Character SpotlightDoctor Hate
Empowered by the Helmet of Fate, Doctor Fate is a Lord of Order who has been fighting the forces of Chaos with magic since 1940. In the comics, the Helmet of Fate has taken a turn for the worst in the Lazarus Planet comic book event. Batman wears the helmet as he fights a devil and the helmet is destroyed and left on Lazarus Island. Working for Amanda Waller, Peacemaker infiltrates the island and locates the broken pieces which then form into the Helmet of Hate.
In a different comic book event, Summer 2023’s Knight Terrors, a supervillain of nightmares named Insomnia is empowered by the Nightmare Stone. The actions of Deadman who is inhabiting the body of Batman, defeats Insomnia, but the stone is lost. Or rather taken might be a better word.
In addition to securing the Helmet of Hate, Amanda Waller has also acquired the Nightmare Stone. Giving both items to a willing (but currently unknown person) has created Doctor Hate.
What we know at the moment about Doctor Hate is he is working for Amanda Waller with the single objective of destroying superheroes. The events of Lazarus Island has both created new powered individuals, but also subverted some existing powered individuals. Meaning there are a good deal of bad people wandering around the DC comic book universe. The events of Knight Terrors have also portrayed our familiar superheroes as nightmares. The recent banning of Amazonians by the American government is a good example. All of a sudden, hunting down superheroes doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.
Except the guy’s name is Doctor Hate. There doesn’t seem a great deal flexibility that could allow the character to become an anti-villain.
We also know that Doctor Hate’s first targets are the Titans. Led by Dick Grayson (previously Batman’s first Robin and now Nightwing), the Titans are a much easier to like group of enthusiastic and friendly superheroes (especially if you compare them to the serious and sometimes downright dark Justice League). But this is likely to tie in with the Titans: Beast World event in which a Starro (the starfish alien from The Suicide Squad movie) lookalike is set to destroy all life on Earth.
The final interesting pieces of information we currently have about Doctor Hate is his willing acceptance of the role, but his unknown identity. Waller hands the Helmet of Hate and the Nightmare Stone into the darkness, purposely hiding the character’s identity. They even have a conversation about the volunteer’s family not understanding his decision to become Doctor Hate.
If the character can transform into Doctor Hate, he might be able to transform back. The mention of a family suggests a well-established character. There is a good possibility that Doctor Hate is a hero who is going off the tracks.
We will have to wait for now, but we can be assured that Doctor Hate will be causing trouble for superheroes and that we can expect the reveal to his identity to be part of one of the upcoming comic book events. We will keep you posted.
For the first appearance of Doctor Hate, pick up your copy of Knight Terrors: Night's End #1 (this is a paid affiliate link and as an Amazon Associate I will earn a small income from qualifying purchases, but won’t cost you any more).
ncG1vNJzZmimlaq%2FsLnYrZ%2BsZqOqr7TAwJyiZ5ufonyxe8KhmKuZk6mys3nSqaatpJmctbWwzpyrqKpdna61sQ%3D%3D