Black Adam, the upcoming DC release, boasts an enviable cast led by Dwayne Johnson as the notorious anti-hero and includes former James Bond, Pierce Brosnan, as the Justice Society's Dr. Fate. (Fun fact: Brosnan is actually the third James Bond actor to appear in a DC project, with Timothy Dalton playing Niles Caulder/The Chief in Doom Patrol and Sir Sean Connery as Allan Quatermain in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.) It's a win for DC to land Brosnan for the role (and heaven knows they could use one), an experienced actor that brings dignity and an action-adventure history into the film... and the character looks amazing to boot. Speaking of, just who is Dr. Fate, anyway? Doctor Fate, in short, is DC's sorcerer supreme, debuting twenty years prior to Marvel's Dr. Strange.
Dr. Fate's Comic Book History
Dr. Fate's history begins in the pages of More Fun Comics #55 in May 1940. Garbed in the gold cloak and helmet that would become his iconic look, Fate used magic to fight crime, fly, teleport, gain super strength, astral project, and for telekinesis; a Jedi before the time of the Jedi. Magic was just a given for the character, and his origin wouldn't actually be discovered until 1941 in More Fun Comics #67. In 1920, archaeologist Sven Nelson and his son Kent went on an expedition to an ancient temple Sven found in the Valley of Ur in Egypt. While exploring, young Kent opened the tomb of Nabu the Wise, waking Nabu and inadvertently releasing an ancient poison gas that kills his father (a nod to the real-life myth of the curse of King Tut's tomb). Feeling responsible, Nabu, a wizard and a Lord of Order, took Kent under his wing, and over the course of two decades taught Kent sorcery. When Kent was ready, Nabu bestowed a mystical helmet, amulet, and cloak - the aforementioned iconic look - to him. Kent moved to America, took on the mantle of Doctor Fate, and became a founding member of the Justice Society of America.
His first adventure would have him cross paths with Inza Cramer, a woman he rescued from the clutches of the wicked sorcerer Wotan. Soon after, the pair married and took up residence in a mystical tower in Salem, Massachusetts. Likely very aware of Salem's checkered history against users of magic, Fate used his cloak to hide the tower, making it invisible to mortals. Magic would be their fountain of youth, keeping them from aging over decades. Unfortunately, it seemed that the character became invisible to mortals in the real world, too. Without the popularity enjoyed by the likes of Wonder Woman or Superman, the Golden Age of Dr. Fate lasted a mere four years, with the character phased out of JSA stories and his own series in More Fun Comics.
Dr. Fate During the Silver Age of Comics
When the Silver Age of comics began in the 1960s, Dr. Fate, along with a host of other retired DC superheroes, was brought back into the spotlight. Fate regained his role in the JSA on Earth-2, where he and other Golden Age heroes resided, featuring prominently in crossovers with the Justice League of America and as a guest appearance in other series. The 1980s saw Dr. Fate's presence in comic books grow, first as a backup feature in The Flash, a headliner of his own miniseries, The Immortal Doctor Fate, a pivotal role in the legendary Crisis on Infinite Earths series, and membership in the Justice League.
DC being DC, they simply couldn't just leave the character and his relatively straightforward history alone, so Kent Nelson died. This passed the mantle of Dr. Fate to one Eric Strauss... and his stepmother, Linda. Yes, you read that correctly. The two merged into one being, a new Doctor Fate, and this Fate was given an ongoing DC series. Thankfully, Dr. StraussFate didn't have to learn everything from scratch. After all, Kent's corpse was still around, which housed the spirit of Nabu, who was only too happy to help advise the dual doc. Dr. StraussFate didn't stick around for long, however, dying at the hands of a Lord of Chaos. This led to Kent and Inza Nelson being resurrected and - here we go again - merging, becoming a new, female Doctor Fate, before they too are killed in the pages of DC's Zero Hour event.
Dr. Fate in the 1990s
Then came the 1990s and a really weird tangent for both Marvel and DC: the age of extreme. Guns, grittiness, spikes, cybernetics, you name it, and many heroes fell prey to reimagining (the need for extreme is brilliantly parodied in the classic The Simpsons episode "The Itchy & Scrachy & Poochie Show"). Diana lost the mantle of Wonder Woman and fought crime as herself while wearing an extreme leather jacket and a pair of bike shorts. Extreme Justice boasted a membership that included an extreme, armored Booster Gold and extreme Wonder Twins, among others. Martian Manhunter became Bloodwynd. Green Lantern Guy Gardner lost the power ring and became "Guy Gardner: Warrior," wearing an armored exoskeleton and developing shape-shifting abilities that allowed him to turn his arms into guns. Literal, big-ass guns. But arguably, the worst reimagining befell Dr. Fate. Jared Stevens became the new Doctor Fate, an extreme character that melted down the helmet and amulet and forged them into a dagger and throwing stars. He wrapped the cloak around his arm, giving him super mystical strength, and had an ankh tattoo over his right eye. Stevens dropped the "Doctor" and was known simply as Fate, heroic demon hunter. His reign was mercifully brief, and after he died, the helmet and amulet returned to their original forms.
Stevens was followed up by a succession of new Doctor Fates. The original Hawkman's son, Hector Hall, was the new Doctor Fate when the JSA was revived, and he was succeeded by Doctor Kent V. Nelson, Kent Nelson's grandnephew. In DC's New 52, Khalid Ben-Hassin became the new Fate. His relation? Previously unknown grandson of Earth-2's Kent Nelson. Currently, an Egyptian-American medical student, Khalid Nassour, who happens to be Kent Nelson's great-grandnephew, took on the esteemed mantle, chosen by the Egyptian Gods. This Doctor Fate is one of the prime members of Justice League Dark.
Dr. Fate in TV
Outside the comics, Doctor Fate has appeared a handful of times, in Superman: The Animated Series (George DelHoyo), Justice League Unlimited (Oded Fehr), Smallville (Brent Stait), and in Young Justice, voiced by the legendary Ed Asner. Black Adam promises to be Doctor Fate's biggest and best live-action presence, especially given a history deeply connected with Egyptian lore, and Brosnan has the opportunity to make a definitive mark on the character. And he appears ready.