Khalid Nassour (Prime Earth)

Khalid Nassour is the Egyptian-American chosen by Bastet as the bearer of the the legendary Helmet of Fate, becoming the latest incarnation of the Doctor Fate, one of Earth's foremost mystic defenders. He is a member of both the Justice Society of America and Justice League Dark.

History

Earlier Life

Born and raised in Brookyln, New York, Khalid dreamed to becoming a doctor. Eventually, Khalid began his education in Brooklyn College while also having internships and working as an EMT for years. Eventually, he would graduate from Brooklyn College with the highest remark.^[4]

The Blood Price

Khalid Nassour, born to his Egyptian father Muhammed Nassour and his mother Elizabeth Nassour, was an Egyptian-American medical student living in the big streets of New York City. Two days before he was meant to start medical school after being fresh out of college, Khalid stumbled upon the Helmet of Fate after looking for a gift in the Brooklyn Museum. Khalid, believing himself to be on a bad acid trip at this point due to the Helm talking to him, he runs off and texts his girlfriend the next morning. Due to the torrential downpours and storms recently caused by Anubis, Khalid finds himself stuck at a train station and notices a young girl stuck on the train tracks. He helps her up, only to find himself face to face with the front end of a speeding subway train. By shouting “STOP!”, Khalid stops the train dead in its tracks, awed by how he had come to do this. Leaving the station awestruck, Khalid runs into his cat, Puck, now-possessed by the spirit of the Egyptian goddess Bastet. She speaks to him, eventually leading him back to the Helm in the museum, tempting him to wear it and become the champion. Putting on the Helmet, Khalid discovers the wild world of Magic, lifting himself through the airs by discovering his control over not just the winds, but multiple elements. Still believing himself to be “tripping”, Khalid takes off the helm as his father begins to call out for help, after his taxi being crushed by a car and ultimately blinded, despite Khalid's efforts to save him from damage as he shows up quickly.

Now lifting his father through the air, Anubis strikes down a nearby aircraft. The young sorcerer fails to land the plane safely and quickly takes his father to the hospital. Discovering that his father has gone blind, Khalid eventually takes his father out from his burning hospital, and trades his sight to his father, causing Khalid to become blind in his place, but can use the Helm to see. Khalid soon approaches Anubis at a power plant where he draws energy from the electric element, but then dies. His soul now at the will of Anubis, his heart taken out and his soul being weighed, Thoth reaches out to Khalid and assists him with the Staff of Power, allowing him to defeat Anubis. In this Khalid becomes the ruler of the underworld, but refuses the position. Returning to his home, Khalid repairs some of the damage done by Anubis' storms, trying his best to execute the Helm's will, to “Heal the world”.

Prisoners of Past

Khalid would struggles communing with Nabu, going to one of his old professors for guidance. Amid a protest nearly turned into a riot, Khalid faces the issue of trying to cool down the heavily enraged protesters and tries to help out one of his friends caught in the crossfire. After saving her and her friends, he soon meets his great uncle Kent Nelson, who begins to slightly mentor him in the ways of magic. He explains to Khalid how magic isn't all the same for everyone, and how it's kind of DIY. Nonetheless, through the detective work they do try to get to the bottom of why creatures such as Afreet from the Duat are escaping, Khalid does pick up a few tricks. The pair soon figure out that Osiris had been behind the undead risings such as Mummys and ghosts of Julius Caesar.

After deeming that Khalid should live, despite him having died, Kent continues to train Khalid as his apprentice.^[5]

The Lords of Order

 Main article: Justice League Dark: Lords of Order

After the events of DC Metal and the appearance of the Tree Of Wonder, Khalid was studying and meditating with Kent as he conversed with Nabu, who suggested his idea: wiping out all magic on Earth to restore Order. At night, Kent sleepwalked and grabbed the Helm at the order of Nabu, who took control of his body as Doctor Fate. As a witness, Khalid was soon turned into a vase, left in the Tower of Fate until the visit from the Justice League Dark, which was then knocked over and cracked by Man-Bat. Released temporarily, Khalid hurried to explain that he was trapped and who he was, before being reformed into the clay sculpture. Curious, Man-Bat began to learn magic and was eventually able to free Khalid from the vase Khalid then fought alongside the Justice League Dark in the war against the Lords of Order, prevailing and sealing away Nabu, making him unable to act without a bearer.

The Witching War

 Main article: Justice League Dark: The Witching War (Collected)

Alongside Kent, Khalid would join the Justice League Dark as advisor as they debated on the future of Doctor Fate. Khalid would be among the members of the team who would fight Circe when she assembled the Injustice League Dark to assault the Hall of Justice, looking to recruit Eclipso to her team and gain the power of Hecate within Wonder Woman. In the ensuring chaos, Man-Bat is eventually hospitalized, Circe and Eclipso possess Wonder Woman, and the Injustice team is nearly victorious until Khalid donned the Helm, having convinced Nabu to help and as a result, he ceded all control to Khalid. Using the power of the Helm, he helped a possessed Wonder Woman regain control of her body and use the magic of Hecate to set things right, including giving Circe the power she sought on condition she doesn't wield it against the world for a time, instead placing her within her own new world and creating a artifact using a shard of the Black Diamond and Nth metal from the Helmet of Fate.

A Costly Trick of Magic

 Main article: Justice League Dark: A Costly Trick of Magic (Collected)

Shortly after the attack and changes to the magical world made by Circe, the Parliaments began turning on one another and through Nabu's knowledge, Khalid learns of the ritual, the Parliament of Life, in which balanced the elemental forces: The Green, The Red, The Grey, and The Divided. As the Justice League Dark work to quell the chaos ensured from the warring Parliaments, Khalid ventures to find the embodiment of the Parliaments and manages to convince them to reconvene with the Parliament of Life despite a setback created by John Constantine. Later, Khalid would watch as Nelson quits the team, concluding he has trained Khalid in all he knows while not wanting to be near the Helmet of Fate nor Nabu. Khalid would prove instrumental later as he manages to allow the JLD into the Other Place and fights Upside-Down Man alongside the team. When his efforts prove insufficient, Nelson appears and unleashes a suicidal attack in order to damage Upside-Down Man, who is later defeated by Zatanna. In the aftermath, Khalid would learn that he no longer can use the Helmet of Fate's typical powers nor speak to Nabu.

Infinite Frontier

At some point, Khalid gained a new apprentice: a animated non-binary doll effigy by the name of Stitch. Adopting them, he trains Stitch in the art of magic and sends them to Titans Academy to help learn how to be a effective hero. Khalid would also periodically check on Stitch, having commended them for becoming class president.^[6]

As Doctor Fate and member of Justice League Dark, Khalid becomes aware of several celestial level events that potentially could become crisis level threats. He shares with the Titans major events befalling such as the Disaster in Oa, something ripping through space-time, the Speed Force barrier being comprosmised, and the Rock of Eternity being displaced. He informs the Titans that the Rock of Etenity in particular has been displaced in Hell and must be placed back to it's proper place lest Billy Batson and the Shazam Family will remain powerless.^[7]

Khalid is also later called up to help Superman With Batman, Lois, and his other friends wanting to ensure he was mystically compelled to revealing his identity, he contacts Khalid as Dr. Fate to assist him. Meeting for the first time normally and not during a crisis, Khalid finds no mystical interference within him and after learning more of Superman's personal feelings and recounts of recent events in his perspective, he concludes Superman's actions were to reclaim some control in his life after becoming disappointed in his father (revealed to be alive and being punished for his crimes as Mister Oz) and his son Jon arriving as a full-grown adult despite being chronologically a teenager after being in the care of his grandfather as well as the daily stress of maintaining his Clark Kent persona and acting as Superman. The two would be interrupted by the being Xanadoth seeking the Helmet of Fate. The two team up and enlist the aid of Zatanna to seal away the elder Lord of Chaos. Khalid expresses wanting to continue their talks, with Superman accepting the proposal.

Great Wickedness

 Main article: Justice League Dark: The Great Wickedness (Collected)

Seeking to repair his damaged helm, Khalid enlisted the aid of his ally, Kirk Langstrom, to confer utilizing a scientific approach. Using objects related to Nabu to stimulate magical energies that the Helm once gave off, the Helmet of Fate was at first seemingly repaired. Khalid caught glimpses of a future to come including Merlin and a mysterious figure bringing down the Tower of Fate and the arrival of Elnara Roshtu. Though the experience left him exhausted and needing to rest, he would soon wake and assist the Justice League Dark as Merlin launched his attack on Atlantis. Seeking to control all of magic under his purview, he would seek to control the Darkworld, the major source of ancient Atlantean magic. Due to being notorious for being uncontrollable to most beings except those who came from it, Merlin used his magical powers to resurrect a Lord of Order capable of controlling it: former Atlantean king Arion. As Khalid engaged Merlin and Arion fought Aquaman and the Eternal Knight, the two would escape but not before Merlin took notice of the Helmet of Fate being seemingly repaired. With Zatanna incapacitated due to Merlin having unleashed the dormant facet of Upside-Down Man within her, Khalid takes the lead, having Aquaman and the Silent School seal up the fissure into Darkworld created by Merlin's machinations and the rest of the Justice League Dark working to contain Zatanna's power running amuck with Upside-Down Man's energies and summons Wonder Woman to help. In the aftermath of the attack, Khalid and Zatanna are contacted by Mister E, whom they let into the Dark Quarters to discuss Merlin's recent change of alignment. Through him and Randhir Singh, they learn that Yuga Khan stole a facet of his soul that contained his childlike wonder and innocence, which was integral to his personality as a hero and good man. Khalid and the team also learn from Wonder Woman that Hauhet is the new power behind the Helmet of Fate, having been sending messages and going as far as to speak to Wonder Woman personally. The revelation chills the team, who find her more mysterious and unknown compared to the predictable Nabu. A little later after the meeting, Mister E comes back, revealing a small fact he wished the rest of the team did not know: he managed to come across the siphoned soul of Merlin and hid it within his eye, having though it would pay off later. He cuts a deal with Zatanna for the gemstone Merlin wielded against Atlantis that allowed him to control sources of magic. Although Khalid warns Zatanna, she agrees to the trade.

Lamenting on the recent events and knowing the Tower of Fate was fated to fall into Merlin's hands, he writes a diary entry to Kent expressing his thoughts: he express concern for Zatanna's well-being as a friend and leader, his reluctance in trusting Jason Blood despite insisting he wouldn't betray his trust, his disappointment when he attempted to share with Constantine knowledge of the future despite the magician's shifty history, entrusting the fascet of Merlin's innocence to Elnara, and even wanting to seek counsel with Detective Chimp, whom he regarded as a close friend as the chimpanze reminded him to not be hesitant in asking for his help even as the main Dr. Fate. He revealed he lied to his teammates about the timing, standing ready for the eventual assault from Merlin and Arion.

Lazarus Planet

Some time shortly after Nezha escaped his imprisonment using Damian Wayne whom he empowered and controlled, he breaks into the Tower of Fate and ultimately bests Khalid to have control over the Helmet of Fate and the immensely powerful artifacts within his collection. He keeps Khalid alive by trapping him deep into his subconsciousness and covets using Black Alice's power to transfer the raw magical energies of artifacts and magic users alike all into the Helmet of Fate to deeply empower him against King Fire Bull. Due to the timely intervention of Batman and various other allies, the Helmet of Fate is shattered into a Lazarus Pit, causing a mystical volcanic eruption on Lazarus Island that has lasting consequences on Earth and beyond, magical and scientific. Khalid's subconscious meets the Dreamer, whose actions leads to the reunification of the Helmet of Fate although at a terrible cost.

New Golden Age

After the events of Lazarus Planet, Khalid continues his life as the sole Doctor Fate with a repaired Helmet of Fate guided by Hauhet. Having graduated from medical school and working towards his residency, he worked as a intern physician and bought an apartment. With Detective Chimp helping him once more, he is insisted on vetting Hauhet, whom he regards as being more of a mystery even if he believed Nabu being gone was a good sign. Believing his duties as Doctor Fate being more important, he has Khalid quit his job by impersonating him on the phone and enlisted the aid of Deadman. Explaining he has no abilities in communing with Egyptian based divine spirits, they are interrupted by the timely arrival of Helena Wayne from a possible future in 23 years from their present, who informs them that Per Degaton is targeting the Justice Society in all timelines and universes to kill them, stating off by killing that timeline's Doctor Fate. With Hauhet having already warned him moments before, he shares what the Helm and Hauhet reveals regarding Degaton and wonders why The Snowglobe in Huntress's possession brought her to him instead of a more experienced future version of himself. Justice League Dark then splits up, with Khalid taking Helena to JSA HQ while they investigate the Snowglobe.

Fate and Huntress help the JSA defeat Angle Man and his army of Bizarros before explaining the situation. As they resolved to find Degaton, he instead ambushes the team. Using his newly acquired heighten abilities, the fight seems to be in his time until Huntress acts, managing to cut off his finger with one of her bolts. Understandng the Snowglobe must makes him unable to use his precognition to anticipate her moves, she also comes to understand he targets Doctor Fate first because he cannot anticipate them on account of the Helmet of Fate. With some encouragement, Khalid banishes Degaton. Later, Madame Xanadu and the Justice League Dark arrive at JSA HQ, with Xanadu explaining Degaton's newly acquired power coming from the last Lord of Chaos while invoking a ritual created by Salem the Witch Girl in the future that allows one to rewrite the history of the JSA by killing Dr. Fate.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

• Magic: Due to the mystic affinity granted with his pharaoh lineage, Khalid possess magical abilities even without the assistance of artifacts.^[8] Some of his spells are from the same reptoire of recorded spell-craft practiced by Merlin.^[9]
  • Energy Construct Creation: Khalid can conjure fist constructs with his magic.^[9]
  • Flight: Khalid can levitate on his own.^[10]
  • Magic Augmentation: Khalid is capable of amplifying one's connection to the Green through a spell used by Merlin.^[11]
  • Eldritch Blast: Khalid can release blasts of magical energy powerful enough to incinerate two vampires with a single shot.^[10]
  • Telekinesis: Khalid once stopped a train by speaking the command "stop", causing the train to halt in it's tracks.^[12]
  • Chronokinesis: Khalid was taught a level of time manipulation by Kent Nelson, able to use it without the helm.^[13] He stated he could halt Jason Blood's accelerated aging by freezing time around him.^[14]
  • Photokinesis: Khalid knows a Mandarin Chinese spoken spell capable of creating a blinding light.^[10]
  • Force Field: Khalid is capable of erecting wards and seals on the Tower of Fate powerful enough to withstand powerful magic and energies originating from extraterrestrial sources.^[15]
  • Blood Magic: Khalid can powers his abilities by using his own blood; Due to his pharaoh lineage, magic powered by his blood is unusually power.^[4]
    • Energy Projection: Khalid can conjure energy powered by his blood; combined with the Helm of Fate's energies, it enables him to damage other divine beings.^[4]

Abilities

• Genius Level Intellect: Khalid possess a high level of intelligence, having graduated summa cum laude from Brooklyn College.^[4]
  • Chemistry: His grasp on chemistry was enough to revert Man-Bat with one of Kirk's serums.^[16]
    • Organic Chemistry:Khalid earned a degree in organic chemistry.^[17]
  • Medical Science: Khalid was a certified emergency medical technician.^[18]
  • Psychology: His grasp on psychology was enough to act as Superman's therapist for a time.^[19][20][21]
  • Medicine: Khalid currently has a medical degree from Weill Cornell Medicine.^[22]
  • Occultism: Khalid studied the supernatural under the tutelage of Kent Nelson, the original Doctor Fate^[23], and completed his training under him.^[24]
  • Multilingualism: Khalid has an understanding of several different languages: English, Mandarin Chinese^[10], Atlantean^[25] and Ancient Egyptian.^[26]
• Athletics: Khalid mentioned having once skied a black diamond run down Hunter Mountain.^[17]
• Skilled Combatant: Even when limited in power, Khalid has shown he's capable of defending himself in battle. Such as when he fought out dozens of demons alongside the Flash.^[27]
• Swimming^[17]

Weaknesses

• Power Limitation: While an accomplished sorcerer in his own right, Khalid possesses several limitations as Doctor Fate.
  • Dependency on Helmet of Fate: The Helm of Fate grants Khalid the vast majority of his stronger magical abilities. While he is capable of utilizing magic without it, his power is severely undercut without it.
  • Cost of Magic: Like other magical practitioners in the world, Khalid's Nassour's practice of magic can sometimes come at a cost, namely when using certain abilities associated with the Helmet of Fate.
    • Diminished Eyesight: Usage of the Helmet of Fate after being damaged with Hauhet's power to see into the future has diminishes some of his eyesight due to it's damaged state.^[28]
  • Vulnerability to Divine Forces: Powers and magic derived from divine sources can disrupt some of the powers granted to him through the Helment of Fate; his healing powers were disrupted after being dealt damage by Anubis.^[4]
  • Vulnerability to Ghostly Attacks: Khalid is unable to heal his wounds from attacks dealt from ghostly adversaries.^[29]

Other Characteristics

• Diminished Eyesight: Usage of the Helmet of Fate after being damaged with Hauhet's power to see into the future has diminished some of his eyesight.^[28]
• Blindness (Formerly): Anubis took Khalid's sight after Khalid healed his father's blindness. However, this is negated when he is wearing the Helmet of Fate and he eventually recovered his sight after defeating Anubis.
  

Paraphernalia

Equipment

• Helmet of Fate: A magical powerful artifact created by Nabu, one of the original Lords of Order, the helm gifted to him by the Egyptian Goddess, Bastet, originally granting him various powers benefiting from either Nabu himself or Thoth.^[30] With it in his possession, Khalid was noted after his training with Kent Nelson by Detective Chimp and John Constantine to be among the upper echelon of both Justice League Dark and magical practitioners in the world.^[31][32][33]
  • Helmet of Fate Empowerment: While wearing the Helm, Khalid exhibited various endowments:
    • Energy Negation: As Doctor Fate, the helm makes other people with precognition unable to see into his future. Khalid can also control this aura, extending it to others near him.^[34] He is additionally immune to bad luck-based powers and curses.^[22]
    • Mystical Endowment
      • Enhanced Intellect: Khalid suspected that the Helm of Fate itself also heightens his intelligence.^[35]
      • Self-Sustenance: The Helmet of Fate allowed Khalid to be conscious and survive having his heart ripped out.^[36]
      • Superhuman Strength: With the Helm, Khalid displayed enough strength to easily rip a car door off of a car.^[37]
      • Superhuman Durability: While possessing the helm, Khalid was capable of withstand attacks from Black Adam, whose powers were possessed and amplified by the Lord of Chaos, Xanadoth.
      • Accelerated Healing: While donning the helm, Khalid is able to magically recover from wounds at incredible speed.
      • Mystic Senses: With the helm on, Khalid has heighten senses.
        • Retrocognition: Be it through his own power^[35] or Hauhet, he can see into past events for knowledge.^[38]
        • Precognition: With the Helm of Fate, Khalid is capable of seeing glimpses into the future at a cost.^[28] Only in emergency situations, however, will Hauhet provide the glimpses into the future at his behest without seemingly extracting a cost.^[22]
        • Cosmic Awareness: Khalid is one of the few people aware of the Fourth Wall concept. He can also use his magic to open other people's inner eyes to see the fourth wall.^[39]
    • Power of Nature: According to Nabu, with the Helm, Khalid is capable of channeling the power of nature with the Helm of Fate. As such, the power can either fuel his powers or control the elements themselves, being only as powerful as his will and need is.^[40]
      • Hydrokinesis: Khalid can control water at will.^[40]
      • Geokinesis: Khalid can control earth at will.^[40]
      • Aerokinesis: Khalid can control air at will.^[40]
      • Pyrokinesis: Khalid can control fire at will.^[40]
      • Electrokinesis: Khalid can control lightning at will.^[40]
        • Electro-Blast^[40]
      • Magic: With the helm, he can fuel his magic through power from nature, allowing him to perform magical abilities and cast spells of his choosing.^[40] As Doctor Fate, Khalid can also perform more complex and powerful spells that he himself would considered to be more impossible or difficult without.^[41]
        • Phasing: Khalid can become temporarily intangible, an ability he has used to phase through walls and floors, and to avoid being damaged by direct attacks (such as missiles).
        • Chronokinesis: With the helm, Khalid has additional powers over time itself although he admitted he was not experienced with it. He was able to send an empowered Per Degaton back to his proper time with a gesture from both his arms.^[42]
          • Time Stop: Khalid can stop time for at least two minutes.^[43]
          • Time Travel: Khalid manage to travel to and back from the 31st Century.^[44]
        • Teleportation: With the helm, Khalid is powerful enough to transport himself and others into the Other Place, a feat requiring great magical power.^[32]
        • Telepathy: With the helm, Khalid was powerful enough to suppress Eclipso's mental hold on Wonder Woman for a time.^[45]
        • Energy Construct Creation: Khalid can create various magic constructs; one instance showcased him using a Ancient Egyptian binding spell made of chains to temporarily hold Upside-Down Man.^[31]
        • Astral Projection: Khalid can cast his consciousness into the Multiverse to search for others.^[46]
        • Energy Projection
        • Force Field
        • Molecular Reconstruction

• Amulet of Anubis: The amulet has protective charms in which prevents individuals other than Khalid to wield the artifact and its power.^[47]
• Cloak of Destiny
• Eternity Book^[48]

Weapons

• Staff of Power: A gift from Thoth himself, the Staff of Power is a magical staff in which resonates with those who possess the blood of a pharaoh. Khalid once wielded it against Anubis, allowing him to challenge the death god within his own realm of power.^[49]
  • Self-Substance: The Staff of Power allowed Khalid to sustain himself even when he lacked his heart.^[49]
  • Energy Projection: Khalid can use the staff of power to discharge magical blasts and create magical shields.^[49]
  • Metamorphosis: Khalid used the staff to turn Anubis into a dog.^[49]

Notes

• According to Paul Levitz during the DCYou era, Khalid was expressed to be 22 years old.^[50]
• Khalid's time as Doctor Fate contains inconsistencies regarding when he first became Doctor Fate:
  • Khalid becoming Doctor Fate took place the same time he began medical school, which took place in the 2015 Doctor Fate series. Within the series, Khalid's expressed MCAT score range utilized standards prior to the 2015 changes^[4], implying he had got accepted and began schooling between 2014-2015.
  • Conversely, Justice Society of America (Volume 4) #2 expresses that he was chosen as Doctor Fate at around 2021-2022, implying that all of his appearance from his debut to his appearance within the issue took place within 1-2 years. This is further complicated by The New Golden Age #1 also stating he was a intern physician, implying he had graduated from medical school. On average, graduating from medical school takes at least 3-4 years.
    • In Justice League Dark (Volume 2) #15, he also expressed he had spent nearly a whole year as a vase in the Tower of Fate, even further complicating his history
      

Trivia

• Khalid is considered one of the two finest mystical warriors on Earth, the other being Zatanna Zatara.^[33]
• Khalid was dating Shaya Halim.^[51]
• The Helmet of Fate adjusts Khalid's voice while he dons it, making his voice deeper, older, and more serious.^[52][53]
• Khalid sees souls in the form of a ba.^[4]
• Stitch is currently Khalid's apprentice.^[6]
• Khalid had a MCAT score of 40 (having taken the test prior to 2015's changes in MCAT scoring ranges).^[4]
• Khalid served as Superman's therapist for a time after outing his secret identity.^[54][55]
• Wonder Woman remarked that Khalid's ankh portals feel like a "dream" when going through them.^[56]

Related

• 114 Appearances of Khalid Nassour (Prime Earth)
• 76 Images featuring Khalid Nassour (Prime Earth)
• 8 Quotations by or about Khalid Nassour (Prime Earth)
• Character Gallery: Khalid Nassour (Prime Earth)

Footnotes

Justice League member This character has been a member of the Justice League of America, or the Justice League in any of its various incarnations, sworn by a duty to act as guardians of America and the world by using their skills and/or superpowers to protect Earth from the clutches of both interstellar and domestic threats. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Justice League of America members" category.

Justice Society of America member This character is or was a primary member of the Justice Society of America in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Justice Society of America members" category.