Doctor Death (comics)
Encyclopedia
Doctor Death is a fictional character
, a comic book
mad scientist
and supervillain
appearing in publications by DC Comics
. The character was created by either Gardner Fox
or Bob Kane
as an enemy of the superhero Batman
, and first appeared in Detective Comics
#29, released July 1939. He is notable as the first traditional supervillain to be encountered by the Batman, as well as his first recurring foe.
extract and enacts a plan to use the poison to extort
money from wealthy Gotham City
citizens. He is assisted by a large East India
n manservant, Jabah. He decides to eliminate Batman, and threatens to kill someone unless Batman stops him. Batman defeats his two henchmen, but is wounded by a bullet froom Jabah, though escapes using a gas pellet. he then gets to Death's base, meeting him in his lab, and chases him around the building, finally Death runs back into his lab. In an attempt to evade capture by Batman
, Doctor Death ignites chemicals in his laboratory, presumably killing Jabah and himself in the resulting explosion. Doctor Death next appears the following month in Detective Comics #30. With a new accomplice, a Cossack
named Mikhail, Doctor Death is this time successful in claiming a victim in his extortion scheme, but discovers from the Widow that the poisoned man lost his fortune in the Great Depression
. Batman intervenes in the plot, following Mikhail back to Death's base, and upon apprehending the doctor, discovers that Doctor Death's face is horribly disfigured from the lab explosion, resulting in a brown, skeletal appearance.
The scriptwriter for Detective Comics #29 and 30 is an issue of dispute, leaving the creator of Doctor Death uncertain. Batman creator Bob Kane
is officially credited as scriptwriter of these issues, though later Gardner Fox
, the scriptwriter of Detective Comics #31 and 32, claimed authorship.
in Batman #345 and Detective Comics #512 (1982). Conway's story is an update of the original 1939 tale. In this version, Doctor Death is depicted as a paraplegic, but his deadly gas gimmick remains the same. He is assisted this time by a manservant named Togo.
#42-44 and #50 (2003–2004) by writer Dylan Horrocks. His history is again slightly altered: Updated for an era of increased terrorism
awareness, the modern Doctor Death is a producer of biological weapons, often selling them on the black market to terrorists and other criminals. He is now depicted as a bald, gnome
-like man wearing a lab coat and an oxygen mask. This incarnation of Doctor Death plays a minor role in Batman: War Games, Act Three where he is seen working with the crime lord Black Mask
, releasing a gas into a crowd of panicking gangster
s. Batman suspects that he and Black Mask are attempting to wipe out their competition.
Doctor Death remains active in the DC Universe
following the events of Infinite Crisis
. In the second issue of 52
, he is mentioned as one of many mad scientists who have gone missing. He is depicted later in the series among other captured scientists and mad genius
es on Oolong Island.
Recently he was seen joining forces with Black Mask again in Batman
#692, in his Ministry of Science.
In Batman: Streets of Gotham
#17 and #18, the reader comes to know of his back-story involving an altercation with Thomas
and Martha Wayne
.
(Vol. 1) #107 (November 1966). In Sandman Mystery Theatre
#21 (December 1994) Wesley Dodds
encounters a serial killer
named "Dr. Death" This Dr. Death is responsible for euthanizing
his elderly patients (in a reference to Jack Kevorkian
).
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
mad scientist
Mad scientist
A mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
and supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
appearing in publications by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. The character was created by either Gardner Fox
Gardner Fox
Gardner Francis Cooper Fox was an American writer best known for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. Comic-book historians estimate that he wrote over 4,000 comics stories....
or Bob Kane
Bob Kane
Bob Kane was an American comic book artist and writer, credited as the creator of the DC Comics superhero Batman...
as an enemy of the superhero Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, and first appeared in Detective Comics
Detective Comics
Detective Comics is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best known for introducing the iconic superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27 . It is, along with Action Comics, the book that launched with the debut of Superman, one of the medium's signature series, and...
#29, released July 1939. He is notable as the first traditional supervillain to be encountered by the Batman, as well as his first recurring foe.
Golden Age
In his first appearance in Detective Comics #29, Doctor Death develops a lethal chemical agent from pollenPollen
Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
extract and enacts a plan to use the poison to extort
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
money from wealthy Gotham City
Gotham City
Gotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...
citizens. He is assisted by a large East India
East India
East India is a region of India consisting of the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Orissa. The states of Orissa and West Bengal share some cultural and linguistic characteristics with Bangladesh and with the state of Assam. Together with Bangladesh, West Bengal formed the...
n manservant, Jabah. He decides to eliminate Batman, and threatens to kill someone unless Batman stops him. Batman defeats his two henchmen, but is wounded by a bullet froom Jabah, though escapes using a gas pellet. he then gets to Death's base, meeting him in his lab, and chases him around the building, finally Death runs back into his lab. In an attempt to evade capture by Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, Doctor Death ignites chemicals in his laboratory, presumably killing Jabah and himself in the resulting explosion. Doctor Death next appears the following month in Detective Comics #30. With a new accomplice, a Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
named Mikhail, Doctor Death is this time successful in claiming a victim in his extortion scheme, but discovers from the Widow that the poisoned man lost his fortune in the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. Batman intervenes in the plot, following Mikhail back to Death's base, and upon apprehending the doctor, discovers that Doctor Death's face is horribly disfigured from the lab explosion, resulting in a brown, skeletal appearance.
The scriptwriter for Detective Comics #29 and 30 is an issue of dispute, leaving the creator of Doctor Death uncertain. Batman creator Bob Kane
Bob Kane
Bob Kane was an American comic book artist and writer, credited as the creator of the DC Comics superhero Batman...
is officially credited as scriptwriter of these issues, though later Gardner Fox
Gardner Fox
Gardner Francis Cooper Fox was an American writer best known for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. Comic-book historians estimate that he wrote over 4,000 comics stories....
, the scriptwriter of Detective Comics #31 and 32, claimed authorship.
Bronze Age revival
After several decades' absence, Doctor Death was reintroduced by writer Gerry ConwayGerry Conway
Gerard F. "Gerry" Conway is an American writer of comic books and television shows. He is known for co-creating the Marvel Comics vigilante The Punisher and scripting the death of the character Gwen Stacy during his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man...
in Batman #345 and Detective Comics #512 (1982). Conway's story is an update of the original 1939 tale. In this version, Doctor Death is depicted as a paraplegic, but his deadly gas gimmick remains the same. He is assisted this time by a manservant named Togo.
Modern
Doctor Death was revived once again in BatgirlBatgirl
Batgirl is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, frequently depicted as female counterparts to the superhero Batman...
#42-44 and #50 (2003–2004) by writer Dylan Horrocks. His history is again slightly altered: Updated for an era of increased terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
awareness, the modern Doctor Death is a producer of biological weapons, often selling them on the black market to terrorists and other criminals. He is now depicted as a bald, gnome
Gnome
A gnome is a diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature...
-like man wearing a lab coat and an oxygen mask. This incarnation of Doctor Death plays a minor role in Batman: War Games, Act Three where he is seen working with the crime lord Black Mask
Black Mask (comics)
Black Mask is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. An enemy of Batman, he first appeared in Batman #386 . Black Mask was created by Doug Moench and Tom Mandrake.-Dark beginning:...
, releasing a gas into a crowd of panicking gangster
Gangster
A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Some gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from mob and the suffix -ster....
s. Batman suspects that he and Black Mask are attempting to wipe out their competition.
Doctor Death remains active in the DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
following the events of Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
. In the second issue of 52
52 (comics)
52 was a weekly American comic book limited series published by DC Comics that debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. The series was written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid with layouts by Keith Giffen...
, he is mentioned as one of many mad scientists who have gone missing. He is depicted later in the series among other captured scientists and mad genius
Genius
Genius is something or someone embodying exceptional intellectual ability, creativity, or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of unprecedented insight....
es on Oolong Island.
Recently he was seen joining forces with Black Mask again in Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
#692, in his Ministry of Science.
In Batman: Streets of Gotham
Batman: Streets of Gotham
Batman: Streets of Gotham is an American comic book ongoing series written by Paul Dini, with art by Dustin Nguyen. The series stars Dick Grayson as the new Batman and ties into Grant Morrison's overarching "Batman: Reborn" story and the new Gotham City Sirens monthly...
#17 and #18, the reader comes to know of his back-story involving an altercation with Thomas
Thomas Wayne
Thomas Wayne is a fictional character in the Batman series of comic books. Dr. Thomas Wayne was the father of Bruce Wayne, and husband of Martha Wayne, as well as a gifted surgeon and philanthropist...
and Martha Wayne
Martha Wayne
Martha Wayne is a fictional character of the Batman series of comic books, published by DC Comics. She is Dr. Thomas Wayne's wife and mother of Bruce Wayne. When she and her husband are murdered during a holdup, young Bruce swears to avenge their deaths by fighting crime...
.
Other versions
A different character named Doctor Death appears in Doom PatrolDoom Patrol
The Doom Patrol is a superhero team appearing in publications from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80...
(Vol. 1) #107 (November 1966). In Sandman Mystery Theatre
Sandman Mystery Theatre
Sandman Mystery Theatre is a comic book series published by Vertigo, the mature-readers imprint of DC Comics. It ran for 70 issues between 1993 and 1999 and retells the adventures of the Sandman, a vigilante whose main weapon is a gun that fires sleeping gas, originally created by DC in the Golden...
#21 (December 1994) Wesley Dodds
Sandman (Wesley Dodds)
Sandman , is a fictional superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first of several DC characters to bear the name, he was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Bert Christman....
encounters a serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
named "Dr. Death" This Dr. Death is responsible for euthanizing
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
his elderly patients (in a reference to Jack Kevorkian
Jack Kevorkian
Jacob "Jack" Kevorkian , commonly known as "Dr. Death", was an American pathologist, euthanasia activist, painter, composer and instrumentalist. He is best known for publicly championing a terminal patient's right to die via physician-assisted suicide; he said he assisted at least 130 patients to...
).
Miscellaneous
- In the Batman: The Animated SeriesBatman: The Animated SeriesBatman: The Animated Series is an American animated series based on the DC Comics character Batman. The series featured an ensemble cast of many voice-actors including Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Arleen Sorkin, and Loren Lester. The series won four Emmy Awards and was nominated...
episode "Beware The Gray Ghost", Simon Trent's "Gray Ghost" episode collection features one episode called "Dr. Death".