Doctor Druid
Doctor Druid is a male comic character who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents[hide] |
Biography
Origin
Anthony Ludgate Druid was a male human who was said to had been born in Britain. (Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions v1 #1) Druid was the descendant of the ancient Druid known as Amergin. (Avengers v1 #225)
Dr. Anthony Druid spent years studying ancient papers and manuscripts in search of a clue to the mystery of the purported missing link between humanity and beasts. (Weird Wonder Tales v1 #21) Using the alias of Anthony Ludgate, Dr. Druid became an English scholar of Celtic antiquity. (Druid v1 #1)
Anthony learned many things from the elderly mystic, but eventually both mutually parted ways. (Dr. Strange v1 #4) The Lama was later learnt to had been the Ancient One. (Avengers Spotlight v1 #37)
Before boarding the plane, Druid, again using the alias of 'Anthony Ludgate', researched ancient Celtic magic and upon learning that Julius Caesar felt all magic originally emanated from the Celts, Druid hoped that he might learn during his trip to Tibet whether their magic also stemmed from the Celts. (Druid v1 #1)
Learning that the lama had imparted Druidic knowledge and minor magical abilities, Dr. Druid traveled to America. In an effort to better integrate himself, Druid stopped using the 'Anthony Ludgate' alias and concocted an outlandish version of his origin story. (Druid v1 #1)
Though a hero, he did not pursue this career and instead became obsessed with his studies leading to him disappearing from public life. (Dr. Strange v1 #4)
After finding information tying the proposed missing link to Borneo, Dr. Druid informed his friend Anne that he was going to Borneo to bring back the proposed link's remains. (Weird Wonder Tales v1 #21)
Continuing to explore the world, Dr. Druid visited a jungle area, where a snake nearly constricted him to death. (Secret Defenders v1 #15)
At some point, Dr. Druid learned some basic swahili and later decided to join the Explorers Club. Six weeks following his adventure in Center City, Dr. Druid arrived in New York City for the first meeting of the Explorers Club's Monster Hunters, entering their meeting place as Harvey Elder was being rejected for membership and thrown out of the Club by Stanley Hathaway. Dr. Druid then suggested Hathaway was a bit too hard on Elder but Hathaway complained that Elder was a nuisance and that his idea of a city in the center of the Earth was ridiculous. Hathaway then led Dr. Druid into the room where the other Monster Hunters were meeting. Introduced to Ulysses Bloodstone and the Wakandan Zawadi by Jake Curtiss, whom Bloodstone knew as "Curry," Dr. Druid learned that Curtiss had used several aliases in his line of work. Curtiss then revealed that Bloodstone had also used several names in the past and that both Bloodstone and Dr. Druid had recently encountered monsters. Druid was then astounded when Bloodstone related the story of his encounter with a tyrannosaurus rex that led to his meeting Zawadi and then related his own encounter with a dinosaur during his recent expedition to Borneo alongside a group of archaeologists. When Curtiss showed photos of Gorgilla while discussing Druid's Borneo expedition, Druid became suspicious of Curtiss, asking where he had obtained the photos of Gorgilla when the archaeologists that were with Druid had sworn to keep Gorgilla's existence a secret. Curtiss revealed that the National Security Agency had spies within Druid's expedition but the discussion was abruptly ended when Zawadi found Harvey Elder spying on the Monster Hunters meeting from an air vent in the floor. Worried about how much Elder had overheard, Curtiss allowed Dr. Druid to use his mesmerism powers to convince Elder that he had witnessed nothing out of the ordinary and that the Monster Hunters were beneath his notice. As Elder was affected by Druid's hypnotism, Dr. Druid further convinced Elder that the Monster Hunters would not be able to help him join the Explorers Club and showed Elder, who announced that he didn't need any of them, the door. Bloodstone then commended Druid on accomplishing the hypnosis so quickly and the humble Druid remarked that it was just a parlor trick, instead commending Zawadi on her alertness and remarking that he should have sensed Elder's presence. Curtiss then informed the Monster Hunters that there had been a recent rash of monster sightings and that he had suspicions that there was a source behind them all, hoping that Druid and the others would agree to help him uncover the source. After Bloodstone and Zawadi readily joined up with Curtiss, Dr. Druid paused momentarily before heartily agreeing to join as well, secretly wondering why the minds of both Curtiss and Bloodstone were strangely closed to his mental powers. (Marvel Universe v1 #4)
Dr. Druid sensed Gorgilla's presence in New York and painfully informed the other Monster Hunters, unaware that Harvey Elder had shaken off Druid's mesmerism at a nearby bar after seeing Gorgilla's picture on television. The Monster Hunters quickly geared up and prepared to battle Gorgilla as Dr. Druid changed into his costume and ceremonial robe. Emerging from a room in-costume, Dr. Druid explained the reasoning behind his costume and recounted his origin for the Monster Hunters before sensing Gorgilla within underground tunnels leading towards the Bronx. Following Dr. Druid's senses, the Monster Hunters flew to a nearby baseball stadium via helicopter and found Gorgilla rampaging on the field. When Druid's mental powers proved unable to access Gorgilla's mind to calm the monster, Zawadi jumped from the helicopter to engage Gorgilla. Gorgilla was quickly entrapped by a magnanium steel net and Druid joined the Monster Hunters in investigating the downed creature. Zawadi soon discovered a strange device at the base of Gorgilla's skull and Druid attempted to determine what the device was. Jake Curtiss warned the Monster Hunters not to touch the device but his warnings came too late, as Druid, Bloodstone and Zawadi were hit with an energy backlash that awoke Gorgilla. Moving at superhuman speed, Curtiss rescued Druid and the other Monster Hunters from the awakened Gorgilla and Druid soon determined that the device had kept Gorgilla in the thrall of another. Dr. Druid then questioned who might have been controlling Gorgilla as Zawadi noticed that Jake Curtiss was nowhere to be found. A short time later, after Curtiss had apprehended a small group of spies, Druid and the other Monster Hunters located him in their helicopter and Curtis expressed relief that Druid and the others were safe. Bloodstone immediately questioned Curtiss' superhuman speed powers and Druid seconded, wondering how Curtiss was able to accomplish such a feat. Claiming his real name was Adam Clayton and that he had obtained his powers via a radiation experiment that backfired, Curtiss was asked by Dr. Druid if they should call him Adam but Curtiss replied that 'Jake' would be fine before focusing the discussion on the apprehension of Gorgilla. When Gorgilla climbed the Statue of Liberty, going after one of the spies, Dr. Druid telepathically contacted Gorgilla, reminding the creature that he was Gorgilla's friend and attempting to calm the monster. After the Monster Hunters rescued the spy from death at Gorgilla's hands, Dr. Druid succeeded in calming Gorgilla and used his telepathy to reach into the monster's mind, confirming that Gorgilla had definitely been under the control of another who had forced Gorgilla to board a ship to America. Druid further learned that the bomb the spies apprehended by Curtiss had been planting contained the scent of the man controlling Gorgilla and Gorgilla had been after the spy after smelling the scent. Druid then suggested the Monster Hunters return Gorgilla to the wilds of Borneo and Curtiss replied that he would make a few calls. (Marvel Universe v1 #5)
Return
Stephen called him into the operation room to help with a crisis as his patient turned out to be a disguised demon that was set to explode. Doctor Druid used his magic to teleport the demon into all his plants on the roof of the hospital so that it would detonate harmlessly. With the danger averted, Ludgate then used his powers to wipe the hospital staff of the incident. (Dr. Strange v1 #4)
Overview
Personality and attributes
A tabloid came to refer to him as the Master of the Unknown. (Avengers v1 #278)
It was said that he was an arrogant man who was one of those people that everyone seemed to like yet at the same time was someone that no one liked either. (Dr. Strange v1 #4)
He came to learn that he was a direct descendant of Amergin Gluingel who was an ancient druid with this sparking Ludgate fascination in the religion. (Dr. Strange v1 #4)
There was said to be an undercurrent of resentment from Anthony over Doctor Strange being his replacement as Sorcerer Supreme. (Dr. Strange v1 #4)
Powers and abilities
Doctor Druid's latent mystical abilities were activated by the Ancient One. (Avengers Spotlight v1 #37)
It was said that he drew his power the earth magic of the ancient druids. (Avengers v1 #225) He could draw his powers of sorcery from nature that he used to keep his vitality making him appear younger. Over the decades, he came to had refined his abilities which included telepathy, hypnotism and telekinesis. (Dr. Strange v1 #4)
By moving at the speed of thought, Doctor Druid can react to threats almost instantly. (West Coast Avengers Annual v1 #2)
Doctor Druid was able to generate extremely realistic illusions. (West Coast Avengers Annual v1 #2)
By concentrating, Doctor Druid can take control of the minds of others. (West Coast Avengers Annual v1 #2)
Druid was capable of levitating himself or other objects. (Captain America Annual v1 #11)
Iron was said to ground his earth-based magic with this being a notable weakness. (Avengers v1 #225)
Notes
- Doctor Druid was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby where he made his first appearance in Amazing Adventures v1 #1 (June, 1961).
- Originally, the character was referred to as Dr. Droom.
- In Alter Ego v1 #104 (2011), Lee had said, "... I always liked [Doctor Droom], but I forgot about him. It was a one-shot thing. And one day while we were trying to think of some new heroes, I thought I'd like to bring back a magician."
- When he had Doctor Druid join the Avengers, writer Roger Stern intended him to "fill the group's Pain-in-the-Ass Quotient," playing a role similar to the character Charles Emerson Winchester III in the TV series M*A*S*H by acting like an "erudite wise-ass.
Alternate Versions
Appearances
- Amazing Adventures v1: (1961)
- Avengers v1:
- Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions v1:
- Secret Defenders v1:
- Druid v1:
- Marvel Universe v1:
- Dr. Strange v1:
External Links
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