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The third arc of Young Justice: Phantoms has been a deep dive into the magical side of DC Comics lore, both introducing a new crop of mystic heroes and fleshing out the backstories of familiar characters. Among these is Doctor Fate, a wizard powered by the primordial Lords of Order who has been a member of both the Justice Society and the Justice League, as well as an occasional mentor and guide to the other magic-users of Earth-16.
Phantoms‘ 11th episode, “Teg Ydaer!,” dove deep into the origins of Fate’s primary tool and the source of his power, the Helmet of Nabu. Once a high-ranking soldier in Ancient Babylon, Nabu proved himself to the Lords of Order by fighting against the tyranny of his father, Vandal Savage, and the Chaos Lord Klarion. Nabu’s spirit was bound to his helmet and granted tremendous mystical power, becoming the first mortal ever to be transformed into a Lord of Order. However, Nabu still needed a human host to use his power, and over the decade-long timeline of Young Justice, he has found quite a few.
Kent Nelson Is Nabu’s First Modern Human Host
As in the comics, the first modern user of the Helmet of Nabu was Kent Nelson, who used its power to become the magical hero Doctor Fate, Earth’s “sorcerer supreme” (no relation) and a charter member of the first superhero team, the Justice Society of America. When he’s introduced in the Season 1 episode “Denial,” Kent is 106 years old and spends his time scouting new magical talent on Earth-16, including the fortune teller Madame Xanadu. He hasn’t worn the helmet in quite some time, but proves to be a surprisingly talented sorcerer in his own right.
However, Kent’s powers aren’t enough to save him from Abra Kadabra and Klarion the Witch Boy, who abduct the former hero and torture him into leading them to the helmet. Young Justice‘s eponymous team of teenage heroes investigate his disappearance, leading to a fight within Kent’s labyrinthine base, the Tower of Fate. Kent dies after taking a blast of magic from Klarion, but his spirit goes on to reside in the Helmet alongside Nabu, and the two aren’t alone in there for long.
Wally West/Kid Flash Becomes Doctor Fate When Kent Nelson Dies
Much of the character growth in “Denial” is given to Wally West, who makes it clear throughout the episode that he doesn’t believe in magic and that there’s a rational, scientific explanation for every strange event they’ve come across. Wally is the only one there when Kent dies and, with his team on the ropes, the young speedster takes a leap of faith and dons the Helmet of Nabu. Although his time as Doctor Fate is short, Wally nonetheless is able to drive off Klarion and defeat Abra Kadabra with ease.
After the dust settles, Nabu threatens to keep Wally’s body as his host against the young hero’s wishes. However, Kent convinces the Lord of Order that Wally’s proclivity for science means he’s not meant to be the next Doctor Fate. Kent’s soul offers to stay in the helmet and help guide Nabu until he finds a suitable host. Nabu agrees and releases Wally, who takes the helmet back to Mount Justice as a souvenir.
Kaldur’ahm/Aqualad Becomes Doctor Fate to Finish the Injustice League
The heroes of Earth-16 faced their greatest challenge yet in “Revelation.” When the Injustice League threatened the world, the Justice League set out to fight off their army of giant killer plants while the Team was dispatched to Bayou Bartholomew to attack the villains’ base directly. Though they fought valiantly, the young heroes were outmatched by the Injustice League and resorted to Plan B: Aqualad donning the Helmet of Nabu and harnessing its power to save the day.
Thanks to Doctor Fate’s intervention, the Injustice League is defeated, but Wally knows full well this comes at a cost: that Kaldur will now forevermore be the host of Nabu and that the Team’s intrepid leader is gone. To his surprise, Kaldur takes off the Helmet, explaining that Kent Nelson’s spirit encouraged Nabu to let him go. It is, admittedly, a bit of a deus ex machina, but not one that stuck around for too much longer.
Zatanna Gets Trapped as Doctor Fate
Klarion returns to spread his brand of chaos again in “Misplaced,” teaming up with his fellow mystical villains to split the world in two — one for adults and one for kids. However, thanks to Captain Marvel’s ability to change from a child to a grown-up with just a magic word, the League and the Team are able to coordinate an attack on Klarion and his allies, with the final push being teenage sorcerer Zatanna Zatara donning the Helmet of Nabu to once more take on the Witch Boy.
The heroes are victorious, but at a price. Once the dust settles, Nabu refuses to let Zatanna go; the world needs Doctor Fate and she makes an ideal host. Kid Flash points out that Kent Nelson would never approve of Nabu possessing a child. Nabu counters that Kent was indeed vehemently against the idea…which is why Nabu released his soul from the Helmet and sent it to the afterlife. It seems all hope is lost for the young heroes, until someone else steps up.
Giovanni Zatara Takes Zatanna’s Place as Doctor Fate
Master wizard and Justice League member Giovanni Zatara offers to take his daughter’s place as the new Doctor Fate, reasoning that his more developed magical talents make him a much more suitable host. Nabu consents, freeing Zatanna and letting the two have a final goodbye before Zatara dons the helmet and becomes the new Doctor Fate.
The Helmet of Nabu has stayed with Zatara for the remainder of Young Justice thus far. The Season 3 episode “Private Security” reveals that Nabu allows Zatara to remove the helmet and spend an hour with his daughter once every year. The rest of the time, Doctor Fate does his duty of protecting the balance of order and chaos on Earth as a member of the Justice League.
By the time of “Teg Ydaer!,” Zatara has been Doctor Fate for 10 years and is starting to show his age beneath the helmet. With even deadlier mystical threats threatening the world and a fresh batch of sorcerers ready to protect it, it might finally be time for Nabu to find a new host and keep the legacy of Doctor Fate alive.
All episodes of Young Justice are available to stream on HBO Max.
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