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Charles McNider

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 regular light with 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.

Doctor Mid-Nite made his live-action debut on the second season of Legends of Tomorrow, portrayed by Kwesi Ameyaw. He also appears in Stargirl, portrayed by Henry Thomas in the first season and by Alex Collins in later seasons.

Fictional character biography

Charles McNider is a surgeon who is enlisted to remove a bullet from a witness set to testify against mobsters. Mobster Killer Maroni throws a grenade into the room, killing the witness and blinding McNider.[2] McNider later discovers that he can only see in darkness and develops a special visor to let him see in the light. He then becomes the superhero Doctor Mid-Nite and adopts an owl who he names Hooty.[3]

He later joins the Justice Society of America (JSA) and the All-Star Squadron. In 1942, McNider enlists in the U.S. Medical Corps as a physician during World War II,[4] rising to the rank of captain.[volume & issue needed] McNider briefly assumes the role of Starman when the original Starman, Ted Knight, has a nervous breakdown and the JSA disbands.[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]

In 1953, the Shadower kills McNider's lover, Myra Mason.[2] He rescues a pregnant woman from an attack in Sogndal, Norway and delivers her baby, Pieter Cross. McNider is among the JSA members who are captured and placed in suspended animation by Vandal Savage before being freed by the Flash.

McNider is later killed by Extant in Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!.[7] He returns as a Black Lantern in Blackest Night before Mr. Terrific destroys him.[8][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

  • An alternate universe variant of Charles McNider appears in Kingdom Come.
  • An alternate universe variant of Charles McNider appears in JSA: The Liberty File. This version is an intelligence agent code-named the Owl.
  • An alternate universe variant of Charles McNider appears in Batman: Holy Terror. This version is a friend of Thomas and Martha Wayne who lost his sight as punishment for rebelling against the government.

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 series:

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

In other media

Television

  • Charles McNider as Doctor Mid-Nite makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the Smallville two-part episode "Absolute Justice" via a painting that depicts him as a member of the Justice Society of America (JSA)
  • Charles McNider as Doctor Mid-Nite makes non-speaking cameo appearances in Justice League Unlimited as a member of the eponymous team.[10]
  • Charles McNider as Doctor Mid-Nite appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, voiced by Corey Burton.[10] This version is a member and resident doctor of the Justice Society of America (JSA).
  • Charles McNider as Doctor Mid-Nite appears in the Mad segment "That's What Super Friends Are For", voiced by Kevin Shinick.
  • Charles McNider as Doctor Mid-Nite appears in the second season of Legends of Tomorrow, portrayed by Kwesi Ameyaw.[11] This version is a legally blind member of the Justice Society of America (JSA), who were active in the 1940s until most of them went missing following a mission in 1956. In reality, they scattered themselves across time to protect the Spear of Destiny, with McNider going to the year 3000, where he became a researcher and used futuristic technology to restore his sight. However, he is killed by a brainwashed Rip Hunter, who steals his spear fragment for the Legion of Doom.[12]
  • Charles McNider as Doctor Mid-Nite appears in Stargirl, portrayed by Henry Thomas in the first season and by Alex Collins in the second and third seasons.[13] This version is a member of the Justice Society of America (JSA) who sports longevity and wears glasses that can sync with special goggles he developed and programmed with an A.I. modeled after him (also provided by Thomas in the first season and by Collins in the second and third seasons) and memories. In flashbacks, he was with the JSA when the Injustice Society of America (ISA) attacked their headquarters. During the battle, Shade pretended to attack McNider to save him, but accidentally lost him in the Shadowlands, leading to the latter being presumed dead. In the present, Beth Chapel assumes the mantle of Doctor Mid-Nite after she discovers McNider's googles. In the second season, McNider eventually makes contact with Chapel and later encounters Courtney Whitmore and Cindy Burman after Eclipso sent them to the Shadowlands. Once Shade uses his abilities to free the trio, McNider and Chapel work to find Eclipso so their allies can defeat him. Afterward, McNider gives Chapel his blessing to continue operating as Doctor Mid-Nite before she informs him that his wife has settled in Melody Hills, where she now has a son.

Film

Charles McNider as Doctor Mid-Nite makes a cameo appearance in the opening credits of Justice League: The New Frontier as a member of the Justice Society of America.

Miscellaneous

Charles McNider as Doctor Mid-Nite appears in Injustice 2 #40. 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.[14]

Merchandise

  • Charles McNider as Doctor Mid-Nite and Hooty received an action figure in wave twelve of the DC Universe Classics line.
  • Charles McNider as Doctor Mid-Nite and Hooty received an action figure from DC Direct in 2001.[15]
  • The Justice League Unlimited incarnation of Charles McNider / Doctor Mid-Nite received an action figure in Mattel's Justice League Unlimited toy line in November 2011.

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: JSA #1–3 (February–April 2010)
  9. ^ Blackest Night #4
  10. ^ a b "Dr. Mid-Nite Voices (DC Universe)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved November 3, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ Injustice 2 #40
  15. ^ St-Louis, Hervé. "Golden Age Dr. Mid-Nite Action Figure". ComicBookBin.com. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
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