Doctor Fate #1 (2015)

Rumors of a potential Doctor Fate film have existed for a few years now.   Is there a solo movie on the horizon?  Will DC back the helmet of Fate?  Those rumors lead to questions about which Doctor Fate might make the silver screen.  Should you speculate in Doctor Fate?  We are going to chase down those rumors!  When it comes to which Doctor Fate there are many, many contenders: (hold tight, it's going to be a bumpy ride)

Which Doctor Fate?

 

  • Kent Nelson who first appeared in the Golden Age More Fun Comics #55 (May 1940).  His wife Inza had a short stint as Doctor Fate replacing Kent.
  • Eric Strauss followed after Kent Nelson's death and later shared the identity with his partner Linda Strauss.  Eric first appeared in Doctor Fate #1 (July 1987). 
  • Jared Stevens was introduced in Fate #1 (October 1994).  
  • Hector Hall, the son of the Golden Age Hawkman, became Doctor Fate in JSA #1 (August 1999)
  • Kent Nelson (no, not the first one, this is Nelson's grandnephew) appeared in Countdown to Mystery #1 (November 2007).  
  • Khalid Ben-Hassin showed up as Doctor Fate after DC's continuity was rebooted following the events of Flashpoint and The New 52 initiative in Earth 2 #9 (February 2013).   
  • Khalid Nassour, an Egyptian-American medical student was the newest Doctor Fate introduced in Doctor Fate #1 (August 2015).

Whew!  Doctor Fate, DC's version of  Doctor Strange (Dr. Fate came first by 20+ years) definitely has an identity crisis.  (Bonus material: There is also a combo DC/Marvel character Doctor Strangefate created from a merger of Doctor Strange and Doctor Fate.  Who knew?  But I digress...)

And The Winner Is...

Doctor Fate #1 Variant

Earlier this year, Dwayne Johnson confirmed the personnel for the Justice Society of America in the Black Adam movie.  Black Adam is a spin-off movie from DC's Shazam!  The roster for the Black Adam film includes Hawkman, Cyclone, Atom Smasher and Doctor Fate.  

But which Doctor Fate?  The winner is the 2015 version of Doctor Fate--Khalid Nassour.  The Egyptian-American medical student will be part of the JSA team that will encounter the anti-hero/villain Black Adam.  

So...rumor of a Doctor Fate movie...false!   A Doctor Fate appearance in an upcoming movie....true!

 

 

Doctor Fate: The Bottom Line

Doctor Fate #2 Variant

So, where could you speculate on Doctor Fate?   

On your radar should be issue #1 of the 2015 series.  There are also variants for each of the first three issues of the series to consider if you plan to speculate on Doctor Fate.  Beyond those possibilities, there is also a preview introducing the 2015 version of Doctor Fate in Convergence Aquaman #2.  

Is there any movement in the market for Doctor Fate?  Let's look at the numbers:

Wow?!  The market has spoken on Doctor Fate's upcoming movie appearance and the word is....meh!

There seems to be a little heat for the first issue with some early adopters, but that is pretty much the end of the story.  The first issue variant, with cover art by Ibrahim Moustafa, is a 1 for 25 Retailer Incentive Variant.  The variant will be tough to find in the wild, but Doctor Fate #1 could easily be lurking in dollar bins at a location near you and is definitely worth the hunt!  

But will there be a spin-off movie for Doctor Fate if the Black Adam film is a hit?  Let's start a rumor!