Kent Nelson was a kind academic and one of the founding members of the Justice Society, with his magical abilities and the Helmet of Fate, he used to transform into the powerful mystical sorcerer known as Doctor Fate. After the team disbanded, Kent went into exile in the Tower of Fate to try to find inner peace. Many years later, Kent decided to return to action after a premonition, saving a group of children from a demon. Upon seeing a vision in which the Justice Society was killed, Nelson contacted Carter Hall to return to the team.
After Teth-Adam was freed and killed multiple Intergang soldiers, Kent and the team were assigned to travel to the nation of Kahndaq and stop him, briefly fighting him before finally calling a truce, helping him with the search for Amon Tomaz, in over the course Nelson would befriend Adam. When Amon was saved, Adam turned himself in and was imprisoned, while the Justice Society ended up facing Ishmael Gregor. In an attempt to save Hall from him, Nelson decided to sacrifice himself, telepathically freeing Adam from his cell and motivating him to fight, before being killed by Sabbac.
"I remember seeing my first airplane. It was an RAF deployment, headed to the Western Front. Everyone on my street came out to see them off. But I didn't cheer. Even though I was only a boy. I knew where they headed, and what awaited them. Thanks to this, I've lived longer than I could've ever hoped for."
During World War I, a young Kent Nelson witnessed all the streets of England going to see the air forces off encouraging them to fight, except for Nelson, who already had knowledge of the deaths that soldiers would suffer in the war. From then on, Kent Nelson had a great feeling of presenting everything that was planned by the fate.[1]
Becoming Doctor Fate[]
"The anguish I endure every time I don that helmet... when I join with Nabu, a being as old as the universe itself."
At some point, Kent Nelson met Nabu, a powerful being who eventually gave him powers using the Helmet of Fate, which allowed him to summon a suit and become the powerful sorcerer known as Doctor Fate. Living within the Tower of Fate, Nelson soon learned multiple spells with which he defended the world from demon attacks, learning to see visions of possible futures through his helmet.[2] At some point in his career, Kent Nelson married a woman named Inza.[3]
"Of course, there was a time when I found refuge within a band of heroes, champions united by a common cause. We called ourselves the Justice Society and, for one glorious moment, I felt as though I belonged somewhere other than this lonely keep. But those days are gone."
Eventually, Kent Nelson met other heroes, meeting Carter Hall, a vigilante known as Hawkman, and Al Pratt, a superhero known as the Atom Smasher, with whom he founded the Justice Society to fight crime and defend the world more effectively, becoming popular heroes and gaining many fans during their days of glory. Being part of the Justice Society, they became great friends, and Nelson felt that he had found his place in the team, coming to consider them family. Eventually, the Justice Society broke up for unknown reasons, going their separate ways, so deciding to go into exile and give up his career as a hero, Nelson returned to the Tower of Fate where he attempted to seek inner peace without having to use the Helmet of Fate, going into exile for many years.[2]
Nelson meditates remembering his previous experiences.
Inside the Tower of Fate, Kent Nelson was meditating as he recalled his previous experiences working with the Justice Society and missing his adventures, stating that those days would never return, wondering why he was haunted by memories he once led, his trials and difficulties, his friends and companions, also remembering when he was united with being Nabu using the Helmet of Fate. While meditating, Kent was disturbed by an otherworldly voice that broke his trance.
Nelson decides to put on the Helmet of Fate again.
The premonition caused his concern when he had a vision where some children were preparing to release the demon from an abandoned house. After waking up from meditation, Kent wondered what had happened so he decided to put on the Helmet of Fate again hoping to get answers, by connecting with Nabu, Nelson soon discovered the location where the demon was released so he went to the abandoned house, deciding to return to action as the sorcerer Doctor Fate and stop the attack.
Doctor Fate arrives at the abandoned house where the demon was released.
Upon arrival, Doctor Fate observed how the demon had just been released while the children fled, so he, annoyed by their actions, told them that there was nowhere to run from the hand of fate, levitating forcefully through the door while the children begged him to let them escape. Doctor Fate asked them why he should let them go, to which they replied just being children and not knowing that the spell was supposed to be real.
Doctor Fate and the children watch Carrie being possessed by a demon.
Doctor Fate then asked them if that was all they had to say to which the children tried to apologize by begging for their lives. In that the children heard their friend Carrie say devilish words to which Dexter approached to ask her to leave, however he was hit by the demon, Doctor Fate then asked the girl to reveal herself, to which the demon proceeded to calling Nabu in multiple ways, showing his true form before the children.
Doctor Fate fights against the demon by invoking spells.
Seeing the situation one of the children asked Doctor Fate what had happened to his friend, to which he replied that they were the consequences of their interference and their fooliness, while he started to fight against the demon levitating and invoking a force field, burning the ground of the abandoned house. However, the demon managed to free himself by escaping into the forest and trapping children with branches.
Doctor Fate defends himself from the demon's attacks.
Doctor Fate followed him levitating while the children asked him for help, to which he agreed by casting a spell to destroy the branches, getting them out of there, then Doctor Fate proceeded to cast spells to destroy the surrounding trees. In that, the demon increased its power unleashing a powerful shock wave and a consecutive beam of fire directly towards Fate to which Fate defends himself by invoking a shield.
Doctor Fate is pushed by a shock wave from the demon.
The demon then proceeded to destroy the shield while he was insulting Nabu and Doctor Fate, warning them that they had no idea of what was coming. Doctor Fate then flew up to break free of the attacks, finding the demon's skeleton in ashes, so relieved, Kent lit a fire and prepared to destroy the portal and connector to the shadow dimensions, grabbing the skull to smash it to dust. However, the demon reappeared in front of Nelson taking him by surprise and emitting a shock wave with a scream, which pushed Doctor Fate and caused his helmet to fall off on the ground.
Nelson is captured by the demon.
Nelson soon stumbled hitting his head against some wood, seeing his helmet he raised his hand and tried to grab it, hoping that the situation would not end like this, while the demon prepared to attack him. Kent begged Nabu to listen as he kept trying to grab the helmet, only for the demon to launch multiple tongues with which it caught Nelson as he tried to free himself, finally Nelson heard the demon mention how he defended his reality against the chaos, sacrificing what humanity did.
Nelson is forced by the demon to have an apocalyptic vision.
The demon then asked Nelson if he was worth all the pain and suffering, proceeding to insert two barbs into him so that he would see a vision that showed him the former champion Black Adam sitting on a throne after having murdered all the members of the Justice Society, including Doctor Fate himself, explaining to him how Black Adam would play an important role in his final victory. Regardless, Kent laughed relieved after seeing how the child Dexter had taken his helmet to prevent the demon from getting it.
Nelson watches as the child Dexter retrieved the Helmet of Fate.
The demon got annoyed for Kent's laugh, however Nelson explained having laughed at being an old man who can't do anything against the forces of chaos alone, directing his gaze towards the boy, causing the demon to also observe how the Helmet of Fate had disappeared, only to observe how the boy he had taken it telling Kent that he should only ask, the demon tried to ask Dexter to give him the helmet, however he consecutively threw it at Kent Nelson.
Doctor Fate defeats the demon by electrocuting him.
Nelson managed to take the helmet thanking the child, proceeding to put it on by cutting off the demon's tongues. Regaining his powers, Doctor Fate quickly flew on top of the demon throwing a bolt of lightning at him, asking ironically what had happened with the destruction he planned, the demon was soon defeated with his skull being destroyed with the bolts, screaming in suffering and being returned to his reality.
After the confrontation was over and the demon was returned, the possessed girl Carrie fell to the ground, while Doctor Fate watched as Dexter desperately went to help her, only to witness how Carrie died in his arms, causing Dexter agony, who quickly asked Fate for help to remedy the situation. However, Doctor Fate prepared to leave, telling the boy that she had paid for her actions, and that having summoned a demon, they received a demon, for which justice was served.
The boy then criticized him for his hypocrisy, stating that they had made a mistake but that he had helped him, explaining how when the demon was sucking his brain, it was there to save him, and that should count for something. Doctor Fate saw the boy about to cry, reflecting on what the boy told him, realizing that he was right, he then let him know by casting a spell with which he brought Carrie back to life.
Doctor Fate lights up to teleport.
Dexter watched as Carrie woke up, hugging her through tears, relieved that she was back, and thanking Doctor Fate for bringing her back to life. However, Doctor Fate thanked Dexter for reminding him of what he used to fight for in the past, and how it was the honorary way they won, Kent Nelson then enlightened teleporting back to the Tower of Fate.[2]
"Kent? Is that you? That's weird. I was about to call you. I-" "You're reforming the Justice Society." "I am. How did you... never mind. I wanted to know-" "You wanted to know if Doctor Fate will once again stand at Hawkman's side. Yes. Yes, he will... for all our sakes."
As soon as Kent Nelson returned to the Tower of Fate, he removed his helmet leaving it on the table and looking at his cell phone, Nelson then touched the Helmet of Fate to predict the future, watching how a threat was approaching and that his old friend and teammate Carter Hall would call him to recruit him back into the Justice Society.
Kent Nelson then went ahead of Hall calling him first, to which Carter was impressed that Nelson had called first, when Carter was going to ask him to return to the team, Kent again deduced his proposal, surprising him to find out, Nelson then agreed to fight side by side with Hawkman in the Justice Society once again.[2]
Nelson was contacted by Carter Hall for a mission with the Justice Society, being taken in a limousine to Hawkman's estate. During the trip, Nelson touched the Helmet of Fate, repeating a vision where Hall was murdered for almost 30 minutes until the driver woke him up informing him that they had reached what Nelson asked him to notify the next time, something that the driver accepted, Nelson then got out of the limo and entered the mansion.
Inside the hangar, the team headed to the Hawk Cruiser while Carter Hall explained the mission about stopping Teth-Adam in Kahndaq, worrying Al Rothstein about not bringing passports, but Nelson calmed him down by saying they didn't need them since they were the Justice Society. Boarding the ship, Nelson overheard Rothstein asking him if he had any food to recharge, to which Nelson was disappointed by Rothstein's childish attitude.
Nelson argues with Hall about his plan.
During the trip, Hall and Nelson received information from Amanda Waller about Teth-Adam and the Massacre in Kahndaq, surprised that it was not a myth, when Hall said that Adam was a villain, Nelson explained that when he saw as many futures as he did, he stopped believing in absolutes, causing Hall to smile as he missed hearing his mystical words. Likewise, Nelson said he was surprised when he always rejected his advice, stating that his plan was not so good, although Hall mentioned that a bad plan was better than not plan at all.
Nelson then muttered that he hoped that the third option would help everything turn out well. Nelson and Hall met with Hunkel and Rothstein to discuss what they had read about Adam, when Maxine Hunkel asked how they planned to stop Adam, Nelson explained that if they could get Adam to say "Shazam!" he would lose his powers, seeking to peacefully negotiate his surrender, something that Hunkel found difficult as he didn't seem peaceful.[1]
"Teth-Adam. We know who you are and what you are capable of. There's no place for you in the world of man. You have two choices. Kneel or die." "I was a slave until I died. Then I was reborn a god. I kneel before no one."
Arriving in Shiruta, Nelson saw Teth-Adam in the sky about to drop two Intergang soldiers, informing the team, until Adam threw them causing Hall to come to the rescue. Before escorting Carter Hall, Nelson asked Hunkel and Rothstein to be ready to be called for the fight, donning the Helmet of Fate and disappearing in front of them.
As Adam argued with Hawkman, Nelson descended to confront him, mentioning knowing who he was and what he was capable of, threatening to kneel or die. Adam refused a surrender, attacking Nelson and Hall alike as they defended with shields, using magic to evade Adam's bolts. When Hawkman asked Nelson to distract Adam, Nelson created an illusion of the ancient Kahndaq on Adam, confusing him and giving Hall time to ambush him. Since Adam was too powerful, Nelson finally decided to call Hunkel and Rothstein into action.
In the middle of the fight, Adam unleashed an energy discharge that fired the tubes thrown by Cyclone, causing Nelson to save Adrianna and Amon Tomaz teleporting them to a safe area, in which Nelson took Adrianna's bag to return it to her, having a vision showing him the Crown of Sabbac, surprised that she had it, Nelson tried to ask Tomaz questions, but when he saw Hawkman fighting Adam, he had to return to the fight.
When Teth-Adam was thrown to the ground, Nelson took the opportunity to generate a spell and launch a crystalline ahk at him that caused him pain and managed to hold him briefly, then manifesting copies of himself to try to contain him. Nelson asked the team to hurry up as he could no longer hold off Adam, so at the same time, Nelson, Hunkel, and Hall joined forces to attack him, but were finally defeated by Adam.
Nelson congratulates Rothstein and Hunkel.
Teth-Adam started to get up to attack them, to which Atom Smasher arrived in his giant form crushing Adam and saving the team. Believing he had defeated Adam, Nelson went to congratulate Rothstein and Hunkel for successfully completing their first mission in the Society, however, Nelson and the team watched how Adam got up freeing himself from the fist, hitting Rothstein and escaping.[1]
After the battle, Nelson argued with Hall about how trying to trap Teth-Adam was difficult as he was too powerful, walking until he found Adrianna Tomaz, who he demanded to see his bag to investigate the Crown of Sabbac. At that, Maxine Hunkel arrived to report that Adam was in the Kahndaq palace, while they received Tomaz's complaint for wanting to stop Adam and never showing up to stop the invasions in Kahndaq. When they asked Tomaz to see the crown, they checked the backpack and saw that she didn't have it. The team explained her the truth about the Massacre in Kahndaq, convincing her to take them with Adam to talk.
Nelson talks to Adam about the danger of his powers.
Nelson and the Society were then led by Tomaz to the palace to speak peacefully with Adam, upon entering, Nelson saw Rothstein eating a bucket of chicken, so he made it disappear to focus on truce. As Adam refused to give up, Nelson tried to talk reason into Adam by mentioning that his powers caused pain to others, causing an argument between Adam and Hall that was interrupted when Tomaz notified that her son was being chased by Intergang, Nelson then mentioned that Intergang did not want the child but the crown.[1]
"You were blaming yourself for trusting Ishmael. Your thoughts are beter spent on the things you can change, not those you can't." "You see the future? Tell me how I get my son back." "By trusting us. Karim will live, we will save Amon. It's what we do."
While his teammates went to help Teth-Adam, Nelson was tasked to go to the Tomaz residence to heal Karim after being shot. Upon arrival, Nelson tried to calm him down by explaining that he saw his future death, asking him to stay away from electricity, as Karim was running at a high altitude to death, Nelson cast a spell to put him to sleep, handing him over to Maxine Hunkel to heal on the Hawk Cruiser.
Doctor Fate astrally projects in front of Adam.
Astrally, Nelson located Teth-Adam with an Intergang soldier in a farm, astrally projecting in front of him to ask him if he found the boy, learning that he hadn't as he explained to Adam that his mind and body could exist in multiple places at once. Nelson asked Adam to take the soldier to the Tomaz residence to bend his mind for information, however Adam's lack of response made him realize that he had killed him.
When Nelson saw Adrianna Tomaz crying for her son, he consoled her by telling her to stop feeling guilty for trusting Ishmael Gregor, stating that she shouldn't cry over the past as it could be changed in the future, asking her to use her ideas for what she can change. Tomaz asked him to see the future, so Nelson told him that Karim would survive and that they would save Amon because that's what they did.[1]
Observing Hall and Adam's rivalry[]
Nelson sarcastically asks Adam to use the doors.
"You said you wouldn't hurt the prisoners." "That was sarcasm." "No, technically, it was just a lie."
Suddenly, Nelson saw Adam break through the wall, asking sarcastically if they didn't use doors back in the day, but Adam didn't understand. After Hawkman tried to talk him out of killing Intergang soldiers, so Adam told Tomaz that they should treat criminals with respect, however Adam took the two soldiers to heaven to kill the one who didn't respond, and ended up throwing both.
Nelson is entertained by watching Adam and Hall fight.
When Adam returned, Nelson let him know that he didn't keep his promise, to which Adam replied that it was sarcasm, but Nelson told him it was just a lie, before Adam mentioned that Amon was in the Al Hadidiyah Mountains. Adam then began to argue with Hawkman explaining that he expected him to come to the rescue of the soldiers, so no one died and they got the information they wanted, with Nelson agreeing with Adam. Nelson then amused himself by watching Adam and Hawkman fight while he ate some gum, until stopping after they found the crown.[1]
The team met on the ship, where they learned from Adrianna Tomaz that the Crown of Sabbac had the manuscript, "Life is the only path to death", sarcastically commenting that it was obvious, hearing Al Rothstein misunderstand the message, saying it was about appreciating life, for which Nelson said it was profound. When Adrianna Tomaz asked the Society and Adam to work together to save her child, they agreed, with Nelson asking Adam if what he said about teaming up was sarcasm, something Adam claimed.
The team then headed for the Al Hadidiyah Mine, during the trip, Nelson went to the cockpit to talk to Carter Hall, reminding him of what he had said about a bad plan being better than no plan at all, while Hall regretted agreeing to work with Adam, as he felt he might betray them or kill Amon Tomaz. However, Nelson told him that it was best to work with Adam, since you could not choose who lived or died, being something of fate.
Nelson argues with Hall about changing fate.
Hall then asked him what the Helmet of Fate had said to him when he deduced that someone was going to die, hesitating between himself and Rothstein. Nelson refused to answer, stating that when the time came he would know, saying that there was still time to change the future and they should use it, agreeing to go along with their plan as they watched Adam on the security cameras. Upon arrival, Nelson and the others heard Hall's plan to infiltrate and save Amon, until they saw how Adam left the cruiser and began to attack the mine himself.
Rothstein and the rest of the team arrived at the mines to help Adam in his confrontation with Ishmael Gregor, who demanded the Crown of Sabbac in exchange for freeing Amon, Nelson tried to warn him that the crown was a danger to the world, but Gregor followed through with his threat to kill Amon. Seeing that Tomaz decided to hand over the crown, Nelson used a force field to prevent her from entering, but Adam fired a beam to make her cross, stating that they were not to be involved in her decision.
When Gregor attempted to kill Amon anyway, Nelson acted quickly to protect the boy by teleporting him into his arms while Adam unleashed an electrical blast that completely destroyed the mine. Nelson then reunited with Adrianna Tomaz after the explosion, with Amon in his arms, mentioning that he was not injured by a bullet, but by Adam's attack, teleporting Amon to the Hawk Cruiser to heal him.[1]
Imprisonment of Teth-Adam[]
"I have seen the world change in more ways than I could’ve imagined. I'm still a sentimental fool, and I don't want my friend to die."
After Teth-Adam felt guilty and voluntarily turned himself in, Nelson and the team traveled to Antarctica, with him being amazed at the beauty of the place. Upon landing at the Task Force X Black Site, Nelson and Hall carried Adam asleep on a stretcher to Emilia Harcourt and a group of A.R.G.U.S. soldiers, with Kent asking if they could contain him, causing Harcourt to respond mockingly since Nelson was the one seeing the future, saying goodbye to them and notifying that Waller sent greetings.
Nelson reveals to Hall the truth about his vision.
When flying back to Kahndaq, Nelson had the same vision again until he was awakened by Hall who asked him if they had finished with the premonition, something that Nelson denied because his vision had not changed despite having locked Adam up, with Nelson revealing to him Hall that his vision showed him a totally destroyed world, which could be avoided if Hall died in battle, however Hall was not afraid of dying.
Nelson laments the fate of his friend.
Nelson claimed that's why he didn't tell him, since the world needed Hawkman, and laughed when Hall remembered his phrase of not deciding who lived or died, since that was up to fate, so an emotional moment, Nelson spoke how from a very early age he had a notion of what was planned by destiny, and that From then on, he could live long to see how the world changed, but Nelson considered himself sentimental, lamenting the loss of a friend and leaving Hall pensive.[1]
"I didn't tell you my whole vision, old friend. I did see your death. But I also found a way to prevent it. It has been an extraordinary life, but always with one foot in the future. Carter, for the first time in 100 years, when I look ahead... I see nothing. And... it's... beautiful. Goodbye... my dear friend."
Later, Nelson had another vision, where he was to sacrifice himself to save Hall, choosing not to tell him and agreeing to sacrifice himself for him when the time came. Upon learning that Ishmael Gregor revived endowed with the powers of the Crown of Sabbac, Nelson observed the radars, demanding that Hall urgently travel to Shiruta as soon as possible to try to stop him.
Hall started to shooting him from the Hawk Cruiser, however Gregor destroyed the ship, causing the team to crash-land to survive. Getting up from the fall, Nelson defended Adrianna and Amon Tomaz from Sabbac's attacks, using his powers to confront him, while creating a shield against him to defend himself. Nelson was then defeated by Sabbac, after the team attempted a combo attack, failing to stop him.
Nelson reunites with the team after the defeat.
While Sabbac was on his way to the Kahndaq Palace to release the Legions of Hell, Nelson met with Hall because it was time for his farewell knowing that they could not defeat Gregor, to which Hall decided to sacrifice himself to stop him, Considering that a bad plan was better than none at all, Nelson then became concerned and decided to sacrifice himself by creating a shield around the Palace to prevent the Society from stopping him.
Nelson says goodbye to the team before sacrificing himself.
Saying goodbye to Hall, Nelson confessed the whole truth about his vision, mentioning that if he managed to find a way to prevent his death, remembering having had a wonderful life, although always suffering to know the future. Nelson then recognized that when he looked into the future he saw nothing, considering it something beautiful. Nelson then proceeded to say goodbye to his team to give his life, bringing tears to them, who began looking for ways to stop him.[1]
"Teth-Adam, I know you can hear me. The battle your son was meant to fight is upon us. Now you are the only one who can defeat the Demon Champion. You have the power to be the destroyer of this world. But you can also be its savior. You believe you are not a worthy champion because the wizards did not choose you. But Fate does not make mistakes. Neither did your son. We were wrong about you. The world doesn't always need a white knight. Sometimes it needs something darker. Don't you dare give up on us now. The world needs you."
Nelson flew to the top of the palace and before Sabbac could sit on the throne, Nelson launched a giant anhk at him, conjuring clones of himself to try and hold him back.
Nelson communicates telepathically with Teth-Adam.
Nelson introduced himself to Sabbac as the Doctor Fate, agent of the Lords of Order and defender against the darkness, stating that despite everything he could not stop him. However, Nelson knew that there was someone he could, communicating telepathically with Teth-Adam, waking him up from his cell in Task Force X Black Site, while telling him that the battle that Hurut had to fight years ago had finally come.
Nelson asked Adam to help them stop the demon champion, Sabbac, by creating an astral projection in front of him and casting a spell to free him from his cell. While Adam was sparring with the A.R.G.U.S. guards, Nelson encouraged him to fight, saying that fate and Hurut were right in giving him his powers, considering him worthy as fate never made mistakes.
Nelson withstood Sabbac's attacks for a while as he continued to talk to Adam, telling him that the world doesn't always need someone pure, and sometimes they need someone darker. When the clones were destroyed, Nelson was discovered by Sabbac, as he removed his helmet to confront him, receiving a stab wound from Sabbac in the chest, as the Justice Society tearfully arrived to see him die, disintegrating in front of them.[1]
Nelson's body disintergrated after being impaled by Sabbac, leaving the Helmet of Fate. Because of this, Hawkman can use one of his old trick by make multiple illusions of himself to help Teth-Adam into stopping Sabbac from sitting on the throne. This trick was crucial in giving them the opportunity to defeat Sabbac once and for all. After Sabbac's defeat, the helmet disintergrated in front of Carter Hall, blowing away in pieces into the wind, with Hall accepting his friend's departure.[1]
Personality[]
"When you've seen as many different futures as I have, you cease to believe in absolutes."
Kent Nelson was an extremely wise and gentle man. Thanks to his years of training with Nabu, Nelson had knowledge of future events from a very young age, but suffering anguish from having to wear the Helmet of Fate. Nelson was also able to forgo all emotion to envision future outcomes, conjuring terrifying illusions and bewitched his opponents with power that outmatched even the powers of the gods.[1][4] Eventually meeting Al Pratt and Carter Hall, he formed a great friendship with them, creating the Justice Society and sharing adventures until its eventual dissolution, which led Nelson to return to take refuge in the Tower of Fate to find inner peace, missing his time with them, but forgetting the values that led him to be part of the team.
Nelson eventually returned to action fighting a demon and received help from the child Dexter, who helped him recover his helmet, he received pleas from Dexter to revive his friend Carrie, Nelson initially refused stating that she had paid the consequences of releasing a demon, but after receiving complaints from the boy who considered his help by returning the helmet he should be rewarded, Nelson mused, bringing Carrie back to life, thanking him for reminding him of the values he had fought for in the past. Having visions where the Society was killed, Nelson decided to become part of the team again in search of avoiding his nightmare, eventually learning that his friend Carter Hall was going to die in battle, Nelson got worried and tried to do everything he could to change his future, so after their defeat against Teth-Adam, Nelson tried to make Adam see reason, telling him that his powers only brought him heartache.
When Adrianna Tomaz lost her son to being kidnapped by the Intergang, Nelson was sympathetic, asking her to trust them to find Amon. Unlike Hall, Nelson did trust Adam, since he did not believe in a world of good and bad, trying to reason with Hall while he explained his vision. Eventually when Teth-Adam surrendered and was imprisoned, Nelson and the team learned that the true threat from his visions was Sabbac. Learning that there was another solution to stop the threat without his friend Hall dying, Nelson accepted his fate, deciding to sacrifice himself for the team, feeling happy that for the first time in over a century, they no longer had to bear anguish from premonitions. Nelson freed Teth-Adam to fulfill his final vision, motivating him to fight Sabbac and to complete the battle that his son could not, stating that the team was wrong about him, moments before he was killed by the demon.
Helmet of Fate capabilities: Using the golden helmet granted by the powerful being Nabu, Kent Nelson was able to receive all his magical powers from this identity, which allowed him to defend the world by transforming into the powerful and mystical sorcerer known as Doctor Fate, likewise the helmet allowed him to connect with Nabu in a more effective way, despite the fact that the helmet did not have eyes on the outside, the Doctor Fate was able to see his entire external environment with ease, however wearing the helmet, Nelson had to endure much anguish. During his early days, Nelson used the helmet to defend the world from demons and to fight alongside the Justice Society until his eventual exile. Eventually, Nelson decided to wear the helmet and transform into Doctor Fate once again, until his eventual death against Sabbac.
Superhuman strength: As Doctor Fate, Nelson could increase his physical resistance against the attacks of his enemies, as well as greater strength to perform blows, with his enhanced strength Nelson can also destroy structures or heavy objects with little effort, on his income to stop Carrie's Demon, Doctor Fate passed through the door of the abandoned house breaking it without any difficulty. Nelson and his clones were later able to restrain Black Adam, albeit with considerable effort, as well as hold down Sabbac.
Superhuman durability: Kent was superhumanly durable when wearing the Helmet of Fate. He was able to take attacks from both Teth-Adam and Sabbac without being injured.
Longevity: While in possession of the Helmet of Fate, Nelson was able to expand his life more than a normal human. Despite being over a hundred years old, Nelson was in his best physical condition.
Doctor Fate casting a spell
Spell casting: Using the Helmet of Fate, Nelson was able cast spells using his mystical energy, which he practiced and perfected by training at the Tower of Fate under the help of his mentor Nabu, eventually casting spells when he became a hero and started to fight alongside the Justice Society in their early days. His spells usually take the shape of an Egyptian ankh.
Energy constructs: Nelson was also able to create mystical energy constructs. He used a crystalline fractals ankh shaped prison against Black Adam during their first battle that caused him great pain. Later, he used the same power on Sabbac, also creating energy restraints around the demon's hands.
Duplication: Nelson could generate multiple copies of himself to fight his enemies, this trick was eventually learned by Carter Hall. During his mission in Kahndaq, Nelson casted several clones of himself to fight Teth-Adam and later Sabbac. The clones possessed the same abilities as Nelson, though they appeared to be made of crystalline fractals and were easily breakable, though were replaced once they were destroyed.
Illusion manipulation: Nelson could create illusions on his enemies to persuade them, demonstrating it by creating a massive illusion of ancient Kahndaq to distract and fool Black Adam during their fight.
Banishment: Nelson was able to banish Carrie's Demon back to his dimension.
Resurrection: Nelson used a spell to bring Carrie back to life after she was killed.
Energy projection: Nelson was able to project energy blasts, bolts, beams, and waves of mystical energy. While fighting against Carrie's Demon, Doctor Fate released fire beams to free the children trapped between branches, and later continued casting spells to destroy the surrounding trees, summoning a blue flame when he thought to have defeated the demon. Finally, Nelson used it to hurl a bolt of lightning at the demon, making him suffer in pain until he was defeated. In his fight against Sabbac, he released energy bolts that staggered and brought him to his knees.
Doctor Fate generating a force-field
Force-field generation: Nelson was able to generate force-fields of mystical energy which can block enemies' powerful attacks with easy. When Nelson confronted Carrie's Demon, he emited blue force field encircling it in multiple flames, resisting multiple attacks and neutralizing him until he managed to escape. Using the energy fields, Nelson generated a protective shield to cover himself when the demon launched a beam of fire. During the battle against Black Adam, Nelson used a crystalline fractal shield to block the latter's lightning bolts. Later, he used the same ability to contain a fire beam from Sabbac with the help of Cyclone. He could also create larger forcefields, as he prevented the rest of the Justice Society from entering the ruins of Ahk-Ton's palace so that he can fight Sabbac on his own.
Doctor Fate teleporting
Teleportation: Using the magic in his helmet, Doctor Fate was able to teleport himself from one specific point in space to another, emitting a light of energy. Upon learning that some children released a demon, he visualized the point it occurred, instantly teleporting, Nelson later returned to the Tower of Fate, emitting a strong glow of energy. Doctor Fate also used his teleportation to reach Teth-Adam and to save Amon and Adrianna Tomaz from a falling building during the fight, then again saving Amon when Adam blew up the Intergang mines.
Astral projection: Nelson could project himself to a different point, thus being able to communicate with others more effectively, demonstrating this by creating a projection to ask Teth-Adam if he had found Amon Tomaz yet, Kent was later able to project his astral form to the A.R.G.U.S. underwater prison, releasing Adam after convincing him to help the Justice Society in their fight against Sabbac.
Precognition: With the Helmet of Fate, Nelson was able to have visions of events and premonitions of the future, which allowed him to anticipate them more effectively, likewise Kent could have visions of various possible futures that could occur depending on the decisions of others. Doctor Fate used this power when he learned that some children released a demon, using his vision to find the place of the event, fighting the demon, he was forced to witness an apocalyptic vision where Black Adam killed the Justice Society. Nelson later predicted how Carter Hall would call him to recruit him back into the team, so he called him earlier. Continuing his precognition, Nelson had visions of the tragic fate that Hall would suffer in the fight, trying to avoid it until he discovered that he could sacrifice himself to prevent his friend's death at the hands of Sabbac.
Cloak of Destiny capabilities: By using his mystical cloak, Nelson acquired abilities that improved his position against his enemies, one of the cloak's greatest strengths being the possibility of flight, as well as obtaining greater resistance to various types of magic attacks.
Doctor Fate flying in the air
Flight: Using the Cloak of Destiny, Nelson was able to levitate, hover, and fly. Nelson used his cloak to fly and levitate during many of his missions with the Justice Society.
Magic: Even without the Helmet of Fate, Nelson possessed a high level of mastery over magic and mystic arts. Training inside the Tower of Fate, Nelson learned multiple spells that he could perform without the need to connect with the Nabu being, powers with which he defended the world from the attacks of demons. During his exile after the Justice Society disbanded, Nelson continued to hone his magical powers, even levitating and having premonitions without ever using Nabu's helmet, Nelson also had been able to cast spells with his hands. He was also able to hide his helmet and conjure it at will.
Abilities[]
Genius-level intellect: Nelson was a very wise man, having knowledge of the occult and knowing multiple spells, thanks to his years of training under Nabu. Knowing fate, Nelson knew there were no absolutes, guiding Hall and being his voice of reason.
Expert combatant: Nelson used physical attacks against both Black Adam and Sabbac, showing some knowledge in martial arts.
Helmet of Fate: After becoming Nabu's sorcerer, Kent Nelson inherited an extremely powerful ancient alien helmet known as the Helmet of Fate, which allowed him to connect with this being in a more effective way, and receiving all of its magical powers that allowed him to defend the world by transforming into the powerful and mystical sorcerer known as Doctor Fate, despite everything, Kent Nelson must endure a lot of anguish wearing the helmet. Initially, Nelson used the helmet to defend the world, but eventually Nelson stopped wearing it. Discovering that some children released a demon, Nelson put on the helmet once more to end the threat. Nelson later used it during his mission in Kahndaq, until his eventual death.
Cloak of Destiny: Doctor Fate wore a powerful cloak granted by the being Nabu, which enabled him to levitate and hover in the air, taking more ground against his enemies. During combat, Fate protected himself from attacks using the Cloak of Destiny, which being a mystical object, it had the ability to resist various strong forms of magic and even suppress them.
Doctor Fate's ultimate fate in Black Adam has similarities with previous live action portrayals of the character. Like the Smallville version, Kent Nelson comes out of retirement to face another threat, only to sacrifice himself to save a fellow male hero after foreseeing their future fates. In the live-action Constantine series, the Helmet of Fate is shown to be in John Constantine's possession in the House of Mystery, implying that the previous owner of the helmet either perished or retired.
