Doctor Spectrum
Doctor Spectrum | |
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Squadron Supreme (Earth-31916) | |
Abilities | Via Power Prism: Flight Energy projection and manipulation Ability to survive in space Intangibility |
Marvel Comics alternate universes | |||
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Marvel stories take place primarily in a mainstream continuity called the Marvel Universe. Some stories are set in various parallel, or alternate, realities, called the Marvel Multiverse. | |||
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe : Alternate Universes 2005 designates the mainstream continuity as "Earth-616", and assigns other Earth numbers to each specific alternate reality. | |||
In this article the following characters, or teams, and realities are referred to: | |||
Character/team | Universe | ||
Kenji Obatu | Earth-616 | ||
Billy Roberts | Earth-616 | ||
Alice Nugent | Earth-616 | ||
Joseph Ledger |
Earth-712 | ||
Joseph Ledger |
Earth-31916 |
Doctor Spectrum is the name of several fictional characters appearing in
Publication history
Squadron Sinister
The first version of the character, Kenji Obatu, appears in
The Squadron Sinister are created by the cosmic entity the
Unknown to Iron Man, the Power Prism reforms and is found by a sanitation worker, who eventually brings it to evangelist Billy Roberts, who after learning of the Prism's abilities becomes the second Doctor Spectrum.[6]
The Squadron reappear in the title
The Power Prism is kept by Yellowjacket, who decides to modify the gem and present it to his wife
The Grandmaster later reforms the Squadron Sinister, bringing in Henry Pym's former lab assistant Alice Nugent to be the new Doctor Spectrum. Courtesy of a phenomenon known as the "Wellspring of Power"—an interdimensional source of superhuman abilities—the Grandmaster increases the Squadron Sinister's powers and they battle the New Thunderbolts. Thunderbolts team leader Baron Zemo defeats the Grandmaster, and in the ensuing chaos Doctor Spectrum and the members of the Squadron Sinister scatter and escape.[9]
Squadron Supreme
Roy Thomas and penciller
The Squadron Supreme have another series of skirmishes with the Avengers engineered by the group the Serpent Cartel, but eventually team together and prevent the use of the artifact the Serpent Crown.[11] The character and his teammates briefly feature in the title Thor, when the evil version of Hyperion attacks the Earth-712 version and then Thunder God Thor.[12] The Squadron are mind-controlled by the entities the Overmind and Null the Living Darkness, but are freed by the Defenders and aid the heroes in defeating the villains.[13]
The character features with the Squadron Supreme in a self-titled 12-issue
The entire Squadron Supreme appear in a two-part story with the Avengers that finally returns them to their home universe, where they disband for a time.
Supreme Power
The mature-audience
Squadron Supreme of America
A variation of the Joseph Ledger version of Doctor Spectrum appears as a member of the Squadron Supreme of America.
In the team's first mission, Doctor Spectrum led the Squadron Supreme of America in fighting Namor and the Defenders of the Deep, when they targeted a Roxxon oil platform off the coast of Alaska.[29]
Then, the Squadron Supreme of America visited another oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico, where Doctor Spectrum used his powers to melt areas of the oil rig to secure it from an attack by Namor. The Squadron Supreme then made short work of Namor and the Defenders of the Deep.[30]
During the
Doctor Spectrum led the Squadron Supreme in an attempt to apprehend Black Panther, when he infiltrated the Pentagon to confront Phil Coulson.[31]
Powers and abilities
All versions of Doctor Spectrum derive their abilities from an alien gem called the Power Prism. The original prism, used by the Kenji Obatu and Billy Roberts versions of Doctor Spectrum, is a sentient being called Krimonn. Krimonn was originally a Skrull who, after failing to usurp the Skrull Emperor, was transformed into a living prism as punishment.[4] When the Grandmaster requires champions to battle the Avengers, he retrieves the prism and grants Krimonn several energy-based powers that can be used in conjunction with a host.[citation needed] Kenji Obatu is the first to coin the term "Power Prism", and discovers that although trapped in prism form, Krimonn remains aggressive and asserts his will via telepathy.[citation needed] Krimonn's mind is "muted" by Nebulon when the Power Prism is given to Billy Roberts, although Krimonn reasserts itself during the quest to find and bond with the character Thor.[citation needed] When the plan fails and the gem is shattered, Krimonn's consciousness apparently dissipated forever.
Krimonn could bestow on a host the ability to project and manipulate light energy in various colors;[citation needed] create light energy constructs of various shapes, sizes and colors;[citation needed] flight; protection from the rigors of space and the ability to become intangible.[citation needed] The Power Prism is vulnerable to ultra-violet light.[citation needed]
The Earth-712 Doctor Spectrum gains his power the Skrullian Power Prism given to him by the Skrullian Skymaster.[citation needed] When the Power Prism later exploded and fragments of it were embedded in Doctor Spectrum, his skin, hair, and costume were bleached chalk-white.[citation needed] The Earth-712 Power Prism possesses the same abilities as the Earth-616 version.
The Earth-31916 Power Prism is a sentient power source removed from the spacecraft that brings Hyperion to Earth.[citation needed]
Other versions
Secret Wars (2015)
An alternate version of the original Doctor Spectrum later appears on Battleworld. This version of the character is Japanese rather than Ugandan.[26]
Great Society (Earth-4290001)/Squadron Supreme (Earth-616)
An alternate, female version of Doctor Spectrum appears as a member of the Great Society, a team of Justice League analogues from Earth-4290001.[32] After the Illiuminati destroy their Earth to stop the Incursion, she is marooned in Marvel's mainstream reality after Secret Wars ends, then becomes a member of the Earth-616 Squadron Supreme, composed of members from numerous realities.[33]
In other media
The Billy Roberts incarnation of Doctor Spectrum appears in Avengers Assemble, voiced by Phil LaMarr.[34] This version is an alien and a member of the Squadron Supreme who they previously forced to destroy their home planet, with him subsequently being controlled by the Power Prism's consciousness. After the Avengers free him from the Prism's control, Roberts joins a S.H.I.E.L.D. space program to find a suitable new planet to reside on while the Power Prism forms its own body, assumes the Doctor Spectrum mantle, and reunites with the Squadron. In "Avengers Underground", the Power Prism is defeated by Ant-Man and used by Captain America to convert the Sun's effects and render Hyperion powerless.
References
- ^ a b Interview with Roy Thomas and Jerry Bails in The Justice League Companion (2003) pp. 72–73
- ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
- ^ The Avengers #69–71 (Oct.–Dec. 1969)
- ^ a b Iron Man #63–65 (Oct.–Dec. 1973) & 66 (Feb. 1974)
- ^ Marvel Two-in-One #41
- ^ a b The Avengers Annual #8 (1978)
- ^ The Defenders #13–14 (May–July 1974)
- ^ Giant-Size Defenders #4 (1974)
- ^ New Thunderbolts #15–16 (Jan.–Feb. 2006) and Thunderbolts #102–108 (July 2006–Jan. 2007)
- ^ The Avengers #86 (Mar. 1971)
- ^ The Avengers #141–144 (Nov. 1975–Feb. 1976) & #147–149 (May–July 1976)
- ^ Thor #280 (Feb. 1979)
- ^ The Defenders #112–114 (Oct.–Dec. 1982)
- ^ Squadron Supreme #1–12 (Sept. 1985–Aug. 1986)
- ^ Squadron Supreme #8 (May 1986)
- ^ Squadron Supreme: Death of a Universe (1989)
- ^ Quasar #13–16 (Aug.–Nov. 1990)
- ^ Quasar #19 (Feb. 1991)
- ^ Quasar #25 (Aug. 1991)
- ^ Avengers/Squadron Supreme Annual '98 and the one-shot Squadron Supreme: New World Order (both Sept. 1998)
- ^ Exiles vol. 2 #77-78 (Apr.–May 2006)
- ^ Supreme Power #1–6 (Oct. 2003–Mar. 2004)
- ^ Doctor Spectrum #1–6 (Oct. 2004–Mar. 2005)
- ^ Supreme Power #7–18 (Apr. 2004–Oct. 2005)
- ^ Squadron Supreme vol. 2 #1 (May 2006)
- ^ a b Squadron Sinister #1
- ^ The Avengers #700. Marvel Comics.
- ^ a b Avengers vol. 8 #18. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Avengers vol. 8 #10. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Free Comic Book Day 2019 #Avengers. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Avengers vol. 8 #21. Marvel Comics.
- ^ New Avengers vol. 3 #16.NOW-21
- ^ Gavin Jasper (2015-06-30). "Squadron Supreme #1 to Assemble This Fall". Denofgeek.us. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
- ^ "Dr. Spectrum Voice - Avengers Assemble (TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved February 11, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
External links
- Joseph Ledger (Earth-712)—Marvel Database
- Doctor Spectrum (Earth-712)—Marvel Universe: The definitive online source for Marvel super hero bios.]
- Worlds of JMS link to the Doctor Spectrum: Full Spectrum page