Kent Nelson

Kent Nelson was an occult practitioner and the protector of the Helmet of Fate. By using the Helmet, he could allow his body to be used by the Lord of Order known as Nabu, thus becoming Doctor Fate (referred to as Earth's Sorceror Supreme). In this guise, he was a charter member of the Justice Society. He was also a friend of Red Tornado.

Early life
Kent Nelson's exact origins are currently unknown. However, many decades ago, he gained possession of the Helmet of Fate, which allowed him to serve Nabu as a vessel, allowing Nabu to use his body as Doctor Fate to maintain order. During the years that followed, he eventually joined the Justice Society, as a charter member. He also met and married a woman named Inza, who Kent would often call a "Spit-fire" due to the fact she challenged him constantly and refused to ever let him get away with anything.

65 years before the present (when Kent was 41), Inza, convinced him that there was more to life than being a hero and he stopped putting on the helmet. However, he continued to protect it, keeping it hidden in the Tower of Fate in Salem. Inza eventually died, and Kent spent the rest of his life alone, heartbroken by the loss.

Present
On July 27, Kent traveled to New Orleans and requested that a local psychic named Madame Xanadu perform a seance so that he could speak to Inza again. However, Madame Xanadu proved to be a fraud, much to Kent's disappointment. Before he could leave, Kent was captured by Abra Kadabra.

For twenty-three days, he was tortured and questioned by Abra Kadabra and Klarion the Witch Boy, who wanted to know where Kent had hidden the Helmet of Fate, but Kent refused to tell them. On August 19, Red Tornado sent the members of The Team (minus Robin) to see if Kent was okay, and gave them a key to the Tower of Fate. By accessing the tower, they also inadvertently provided Abra Kadabra and Klarion with a way inside.

Abra and Klarion continued to try to make Kent lead them to the Helmet, but he was rescued by Wally West and Artemis. He led Wally to the Helmet, but Klarion followed, and Klarion mortally wounded Kent, who only managed to cast one final spell - a bubble to protect Wally while he put on the Helmet of Fate. In doing so, Wally's body was taken over by Doctor Fate, and both Wally and Kent's souls were drawn into the Helmet. Inside the Helmet, Fate explained to Wally the workings of the Helmet, and happily awaited for the battle to end so that he would be reunited with his wife in the afterlife.

However, after Doctor Fate defeated Klarion, Nabu declared that he would keep Wally's body permanently. Kent convinced Nabu that Wally was not a suitable host, and offered to stay with Nabu until a replacement could be found, foregoing his chance to ascend and be reunited with Inza.

Powers and Abilities
Technically, Kent Nelson is a normal human being with apparently no superhuman or magical abilities. However, since gaining the Helmet of Fate, Kent's body gained impressive magical powers as Doctor Fate. Without the helmet he is not as powerful, but can still perform assorted magical feats.

Without the Helmet

 * Longevity: Kent is 106 years old.
 * Mystical awareness: Kent is able to read the aura of those with magic.
 * Physical endurance: Despite his immense age, Kent is able to survive torture without any obvious problems
 * Magical Knowledge
 * Magical Shield: He protects Wally and himself from Klarion's attacks

With the Helmet

 * Flight
 * Teleportation
 * Phasing
 * Energy Blasts

Trivia

 * In "Denial", Kent Nelson's data is accessed in JL File No. 00942.