Inza Cramer
| Inza Cramer | |
|---|---|
| File:Inza Cramer 001.jpg Inza Cramer as she appeared in Doctor Fate v1 #2. Art by Keith Giffen, Dave Hunt, and Anthony Tollin | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | More Fun Comics #55 (1940) |
| Created by | Gardner Fox Howard Sherman |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Inza Cramer (current) Inza Sanders (initially) |
| Team affiliations | Lords of Chaos and Order Justice League Task Force |
| Partnerships | Kent Nelson |
| Notable aliases | Fate Doctor Fate Inza Cramer Nelson |
| Abilities |
|
Search Inza Cramer on Amazon.
Inza Cramer (also Inza Sanders or Inza Cramer Nelson) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, first appearing in More Fun Comics #55 (1940), created by Gardner Fox and Howard Sherman. The character is typically portrayed as love interest and partner of the first Kent Nelson, who is a fellow archaeologist and is the superhero, Doctor Fate. Later, the character becomes the fourth Doctor Fate and is later succeeded by Jared Stevens and eventually passes away. A newer version of the character would briefly appear in DC Rebirth with a similar history.
Inza has appeared in various media, portrayed by Erica Carroll in Smallville. The character would also appear in the DC Animated Universe, voiced by both Jennifer Hale and Jennifer Lien.
Publication history
Inza first appeared in More Fun Comics #55 in 1940, created by Gardner Fox and Howard Sherman.
Fictional character biography
Pre-crisis
Bronze Age
Originating from the parallel Earth-2 and ancestor to a British privateer captain, Ezra Hawkins, Inza was born at some point in the early 1900s. Inza would first meet Doctor Fate when she was kidnapped by Wotan to be held as a hostage in a plot to kill the sorcerer. When Wotan fails and Doctor Fate gains the upper hand, the dark sorcerer fakes his death. Unconvinced, Fate works to go to the Underworld and confirm his death, but Inza, who is intrigued by the prospect of adventure, would tag along with him as a partner. The pair eventually discover he was, in fact, alive and plotted to destroy the world with a scientific invention.[1]
Years later, the pair would gradually fall in love with one another and eventually marry, Inza also having worked to gain her doctorates of philosophy on archaeology, becoming one alongside her husband. Despite their marriage and partnership, however, it became stained overtime due to Kent's activities as Doctor Fate. On occasion, she would write in a journal and recount her adventures, including what she knew of Nelson's origins.[1]
During their marriage, Inza became more and more frustrated with Kent, believing him to be unwilling to share what he does while expecting her to nurse him to health and unconcerned with the burden she faces being his wife, completely unaware of the fact that Kent's memories as Doctor Fate are shaky on account of his possession by Nabu. Despite this, the pair work together to uncover a method to defeating the Egyptian mummy priest and sorcerer, Khalis, and Inza's skills as archaeology and independent studies within the Tower of Fate proved instrumental in defeating the Khalid. Kent would vow that the both of them would work to improve their marriage.[1]
At a later time, despite Kent's promise to work on their marriage, Inza began to grow jealous that Kent's duties as Doctor Fate took precedent over their shared marriage and grew to hate both being the caretaker of the Tower of Fate and developed a strong disdain for Nabu and the Lords of Order. This jealousy culminated to a villain, a Lord of Chaos known as Totec, to use this jealousy and create a physical manifestation of it to attack Doctor Fate, knowing of Doctor Fate's care for her and using the fact that killing the manifestation would kill the genuine Inza. Doctor Fate/Nelson eventually defeats Totec and manages to dissipate the manifestation back into Inza, with Kent/Doctor Fate now being aware of her increasingly strong aversion to the double life.[1]
Displeased with a lack of progress and the continual loneliness she felt, Inza would begin working to regain a life outside the Tower of Fate and applied to a job at the Boston Museum of Natural History. She is approached by Vern Copeland, who claimed to be interested in the works she herself and Kent uncovered but is interested in pursuing her romantically. Vern eventually attempts to seduce Inza and, in a moment of weakness, nearly succeeds when the pair kissed. Inza ultimately rejects the idea of having an affair but Copeland is incapacitated by Doctor Fate, who used her location as a means to teleport across dimensions, in a battle between Ynar and Vanderdaemon. While Doctor Fate did not intend to strictly intervene on Inza's behalf, Fate's mental abilities allowed him to recognize that the state of Inza and Kent's marriage has caused her to briefly entertain engaging in an affair, believes this to be detrimental to Kent and, incapacitates Vern and allows the two to begin talking to reconciling. While Inza claims Kent's secrecy stems from a lack of trust, Kent becomes furious and reveals he was aware enough of recalling a man he was unaware of and Inza's lingering feelings of guilt, questioning her and implying he was aware she contemplated an affair. Inza would slap him in a moment of anger but leaves. She would eventually be approached by Doctor Fate, who learned that her largely being unaffected by the magic of Ynar and Vanderdaemon after she left the Tower is influenced due to her being touched by the Tower of Fate's magic (with the side effect of remaining youthful and is a representation of the Lords of Order's magic) and the human spirit (representing an aspect of chaos), the combination warding off their magic. Doctor Fate would force a merge between Kent, Nabu, and Inza, creating a more powerful Doctor Fate able to defeat the two Lords of Chaos. Due to the nature of the experience, Inza now understood the importance of the work Doctor Fate undertook and realize Kent spoke the truth regarding his past missions. Within this revelation, the two would finally begin reconciling.[1]
Post Crisis on Infinite Earths
After the events of the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, the character would later be merged with the mainstream universe of New Earth. Unlike many other characters, however, much of the history of Inza and Doctor Fate remained intact.
First death and afterlife
In the first Doctor Fate series, after four decades of Kent working as Doctor Fate, the magic that kept them youthful began to rapidly age the both of them. Inza would pass away, whose mind broke down due to the stress of their marriage and the magic waning affecting her mind. While Inza would pass, Kent and Nabu would choose the successor to the Doctor Fate legacy in the form of young Eric Strauss, a young child whose destiny was the hero was selected since his birth and possess mystical awareness, which included unconscious knowledge of his past lives.[2][3]
In the second Doctor Fate series, it is revealed that both Kent and Inza's spirit would live on in the Amulet of Anubis, a gift by a remorseful Nabu, who felt guilty about having stolen their lives and placed their spirits within it, knowing they could create any kind of life they desired within it. In their afterlife, Kent and Inza would live out happily with a "child" of their own, Kent Nelson Jr.[2][3] Eventually, Kent and Inza were pulled out from the Amulet of Anubis, having learned the two successor to the mantle (Eric and Linda Strauss, the latter having inherited the legacy too after Kent's passing) are poised to die and reincarnate, leaving the world without a Doctor Fate. Unwilling at first, she pretended to believe the illusion of the world but Kent Jr., a manifestation of the world they created, asserted she knew this to be true and implored her to go back to the world of the living with Kent. Complying, both Inza and Kent were resurrected in newer, younger bodies.[3]
Tenure as Doctor Fate
Doctor Fate
In the second half of the Doctor Fate series, Inza would become the sole Doctor Fate for a time, this having been facilitated secretly by the Lords of Chaos and empowering her Doctor Fate's patron through chaos magic, although this fact was unknown to both Kent Nelson and Inza herself. As Doctor Fate, Inza differed from Kent Nelson, the mantle no longer having a favorable reputation among the Lords of Order and was granted a higher-level of magical power. Inza also focused more on social and practical problems Kent personally deemed to be unimportant for the cosmic status of Doctor Fate, having decided to use her magic to improve an impoverished district in New York City, and began pursuing the social life she did not get to have in her previous lifetime, including befriending Debby Niles, an African-American policewoman who was initially skeptical of Doctor Fate for wanting to help black neighborhoods under the pretense of white guilt until Inza saves her in a near-death experience in which included their souls touching one another, recognizing her genuine intentions in the process and supports Inza.[4]
Throughout her time as Doctor Fate, Inza would deal with various threats, including disgruntled ancient Egyptian gods and entities such as T'giian, who took over the body of Mary Louise Wilson, an elderly American woman decades ago as her host similar to previous iterations of Doctor Fate. Inza frees her from T'giian's control, who instead makes the entity work alongside Mary in tandem. Inza also deals with the Lord of Order known as Shat-Ru, who was unintentionally imprisoned within the old body of Kent Nelson by Inza. As a human, Shat-Ru adopts the identity of Kent Nelson Sr. and Kent pretends to be his own grandson, with Shat-Ru acting as the grandfather, in order to get a job as an assistant professor from an old "friend" in his previous lifetime. Overtime, Inza and Kent's marriage begin to be challenged, this time under Inza's casual use of the power of Doctor Fate in her attempt to create a sort of utopia and ethical dilemmas of using magic to "cure" others of mental-related problems while Inza, now finding the roles reversed, enjoys the heroism and believes her powers are used to actually directly impact people. The two of them briefly distance themselves from one another but makeup, Inza finding it lonely to not have her husband's expertise and Kent realizing the good she intended to do and its effect on people.[4]
Eventually, her activities as Doctor Fate culminate to the point the pair begin to question where her power originates from. The eponymous Chaos of the Lords of Chaos finally reveals himself as the intelligence behind the Helmet of Fate, admitting that he wanted to prove the Lords of Chaos aren't inherently evil. However, due to his chaotic nature, he was revealed to have manipulated some of the events in which Inza fixed as Doctor Fate and was the cause of Kent and Inza's unusual bout of strife in their marriage. Chaos would eventually relinquish his power from Inza to himself, who instead now drew power from life energies and defeats him alongside an empowered Kent, whose powers as Doctor Fate were now done from a half-helmet he fashioned years earlier and through Shat-Ru, who has bonded with the pair and has come to care for them akin to family. In the aftermath, Chaos is defeated but Inza and Kent Nelson's identity and history as Doctor Fate was revealed.[4]
While the United States government would later attempt to hold her accountable for her ethical problems she caused as Doctor Fate in a public hearing, she instead reveals she still possess unimaginable power, cannot be held accountable in the same manner they do with others, and denounces the government in their role in history, having lived as a woman in the early 20th century and being exposed and aware of the inequalities perpetuated, before turning every senator who has ever accepted bribes into newts as a show of power. While the President of the United States would later try to have an agreement to serve in the United States' interest, she also declines the agreement. Together, her and Kent Nelson share the mantle of Doctor Fate together.[4]
Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!
Sometime later, Doctor Fate is among the various super-villains faced by Extant during Parallax's attempt to change the history of the universe. Extant uses his time manipulation powers to rapidly age Kent and Inza to their proper physical ages, scattering the helmet, the amulet, and the cloak artifacts. Due to this, the pair both are near their own deaths.[5] Although the Zero Hour story only showcases Kent Nelson being separated from the Artifacts of Fate, the Fate series after it corrects this, showcasing the pair having both been affected by Extant's attack, revealing the fact the pair were joint (with Kent leading) during Doctor Fate's confrontation with Extant.[6]
Second death and succession
While Inza's time as Doctor Fate would end and the successor to the mantle would be undertaken by the character, Jared Stevens, it would be depicted between the original Fate series and then its reboot, the Book of Fate. Both series characterize Inza drastically differently from one another.
In the original Fate series within the Zero Hour crossover, Inza's successor as Doctor Fate is chosen in the form of Jared Stevens, a criminal and black arms dealer with interests in ancient artifacts who somehow had acquired the Helmet of Fate, the Cloak of Destiny, and the Amulet of Anubis and planned to sell them to clients, later revealed to be malevolent demons with a grudge against Nabu. Jared is intercepted by aging Inza and Kent, who reveal to him the significance behind the artifacts. Inza tells him she pities Jared, stating she could see greater possibilities within him than to be within a life of crime. The Tower's defenses is then compromised by two demons, who use a demonic orb to siphon the last of Kent and Inza's energies. In their last moments before passing on, Inza is the one to reveal to Kent that Jared is now the selected new Doctor Fate and the two pass on. Shortly thereafter, Jared would accept the legacy although unlike his predecessors, he instead took the name "Fate", annexed himself from Nabu's guidance in thanks to being imbued with the power of the Amulet of Anubis, and utilized weaponry and enhanced physical abilities instead of sorcery.[6]
In the rebooted Book of Fate, the Inza's history as Doctor Fate differs; unlike the prior Doctor Fate series, it is made mention that while Inza acted as Doctor Fate, her lack of training and existing as an agent of order mentally compromised her, causing her to be insane. This history differs from her characterization in the second Doctor Fate series, depicting her as a capable sorceress whose relationship with the Lords of Order and Nabu were not explored and instead, she was backed by the Lords of Chaos for a time. In the first issue of the series, Kent and Inza meet upon young Jared Stevens, a grave robber seeking out the Artifacts of Fate, brought in by the former as he tricks the young man into being the next new host for Nabu. With Jared chosen, the two are finally relinquished from Nabu's service and their spirits are able to ascend into the afterlife. Like the previous series, Jared ultimately rejects Nabu and takes the name "Fate" although his circumstances differ, as both the Lords of Chaos and Nabu lay claim to him as their agent and his rejection of them making him an "agent of balance".[7]
DC Rebirth
After the Flashpoint and New 52 rebooted the DC Universe, a newer version of Inza would appear briefly in the second Justice League Dark series in a flashback. This flashback implies much of her history being similar to her Pre-Crisis history, acting as the partner of Kent Nelson and his role as Doctor Fate and its strain on their marriage.[8]
Additionally, both the 2022 Justice Society of America and the New Golden Age mentions Inza several times, revealing she and Kent had taken in Salem the Witch Girl, acting as the sidekick to Doctor Fate, for a time until her cursed black luck abilities nearly cost Inza's life, prompting Salem to run away. However, she would later disappear, with Kent and the Justice Society Dark searching for her to no avail before their memories of her was erased.[9] Furthermore, the events of Zero Hour are depicted as having taken place in the newer continuity about nine years before Khalid Nassour was selected as the new successor of Doctor Fate (despite discrepancies regarding Nassour starting as Dr. Fate and his appearance in Justice League Dark). It is unclear of these events depicting Dr. Fate's injury from Extant, however, was Kent Nelson's alone or during a joint fusion between Inza and Kent as it was previously.[10]
Powers, abilities, and resources
Inza is an able archaeologist, having graduated with a doctorate of philosophy similarly to her husband. Overtime, due to being within the Tower of Fate, she has also studied the occult and martial arts, became knowledgeable in mystical matters and skilled in hand-to-hand combat.[1][4] Overtime, this culminated to her abilities as a sorceress, with Kent Nelson remarked she is more talented.[4] Inza can also merge with her husband in order to become a joint being called "Doctor Fate" and whoever initiates the transformation determines the appearance of Doctor Fate.[11]
Mystical artifacts
- Helmet of Fate: With the Helmet of Fate bolstering her powers, Inza is considered to be among the most powerful sorceresses on Earth as well as being among the top ten most powerful beings in the universe. During the time period in which she was Doctor Fate, the character's powers were portrayed to being able to perform virtually any mystical feat by visualizing and willing something to take place instead of casting spells.[11] Initially, this power was facilitated through the helm's connection to the Lords of Chaos, granting her the power of Chaos Magic to support these abilities. However, after Chaos relinquishes these powers, she instead drew power from life energies, which did not significantly change her power.[4] Unlike other versions of Doctor Fate that preceded, Inza could bore the helm upon her at all times and instead used appearance and disguising spells so she can "switch" between her civilian persona and her Doctor Fate persona at will as well as use such abilities while appearing as "Inza".[12]
- Amulet of Anubis: The Amulet of Anubis is among the artifacts present on her persons in which could bolster the abilities of a user and provided high resistance against telepathic and astral intrusions.[13] However, the later portrayal of the additional abilities of the Amulet, such as its abilities to house a different independent universe and hide the presence of another wasn't present for Inza's version of Doctor Fate.
- Cloak of Destiny: A special, fireproof cloak.[14] Later portrayals of the cloak possessed additional abilities although they weren't present in Inza's version of Doctor Fate.[12]
- Globes of Power: During her time as Doctor Fate, Inza made use of the Globes of Power artifacts, mystically crafted globe used as automatic machine-like constructs which can perform minor magical feats and help perform tasks for the community in New York without expending herself. The globes acts in a similar manner to artificial intelligence, able to fix mechanical equipment and contact Inza in the event of a threat requiring the attention of Doctor Fate.[15]
Weaknesses and cost
Like other versions of Doctor Fate, Inza's magical powers has several weaknesses; both the second Doctor Fate and the Book of Fate series showcases her practice of magic comes at a cost to her mental state, with certain levels of magic making her at risk for being mentally compromised. While the former implies this comes from the association with the practice of the Lords of Chaos's "Chaos magic", the latter however characterizes this as a consequence of a lack of "formal training".[4][7]
In other media
- Inza Cramer appears in series set in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU). This version and Kent Nelson live in the Tower of Fate and assist those who lack purpose in their lives, notably Shayera Hol, Aquaman, and Amazo. First appearing in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "The Hand of Fate", voiced by Jennifer Lien, she subsequently appears in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, voiced by Jennifer Hale.
- Inza Cramer appears in Smallville, portrayed by Erica Carrol.[16]
- Inza briefly appears in Doctor Fate's ending in Injustice 2.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Pasko, Martin; Giffen, Keith; Simonson, Walt (1985). The Immortal Doctor Fate #1-#3. DC Comics. Search this book on
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 DeMatteis, J.M (1997). Doctor Fate #1-4. DC Comics. Search this book on
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 DeMatteis, J.M (1990). Doctor Fate (1989) #21-23. DC Comics. Search this book on
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Messner-Loebs, William (1992). Doctor Fate v2 #25-41. DC Comics. Search this book on
- ↑ Jurgens, Dan (1994). Zero Hour: Crisis in Time. DC Comics. ISBN 1563891840. Search this book on
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Moore, John F. (1994). Book of Fate #0-1. DC Comics. Search this book on
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Giffen, Keith (1997). Book of Fate #1-2. DC Comics. Search this book on
- ↑ Tynion, James, IV (2019). Justice League Dark. Vol. 2, Lords of order. Ram V, Alvaro Martinez, Guillem March, Daniel Sampere, Mark Buckingham, Miguel Mendonça. Burbank, CA. ISBN 978-1-4012-9460-1. OCLC 1110150328. Search this book on
- ↑ The New Golden Age #1. DC Comics.
- ↑ Justice Society of America (vol. 4) #2. DC Comics.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Who's Who in the DC Universe #9. DC Comics. 1991. Search this book on
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Giffen, Keith (1997). The Book of Fate #3. DC Comics. Search this book on
- ↑ Pasko, Martin (1975). 1st Issue Special #9. DC Comics. Search this book on
- ↑ Fox, Garnder (1940). More Fun Comics #57. DC Comics. Search this book on
- ↑ Messner-Loebs, William (1991). Doctor Fate (1988-1992) #32. DC Comics. Search this book on
- ↑ Eric Goldman (2009-10-19). "Exclusive: Two of Smallville's Justice Society". IGN. Retrieved 2011-01-16.
This article "Inza Cramer" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Inza Cramer. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
