Doctor Mid-Nite
| Doctor Mid-Nite | |
|---|---|
Cover to JSA: All-Stars #6. Art by John Cassaday and Mark Lewis. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | McNider: All-American Comics #25 (April 1941) Chapel: Infinity Inc. #19 (October 1985) As Doctor Midnight: Infinity Inc. #21 (December 1985) Cross: Doctor Mid-Nite #1 (September 1999) |
| Created by | McNider: Charles Reizenstein Stanley Josephs Aschmeier Chapel: Roy Thomas Todd McFarlane Cross: Matt Wagner John K. Snyder III |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Metahuman |
| Place of origin | Orangeburg, South Carolina (Chapel) Sogndal, Norway (Cross) |
| Team affiliations | Justice Society of America McNider: All-Star Squadron U.S. Medical Corps Black Lantern Corps Justice League Chapel: Infinity, Inc. Shadow Fighters |
| Notable aliases | Doctor Midnite Doctor Midnite Midnight Doctor |
| Abilities | Each version of Doctor Mid-Nite possess abilities that allows them natural night-vision, able to see in complete darkness. They also commonly are physicians specializing in treating superheroes, normal and metahuman alike. |
Doctor Mid-Nite (or Doctor Midnight) is the name of multiple superheroes published in American comic books by DC Comics. The original version of the character was first created by writer Charles Reizenstein and artist Stanley Josephs Aschmeier in 1941, debuting in All-American Comics #25 (April 1941). All versions of the character are depicted as blinded superheroes capable of seeing in darkness and serve as physicians of normal and metahuman superheroes of the DC Universe. 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.
The first version of the character was Charles McNider, a surgeon who was blinded but discovered abilities that allowed him to see solely in the dark. Donning special goggles and becoming a crime fighter, he became the first Doctor Mid-Nite and is an important member of the All-Star Squadron and Justice Society of America. The second version was Elizabeth "Beth" Chapel, McNider's African-American protege aware of his heroic dual identity and who is similarly injured during an explosion from an oxygen tank while helping a patient although her vision is partially restored. Also able to see better in dark conditions, Beth eventually adopts her mentor's codename and legacy, acting as official physician of the JSA's adjacent team, Infinity Inc. She later becomes a member of the Justice Society of America. The third version of the character is Pieter Cross, Norwegian medical prodigy who was delivered as an infant by McNider and is his second protege. Blinded after a car accident while drugged with a variation of the venom drug, he is also able to see at night and becomes the next Doctor Mid-Nite, serving as the Justice Society's de-facto medic and mentoring heroes such as Jaime Reyes. In recent publications, both Cross and Chapel concurrently serve as Doctor Mid-Nite.
Doctor Mid-Nite has made several appearance in media adaptions, most notably the Charles McNider version making his live action debut in the second season of Legends of Tomorrow played by Kwesi Ameyaw. McNider also appears in Stargirl, portrayed by Henry Thomas in season one and Alex Collins in season two. Beth Chapel also appears in the series, portrayed by actress Anjelika Washington.