This is all moot in the "New" 52. as, to my knowledge the character hasn't been introduced yet, but what I always found intriguing about Dr. Fate is that his alter-ego, Kent Nelson, was essentially a slave. His parents are killed, in the midst of exploring an Egyptian tomb, that releases Nabu- the sorcerer who powers the Helmet of Fate. Nabu takes Nelson under his wing, and trains him in the mystic arts, eventually getting him strong enough to don the Helmet of Fate. From that point on, Kent Nelson is a pawn in the war between Order & Chaos. You have to remember that he's a child, who has just suffered the traumatic loss of his parents when Nabu, arguably the cause of his parent's death, steps in to raise the boy. Nelson is conditioned, throughout his life, to become this champion of Order against Chaos, but this isn't a life he chose. It was thrust upon him by an almost Godlike mystical being. Over the years, Nabu's persona began to overwrite Nelson's personality, when wearing the Helmet of Fate, to the point where Dr. Fate was really Nabu, using Nelson's body as his host. What's really terrible about this is that Nelson was aware of what was happening, but still put on the Helmet of Fate because he had no choice. Dr. Fate was all that stood between the world and the forces of Chaos. No man of conscience could just stand by and let the world be overrun by darkness, when he had the tools to prevent it. Nelson was willingly Nabu's puppet, but towards the end of his life he really resented it. I always felt it made the character quite fascinating.
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