Doctor Fate (Kent V. Nelson)

Origin

In his debut, Kent V. Nelson first revealed as a respected psychiatrist who undergoes a series of personal and professional setbacks that costed him dearly; an extramarital affairs with a younger college student leads to a divorce, depression, and estrangement from both his wife and daughter, Marissa and Laryn respectively. His depression later results in a malpractice suit when Nelson failed to properly treat a client, who displayed concerning behaviors even during their sessions and later killed several people in a vehicular homicide. This leads to the loss of his home, possessions, and professional license, leaving him homeless and desperate. However, Kent's life takes a turn when he discovers the Helmet of Fate and assumes the mantle of Doctor Fate.

Becoming Doctor Fate, Kent encounters Negal, a foe of the first Doctor Fate intent on keeping the mantle vacant but is defeated, and works to re-establish a healthier semblance of life with the magical powers of the helmet. With the help of occult enthusiast Maddy, he learns of the Doctor Fate mantle. He is helped personally by Inza Fox, a comic book artist whom coincidentally shares the name of his aunt and is later abducted by Negal. After a horrific experience, he tries to relinquish the helm to Maddy but she is also abducted by Negal's servant and is forced to come to terms with being the new Doctor Fate.^[5] In the final issue, the series presented several endings based on Steve Gerber's notes:

• Maddy harnesses the helm's powers to rescue Kent and Inza. She brings Inza's fictional characters to life, defeating Negal and Ymp in the process. Afterwards, they return to Las Vegas, and Maddy returns the helm to Kent.^[5]
• Kent regains consciousness and rebels against Negal, asserting that the idea of Doctor Fate is indomitable. He confronts Negal with the notion that he can never truly overcome the concept of fate itself. This causes Negal to combust, as he is tied to the suffering of others, especially self-loathing. Maddy and Inza's lives are restored with no recollection of the events that transpired.^[5]
• Maddy attempts to awaken Kent, who finds himself in a dream-like state where he converses with a man named Mardilo. Mardilo explains Negal's demonic nature, his goals, as well as the meaning of fate and destiny. Upon regaining consciousness, Kent reclaims the helm and becomes Doctor Fate once more. He departs with Inza and Maddy, but this time chooses not to engage in battle with Negal.^[5]

• Maddy frees Kent and gives up the helm. Unfortunately, Inza is disfigured by demonic forces. Despite the uncertainty of restoration, Inza chooses to embrace life. Kent confronts Negal, exposing his futile pursuit of inflicting suffering. Surprisingly, Negal accepts Kent's offer of help, leading to his rehabilitation. During their sessions, Negal kills Ymp. Maddy remains Kent's friend and researches a solution for Inza's transformation. Kent maintains optimism, seeing this complex situation as a form of a happy ending.^[5]

Reign in Hell and other appearances

The Reign in Hell storyline and comic title features Kent V. alongside other notable magic users (Zatanna, Ibis the Invincible, Enchantress, etc.) getting involved in a civil war in hell as Zaurel calls for an alliance and intervention due to the potential cosmic ramifications it poses. The conflicting sides includes Neron, the current ruler, and twin demon lords Satanus and Blaze, the demonic children of the Wizard Shazam. An inexperienced sorcerer, Nelson is unaware of how to escape from hell and battles Blaze, who lambasts him for his limited skills but is defeated when she mistakenly how to focus his power. With the assistance of Doctor Occult and Nightshade, Kent and the group ultimately manage to escape Hell, despite interruptions from Lobo and the sacrifice of Sargon the Sorcerer. As the group successfully exits Hell, Lady Blaze ultimately prevails and assumes the position of the new Ruler of Hell, becoming the new Devil.^[12]

Later, Kent would help the Justice Society when they were targeted by various villains trained specifically to fight their members, using the reputation of Doctor Fate's power in order to grant them an advantage. He also works to save Mister Miracle's life when he receives fatal injuries. Later, his body is possessed by Mordru briefly in another attack on the JSA despite their preparations for it. With Kent's help, the team once more beats Mordru and the sorcerer sets out to study more about his abilities.^{[6] [13]} Kent would also return to help the Society fight against the resurrected Starheart although he is brought under possession and control from the Starheart's will manifesting through Alan Scott for a time. He also helps the team fight against the new threat known as Scythe.^[14]

Dawn of DC

In the aftermath of the New Golden Age storyline, Kent V.'s tenure as Doctor Fate was reintroduced into the mainstream continuity, establishing him as the Doctor Fate who preceded Khalid Nassour. While Khalid acknowledged Kent's time as Doctor Fate, he expressed uncertainty about their familial relationship to Kent (which also retroactively possibly makes the two characters cousins or otherwise related to one another) or the ultimate fate of the younger Kent.^[11] A past version of the younger Kent also suffered the consequences of the time-traveling Degaton, who was empowered by a Lord of Chaos and sought to replace the Justice Society of America with his own, leading to the death of Doctor Fate in various timelines.^[7]

Reputation

As Doctor Fate, Kent is considered a premier mystic superhero with substantial magical power from the Helmet of Fate in his possession.^[15] While regarded as a novice in earlier appearances with little skill, he is later recognized as among the most formidable practitioners in the DC Universe, carrying the title of Sorcerer Supreme.^[2] One source also states him to be a protector of chaos and order^[16] despite his tenure taking place after the collective destruction the Lords of Chaos and Order.

Weaknesses

Nelson lacked any connections with the (then) deceased Lords of Order, making him reliant on personal experiences to understand the helm. This limited both his comprehension and the character believed himself not as powerful as the original Doctor Fate.^[6] Furthermore, the helmet and its associated artifacts serve as the central source of Kent's power, rendering him powerless if he is deprived of them.^[6]