Doctor Occult
Doctor Occult is a male comic superhero who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Pre-Crisis
Richard Occult
On December 31, 1899 a cult intended to sacrifice two kidnapped infants to Satan. The cultists attracted the attention of the demonic Koth, who rejected the offering and killed the cultists. Zator, a disciple of the mystics known as the Seven, rescued the infants, and brought them to a hidden citadel. The Seven recognized mystic potential in the infants, and decided to raise them, naming them Doc and Rose. When they were of age Doc proved the most adept at magic, so the Seven bestowed him with a seal of protection and gave him the full name Dr. Occult. They named the girl Rose Psychic, and the two of them were sent to use their powers to battle evil. Arriving in New York. Dr. Occult set himself up as a private investigator with Rose as his assistant. Together they fought many supernatural menaces during the 1930s. In 1936 Dr. Occult helped the Seven defeat Koth, and was not heard from again for several decades. (New Fun Comics v1 #6)
Both himself and Rose were on a case when they found Mr. and Mrs. Amster in the grip of the insidious Vampire Master. After saving Mr. Amster, Dr. Occult laid a trap for the villain using Rose as bait. When the monster entered, he produced his 'mystic symbol' but it had no effect. (New Fun Comics v1 #6) Rose tried shooting the Vampire Master with silver bullets to no effect and he disappeared in a bright flash. It was then that the Master began overrunning the city with his minions. (New Fun Comics v1 #7) He possessed Mrs. Amster, who tried to stab her husband. She led them to the lair of the green-skinned vampire, who was tending to his scientific equipment. (New Fun Comics v1 #8) The villain was bent on world domination and had created an invention that could both create and destroy life. It was Mrs. Amster who turned the tables on him by freeing Doc. Instead of capture, the Vampire Master chose to destroy his lab; everybody escaped as he went down in flames. (More Fun Comics v1 #9)
His next adversary was the weird Methuselah, a killer who strung his victims up by the hands and muttered 'strange incantations'. (More Fun Comics v1 #10) Afterwards, his butler, Jenkins, turned away a desperate stranger, the man reappeared as a werewolf. Doctor Occult rushed outside and brought the beast under his spell. (More Fun Comics v1 #11) He accompanied the man back to his home at Mrs. Daniels' boarding house, (More Fun Comics v1 #12) Whilst there, the woman was revealed as the master werewolf. She nearly transformed Occult as well but he was saved by the man who'd led them there. (More Fun Comics v1 #13) The Seven swooped in to form a protective circle around Occult and Zator. Together their minds drove off Koth. Back in their hidden realm, the Master described Koth as an inhuman creature with a terrible hatred for the world of man. He planned to wipe out the human race using the power of a belt. Retrieving the belt from a closely guarded Egyptian tomb would be a 'superhuman task', so Doc was given a special uniform of blue shorts, red cape, sword, and the protective insignia on his bare chest. (More Fun Comics v1 #14) When Dr. Occult jumped into battle, his sword fought seemingly of its own volition. Koth did not consider them a threat, but changed his tune when Occult obtained the powerful mystic belt. ((More Fun Comics v1 #15) One touch of the belt sent him flying into the air! A second touch turned Koth to stone. Back among the shadowy Seven, the old men explained that eons ago Koth was the only survivor of a space expedition that crashed to Earth. He sought to prepare for a new invasion. (More Fun Comics v1 #16)
Post-Crisis
Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Richard Occult was a male human who as a newborn was stolen from god-fearing people by a cult who had intended to use him as part of a ritual to summon Satan. Alongside an infant girl, the cult went about the ritual on December 31, 1899 with the two being used as part of the human sacrifice. The demon Koth instead appeared where he had no interest in the two innocent infants and instead wanted the souls of humans whose souls were stained with sin and corruption. Thus, the cultists were consumed by the demon and in the midst of that moment the two children were saved by the mystic Zator who took them to the abode of the Seven. At first, the Seven were angered as their disciple as he had acted in defiance in saving the children. Zator though begged his mentors to spare them and that he had sensed within them the mystical potential to do good. The Seven then decided to examine the children and sensed that they did indeed possess magical potential and agreed to keep them to be raised as new disciples by Zator. (Secret Origins v2 #17)
Doctor Occult was summoned by John Constantine to help defeat the Shadow Creature that threatened Heaven. (Swamp Thing v2 #50)
John Constantine called together Occult and the Trenchcoat Brigade to have a talk with Mister E. E told them he suffered from visions of a world eaten up by the cancer god M'nagalah, and knew that Pyotr Konstantin somehow caused it. E took the Trenchcoat Brigade on a trip to the possible future of his vision, where the only person left alive was Pyotr. Pyotr summoned the Whining Ones to attack the Brigade. The Brigade won the fight and Pyotr told them they could avert the tragedy he caused if they took him back in time to the 1600s. In the past Pyotr cast a spell to force the Brigade to confront and deal with each other's past failures and guilt while he set off to prevent his past self from setting off the chain of events that unleashed M'nagalah. The Brigade conquered each other's guilt and found Pyotr, who'd failed to stop his past self. The Brigade traveled to the time of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, when Pyotr's past self and Elliana of the Leshy, whose people had been destroyed by mankind, would bring M'nagalah to Earth. The Brigade used a containment spell on M'nagalah but Phantom Stranger, who'd dealt with Occult's guilt over never being able to touch Rose again and felt he was in a similar situation, was ready to abandon the fight. Occult changed into Rose and convinced Stranger that where there was life there was hope. The Brigade vanquished M'nagalah.
Dr. Occult noted weeping statues, crimson lightning and other signs of the apocalypse. He was recruited by Zatanna to join the Sentinels of Magic, whose purpose was to battle Spectre/Asmodel, who'd unleashed Hell on Earth. Dr. Occult recruited Mary Marvel, CM3, Captain Marvel, Star-Spangled Kid and S.T.R.I.P.E. to fight the horde of demons that was threatening N.Y. during the Day of Judgment. The Sentinels separated Asmodel from most of the Spectre-Force, imprisoning it in Madame Xanadu's globe. It was only a temporary solution, and the Sentinels knew they needed the Spear of Destiny to defeat Asmodel. Spectre was wounded by the Spear, allowing the soul of Green Lantern Hal Jordan to become Spectre's new host, but a new threat emerged when Neron possessed Superman. Hal defeated Neron, sending him back to Hell.
During the Imperiex War Occult was called in as a JSA reserve on a mission to disrupt Imperiex's link to his ship's power supply. The JSA found that Imperiex's ship was leeching it's power from the planet Daxam, which Imperiex had pulled out of its' orbit. Occult managed to send Daxam back into proper orbit, and Imperiex's ship, no longer having a power supply, imploded.
As a JSA reservist, Occult battled Kobra cultists who were launching terrorists attacks against Philadelphia after the Princes of Darkness pulled the moon from its' orbit and Kobra declared the event signalled the impending end of the world. Occult used teleportation spells to keep Philadelphia's citizens well away from the carnage. Doctor Fate sent a psychic transmission asking Hawkgirl, Dove and Power Girl to come to Gemworld and free the soul of Arion, so Dr. Occult opened a portal to Gemworld, allowing the heroines to cross over. Occult and the JSA defeated the Kobra cultists, and Sand undid the damage to displaced moon did to the Earth. Occult aided the JSA in defeating Mordru.
Some time after the Infinite Crisis, Doctor Occult moved to Central City, were he settled in a ramshackle neighborhood. Within six months, everyone else had moved out; the only other people in that neighborhood are the few friends who can survive the disasters he attracts, the few clients who don't know about them yet, and Gladys, his receptionist (who is a zombie). At the beginning of Blaze and Satanus' campaign against Neron, he was contacted by the late Ralph and Sue Dibny, fellow detectives whose specialty is the occult. Deciding that he needs a guide before he will set foot in Hell, he has decided to contact Yellow Peri.
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.
He became the owner of the House of Secrets at an unknown point in time and decided to vanish and live there. He was attacked and killed by Nick Necro while attempting to defend the house from him. Nick Necro subsequently became the new owner of the House of Secrets. (Justice League Dark v1 #12)
Overview
Personality and attributes
The true name of the child was not known and he was simply called Doc. This was until he reached maturity when he was given the name of Doctor Occult. (Secret Origins v2 #17)
He and Rose Psychic were children of god-fearing parents that were kidnapped from their families. Doctor Occult as a baby was taken in by Zator and raised by him to be a disciple of the Seven. (Secret Origins v2 #17)
Powers and abilities
As a child, it was determined that he had innate abilities that marked him as a true mystic. He was trained by Zator who taught him to be able to enter and leave the astral plane as well as travel great distances. Doc came to learnt to be immaterial for very brief periods, alter their size, move items with their mind and create illusions through a magical form of hypnotism. Both he and Rose were said to had been able students but Doc was more naturally adept than the girl. (Secret Origins v2 #17)
He came to serve a group known as the Seven who were opposed to evil such as those perpetrated by beings like Koth that was their eternal enemy. These beings were said to had long left humanity in order to dedicate themselves on their mission. The Seven were known to act as one and could sense mystical potential in others that they could adopt as their servants to aid them on their mission. (Secret Origins v2 #17)
Notes
- Doctor Occult was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster where he made his first appearance in New Fun Comics v1 #6 (October, 1935).
Alternate Versions
- In Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Three Annual v1 #1 (2015), an alternate version of Doctor Occult appeared in the setting of the Injustice reality in the Multiverse.
In other media
Video games
- In DC Universe Online, Doctor Occult appeared in the setting of the MMORPG video game.
Appearances
- More Fun Comics v1: (1935)
- Secret Origins v2:
- Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. v1:
- Blue Beetle v7:
- The Books of Magic v1:
- The Names of Magic v1:
- Justice League Dark v1:
External Links
This article is a stub. You can help Multiversal Omnipedia by expanding it.
