Doctor Fate

Did You Know?

• The family cat, Puck, is a vessel for the goddess Bastet, who supports Nassour.
• Nassour adopted a non-binary animated ragdoll named Stitch as his child and apprentice.
• In Young Justice, he performs magic by speaking his intent in a combination of Latin, Ancient Greek, and Arabic.

Publication history

Following the Convergence limited series and the launch of the 'DC You' line in June 2015, DC Comics introduced a new ongoing Doctor Fate series written by Paul Levitz and illustrated by Sonny Liew, featuring Khalid Nassour as an Egyptian-American medical student. Levitz stated that Dan DiDio and Jim Lee wanted a different approach from the original Golden Age incarnation, and he was particularly interested in the Egyptian connection, envisioning an Egyptian American young man as the helmet's wearer.

The character first appeared in a sneak peek in Convergence: Aquaman #2 in May 2015, with the first issue of the Doctor Fate series released in June 2015 and running until its cancellation in November 2016, covering his origin and early adventures, including the New 52 debut of the original Doctor Fate, Kent Nelson. Nassour made minor appearances in other titles between 2015 and 2016, then was absent for nearly two years before Kent Nelson returned to the role.

Characterization

Khalid Nassour's history has varied; he has been presented as the direct successor of Kent Nelson, the eighth successor (after Kent V. Nelson), and more recently the fourth successor. His origin was later clarified to occur during the 'Darkseid War' and 'Dark Nights: Metal' storylines. At age twenty-two, a former EMT and summa cum laude graduate aspiring to be a physician, he is chosen by Bastet as the new Doctor Fate due to his pharaoh bloodline, receiving the Helmet of Fate. After Nabu hijacks Nelson's body to battle the Otherkind, Nassour is freed by Man-Bat and joins Wonder Woman's Justice League Dark, helping stop Nabu's plan to destroy all magic. He initially rejects becoming Doctor Fate again but later accepts after Circe attacks the team with Hecate's power.

Other versions

Nassour has appeared in Elseworld titles such as a cameo in DC Black Label's Batman: Full Moon, a teenage version called Kid Fate in DC's Misfits, and two future variations. In the Future State event, an older Nassour, having mended the Helmet of Fate and lived through multiple timelines to learn how to defeat Merlin, appears disguised as a blind old man and strikes a deal with Merlin. Another possible future shows Nassour as a de-facto leader of the last JSA legacies, killed by an empowered Per Degaton; his future self is erased when Helena Wayne's actions in the present alter reality. A prior incarnation, Khalid Ben-Hassin, appeared in Earth 2 in 2013, created by James Robinson as an Egyptian-American archaeologist reluctant in the role, with powers directly tied to invoking ancient Egyptian deities.

Reception and critical impact

Critics have generally received Nassour's character well. Book Riot's Jessica Plumber compared him to Marvel's Kamala Khan, praising his design and significance for diverse representation. IGN's Levi Hunt saw the character as a positive step for diversity in DC Comics and appreciated the use of Egyptian mythology over common Greek and Roman themes. Charli Snow of CBR positively noted his heritage in relation to Doctor Fate's Egyptian connections and his ascension to leadership in Justice League Dark.

Noah Sharma of Comicon praised his role in James Tynion IV's series, stating that Khalid invests the reader and infuses the story with hope. A reviewer of his guest appearance in the 2018 Superman series found his version less omnipotent and more relatable, with down-to-earth dialogue creating a magnetic personality. Ashley Hurt of CBR expressed concern that the character's age diminished the struggles of Nelson's Doctor Fate, though her assessment of his age as college-age deviated from his slightly older debut.