The Adult Swim sketch series Robot Chicken has delved into the DC Universe multiple times over the years, with many of their parodies leaning into hilarious elements of the characters. But along the way, they occasionally find something that’s such a good idea that even other versions of the characters end up having similarities.
The Robot Chicken DC Specials make lots of little tweaks to numerous DC characters — but their idea to make Doctor Fate into a superhero therapist actually somewhat predicted a recent direction for the character.
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Robot Chicken DC Comics Special III: Magical Friendship largely focuses on the friendship between the Robot Chicken incarnations of Superman and Batman. Both are members of the Justice League and do their best to protect their respective cities, but they are also short-tempered and prone to mean-spirited snark and practical jokes. One, in particular, proves to be the final straw when Superman tricks a nude Batman out of the Hall of Justice during a fake fire-drill and dresses the sanitation staff as the Dark Knight to make a point about how there’s nothing special about the man behind the bat. This results in Batman tackling Superman and landing in front of the Justice League sanctioned psychiatrist — Doctor Fate.
Although the Doctor Fate of Robot Chicken is still a mystical powerhouse and capable of impossible feats, he’s also reimagined as a far more easy-going figure than most versions of the character. He breezily talks with the pair about their frustrations with the other. Doctor Fate even makes a greater point that the two should embrace the fun of being superheroes and not let their own personal hang-ups get in the way of enjoying what he describes as a pretty “fun” life. He brings up how superheroes get to have flashy costumes, great bodies, amazing powers and get to be the center of attention. He even offers to help the pair work through their issues in counseling — albeit at a price since he is a professional after all.
It’s a fun way to play Doctor Fate, contrasting the power and impressive qualities of the character with a lighter and friendlier personality. It even quietly predicted a recent direction the character has been taking. In the pages of Superman, the Man of Steel ends up meeting with the current Doctor Fate, Khalid Nassour. The two have an open and frank conversation about Superman’s recent life events. Doctor Fate becomes something of a therapist to Superman, helping talk out some of his problems and coming to terms with recent choices he made, such as revealing his identity to the world. It’s something Superman readily thanks Doctor Fate for and suggests it was a genuinely helpful gesture from the mystic.
Depicting Doctor Fate as talkative and friendly is a nice contrast against his more epic elements. It’s also fun to see this version of the character in a sillier light thanks to Robot Chicken before proving to be more engaged (and successful) in the core-DC Universe. While Doctor Fate has always been a dedicated guardian to the world and helped others with their own personal growths, it’s neat to see him do so through conversation and understanding instead of mystical proclamations. It’s a tweak to the character that should remain — and could honestly be played for laughs and emotions if it’s done similar to the Doctor Fate of Robot Chicken.