DOC DOC
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Enhanced human
Occupation: Geneticist/Research Scientist, Criminal Mastermind
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: controlled a group of mutates; ally of Shade and Ralphie Hutchins (former)
Enemies: She-Hulk, Ralphie Hutchins, Dan "Zapper" Ridge, Sheriff Morris Walters
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, California
First Appearance: Savage She-Hulk#18 (July, 1981)
Powers: None except for his longevity. He also has vast knowledge of genetics and biochemistry equal or on par with the Beast or Doctor Bruce Banner and possibly mechanical aptitude equal to Mr. Fantastic and Iron Man. Heightened by the psi-helmet, he had extra-ordinary psychokinetic ability to create mind blasts and control his battle tank with its energy manipulative powers.
History: (Savage She-Hulk#25 (fb) - BTS) - Very little is known about the Doc except he boasts of being over a hundred years old after he learned to retard his age. He spent several years perfecting weapons of war and biological weaponry, but was obsessed with breaking the genetic code itself. Specializing his genetic research, he studied the adaptation and immunization of human cells through mutations and ended up being able to create a series of human mutates he kept hidden on his estate in Beverly Hills, California.
(Savage She-Hulk#18-19) - Concealing his experiments from the public, Doc became ecstatic when he was able to study the gamma-irradiated blood cells belonging to the She-Hulk that were now in the possession of Ralphie Hutchins. He coerced Hutchins and Daniel "Zapper" Ridge into turning over the jade giantess to him to study, but when she broke loose, he injected a serum made from her cells into Hutchins. Transforming into the Brute, Hutchins allowed the Doc enough time to escape the She-Hulk. 
(Savage She-Hulk#21) - Taking for advantage the vacuum left in the criminal underground by the disappearance of Nicholas Trask, the Doc placed an inhibitor on Hutchins to control his continued mutations to his benefit. He set up another of his mutations as the Shade and as Trask's successor with himself pulling the strings. Hiring thugs to assassinate potential threats to his power, he held meeting with the other crime bosses to show off Ralphie's latest mutation as the Seeker. At a location known as the Arena, located under an unfinished highway underpass, the Seeker and the She-Hulk clashed as a demonstration of power over the crime bosses, but the Seeker ended up being buried under the collapsed underpass.
(Savage She-Hulk#22) - The Doc showed off Hutchins' latest mutation as Radius to Shade. They decided to use him as a hitman to kill the She-Hulk, but the attempt to kill her was unsuccessful.
(Savage She-Hulk#23) - As Hutchins mutated into Torque, the Doc and Shade sent him into another unsuccessful attempt to kill the She-Hulk. Tired of the attacks on her life, she rattled a few mob informants for his address.
(Savage She-Hulk#24-25) - Having believed he unlocked the genetic code, Doc created a psi-helment that accelerated his psi-potential. Using it to manipulate Earth-Lord, a creation of Hutchins' latest mutation as Kyr, he clashes with the She-Hulk directly as Hutchins broke free of his control and helped her to attack him. In the struggle, the truth about Shade as a puppet of the Doc was exposed. Using a war machine of his creation tuned into the She-Hulk's body rhythms, the Doc nearly succeeded in killing her, but she briefly reverted to Jennifer Walters to break their link. The distraction allowed the mutates who had been instilled with purpose by Hutchins' dying spirit to wreak their venegeance on the Doc, but he killed them all with one blast. As Walters became the She-Hulk once more, she defeated the Doc and surrendered him to the authorities.
Comments: Created by David Anthony Kraft and Michael Vosburgh.
The plot twists of the Doc and his endless manipulations was one of the few interesting aspects of the first She-Hulk series. As yet, he has not been killed off; hopefully, he could be retconned into a more interesting villain.
Another thing--in the last few years, much of the genetic secrets passed through the Marvel Universe have been linked through the Jackal, Arnim Zola, The High Evolutionary and Maelstrom. Conceivably, the Doc fits in there someplace as well.
Ironically, "Doc" is a nick-name Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk used for her cousin Bruce Banner/Hulk. The experiences she had with the Doc have not soured her on using it.
In the MU, a mutant is a being born with characteristics not possessed by one or both of his parents. A mutate is a being who has acquired an artifical mutation. For all these years, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been misidentified.
by Will Uchtman
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Doc should not be confused with:
Shade should not be confused with:
Shade was actually a short six inch tall blue humanoid (another of Doc's mutates) who, from the controls in the skull of a human-sized android, plotted and posed as the main antagonist of the She-Hulk. Constantly sitting in shadow, he acted as the figurehead of the Doc's criminal organization up until his android body was destroyed by the She-Hulk.
"No one's seen the creep's face...no one knows anything of his past...but everyone's felt the ruthless force of his powers!"
--Savage She-Hulk#21 (23-25
They lived in the caves and underground tunnels of the Doc's Beverly Hills estate. The Doc's mutates were the products of his early experiments, probably using the homeless and drifters. Revering Hutchins as Kyr as their unoffical leader, they resembled misshaped grotesque human beings with colored skin, pointed ears and ape-like traits. Slow and dim-witted, they attempted to protect Kyr from the She-Hulk, but turned against the Doc as Hutchins' consciousness after death entered them all and gave them purpose. Realizing they had to save the She-Hulk by attacking the Doc's war machine, they were blown to bits by its stasis fields.
--Savage She-Hulk#24-25
Appearances:
Savage She-Hulk#18-19 (July-August, 1981) - David Kraft (writer), Mike Vosburg (pencils), Frank Springer (inks), Al Milgrom (editor)
Savage She-Hulk#21-22 (October-November, 1981) - David Kraft (writer), Mike Vosburg (pencils), Frank Springer (inks), Al Milgrom (editor)
Savage She-Hulk#23 (December, 1981) - David Kraft (writer), Mike Vosburg (pencils), Dave Simons, Al Milgrom & Jack Abel (inks), Al Milgrom (editor)
Savage She-Hulk#24 (January, 1982) - David Kraft (writer), Mike Vosburg (pencils), Al Milgrom, Sal Trapani & Armando Gil (inks), Al Milgrom (editor)
Savage She-Hulk#25 (February, 1982) - David Kraft (writer), Mike Vosburg (pencils), Al Milgrom, Sal Trapani, Mike Vosburg, Rick Magyar, Mike Gustovich, Dave Simons, Steve Mitchell, Bob Wiacek, Joe Rubinstein & Jack Abel (inks), Al Milgrom (editor)
First Posted: 10/12/2002
Last updated: 10/12/2002
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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