Comics character
Doctor Mist is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics.[1] He was created by E. Nelson Bridwell and Ramona Fradon, first appearing in a cameo in Super Friends #12 (June–July 1978). Hailing from the mythical realm of Kor, Nommo is a famous African king and guardian of the magical source known as the Mystical Flame of Life until an encounter with Felix Faust robbed him of his power after defeating the rogue sorcerer. Ultimately, the character became a superhero in the 1900s, founding the Leymen and then the Global Guardians.
After the events of Flashpoint, the character was revamepd as Nommo Balewa, a South African doctor who seemingly adopted his heroic name in modern times shortly after turning to magic to attempted to save his wife during a civil way. In DC Rebirth, the character's original history and connection was restored along with being descended from the Deserters of ancient Atlantis, continuing to lead the Global Guardians as a pro-active group intercepting threats before they require the attention of more well-known hero strike teams such as the Justice League.
Nommo has made some appearances in media, most notably in the 2014 television series Constantine, portrayed by Charles Parnell.
Fictional character biography
Origin
Nommo, the wizard-king of the African empire of Kor, stood in the Pillar of Life and was endowed with immortality. He later took the name Doctor Mist.[1]
Global Guardians (Pre-Crisis)
Doctor Mist gathers a number of international heroes to help the Super Friends battle the Conqueror.[3] Later, Superman teams with several international heroes at Doctor Mist's request. He is the one who first gives them the name the Global Guardians. Superman and several of the Guardians would team up to fight against the threat of Thaumar Dhai and the squad of powerful wizards who worship him. Dhai was defeated when his objects of power turned out to be Superman-created fakeries. The team later fights against the Shadow Demons in the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Most of the Pre-Crisis history of the Global Guardians is no longer in the mainstream continuity of the DC Comics universe.
Global Guardians (Post-Crisis)
In 1957, the newly formed European Economic Community established the Dome, a supra-national police organization. At some later point Doctor Mist formed the Global Guardians to serve as a task force for the Dome.[1]
Decades later, the Dome lost its funding when, in part because of the political machinations of Dr. Klaus Cornelius, the United Nations decided to close the Dome and instead fund the new Justice League International. The Global Guardians then fractured with Doctor Mist and his assistant Belphegor, disappearing. Queen Bee of Bialya rebuilt the Dome in her country. She then brainwashed the Global Guardians into her service also creating an android Doctor Mist to lead the team.
Later on, Doctor Mist reappeared and helped Guardian members Jack O'Lantern and Owlwoman escape Bialya. Doctor Mist recruited a team to free the rest of the Guardians from Bialya mind control and then reformed the Global Guardians, building a new Dome headquarters somewhere in the Pacific.
Primal Force
An eternal, Mist's physical body was slain by an ancient force. Nonetheless, he did turn up alive and seemingly well after the Zero Hour crisis. At this time, calling himself Maltis, he formed a new team of heroes known as the Leymen. The group was short-lived. Maltis' time on the team even shorter as he had a heart attack soon after the team formed. Later, he was seemingly killed after being thrown into a pool of acid by the evil Mordru.
The New 52
In The New 52 reboot of DC's continuity (launched in 2011), Steve Trevor first mentions Mist as a government operative, having a hand in watching the Black Room, a secretive government vault where mystical artifacts are stored.[4] Trevor sends the Justice League Dark to rescue Mist after he is captured while infiltrating Felix Faust's cult in South America. Mist appears to have an existing friendship with Black Orchid, one of Trevor's other magical operatives.[5] Mist was revealed to work for Faust all along, as Mist sends a magical blast straight into John Constantine's brain.[6] Mist had been a double agent all along, designed to get Faust into the Black Room. In the end, Faust had promised to return Mist's deceased wife back to him.[7]
In the pages of "Infinite Frontier", it was revealed that Doctor Mist has some heritage in the Atlantean's Deserter branch at the time when Devil Ray went to his headquarters in Ethiopia to look for Black Manta.[8]
Powers and abilities
Doctor Mist is an African sorcerer whose powers stem from his connection with the mystical source known as the Flame of Life. This contact has granted him a range of sorcerous abilities, including the manipulation of illusions, enchantments, and immortality. While proficient in the art of sorcery, Doctor Mist chooses to operate from behind the scenes, employing duplicity to cultivate an image of greater power and mystery. Additionally, he possesses above-average skills in hand-to-hand combat and possesses the leadership qualities and accumulated wealth necessary to establish and lead both his own kingdom and later his own superhero team.[9][10]
Mystical items
- Ruby of Life: The Ruby of Life is a highly influential magical artifact, widely regarded as one of the earliest crafted on Earth. Possessing the Ruby grants the bearer the ability to exert magical control over anything they touch. Mist eventually relinquished the Ruby of Life, in which has come into the possession of the Sargon lineage.
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