- I'm always ready to learn more about the occult and the unknown!
- — Inza Cramer-Nelson src
Inza Cramer was both the girlfriend and later the wife of Kent Nelson, the hero known as Doctor Fate and one of the greatest living sorcerers of his time. Later in her life, she became Kent's successor as Doctor Fate.
History
Origins
As a single woman, Inza Cramer was a woman of the Earth, meaning she was particularly in tune with nature and the planet. This caught the attention of Doctor Fate & subsequently, the villain Wotan, who tried to murder her in an attempt to get to Doctor Fate.[5] After this, Inza became the usual partner of Doctor Fate against unknown threats to the world.[6] A few adventures passed and Inza was attacked by the evil Mayan God Mayoor, who tried to use her to free himself from his prison. Inza was once again saved by the timely arrival of Doctor Fate.[7] Eventually and after a series of adventures, Fate revealed Inza his secret identity as Kent Nelson.[8] This revelation made them closer and when Kent decided to become a medical doctor, Inza became a nurse in order to assist Kent in his new profession.[9] Not long afterwards, the two of them became engaged and shared even more time together, although Fate would no longer take Inza as his companion all the time.[10]
Eventually, Inza and Nelson married and they started living in the Tower of Fate. They lived together for decades, kept youthful by the mystical energies of Doctor Fate. But with the passing days, Inza was always left in the mystic place while her husband went out on various adventures as Doctor Fate. Eventually, Inza got fed up with the situation and went out by herself to help Fate against Khalis. Although they were brought closer from their collaboration,[11] some issues still remained and Inza became jealous of Fate's control over Kent. A desperate attempt on her part caused Inza to become the perfect target of a Lord of Chaos, who captured her and used her against Fate, even threatening him with her death.[12][13] Despite Fate's best efforts, Inza was almost killed,[14] but thanks to Fate's efforts, the Lord of Chaos was defeated and Inza was saved. After this, she finally realized that she didn't need to worry or be jealous about Fate, since he cared for Nelson's well-being and that included her own safety as well.[15]
Marital Issues and Demise
Although Inza now understood Fate's need for Kent's body, she still resented the fact that her husband had to be gone while she remained trapped in the Tower of Fate. However, Inza's luck changed when Vern Copeland, the new director of the Natural History Museum tried to contact Kent Nelson to give a speech at the museum. Kent was away on a mission as Doctor Fate and Inza agreed to go in his place, as she was also experienced in archaeology as her husband.[16] While discussing academics over dinner, Inza realized that Copeland was romantically interested in her, despite her being a married woman and him being older than her. At first, she maintained their interactions strictly on a professional level, but as hours passed, she eventually gave into desire and fell for the man's approaches.[17] Although Inza tried to fix her mistake, the damage was done as Fate learned of the situation by chance and thus, Kent also learned the truth. Troubled, confused and with her mind still in turmoil, Inza had a fight with Kent, after which she decided to leave the man she claimed to love in order to clear her mind.[18] Fortunately, Inza had a change of heart and returned to her husband, just as Doctor Fate was having troubles against two powerful enemies. Inza's return allowed Fate to overcome his opponents and thanks to this, Inza and Kent realized that their love would allow them to work through all their troubles.[19]
Years passed and a cosmic event called the Kali Yuga started, in which order receded, allowing chaos to take over. Nabu was weakened and as a result, the magic that prevented Kent and Inza from aging disappeared. Their rapid aging caused a strain that was too much for Inza to handle, and not long aftewards, she died, leaving Kent alone with Nabu.[20]
Return as Doctor Fate
They were resurrected in new, younger bodies, but discovered that only Inza could now become Doctor Fate. For a time, Kent and Inza parted ways, partly due to the machinations of a Lord of Chaos named Tgiian who had taken possession of the Helmet of Nabu, worn by Doctor Fate. After a short time though, the Nelsons were reunited and began to share the power of Doctor Fate as they had always been intended to.
During the incident called Zero Hour, the Nelsons (along with the rest of Kent's teammates in the Justice Society of America, were drawn into battle with the villain Extant, who forcibly separated them from the artifacts of Doctor Fate (the Helm, amulet and cloak) and condemned them to become their true age once more. Inza became senile, and the aged Nelson's recovered the artifacts with the assistance of mercenary Jared Stevens, but the artifacts refused to bond with them again and both Inza and her husband were killed by minions of the demon Kingdom. Inza's spirit, like that of her husband, appeared to dwell for awhile inside the amulet of Fate, but has since apparently passed on.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Magic: Overtime, Inza adopted magical powers of her own. During her time as Doctor Fate, although she once conferred powers supplied by a Lord of Chaos, she later learned that she can draw power herself through the life force of those on Earth.[3]
- Transformation: She was able to transform herself into Doctor Fate at will.[3]
- Molecular Reconstruction[21]
- Eldritch Blast[3]
- Flight[3]
- Superhuman Durability[3]
Abilities
- Occultism: During her time within the Tower of Fate, Inza would read occult books to pass time.[22] Overtime, Inza ammassed a considerable amount of knowledge on magic and arcane lore. Kent Nelson also remarked that out of the two, she was more talented than him.[23]
- Hand-to-Hand Combat: Inza remarked among her studies in the Tower of Fate included reading self-defense books in order to pass time.[22]
- Medical Science: Inza was once a nurse.[24]
- Archaeology: Like her husband, Inza also had a doctorate degree in archaeology.[25]
- Cooking
- Investigation
Weaknesses
- Power Instability: Inza's method to using magic runs the risk of potentially overwhelming a human being should they garner too much power.[3]
Paraphernalia
Equipment
- Helmet of Nabu: As Doctor Fate, Inza's former patron was the being known as Chaos, granting her powers originating from the Lords of Chaos and making her an agent of chaos. She would later lose this power when Chaos decided to recline being her patron but retains magical powers from a difference source and could done the Helm of Fate regardless at will.[3]
Notes
- During the Golden Age, Inza's last name was inconsistent as she was sometimes named "Cramer"[26] and other times named "Sanders".[27]
- Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-Two era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985–86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and no longer apply.
Trivia
- Inza was 25 years old when the magic of Doctor Fate began keeping her her immortal prior to her first death. After being ressurected in a new body 40 years later, Inza was over 80 years old prior to her second death.[22]
- Inza's tenure as Dr. Fate lasted roughly one year.[28]
Related
- 155 Appearances of Inza Cramer (New Earth)
- 23 Images featuring Inza Cramer (New Earth)
- 4 Quotations by or about Inza Cramer (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: Inza Cramer (New Earth)
Footnotes
- ↑ Doctor Fate (Volume 3) #37
- ↑ DC Comics Presents #23
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 Doctor Fate (Volume 2) #37
- ↑ More Fun Comics #86
- ↑ More Fun Comics #55
- ↑ More Fun Comics #56 to More Fun Comics #65
- ↑ More Fun Comics #64
- ↑ More Fun Comics #66
- ↑ More Fun Comics #85
- ↑ More Fun Comics #90
- ↑ 1st Issue Special #9
- ↑ The Flash #306
- ↑ The Flash #307
- ↑ The Flash #308
- ↑ The Flash #309
- ↑ The Flash #310
- ↑ The Flash #311
- ↑ The Flash #312
- ↑ The Flash #313
- ↑ Doctor Fate #1
- ↑ Doctor Fate (Volume 2) #38
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Doctor Fate (Volume 2) #25
- ↑ Doctor Fate (Volume 2) #40
- ↑ More Fun Comics #86
- ↑ Immortal Doctor Fate #3
- ↑ More Fun Comics #76
- ↑ More Fun Comics #77
- ↑ Day of Judgement Secret Files and Origins #1
Justice League member This character has been a member of the Justice League of America, or the Justice League in any of its various incarnations, sworn by a duty to act as guardians of America and the world by using their skills and/or superpowers to protect Earth from the clutches of both interstellar and domestic threats. |