| Doctor Spectrum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Villain: The Avengers #69 (November 1969) Hero: The Avengers #85 (February 1971) |
| Created by | Roy Thomas (writer) John Buscema (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Kinji Obatu Billy Roberts Joseph Ledger |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations | Squadron Sinister Squadron Supreme (Earth-712) Squadron Supreme (Earth-31916) |
| Abilities | Via Power Prism: Flight Energy projection and manipulation Ability to survive in space Intangibility |
| Marvel Comics alternate universes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel stories take place primarily in a mainstream continuity called theMarvel Universe. Some stories are set in various parallel, or alternate, realities, called theMarvel 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 | ||
| Kinji 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 inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. There have been five versions of the character to date—three supervillains from the mainstream Marvel Universe belonging to the teamSquadron Sinister (Earth-616) and two heroes from different alternate universes. The two heroes each belong to a version of the team Squadron Supreme, theSquadron Supreme ofEarth-712 and theSquadron Supreme ofEarth-31916 respectively). Spectrum is apastiche of DC'sGreen Lantern.[1]
The first version of the character,Kinji Obatu, appears inThe Avengers #69 (Oct. 1969), and is created byRoy Thomas andSal Buscema.[2] The story arc introduced thesupervillain team theSquadron Sinister, whose four members were loosely based on heroes inDC Comics'Justice League of America, with Doctor Spectrum based onGreen Lantern.[1]
TheGrandmaster assembled the Squadron Sinister to battleKang the Conqueror. Spectrum is defeated whenIron Man deduces that Spectrum's Power Prism (asentient entity called Krimonn) is vulnerable toultraviolet light. The Avengers eventually defeat the Squadron and are abandoned by the Grandmaster.[3] Spectrum reappears in the titleIron Man and after a series of battles is defeated when Iron Man crushes the Power Prism. A powerless Obatu is arrested and deported back to his nativeUganda.[4] During a subsequent battle with theThing,Black Panther, andBrother Voodoo, Obatu accidentally falls to his death.[5]
Unknown to Iron Man, the Power Prism reforms and is found by asanitation worker. They bring it toevangelist Billy Roberts, who becomes the second Doctor Spectrum.[6]
The Squadron reappear in the titleDefenders, reunited by the alienNebulon. The villains receive greater power in exchange for the planet Earth, and create a giant laser cannon in theArctic to melt thepolar ice caps, covering Earth in water. The superhero team theDefenders prevent the scheme and confront the Squadron and Nebulon, withDoctor Strange defeating Spectrum.[7] After this defeat Spectrum and his two remaining teammates are teleported off world by Nebulon, returning with an energy-draining weapon. The Squadron Sinister plan to threaten Earth again, but are defeated once again by the Defenders andYellowjacket.[8]
The Power Prism is kept by Yellowjacket, who modifies it and give sit to his wifeJanet van Dyne as a gift. Krimonn, the entity within the Power Prism, possesses Janet and transforms her into a version of Doctor Spectrum, who battles several Avengers but is then defeated by the Vision's use of the Prism's weakness to ultraviolet radiation. The prism itself bonds to the Wasp in an attempt to save itself, but is eventually removed by Billy Roberts after he is located by the Avengers. Roberts becomes Spectrum once more, although on this occasion the Power Prism is in control and seeks to bond withThor. The Power Prism succeeds in taking Thor as a host, infectingMjolnir to use as a focal point to control him and defeat the other Avengers, but fails to take into account that to wield Mjolnir, Thor must be "worthy". No longer worthy to wield Mjolnir due to being tainted by the gem, Thor drops Mjolnir and reverts to his mortal alter-egoDonald Blake, which results in the Power Prism losing control and becoming inert.[6]
The Grandmaster later reforms the Squadron Sinister, bringing in Hank 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 leaderHelmut Zemo defeats the Grandmaster, and in the ensuing chaos, the Squadron escapes.[9][10]
Roy Thomas and pencillerJohn Buscema created analternate-universe team of heroes called theSquadron Supreme, who debut inThe Avengers #85 (February 1971). After an initial skirmish with four Avengers, the teams unite to stop a common threat.[11] The characters (including Doctor Spectrum) are identical in name and appearance to the Squadron Sinister.
The character features with the Squadron Supreme in a self-titled 12-issueminiseries (Sept. 1985–Aug. 1986) by writerMark Gruenwald.[12] Gruenwald revealed each member's origin, withJoseph Ledger being a former astronaut who saves aSkrull in space. The Skrull, called theSkrullian Skymaster, rewards Ledger with the Power Prism. The series also explains why the Squadrons Sinister and Supreme are similar: the Grandmaster created the Squadron Sinister and based them on the Squadron Supreme ofEarth-712.[13] Gruenwald, Ryan, andinkerAl Williamson created agraphic-novel sequel in which the Squadron Supreme were stranded inEarth-616.[14] Doctor Spectrum and teammates encounter the heroQuasar, and relocate to the government facilityProject Pegasus. After another encounter with the Overmind and a visit to theStranger,[15] the group attempts to return to their universe,[16] and battles the entityDeathurge.[17]
The entire Squadron Supreme appear in a two-part story with the Avengers that returns them to their home universe, where they disband for a time.[18][19] Doctor Spectrum rejoins his teammates to aid theinterdimensional team theExiles.[20]
TheMarvel MAX imprint showcases the adventures of the Earth-31916 version of the Squadron Supreme. The titleSupreme Power relates how Joseph Ledger, a soldier in theUnited States Army, accidentally bonds with a crystal found in the vessel that broughtHyperion to Earth.[21] The story continues in the limited seriesDoctor Spectrum, written by Sara Barnes and art by John Dell andTravel Foreman, with the experience placing Ledger in a coma, and after reliving his life in his mind for the benefit of the apparently sentient crystal, the character awakens and adopts the codename of Doctor Spectrum.[22] Operating in a military-style uniform as opposed to a prismatic costume, Spectrum encounters and battles Hyperion, forming a truce with him to hunt down super-powered serial killerMichael Redstone. Spectrum also begins a tentative romance with fellow superhumanAmphibian.[23] Both join the US-backedSquadron Supreme in the 2006 title of the same name.[24] Joseph is later killed during a battle with a version of theSquadron Sinister.[25]
A variation of the Joseph Ledger version of Doctor Spectrum appears as a member of the Squadron Supreme of America.[26] This version is asimulacrum created byMephisto and programmed by the Power Elite. As a civilian, he works as a colonel in the United States Air Force.[27]
All versions of Doctor Spectrum derive their abilities from an alien gem called the Power Prism. The original prism, used by the Kinji Obatu and Billy Roberts incarnations of Spectrum, is a sentient being called Krimonn. Krimonn was originally aSkrull who was transformed into a living prism as punishment after a failed attempt to overthrow the Skrull emperor.[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] Kinji 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 viatelepathy.[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.
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 ultraviolet 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 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 brought Hyperion to Earth.[citation needed]
An alternate universe variant of Kinji Ubatu / Doctor Spectrum from Earth-21195 appears inSecret Wars as a resident ofBattleworld. This version is Japanese.[25]
An alternate, female version of Doctor Spectrum appears as a member of the Great Society, a team ofJustice League analogues from Earth-4290001.[28] After theIlluminati destroy their Earth to stop the Incursion, she is marooned on Earth-616 and joins its version of theSquadron Supreme.
The Billy Roberts incarnation of Doctor Spectrum appears inAvengers Assemble, voiced byPhil LaMarr.[29] This version is an alien and a member of theSquadron Supreme who was forced to destroy his home planet by the other Squadron members and was subsequently controlled by the Power Prism. After the Avengers free him, Roberts joins aS.H.I.E.L.D. space program to find a new planet to reside on while the Prism forms a separate body and reunites with the Squadron.
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