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Doctor Fate Reading Order

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As with Captain Marvel or Robin, there have been multiple superheroes named Doctor Fate. The original version of the character was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman in the Golden Age of Comics, appearing in More Fun Comics #55 (May 1940).

Wearing blue-and-yellow tights and a golden helmet, Doctor Fate operated from a windowless, doorless stone tower situated on the outskirts of Salem, Massachusetts – so you know it was magic-related. Beneath the costume was Kent Nelson, who accidentally awakened Nabu by opening its tomb while on an archaeological expedition in the Valley of Ur with his father, and killed his father in the process.

Nabu is a fictionalised version of the Mesopotamian god of the same name — a cosmic being allied with the Lords of Order. He takes Kent under his wing and teaches him how to become a sorcerer and fight his enemies, the Lords of Chaos. Twenty years later, Nabu gave Kent a mystical helmet, an amulet, and a cloak. Now well-equipped, Kent returned to America and began fighting crime and supernatural evil, such as armies of the undead, the green-skinned Wutan, fish creatures, and elder gods. He also became a founding member of both the All-Star Squadron and the Justice Society of America.

By the end of 1944, Doctor Fate’s adventures, whether solo or with the JSA, had come to an end. The character reappeared during the Silver Age, mostly as a guest star, teaming up with other superheroes, before returning with the Justice Society of America in All-Star Comics for a two-year run. At the beginning of the Bronze Age, Doctor Fate’s origin was revisited. After a few team-ups, he returned to an ongoing series with the All-Star Squadron (a title focusing on the adventures of many World War II–era characters), which led to multiple appearances in Infinity, Inc

As Doctor Fate’s story was at that point mostly connected to the JSA, he took part in the Crisis on Infinite Earths. With the beginning of the Modern Age, Kent’s career as Doctor Fate ended. Nabu, who has taken the identity of Kent Nelson, started guiding Eric and Linda Strauss, who became Doctor Fate for a while–Eric was killed, and Linda continued as Fate and even briefly became a member of the Justice League International. Eventually, Kent’s wife, Inza, picked up the helmet and decided to follow a different way as she began fighting to help the poor in New York, fighting corruption, social inequalities, and, of course, Evil forces. It ended in the wake of the Zero Hour event.

Jared Stevens differed from the previous Doctor Fate as he was more of a Demon hunter. This incarnation didn’t work for the readers, and the new Fate series was canceled after almost two years. Then, writer Keith Giffen rebooted the character’s origins as part of DC’s “Weirdoverse” imprint, giving Jared a second chance. And then, as the new JSA was launched, Jared was killed, and a new Doctor Fate appeared, Hector Hall. He lived some solo adventures but was mostly tied to the JSA, up until his death in the Day of Vengeance limited series in 2005 as part of the lead into the Infinite Crisis.

In 2007, DC decided to revitalize Doctor Fate by introducing a new incarnation, Kent V. Nelson (the grand-nephew of the original Doctor Fate), that was not rooted in the same mythology, out with the Lords of Chaos and Order, as they were killed during Infinite Crisis. Writer Steve Gerber, who created this version, died, and other authors wrote a conclusion for his story. The character made a few appearances after that, but the 2011 New 52 initiative put an end to that era.

Following the events of the Flashpoint mini-series, DC’s continuity was rewritten, and a Doctor Fate named Khalid Ben-Hassin was created for the Earth 2 series. This incarnation is considered an alternate. Unlike the DC Rebirth version, Khalid Nassour was introduced in Aquaman: Convergence #2.

Khalid is a medical student born of Egyptian and White American descent. In fact, he was selected by the ancient Egyptian goddess Bastet to become the next Doctor Fate due to his royal pharaoh’s bloodline. He is then granted the famous helmet before being tasked with saving the world from Anubis. He must learn to control his powers, guided by, among others, the Lord of Order, Nabu. After a while, his granduncle, Kent Nelson, becomes his tutor. Later, he joined the Justice League Dark.

Today (DC All In), Khalid Nassour is still Doctor Fate.

Doctor Fate Reading Order

The Golden Age Doctor Fate

Doctor Fate made his debut in More Fun Comics #55 (1940), created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman. His early solo adventures from this Golden Age period have been compiled in the somewhat rare but essential collection Golden Age Doctor Fate Archives, which remains a valuable resource for scholars and enthusiasts interested in the character’s origins and foundational mythology.

As a founding member of the Justice Society of America, Doctor Fate was prominently featured in All Star Comics from issue #3 through #20, playing a key role in the team’s early adventures and establishment within the Golden Age superhero pantheon (see the JSA reading order for further details).

The Silver Age Doctor Fate

With Justice League of America #21 (1963), DC Comics formally introduced the concept of parallel realities (specifically, Earth-One and Earth-Two) as a means to reconcile and explain the coexistence of the contemporary Justice League and their predecessors, the Justice Society of America. It is within this framework that Doctor Fate, primarily associated with Earth-Two, reemerges as a significant figure during this era. The interdimensional team-ups between heroes from the two Earths became an annual tradition. These crossover stories have since been collected in the following books:

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Doctor Fate frequently appeared in guest roles within team-up stories, underscoring his continued but intermittent presence in DC’s evolving continuity. Notable appearances include Showcase #55–56, where he teamed with Hourman (available in Crisis on Multiple Earths: The Team-Ups Volume 1), as well as The Flash #236–237, which featured both Jay Garrick and Barry Allen. However, Doctor Fate’s more substantial resurgence came with his prominent role in DC’s 1st Issue Special #9 (1975), which reestablished him as an active member of the Justice Society of America and a mentor for a younger generation of heroes dubbed the “Super Squad” in All-Star Comics. 

In 1985, Crisis on Infinite Earths was the first large-scale, universe-redefining crossover event in comic book history. Its primary objective was to simplify and unify the fragmented DC Universe, resolving the longstanding Earth-One/Earth-Two dichotomy by collapsing the Multiverse into a single, coherent continuity. As a result, many iconic Golden Age versions of characters—including Superman, Batman, Robin, and Wonder Woman—were effectively removed from ongoing continuity, alongside numerous other storylines and alternate histories. For a detailed guide on navigating this pivotal event, see our Crisis on Infinite Earths Reading Order.

In an effort to resolve continuity inconsistencies stemming from Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC Comics opted to remove the Justice Society of America (JSA) from active continuity for a period. Writer Roy Thomas scripted the one-shot The Last Days of the Justice Society of America (1986), which depicted the dissolution of the team in a climactic cataclysm that left only a few members—Power Girl, the Star-Spangled Kid, the Spectre, and Doctor Fate—surviving the event.  Subsequently, Thomas revisited and revised the JSA’s origins to align with the post-Crisis continuity in Secret Origins vol. 2 #31 (1988), reestablishing the team’s foundational mythos within the newly unified DC Universe. 

The Modern Age Doctor Fate

After the Crisis, Doctor Fate appeared in two Saga of the Swamp Thing Stories (#49-50), then in the Legends miniseries, the first post-Crisis crossover.

In the immediate aftermath of Crisis on Infinite Earths, Doctor Fate appeared in several key transitional stories that helped reestablish his role within the newly unified DC continuity. Notably, he featured in Alan Moore’s The Saga of the Swamp Thing #4950 (collected in The Saga of the Swamp Thing Book 4) where he joined other mystics such as John Constantine and the Phantom Stranger in confronting the cosmic threat of the Brujería cult and the elemental apocalypse. Shortly thereafter, Doctor Fate played a supporting role in Legends (1986–1987), DC’s first major post-Crisis crossover event, written by John Ostrander and Len Wein with art by John Byrne. 

During this period, a new iteration of the Justice League was formed, with Doctor Fate among its founding members. This revamped team, characterized by a more humorous and character-driven tone, would soon be rebranded as the Justice League International (JLI).

The duo behind JLI, J.M. DeMatteis and Keith Giffen, didn’t keep the character in the League but gave him a solo title, putting an end to Kent’s career as Doctor Fate ended. Instead, they launched the story in a new direction in the 1987 Doctor Fate miniseries, which transitioned the mantle to a new pair of successors: Eric Strauss, a teenage boy aged into adulthood by mystical forces, and his stepmother, Linda Strauss. Together, they shared the identity of Doctor Fate, merging into a single mystical entity whenever the helmet was donned.

Starting with issue #25, a new creative team composed of William Messner-Loebs and Vince Giarrano took over the Doctor Fate comics. The mantle of Doctor Fate was now held solely by Inza Cramer Nelson, Kent Nelson’s wife. Unlike previous incarnations, Inza’s approach to magic was more grounded in social justice and direct intervention, often addressing systemic issues such as poverty, corruption, and inequality. Meanwhile, Kent, now stripped of his mystical role, was forced to navigate life as an ordinary man, confronting his obsolescence and struggling to redefine his identity outside the shadow of Doctor Fate. 

  • Doctor Fate (ongoing)
    Collects Doctor Fate (1988) #25-42.

Zero Hour DC Event Comic Reading OrderAnd then came the Zero Hour: A Crisis in Time event (see reading order here). All of reality comes under attack when a mysterious force of entropy begins slowly erasing time itself, making its way from both the past and future toward the present!

After Kent, Eric, Linda, and Inza, we arrived at Jared Stevens.

  • Fate (1994-1996)
    Collects Fate #0-23.
  • The Book of Fate by Keith Giffen, as part of DC’s “Weirdoverse” imprint.

With the relaunch of JSA in 1999 under writers James Robinson, David S. Goyer, and later Geoff Johns, DC reestablished the Justice Society as a core legacy team within its continuity. As part of this restoration, the controversial 1990s incarnation of Doctor Fate—Jared Stevens, also known as Fate—was killed off in The Book of Fate #12 (1998), symbolically closing a chapter marked by a departure from traditional mysticism. In his place, Hector Hall, the son of Hawkman and Hawkgirl and the former Silver Scarab, was chosen to become the new Doctor Fate. His ascension to the role marked a return to the classic visual and thematic elements of the character, including the Helmet of Nabu, the Amulet of Anubis, and the Tower of Fate. As Doctor Fate, Hector served both as a mystical protector and a narrative vessel for exploring destiny, reincarnation, and the weight of heroic legacy—core themes that defined the revitalized JSA series throughout the early 2000s.

Countdown to Mystery #1 (2008)

Following the death of Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson), the mantle was left vacant, prompting DC to explore the legacy of the character in the 2007 crossover miniseries The Helmet of Fate. In this storyline, Detective Chimp—tasked with finding a worthy successor—casts the Helmet of Nabu into space, allowing fate itself to determine who might next bear its power.

But it was Kent V. Nelson, the grand-nephew of the original Doctor Fate, who became the new Doctor Fate in Steve Gerber and Justiniano’s new series.

The New 52 Doctor Fate

During the New 52 era, an alternate version of Doctor Fate was introduced in the Earth 2 series, part of DC’s broader effort to reimagine classic characters within parallel universes. Beginning with issue #9 (2013), writer James Robinson and artist Brett Booth introduced Khalid Ben-Hassin, an Egyptian-born archaeologist who becomes Doctor Fate on Earth-2. Distinct from the main continuity, Ben-Hassin’s incarnation of the character drew heavily from mythological and geopolitical influences, situating the Helmet of Nabu within the context of a world ravaged by the invasion of Apokolips.

The DC You & Rebirth Doctor Fate

Following the conclusion of DC’s Convergence event in 2015, the publisher transitioned into the “DC You” initiative. As part of this shift, a new Doctor Fate ongoing series was launched in June 2015, written by Paul Levitz with art by Sonny Liew. The series introduced Khalid Nassour, an Egyptian-American medical student chosen by the ancient god Nabu to become the latest bearer of the Helmet of Fate. It’s the first time a person of Middle Eastern descent assumed the mantle in a solo title. The series ran for 18 issues.

Doctor Fate (2015) #15

During the Rebirth era, Khalid Nassour continued to hold the mantle of Doctor Fate, though his role evolved within the broader magical hierarchy of the DC Universe. While Kent Nelson—now restored to prominence—resumed an active role as both a mentor and occasional wielder of the Helmet of Fate, Khalid remained the primary successor, signaling a shared legacy between the two characters. This dual stewardship became particularly significant in the pages of Justice League Dark, where Khalid joined the team alongside other magic-based heroes such as Zatanna, Swamp Thing, and Wonder Woman.

The Infinite Frontier & Beyond Doctor Fate

Following the event of the Dark Nights: Death Metal event, DC Comics launched the Future State event, three months of a possible future (Fate appeared in Future State: Justice League), before entering the Infinite Frontier era. Khalid Nassour is still Doctor Fate in the Justice League Dark title.

Back to writing the Justice Society of America comics, Geoff Johns relaunched the series with The New Golden Age one-shot. Doctor Fate is placed at the center as the series deepens the mythos surrounding the Helmet of Fate and addresses timeline discrepancies.

Following the Absolute Power event, it was the launch of the DC All In era, which came with a new JSA comic book from Jeff Lemire and Diego Olortegui. The JSA is threatened not only by external foes but also by internal strife, such as the rift between siblings Jade and Obsidian and the disappearance of the Tower of Fate.

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