for the upcoming supervillain movie. Similar to Black Adam, Fate is known to be DC’s most powerful sorcerer and we will finally see him on the big screen. We might actually see Doctor Fate and the titular villain fight against each other as the strongest entities in the comic book universe.
When it comes to the DC Universe, Doctor Fate may not be familiar to standard DC or non-DC fans in general. So, here are some fun facts about the character and the lore surrounding him:
1. Doctor Fate gets his powers from the Helmet of Nabu
Once someone puts on the helmet, Doctor Fate will possess the person wearing it. Hence, magic will be transferred to the wearer. Such powers include creating magical barriers, resurrecting the dead, healing people, and constructing things out of energy. Not only that but Fate’s experience with sorcery will also be shared with the wearer as well.
However, wearing the helmet comes with a great cost. Doctor Fate can completely take control of the wearer’s body. Sometimes, the spirit can be very oppressive to anyone who wears his helmet. Donning the Helmet of Nabu can change someone into a powerful sorcerer, but it can be very unpleasant as well. The Lord of Order sure doesn’t make things easy for his agents.
2. He’s is one of the strongest sorcerers in the DC Universe
As one of the most powerful characters known in the DC realm, nobody can match Doctor Fate when it comes to sorcery. Some of Fate’s abilities are super strength, flying, telekinesis, telepathy, and he can even cast lightning and fire whenever he wishes to. He’s also one of the oldest sorcerers in the DC Universe.
Moreover, one of the most iconic characters associated with his name is Kent Nelson. Of course, his powers come from the Helmet of Nabu. If someone were to wear the helmet, he or she would wield great power.
3. Doctor Fate is an actual doctor
Kent Nelson was a kid when he claimed the title of Doctor Fate. However, he still had his own career to pursue even after taking the name of the hero. Furthermore, Nelson became a physician and is one of the few heroes who is an actual doctor of medicine.
He didn’t just want to help people as a superhero, but also as a regular human being. Not only that, but he also became an archaeologist after retirement. Therefore, even if Nelson doesn’t obtain powers from the Helmet of Nabu, he still would have a well-functioning lifestyle as a doctor.
4. He was one of the few founders of the Justice Society of America (JSA)
Doctor Fate is one of the few heroes who founded the Justice Society of America’s (JSA) when it was formed. It’s one of DC Comics’ oldest superhero teams formed by the heroes of the Golden Age. The team has tackled many of DC’s most dangerous villains. As years went by, they went through various permutations.
In recent years, they combined the remaining heroes of the Golden Age together with the legacy heroes the team has taught over the years. Doctor Fate was a supernatural adviser and warrior when he was still on the team. He made sure he was helpful to his respective heroes while he was still in the JSA.
The JSA is filled with strong superheroes. Now, we get to see them in the upcoming “Black Adam” movie. Only four of them will make their appearance which includes Fate himself (Pierce Brosnan), Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), and Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell).
5. The Helmet of Nabu made a short appearance in the Arrowverse
In the first season of CW’s “Legends of Tomorrow”, Rip Hunter revealed that he loves collecting artifacts from the past. In the same episode, Doctor Fate’s helmet was featured as an artifact Hunter kept. Since then, fans were speculating whether the sorcerer exists within the Arrowverse. Fortunately, the JSA was confirmed to be set in the universe itself. Therefore, Doctor Fate’s existence in the Arrowverse remains highly likely.
Since there are many versions of Doctor Fate within the comic books, it’s also possible a new person could put on the helmet to carry on his legacy. It’s been four years and nothing has been confirmed.
6. Fate was featured in “Smallville” and other animated DC cartoons
Doctor Fate made a few appearances in the DC cartoons, including “Superman: The Animated Series”, “Justice League”, “Batman: The Brave and the Bold”, and “Justice League Action”. He was also a small significant character in “Young Justice”. When Zatanna wore the Helmet of Nabu, the spirit took over her body. In order to earn her freedom, Zatanna’s father, Giovanni Zatara, offered himself to Nabu as a replacement.
Fate also appeared in “Smallville” in a two-hour special of the 9th season. Stargirl and Hawkman also appeared alongside Fate. Together, the three of them formed the Justice Society. Unfortunately, the other members were deceased, so it was only just them.
7. Doctor Fate died at the hands of Constantine
John Constantine is an amazing magician who has a wide range of skills. He’s covered the Dark Occult Arts as well as Spell-Casting using demonic energy. Despite being a mortal, Constantine can also use Dark Magic a lot better than other immortal beings. On the other hand, he simply can’t compete with Doctor Fate since both have abilities that outmatch each other.
In the 2014 comic “Constantine: Future’s End”, Constantine accidentally wore the Helmet of Nabu. To break free, Constantine challenged Fate to a deathmatch where the helmet-wearing sorcerer had to prove he cares about others over himself. The JSA member explained that he rescued many innocent lives while defeating evil beings.
However, Constantine mentioned that Fate tricked many people into wear the helmet and that eventually killed them. He brought up one of Fate’s wearers, Khalid, who was stuck in hell thanks to him. Constantine then declared himself the winner and Anubis picked up Doctor Fate and consumed him. Fate may be an undefeatable character, but Constantine was able to outsmart him and cause his demise.
8. Pierce Brosnan’s appearance as Doctor Fate already predicted
Fan artist BossLogic recently created a new fan art representing Pierce Brosnan’s appearance as Doctor Fate. DC fans expressed their satisfaction after looking at the fan art and are now hoping that Brosnan would look similar to his illustration for the “Black Adam” movie.
Some fans were dissatisfied with the casting choice at first. But after seeing BossLogic’s fan art, they seemed to be convinced. The fan artist has also made similar illustrations of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s Black Adam.
“Black Adam” is currently set to release on 22nd December 2021. With the pandemic still around, it might get delayed until further notice.
