Fury II + Silver Scarab

Fury and the Silver Scarab were created as second generation heroes in the Justice Society family. Fury was the daughter of the Golden Age Wonder Woman and her introduction preceded the rest of Infinity, Inc., in Wonder Woman #300 (1983). Hector Hall was the son of the Golden Age Hawkman and Hawkgirl (Carter and Shiera Hall). He was first called the Silver Scarab, and later became successor to two other legacies, the Sandman and Doctor Fate.

Both of these characters suffered from continuity complications created by Crisis (1985–86), which removed Wonder Woman from DC's Golden Age continuity. Fury's origin was retconned to replace her mother with a new creation, the Golden Age hero called "Fury," Helena Kosmatos. Lyta's post-Crisis origin was delineated by the stors in Infinity, Inc. #35 and Secret Origins #12 (1987).

Inheritors

The original Fury was prone to mental instability and Helena Kosmatos struggled to control her supernatural powers. Under unrevealed circumstances, Helena gave Lyta over to the adoptive care of Joan Dale (Miss America) and her husband, Admiral Derek Trevor.

Her father's identity was never revealed, though Helena was known to have been romantically involved with Iron Munro. "Lyta" was named for her grandmother, Hippolyta.

Hector and Lyta were childhood friends. They fell in love quite early, and were engaged to marry while attending college at UCLA. Donning the costume made from the Ninth Metal, Hall became the Silver Scarab and with the sons, daughters and proteges of the original Justice Society of America, they petitioned the team for membership. (Infinity Inc. #1) Their membership was denied, and without the blessing of their parents the young heroes formed their own super-hero team called Infinity Inc.

After the great Crisis, the JSA entered another dimension for an indefinite period of time, and Lyta discovered that she was pregnant. (#32) But what should have been a happy news was overshadowed by a growing evil inside of Hector. Before they could marry, Hector fell victim to an evil entity that had remained dormant inside his body since birth. This was a curse placed by Hawkman's ancient foe, the Egyptian called Hath-Set, a high priest of Setekh. Hath-Set forced this entity—the original "Silver Scarab"—into Hall's body. The Scarab battled with Infinity Inc., who were forced to destroy it, and Hector along with it. (#38-44)

Infinity could not save Hector but unknown to Lyta, Hall's essence was cast into the Dream Dimension where it was enslaved by Brute and Glob, renegade servants of Dream of the Endless. These beings attached Hall to a specialized machine that programmed him with information about the machine's owner, the former guardian of the Dream Dimension, Dr. Garret Sanford, a.k.a. the second Sandman. (#49) The immense strain of living in the Dream Dimension had driven Sanford to his death. While Sanford's body remained in stasis, the machine transferred Hall's consciousness into it and changed the body's appearance to match that of Hector Hall. Brute and Glob transformed Hector into the new Sandman (III). At night, the Sandman would visit Lyta while she slept. Their teammate, Nuklon soon discovered this and unmasked Hall in front of her. She and Hector married as they had originally intended and left for the Dream Dimension. (#51)

When the eternal called Dream returned to reclaim his kingdom, he sent Hector on to the afterlife and returned Lyta to the waking world. (Sandman vol. 2 #12) Lyta subsequently gave birth to their child, a boy named Daniel. (#22) Daniel was claimed by Dream and groomed to become the new incarnation of Dream (II). (#69) Lyta was traumatized by the loss of her son and for a time she wandered. She traveled to Athens to meet the Furies. (Sandman Presents: The Furies)

Doctor Fate IV

Hector Hall's soul drifted in a spiritual limbo, until a time when the Dark Lord Mordru began the systematic slaughter of all the known agents of Order and Chaos. On Earth, Wesley Dodds (the original Sandman) sensed Mordru's coming in dreams. Dodds traveled to Mount Kailash in western Tibet with longtime friend Speed Saunders to meet the mysterious Gray Man. His dreams told Dodds that a new Doctor Fate was about to be born, but was in danger from this Dark Lord. Saunders rushed to inform the new Justice Society while Dodds waited for Mordru to come. Wesley sacrificed himself by leaping from the mountain, thus preventing Mordru from learning the location of the child. (JSA Secret Files #1)

Mordru teamed with the Sons of Anubis to retrieve the powerful mystical artifacts of Doctor Fate. One of his victims was Jared Stevens, a successor who called himself Fate. (JSA #1) Fate's powers and artifacts were mystically transported to the Tower of Fate, where the JSA and Mordru converged along with the "baby Fate." (JSA #2) Mordru intended to steal Nabu's power before this transformation could occur, but he was intercepted by a hero called the Scarab (Louis Sendak) and the JSA's Star-Spangled Kid. The original Doctor Fate, Kent Nelson, called to the Star-Spangled Kid from inside the amulet of Anubis. She entered another world where Nelson said he and wife Inza had no interest in resuming the mantle of Fate. He bid her to retrieve the Scarabeus from Scarab and hold it to the child's' chest. She was returned to the Tower and at the last second, completed her task. The child was instantaneously transformed into a new Doctor Fate (IV). (This infant was the biological offspring of two agents of Chaos and Order — Don Hall and Dawn Granger, Hawk and Dove II). (JSA #3)

Doctor Fate battled Mordru, whose spell forced Fate to lose control of his artifacts. Mordru retrieved them and gained Nabu's powers. The Dark Lord's victory was short lived, as the power of Fate crushed him and banished him to the netherworlds of the Amulet of Anubis. Hector Hall was welcomed back by his friends, and also called by Kent Nelson for counsel. Kent said that Hector's powers would evolve, and that he was an agent of balance. Nelson agreed to help guide him from within the amulet. (#4)

The new Doctor Fate also joined a loose-knit group of mystical heroes who called themselves the Sentinels of Magic. They played a key role in in the battle between Heaven and Hell, when the demon Azmodel tried to take control of the Spectre. (Day of Judgment #3–5)

Hector's father was also reincarnated as Hawkman (Carter and Shiera Hall had died during the so-called Zero Hour). (JSA #23) As Doctor Fate, Hector often struggled with Nabu — the ancient source of Fate's power — for the control of Doctor Fate. Hector became very mistrustful of Nabu, who would often wrest control of Fate away from Hector. Hector also continued to search for Lyta, who had since gone missing. What he did not know is that both Nabu and the evil Mordru had tricked Hector on this quest. Nabu had in fact removed Lyta from the mortal realm and cast a "blinding spell" on her so that she could not remember her former life. This he did in order to fashion Hector into the perfect pawn.

A woman resembling Lyta surfaced, comatose, in a hospital. She was however, Dawn Granger, who had herself been the victim of Mordru's spell. (#44)

Doctor Fate, volume 3

Hall starred in his own 5-issue limited series in 2003, by Christopher Golden and Don Kramer.

Hector settled into the Tower of Fate in Salem, Massachusetts, and also into his role as guardian of the magical world. His relationship with Nabu—who "guided" him from within the helmet—was always strained, mostly because of the ancient's disdainful attitude toward his "inexperienced" new host. In Salem, Hector's eye even turned to a new love interest, a waitress named Caitlin. (Doctor Fate vol. 3 #1)

In New York, an ancient enemy of Nabu was summoned. This was a Lord of Chaos called the Curse. The Curse had terrorized the people of ancient Egypt until Nabu banished him from Earth and into his own crimson helm. A Salemite named Justin Guilder was the Curse's unwitting new host. (#2-3)

During a fierce battle in Kahndaq, Nabu made another grab at dominance. This time, while Hector was trapped inside the artifacts of Fate, he allied himself with the spirits of his predecessors and discovered that Nabu had also hidden Lyta therein. This happy occasion was sufficient for Hector and Lyta to regain control of Fate, return to the material world, and banish Nabu into silence. (#58) They returned to their new home, the Tower of Fate in Salem, Massachusetts and Hector resigned from the JSA. (#59, 63-64)

Infinite Crisis

Shortly after their reunion, Hector and Lyta were cast into Hell by the Spectre, who was on a rampage to eradicate all magic. They fought for their lives but Fury ultimately called upon their son Daniel to take them to the land of the Dreaming. (#80)

Notes: The decision to kill off Hector and Lyta seemed strange given all the effort that Geoff Johns spent in bringing them "back to life." Perhaps after the mini-series failed to excite readers, it was decided to let Fate fall in anticipation of the upheavals in the magical world. In the Day of Vengeance event (part of Infinite Crisis), the Spectre destroyed Nabu and all magic in the DC universe, and the Helm of Nabu was flung into space. (Day of Vengeance: Infinite Crisis Special) When the helmet returned to Earth, Kent V. Nelson — a relative of the original Dr. Fate — became the new Fate.

At this time, Fury's biological mother, Helena Kosmatos, had joined the Amazons in defending her adoptive home of Themyscira from an army of OMACs. (Wonder Woman vol. 2 #223) At Diana's urging, the Amazons then left Earth for parts unknown rather than use their Purple Death Ray to slaughter the innocent people trapped within the OMACs. Helena's fate was not revealed, but she presumably departed with the other Amazons.

Earth-2, Post-Infinite Crisis

After the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the original Earth Two was merged into all other surviving Earths. After the Infinite Crisis, the multiverse of the DC Universe was restored, there was again an Earth-2. Their history seemed to have unfolded as if the first Crisis had never happened (picking up approximately after Infinity, Inc. #24). On it, Infinity Inc. and the Justice Society merged to form Justice Society Infinity, and Fury and Silver Scarab were members. (JSA Kingdom Come Special: The Kingdom #1)

Powers

Fury possessed the inherent power of the Amazons. Like her mother, Wonder Woman, she had super-strength and invulnerability. She was also trained from birth as a warrior, an accomplished hand-to-hand combatant.

As Silver Scarab, Hector Hall's Ninth Metal suit allowed him to defy gravity, and it could channel solar energy to be focused into blasts. As the Sandman, he could travel between Earth and the Dream Dimension, and visit the dreams of others. As Doctor Fate, he possessed the extremely powerful Helm of Nabu and Amulet of Anubis, which tapped near limitless magical potential (even if he was inexperienced in using it).

Appearances + References

» FEATURED APPEARANCES:

Lyta:

• JSA #58-59
• Sandman vol. 2 #11–12, 22, 40, 57–61, 63–65, 67–72
• Sandman Presents: The Furies

Hector:

• Day of Judgment #3–5
• Day of Judgment Secret Files & Origins #1
• JSA #2–4, 6–9, 58-59
• Martian Manhunter #18–19
• Sins of Youth: Starwoman and the JSA #1
• Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #8
• Young Justice #20
• Young Justice: Sins of Youth #1–2

Daniel Hall aka Dream II:

• Sandman vol. 2 #22, 40, 57, 59, 61, 65–72, 74

» SERIES:

• Infinity, Inc., 53 issues (1984-88)
• JSA, 87 issues (1999–2006)
• Doctor Fate vol. 3, 5-issue limited series (2003-04)

» SEE ALSO:

• Doctor Fate I + III
• Doctor Fate II
• Doctor Fate V
• Doctor Fate (New 52)
• Fury I
• Miss America
• Sandman II (Garrett Sanford)
• Sentinels of Magic
• Dr. Fate's Curse: Speaking with Writer Christopher Golden. Contino, Jennifer (14 Nov. 2002)