Charles McNider
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
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceAll-American Comics #25 (April 1941)
Created byCharles Reizenstein
Stanley Josephs Aschmeier
In-story information
Alter egoDr. Charles McNider
SpeciesMetahuman
Team affiliationsJustice Society of America
All-Star Squadron
Black Lantern Corps
Justice League
Notable aliasesDoctor Mid-Nite
Starman
Abilities
  • Genius-level intellect
  • Perfect night vision
  • Ability to see in the dark via infrared lenses
  • Brilliant doctor, mathematician, and author
  • Expert 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 heroes, 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.

Fictional character biography

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]

Powers, equipment, and abilities

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.

Other versions

Collected editions

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
JSA All-Stars Archives Vol. 1 HC (2007) All-American Comics (1939 series) #25-29

In other media

Television

Miscellaneous

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 this. Grant brings Batman to McNider to recruit the latter to perform a heart transplant on Superboy using General Zod's heart so the former can leave the Phantom Zone.[13]

Merchandise

References

  1. ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 92. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
  2. ^ a b c Greenberger, Robert (2008), "Doctor Mid-Nite I & II", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The DC Comics Encyclopedia, New York: Dorling Kindersley, p. 104, ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1, OCLC 213309017
  3. ^ Mitchell, Kurt; Thomas, Roy (2019). American Comic Book Chronicles: 1940-1944. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 75. ISBN 978-1605490892.
  4. ^ All-Star Comics #11 (June–July 2012)
  5. ^ Starman (vol. 2) #77
  6. ^ Nevins, Jess (2013). Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes. High Rock Press. pp. 83–84. ISBN 978-1-61318-023-5.
  7. ^ Greenberger, Robert (2008), "Extant", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The DC Comics Encyclopedia, New York: Dorling Kindersley, p. 117, ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1, OCLC 213309017
  8. ^ Blackest Night #4
  9. ^ Blackest Night: JSA #1–3 (February–April 2010)
  10. ^ Byrne, Craig (September 29, 2016). "Commander Steel, Obsidian, Dr. Mid-Nite, Vixen & Stargirl In New "Justice Society of America" Photos". DCLegendsTV. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  11. ^ Bucksbaum, Sydney (July 23, 2016). "Comic-Con: 'Legends of Tomorrow' to Tackle Legion of Doom Villain Team In Season 2". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  12. ^ Agard, Chancellor (December 17, 2018). "DC Universe's Stargirl casts Haunting of Hill House star as the JSA's Dr. Mid-Nite". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  13. ^ Injustice 2 #40
  14. ^ St-Louis, Hervé. "Golden Age Dr. Mid-Nite Action Figure". ComicBookBin.com. Retrieved 17 October 2016.

External links

Starman
Justice Society of America
Earth-Two
Golden Age of Comic Books
Categories