DC Comics just killed off its future Sorcerer Supreme! Doctor Fate, who is roughly DC’s equivalent of Doctor Strange (Fate beat Strange to the punch by twenty years though) seemingly died in Legion of Super-Heroes #11. Furthermore, Fate’s death not only robs the Legion of its resident magic-user but could signal the return of Mordru, the Legion’s greatest foe.
Since writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Ryan Sook revamped the Legion of Super-Heroes over a year ago, they have not only put fresh spins on established Legionnaires such as Cosmic Boy and Saturn Girl, but have introduced new characters, such as the 31stcentury versions of Green Lantern (here the Gold Lantern) and Doctor Fate. This new version of Fate is clearly extraterrestrial, sporting multiple arms. Not much has been revealed about their back story, but whoever bears the title has possession of the Helmet of Nabu, an immensely powerful magical artifact that grants mystical powers to its wearer. How this being was able to get the Helmet is not known, and now may never be.
Three Legionnaires: Fate, Saturn Girl and Jonathan Kent travel to the distant planet of Xanthu, on the trail of the evil sorcerer Mordru. In a cave, they find the cape of Superman, Jonathan’s father. All three are puzzled at why it is there and wonder what its connection to Mordru is; Fate casts an examination spell on it…and it causes him to explode! A horrified Jonathan and Saturn Girl can only look on.
This two-page sequence raises a load of questions: what is the connection between Mordru and Superman’s cape? And why is it so important to Mordru that he cast a protection spell on it, one capable of taking out someone as powerful as Doctor Fate? And is Doctor Fate truly gone? It feels like a waste to introduce the character only to kill them off several issues later.
Doctor Fate is an intriguing character, regardless of who is under the helmet. Bendis and Sook added another layer to this by making Fate an alien. Fans have been asking questions about this newest incarnation since their first appearance, and answers have not been forthcoming. Could the Doctor’s death be how we find out more about them? And are they truly gone? The power of Fate is strong, and the possibility of a resurrection is great, if Fate is even dead in the first place. Finally, there is the threat of Mordru—what is his endgame? Mordru’s arrival usually spells bad things for the Legion, and without their magic-user, they may be at a disadvantage.
