When Doctor Fate makes his big picture debut in Black Adam, he will be borrowing one MCU Iron Man trick that will work perfectly for the character. Black Adam will include the debut of Pierce Brosnan as Kent Nelson/Doctor Fate. The film will see Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Black Adam face off against the Justice Society, who challenge his violent methods of vengeance. As a Justice Society member, Doctor Fate is set to play a key role in this conflict, yet his portrayal on screen comes with a number of issues, thanks largely to his appearance. However, because of an old MCU trick, Black Adam has a ready-made workaround.
In the original source material, Doctor Fate is one of the strongest sorcerers in the DC universe. The hero is made up of essentially two characters; the human and body of Doctor Fate is Kent Nelson, but the spirit of the god Nabu also resides inside Doctor Fate's helmet, granting the wearer immense power. Nabu often seizes control of Kent Nelson's body to freely act as Doctor Fate. The central role of the helmet is one of the character's defining traits, yet naturally presents a problem when it comes to representing Doctor Fate on screen.
Fortunately, the MCU's portrayal of Iron Man presents a solution. It seems some scenes in the movie will feature Kent Nelson's face inside his Doctor Fate helmet, much like how the MCU approached shots of Robert Downey Jr. in his Iron Man suit. The style was implemented in the MCU to ensure that Robert Downey Jr.'s performance as Iron Man could still be showcased while wearing the full suit. For Black Adam, the same thought applies to showcasing the talent of an actor as high caliber as Pierce Brosnan while wearing a golden helmet that shows no facial features. This will allow the nuances of Brosnan's performance to be effectively realized without compromising the character.
How Doctor Fate's Helmet Is Different To Iron Man's (& What Powers It Has)
Much like the head-up display (HUD) inside Iron Man's helmet, the inside of Doctor Fate's helmet also has glowing lights and figures (Via Twitter). However, the similarity between the two helmet displays ends at the internal camera view and glowing lights. Iron Man's helmet used a HUD to display flight and other information. Doctor Fate's powers are entirely magical and therefore will not be using a display in this manner. The Helmet of Fate, however, has plenty of magical properties and abilities that have the potential to be showcased in some form through this interior HUD display. For instance, the wearer can gain the powers of teleportation, telekinesis, and precognition – not to mention invulnerability and flight. Displaying Pierce Brosnan's performance as Doctor Fate inside the helmet is therefore crucial in understanding both the characters of Kent Nelson and Nabu. Depicting the inside of the helmet provides a better opportunity for the two characters to interact as they grapple for control of Doctor Fate, while wielding extraordinary abilities.
Pierce Brosnan's acting will be on full display as Doctor Fate in Black Adam thanks to the repetition of a classic Iron Man helmet display trick. Showing Kent Nelson inside the helmet is important for the portrayal of the two characters within the singular entity of Doctor Fate. Viewers can therefore get excited to see the full might and the struggles of one of DC's greatest sorcerers when Black Adam changes the DCEU forever with its arrival in theaters.
