Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson) Reading Order

This reading order is designed to give an outline of major storylines featuring Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson) throughout DC Comics. It may not encompass every one of his appearances, but is an outline of the major ones and the stories that affect them.

The continuity details relating to each specific storyline are explained in the “Review” of each storyline. Every “Review” link will provide a detailed continuity breakdown of that story and will explain any reference the story makes to other aspects of the DC Universe. All of this can be found under the “Continuity” section of each link.

Jump to: New 52 – Rebirth

New 52

At the beginning of the New 52, the DC Universe was reset during the Flashpoint (Reading Order) event. The most obvious impact of this reset is that it brought Kent Nelson back to life and, at some point, gave the Helmet of Fate to Khalid Nassour (Reading Order), who took on the role of Doctor Fate. Besides this, it is unclear how much of Doctor Fate’s history has been altered by the continuity change.

Kent Nelson is reintroduced to the DC Universe through the Doctor Fate series. In this comic, he plays a small role in tutoring the new Doctor Fate. Besides this, he does not appear in other comics.

Doctor Fate issues are from the Vol. 4 series.

Rebirth

For Doctor Fate, there are little to no continuity changes between the New 52 to Rebirth era. However, he appears to have required the Helm of Fate, though how this happened is never explained.

Doctor Fate's role in this era starts with a strong presence in the Blue Beetle series, where he forms a connection with both Ted Kord (Reading Order) and Jaime Reyes (Reading Order). From here, Doctor Fate goes on to play an important role in the Dark Nights: Metal (Reading Order) and Justice League: No Justice (Reading Order) events. His participation in these events directly sets up his role in the next era.

JL:NJ = Justice League: No Justice
Blue Beetle issues are from the Vol. 9 series
Green Arrow issues are from the Vol. 6 series
The Flash issues are from the Vol. 5 series
Justice League issues are from the Vol. 3 series

Notes

1. Though this is Doctor Fate's first appearance in this era and this appearance helps set up his initial role in the era, Doctor Fate's actions in this comic are shown in greater detail in Blue Beetle Rebirth #1.
2. These issues are primarily about Blue Beetle (Reading Order). However, Doctor Fate makes brief appearances that help set up his later role in the series.
3. Though Doctor Fate has a large role in the entire Dark Nights: Metal (Reading Order) event, in some issues this role is rather minor. This is particularly true in Dark Nights: Metal #1, which simply teases his role in future issues, and in Batman: The Dawnbreaker and Batman: The Drowned, which only features an extremely brief appearance from Fate. The rest of the issues have him in a supporting role.
4. This miniseries is primarily about Deadman (Reading Order). However, Doctor Fate and many other members of the magical community provide assistance in these issues.

All DC Comics Reading Orders