Charles McNider | |
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Charles McNider as the original Doctor Mid-Nite, as he appeared on the cover of Smash Comics #1 (March 1999). Art by Dave Johnson | |
Publication information | |
Publisher | DC Comics |
First appearance | All-American Comics #25 (April 1941) |
Created by | Charles Reizenstein Stanley Josephs Aschmeier |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Dr. Charles McNider |
Species | Metahuman |
Team affiliations | Justice Society of America All-Star Squadron Black Lantern Corps Justice League |
Notable aliases | Doctor Mid-Nite Starman |
Abilities | Perfect night vision Ability to see in the dark via infrared lenses Brilliant doctor and mathematician Gifted physician and author Superb athlete and hand to hand combatant Employs "blackout bombs" |
Charles McNider (the original Doctor Mid-Nite and a bearer of the name Starman) is a fictional superhero in DC Comics.[1] The character appeared for the first time in All-American Comics #25 (April 1941).[2]
Like many Golden Age heroic characters, the original Doctor Mid-Nite appeared as a member of DC's Justice Society of America.
As a blind character, Doctor Mid-Nite is widely regarded as the first superhero in comics to exhibit a physical impairment, pre-dating the creation of Daredevil of Marvel Comics by more than twenty years.
Dr. Mid-Nite made his live appearance on the second season of DC's Legends of Tomorrow played by Kwesi Ameyaw. Doctor Mid-Nite appeared in the first episode of the first season of the DC Universe series Stargirl portrayed by Henry Thomas in season one and by Alex Collins in seasons two and three. Thomas and Collins also voiced the goggles that the new Dr. Mid-Nite Beth Chapel acquires.
Charles McNider is a surgeon who was called one night to remove a bullet from a witness set to testify against mobsters. A mobster named "Killer" Maroni threw a grenade into the room, killing the witness and blinding McNider, with the injury causing him to believe his career as a surgeon was over.[2] One evening, as he was recovering, an owl crashed through his window. Removing the bandages covering his eyes, McNider discovered that he could still see, but only in perfect darkness. McNider developed a special visor allowing him to see in the light and "blackout bombs" capable of blocking out all light, becoming a costumed crime fighter. He adopted the owl, naming it 'Hooty', and it became his sidekick. Upon becoming Doctor Mid-Nite, his first outing had him bringing "Killer" Maroni to justice.[3]
He later joined the Justice Society of America (JSA) and the All-Star Squadron. In 1942, McNider enlisted in the U.S. Medical Corps as a physician during World War II,[4] rising to the rank of captain.[volume & issue needed] Ten years after his debut, McNider briefly assumed the role of Starman after the JSA disbanded when Ted Knight, the original Starman, had a nervous breakdown as a result of his participation in the development of the atomic bomb.[5]
According to Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes, "his opponents include the minstrel the Baleful Banshee, the hypnosis-wielding Doctor Light, the angling-themed Fisherman, and the gang lord Tarantula".[6]
McNider suffered a devastating event in 1953, when the woman he loved, Myra Mason, was murdered by the Shadower, a foe who had learned Doctor Mid-Nite's secret identity.[2] McNider's later romantic history is unrevealed, but another "old friend" of McNider, Miss Alice King, made an appearance in All-American Comics #90 (October 1947). McNider apparently had no children, but at one point McNider rescued a pregnant woman from attack in Sogndal, Norway and delivered her baby, Pieter Cross, who later became the third Doctor Mid-Nite. McNider was also one of the JSA members captured and placed in suspended animation by the Immortal villain Vandal Savage, before being freed by the Flash.
Charles McNider eventually met his end as one of the casualties of Zero Hour, when he and fellow JSA member Hourman were aged to death by Extant.[7] He was briefly reanimated as a member of the Black Lantern Corps during the Blackest Night event,[8] only to be destroyed by Mr. Terrific.[9]
McNider possesses the metahuman ability to see perfectly in the dark. Utilizing special infrared lenses, McNider can see in light; later in his life, his lenses become more ineffective as his eyesight continues to deteriorate even further, inhibiting his daylight vision. McNider also employs "blackout bombs" which release pitch-black gas that blinds villains yet allowing McNider to see. For a time, he used a weapon called a "cryotuber" which can either control the nervous system of an opponent or fire bursts of heat or cold. He is also a brilliant doctor and a mathematician. In All-Star Comics #13, he is able to communicate with a Neptunian using mathematical equations. As Starman, McNider uses various star-themed gadgets, including an airship designed by the Red Torpedo. McNider is also a superb athlete and fighter, as well as a gifted physician and author.
The original Dr. Mid-Nite (Charles McNider) is one of seven JSA-related heroes whose solo appearances are collected in an anthology entry in the DC Archive Editions series:
Title | Material collected |
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JSA All-Stars Archives Vol. 1 HC (2007) | All-American Comics (1939 series) #25-29 |
Charles McNider as Doctor Mid-Nite appears in issue #40 of the Injustice 2 prequel comic. This version isolated himself to Norway, with Ted Grant being the only one who knows of them. Grant brings Batman to McNider to recruit the latter in performing a heart transplant on Superboy using General Zod's heart so the former can leave the Phantom Zone.[13]