Arthur Light
Arthur Light is a male comic supervillain who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Arthur Light
At some point, he came to meet and befriend a fellow scientist named Dr. Jacob Finlay where the two became close friends. The two were brilliant together on the applications and manipulation of light where they worked at a S.T.A.R. Labs. Though the pair were eccentric, their brilliance allowed them to work with impunity. By this point, Arthur came to suffer from internal revenue problems where secretly he began smuggling technological secrets to outside parties in exchange for money. Eventually, his benefactor came to blackmail him into stealing designs for a new exo-skeleton otherwise he would release information about Light's thefts thus ruining the man's career. As a result, he snuck into the company's laboratories in the cover of night to steal the designs when he was ambushed by a costumed hero called Doctor Light who intended to arrest the thief. However, after finding out it was Arthur, the hero allowed him to escape before security could arrest him. It was only later that Arthur determined that Doctor Light was actually Jacob who had designed a light manipulating suit and intended to become a superhero where he planned to join the Justice League. Arthur in his paranoia came to believe that Jacob would similarly blackmail him and look to destroy his career. Thus, he arranged for an accident during one of their experiments that killed his old friend. The incident was regarded as an unfortunate industry though afterwards Arthur faced increasing pressure from his 'benefactor' to steal more secrets from S.T.A.R. Labs. In addition, Light came to find himself 'haunted' by the 'ghost' of Finlay who would pursue him. One day, Arthur would lock himself in the laboratory when S.T.A.R. Labs security attempted to arrest him where he became desperate to stop the ghost of Jacob. In this time, he came to find Finlay's Doctor Light costume and began to wear it where he used its power to drive off the ghost. He then killed his 'benefactor' and decided to become a supervillain where he claimed the name Doctor Light for himself. (Secret Origins v1 #37)
He was a scientist said to had mastered the secrets of light and had constructed numerous equipment that harnessed it in different ways. With it, he stylised himself as a supervillain who took the name Doctor Light but quickly came to realise that his biggest obstacle for world domination was the Justice League of America. Thus, he decided to devote his efforts in defeating that group of champions of justice. He began by using a device to paralyze their various members and teleport them away to other-dimensional planes where their powers would be inert. Arriving late to the battle, Superman and Batman switched costumes to trick Doctor Light, escape the dimensions they were separately cast off to, and retrieve their fellow Justice Leaguers from their own predicaments. Meanwhile, Light broke into the League's Secret Sanctuary lair and boasted of his presumed victory to the team's mascot Snapper Carr. To his chagrin, Light realized that he declared victory far too early when the Justice League regrouped and soundly defeated him. (Justice League of America v1 #12) Years later, Doctor Destiny impersonated Doctor Light to swap images with the Martian Manhunter and get him sent to prison in Light's place. The other JLAers were framed and incarcerated by Doctor Destiny through similar methods using other criminal guises. When the Justice League reverted to their true forms due to the independent plan of Green Arrow and left their holding cells to confront Destiny in their Sanctuary, the real Doctor Light was summoned alongside a band of other super-villains and brainwashed to fight the Leaguers on Destiny's behalf. (Justice League of America v1 #61)
Doctor Light
Light would then go about recruiting a team of villains to form the Fearsome Five with him being their leader who intended to defeat the Teen Titans. Their ranks included Gizmo, Shimmer, Mammoth and Psimon. (New Teen Titans v1 #3)
As Mageddon approached Earth, and sent a remote sender to Belle Reve prison, where drove Dr. Light and the other prisoners berserk with rage, sparking off a riot. The Justice League were later responsible for quelling the riot. (JLA v1 #34) Whilst at the Slab, Doctor Light came to be among the in-mates that were infected by the Joker with Joker Venom. The insane Light was captured, given an antidote to the Joker Venom, and put in a metahuman holding facility in Death Valley. (JLA v1 #59)
During the Blackest Night, he came to be one of a number of people that were resurrected as undead members of the Black Lantern Corps. He came to prowl the Hall of Justice where he feasted on the remains of Firestorm's comrade Gehenna when the Kimiyo Hoshi Doctor Light came upon him. Arthur Light managed to overwhelm her and prepared to consume her as well. (Justice League of America v2 #39)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Doctor Arthur Light was a man who at some point was married and had children where he became a scientist that worked for A.R.G.U.S. in the field of superhuman studies. He was called into work by Director Amanda Waller to help the government-sponsored Justice League of America in investigating a Secret Society composed of supervillains. Whilst studying a coin-shaped communication device, Light was present when the machine's self-destruct was activated in front of him in an attempt to kill whoever was attempting to learn its secrets. (Justice League of America v3 #4) Rather than kill him, it transformed him into a being capable of manipulating light. (Justice League of America v3 #5)
Overview
Personality and attributes
As a researcher, he claimed that he always did his best work at night. (Secret Origins v1 #37)
Early in his career, he came to regard the formation of a group of superheroes namely the Justice League to be d disconcerting event as they scared him. This was because he believed that they would not be able to use their power wisely as he reasoned that power simply perverted the user. (Secret Origins v1 #37)
One of old friends was Jacob Finlay where they were pair were said to had been inseparable. Working together at S.T.A.R. Labs, they were said to had been brilliant and though eccentric the pair were allowed to operate alone. Though colleagues, he found Finlay to be too much of an idealist with this being a trait that led to the man wanting to become a superhero and even join the Justice League. Light would come to believe though that his friend Jacob was jealous of Arthur's brilliance. Due to his own paranoia, Arthur came to suspect that Finaly was out to destroy him leading to Light resolving to kill his own friend as a result. After murdering Finlay, he came to be 'haunted' by the 'ghost' of his friend though found that light dispelled the hallucination. (Secret Origins v1 #37)
Powers and abilities
Originally, Arthur Light was an ordinary human being with no special inherent powers. By adulthood, he was regarding as a brilliant scientist on the trail of an equally brilliant career. (Secret Origins v1 #37) According to him, he was the only scientist in the world to had combined the conflicting theories over light and discovered its true state. Thus, he considered himself to had mastered all the secrets surrounding light. (Justice League of America v1 #12)
He was known to wear infra-red lenses on his eyes. (Secret Origins v1 #37)
Arthur came to wear a high-tech suit that was developed by his friend Dr. Jacob Finlay that allowed the wearer to control light to achieve various feats ranging from energy blasts to forming constructs. (Secret Origins v1 #37) Through various equipment, he could manipulate light in a variety of means such as affecting weather and other phenomena as side effects. He had developed a kind of light that travelled at such speeds that it could open doorways between sidereal worlds. (Justice League of America v1 #12)
He was able to create constructs that masqueraded as a team of villains known as the Radiant Men. (Deathstroke v4 #22)
Notes
- Doctor Light was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky where he made his first appearance Justice League of America v1 #12 (June, 1962).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In Lois & Clark, a character named Doctor Light appeared in the setting of the live-action television series during the episode "The Eyes Have It" where he was portrayed by actor David Bowe. This version was a scientist named Dr. Harold Leit who invented an ultra-violet device powerful enough to make Superman blind for a while.
- In Teen Titans, the Arthur Light Doctor Light appeared as an antagonist in the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Rodger Bumpass.
Films
- In Superman vs. The Elite, Doctor Light made a brief cameo appearance in the setting of the animated film.
Video games
- In DC Universe Online, the Arthur Light Doctor Light appeared as an NPC in the MMORPG video game where he was introduced as part 2013 downloadable content "Sons of Trigon".
Appearances
- Justice League of America v1: (1962)
- New Teen Titans v1:
- Identity Crisis v1:
- Blackest Night v1:
- Justice League of America v2:
- Justice League of America v3:
- Justice League v2:
- Deathstroke v4:
External Links
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