DOCTOR SPECTRUM
Real Name: Dr. Alice Nugent
Identity/Class: Human empowered by item
Occupation: Adventurer, CEO of Nugent Technologies; former lab assistant
Group Membership: Nugent Technologies; formerly Supreme Power (Hyperion/Zhib Ran, Nighthawk/Kyle Richmond, Speed Demon/James Sanders)
Affiliations: Grandmaster;
formerly Avengers (Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff, Vision, Wasp/Janet Van Dyne, Wonder Man/Simon Williams), Commission on Superhuman Activities, Iron Man (Tony Stark), Iron Man (James Rhodes), Dr. Henry Pym;
possibly Beast (Henry McCoy), Black Panther (T'Challa)
Enemies: Baron Zemo (Helmut Zemo), Thunderbolts (Atlas/Erik Josten, Blizzard/Donald Gill, Fixer/Paul Norbert Ebersol, Joystick/Janice Yanizeski, Mach-IV/Abner Jenkins, Photon/Genis-Vell, Radioactive Man/Chen Lu, Smuggler/Conrad Josten, Songbird/Melissa Gold), Ultron;
formerly Nighthawk (Kyle Richmond), Speed Demon (James Sanders)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: An expensive penthouse apartment in Manhattan & Nugent Technologies in Old Tappan, New Jersey;
formerly Nugent Technologies in St. Louis, Missouri;
place of birth Bellefonte, Delaware
First Appearance: (Unconfirmed; scientist named Alice) Avengers I#164 (October, 1977) (see comments); (as Alice Nugent) Iron Man I#194 (May, 1985); (as Doctor Spectrum) New Thunderbolts#15 (January, 2006)
Powers/Abilities: Using the handheld Power Prism Doctor Spectrum could retract light and convert it into physical forms or concussive energy for various effects. The prism bonded with its host and could not be used by someone it was not bonded with, nor could it use its energy manipulating powers without a human mind guiding it. The prism could fire concussive bolts or create solid constructs and could generate energy other than light such as electricity or heat. Doctor Spectrum could fly at supersonic speeds and was presumably protected from most forms of injury. She could track objects or individuals by following energy wavelengths, even creating "surveillance spheres" to track several targets at once. Doctor Spectrum could switch from street clothes to costume instantly. She was surrounded by an aura of multi-hued energy when using the Power Prism's power. The Power Prism could telepathically communicate with its host and corrupted them.
She has a PhD in electrical engineering from UCLA and is a telecommunications specialist.
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 125 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde
History:
(Avengers III#20 (fb) - BTS) - At some point Alice Nugent founded Nugent Technologies.
(New Thunderbolts#16 (fb) - BTS) - All Alice Nugent ever wanted was to gain super-powers.
(Avengers I#164) - Alice helped Tony Stark, Henry McCoy and Hank Pym examine Simon Williams, who had recently returned from the dead. They discovered that what originally appeared to be lethal cell deterioration (back in Avengers I#9 (October, 1964)) was actually the beginning of Simon transforming into a being composed of living energy.
(Avengers III#20 (fb) - BTS) - She hired Dr. Henry Pym, but pretended to be a mere employee because she didn't want him to feel like his boss was looking over his shoulder. She instead worked as his lab assistant because she was interested in seeing his research methods and laboratory procedures.
(Iron Man I#194) - Alice Nugent introduced herself to Iron Man (James Rhodes) and asked where Pym was. After Iron Man told her that he had been sucked through a portal alongside a criminal, Alice gave Iron Man an electronic beacon that would help him find his way back. Nugent stared at the portal and was unaware that a gray blob suddenly appeared behind her. The blob grew and grabbed her. She passed out.
Nugent regained consciousness after Iron Man, Pym and the criminal returned and the blob dissipated. Pym deduced that the blob was a creature from the other dimension they had displaced. Nugent, Pym and Iron Man were shocked when the criminal fled back to the other dimension. Nugent believed he had gone crazy.
(Iron Man I#195 - BTS) - Alice recommended to James Rhodes to visit Shaman (Michael Twoyoungmen) to help him with his headaches. She then gave Shaman a call to inform him that Rhodes would be coming to him.
(Avengers III#19 (fb) - BTS) - Dr. Alice Nugent was present when various versions of Ultron attacked Nugent Technologies in Old Tappan and abducted Pym, destroying his lab in the process.
(Avengers III#19 (fb)) - Janet Van Dyne flew over to pick up Pym for their lunch date, but was informed by Nugent that robots had abducted Pym. Janet hurried back to the Avengers to get help.
(Avengers III#20) - Dr. Alice Nugent welcomed Janet and her Avengers teammates Scarlet Witch, Vision and Wonder Man back at Nugent Technologies. Janet believed that Ultron was behind the attack while Nugent revealed that she had always been the owner of the corporation Pym was working for and that her role as his lab assistant was something she did to put him at ease while she could learn more about his work and procedures. She showed the Avengers to Pym's destroyed lab and was helpless when more Ultron robots attacked the lab and abducted the Avengers present. Nugent told her employees to get her a phone so she could report what had happened.
(New Thunderbolts#15) - Nugent was brought to Washington, D.C. to help the Commission on Superhuman Activities communicate with the inactive, alien Power Prism, which had been taken from the unconscious Martha Gomes after she was defeated by the Thunderbolts in Manhattan. The scientists present and Nugent guessed the origin of this new Power Prism, but Nugent already knew that it was of alien origin because it was talking to her.
(New Thunderbolts#15 - BTS) - The Power Prism reactivated and took Dr. Alice Nugent as its new host, turning her into Doctor Spectrum. She set out to reunite the Squadron Sinister (as the Supreme Power) and started with Hyperion.
(New Thunderbolts#15) - Doctor Spectrum and Hyperion flew to Thunderbolts HQ to pick up Nighthawk and Speed Demon.
(New Thunderbolts#16) - The duo sparred with the Thunderbolts, but Doctor Spectrum made it clear that they were trying to save the planet, which convinced Speed Demon to join them. Hyperion picked up Nighthawk after he was knocked out while Spectrum held back the Thunderbolts by trapping them in energy bubbles.
Doctor Spectrum took her new team to Nugent Technologies in Old Tappan and tried to sell Nighthawk and Speed Demon on the idea to actually become an army by creating loyal superhumans to join them by accessing the Wellspring of Power, which the Grandmaster had used to empower the original Squadron Sinister. Nugent's plans to save the world included feeding and sheltering the poor, overthrowing dictators and madmem and dispersing the greed of the few to the many. Speed Demon got annoyed and decided to betray Nugent and Hyperion because he had no interest to join another team of do-gooders while Nighthawk was skeptical the whole time. Nighthawk took Nugent's Power Prism, tossed it over to Speed Demon, who smashed it into Hyperion's face, seemingly destroying it. The Thunderbolts arrived, but Nugent and Hyperion were teleported away by the Grandmaster.
(Thunderbolts I#102 (fb) - BTS) - The Grandmaster gave Nugent a new Power Prism empowered by the energies of the Wellspring of Power.
(New Thunderbolts#16) - Speed Demon was contacted by Nugent and soon joined her, Hyperion and their benefactor the Grandmaster in Nugent's penthouse apartment in Manhattan. Grandmaster needed the team for a contest of great importance.
(Thunderbolts I#102 (fb)) - Nighthawk, who was also contacted by Nugent, soon arrived as well and was convinced by Grandmaster to join the Supreme Power to oppose the threat Helmut Zemo posed to the universe. He asked Supreme Power to find the Wellspring of Power for him.
(Thunderbolts I#102) - Doctor Spectrum and the rest of her team looked at a holographic map of Earth with signals showing smaller Wellsprings all over Earth used by the Church of the Universal Wellspring. She knew that the smaller signals connected to one large Wellspring of Power and the team split up to find the smaller wells in order to access the larger one.
(Thunderbolts I#105) - Doctor Spectrum welcomed Nighthawk, the Supreme Power's spy on the Thunderbolts, back at her apartment. The Grandmaster promised to restore Speed Demon's powers as soon as he had access to the Wellspring of Power again. He also reminded the Supreme Power team that Zemo was a threat to the entire universe.
(Thunderbolts I#106 (fb) - BTS) - Each time a smaller Wellspring was closed Doctor Spectrum used surveillance spheres to follow the released energy to its source, but each time her spheres dissipated before they could reach the largest Wellspring.
(Thunderbolts I#106) - Supreme Power attacked the Church of the Universal Wellspring in China. Doctor Spectrum used lethal force against the fanatics because they were in their way to access the Wellspring of Power. Her actions didn't sit well with Nighthawk. Hyperion closed the small Wellspring and Doctor Spectrum created surveillance spheres and used them to follow the power leaving the dying monks to the last open wellspring conduit, the largest Wellspring of Power. She hoped her tracers wouldn't dissipate again before finding the Wellspring.
(Thunderbolts I#106 - BTS) - Supreme Power (Doctor Spectrum, Hyperion and Nighthawk) followed the spheres to a castle in Germany and took out the Church of the Universal Wellspring cultists.
(Thunderbolts I#106) - The Thunderbolts found the final Wellspring of Power as well. Doctor Spectrum caught Smuggler (Conrad Josten) in an energy bubble, while the rest of her team fought the Thunderbolts. Mach-IV destroyed the bubble to free Smuggler. Radioactive Man then threatened the life of Hyperion and told Doctor Spectrum to surrender. She didn't and Zemo confronted Nugent questioning how such a brilliant woman was unable to choose the winning side. He went past her to access the Wellspring of Power and after a short fight with the Grandmaster slew him. The Wellspring's powers were dispersed all over Earth after Joystick dropped her staff into the Wellspring of Power (it was designed by Grandmaster to do that).
(Defenders: Strange Heroes - Doctor Spectrum profile) - Nugent's plans after the Supreme Power split apart are unrevealed.
Comments: Created by Denny O'Neil, Luke McDonnell, Akin & Garvey.
Though the original source is lost at this point (even the mighty web archive can't reach it anymore) it is known that Kurt Busiek originally intended Nugent to be revealed as the Crimson Cowl in Thunderbolts, but he left the title before he could get to it. Nugent's return in Avengers III#19-20 was apparently to reintroduce her to readers and set up the big reveal.
There is also a rumor floating around of an unconfirmed earlier appearance in Avengers I#164 (October, 1977). I see the bespectacled woman named Alice working in the lab with Tony Stark, Beast and Pym, but let's not take away the creator credit from Denny O'Neil yet. It could absolutely be her, which is the reason why I included it in italics in this profile, but there is no actual proof for it.
The Supreme Power as a team were not seen after Thunderbolts I#106. Nighthawk and Speed Demon were still around, but Hyperion and Doctor Spectrum were just gone. According to Doctor Spectrum's profile Nugent is still around somewhere but a bit planless.
Like most comic book characters she has changing eye color syndrome. Her eyes are blue in some issues and brown in others.
Doctor Spectrum received a handbook profile in Defenders: Strange Heroes (February, 2012).
Profile by Markus Raymond.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Doctor Spectrum (Alice Nugent) has no known connection to:
And should be distinguished from:
images (without ads)
Defenders: Strange Heroes, Doctor Spectrum profile (main image)
Avengers III#20, p9, pan3 (head shot)
Iron Man I#194, p11, pan8 (original appearance)
Avengers I#164, p2, pan4 (Alice, maybe Nugent)
Appearances:
Avengers I#164 (October, 1977) - Jim Shooter (writer), John Byrne (pencils), Pablo Marcos (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Iron Man I#194-195 (May-June, 1985) - Denny O'Neil (writer), Luke McDonnell (pencils), Akin & Garvey (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Avengers III#19-20 (August-September, 1999) - Kurt Busiek (writer), George Pérez (pencils), Al Vey (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
New Thunderbolts#15-16 (January-February, 2006) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Rick Leonardi (pencils), Cam Smith (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thunderbolts II#102 (July, 2006) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Tom Grummett (pencils), Gary Erskine (inks), Molly Lazer (editor)
Thunderbolts II#105-106 (October-November, 2006) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Tom Grummett (pencils), Gary Erskine (inks), Molly Lazer (editor)
First Posted: 10/08/2022
Last updated: 10/08/2022
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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