Dr. Spectrum is a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe, and a member of the Squadron Supreme. There are actually several different Marvel incarnations of Dr. Spectrum, one of whom was a supervillain. Dr. Spectrum was created by Roy Thomas as part of an homage to the Justice League. All incarnations are essentially based on the DC Comics character Green Lantern. Editors at DC were so impressed with Squadron Supreme that Thomas actually got to write stories for the Justice League comic book later on. It has been suggested that Felicia (pseudonym) be merged into this article or section. ... In comic books, first appearance refers to the date or issue of a characters first appearance. ... The Avengers are a superhero team, consisting of many of Marvel Comics most popular heroes. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... Supreme Power is a comic book series which was published under Marvel Comics MAX imprint for mature audiences, from 2003 to 2005 and writen by J. Michael Straczynski and drawn by Gary Frank, lasting eighteen issues. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Roy Thomas (born November 22, 1940, Missouri, United States) is a comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lees first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. ... The Squadron Supreme is a team of comic book superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe, a thinly disguised version of DC Comics Justice League of America. ... The Squadron Supreme is a team of comic book superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe, a thinly disguised version of DC Comics Justice League of America. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... Superman and Batman, two of the most recognizable and iconic superheroes. ... It has been suggested that Felicia (pseudonym) be merged into this article or section. ... Various characters of the Marvel Universe. ... The Squadron Supreme is a team of comic book superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe, a thinly disguised version of DC Comics Justice League of America. ... Doctor Doom, one of the most archetypal supervillains and his arch-enemies The Fantastic Four (in background). ... Roy Thomas (born November 22, 1940, Missouri, United States) is a comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lees first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. ... The Justice League, sometimes called the Justice League of America or JLA for short, is a DC Comics superhero team. ... DC Comics (originally called Detective Comics, Inc. ... Cover to Green Lantern: Rebirth #6, art by Ethan Van Sciver. ...

Various incarnations of Doctor Spectrum

There are three versions of Dr. Spectrum from three different dimensions in the Marvel Universe, none of which come from the normal Marvel continuity. The version of Dr. Spectrum that had the most development was the version who was a member of the Squadron Supreme. The version of Dr. Spectrum in the "Supreme Power" comic is a rebooted version of this character. There is also an evil version of Dr. Spectrum who was a member of the Squadron Sinister, who had several incarnations. Although the Squadron Sinister Dr. Spectrum preceded the Squadron Supreme version in appearance, the latter is considered the original as the former was revealed to be just a copy. Below are more detailed descriptions of each version of the character.

Squadron Sinister (II)

Dr. Spectrum of Earth-616 first appeared in The Avengers #70 (November 1969) as a member of the Squadron Sinister, a group of supervillains assembled by the alien Grandmaster to fight the Avengers. The Squadron Sinister was created by Roy Thomas and was broadly based on DC Comics' Justice League. This Dr. Spectrum had a hunger to rule the earth (Defenders #13) and a power prism with its own personality, that it lost after it had been restored by Nebulon, the Celestial Man. The Avengers are a superhero team, consisting of many of Marvel Comics most popular heroes. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... The Grandmaster is a fictional character published by Marvel Comics, he first appeared in Avengers #69. ... Roy Thomas (born November 22, 1940, Missouri, United States) is a comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lees first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. ... The Justice League, sometimes called the Justice League of America or JLA for short, is a DC Comics superhero team. ... The Defenders was a comic book series about a loosely-organized team of superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe. ...

The first person to use the power prism in the Marvel Universe was Dr. Kenji Obatu, a ruthless African politician, who found the gem and merged with it. After the Squadron's defeat at the end of The Avengers #70, the prism sought another host, finding in it evangelist William Roberts. The Avengers took custody of the prism after defeating Roberts, and it took control of the Wasp and Thor before being destroyed. The Wasp is a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe, and is a central member of The Avengers. ... Thor (often called The Mighty Thor) is a Marvel Comics superhero, based on the thunder god of Norse mythology. ...

A much later retcon revealed that the Doctor Spectrum of the Squadron Sinister had been created by the Grandmaster as a copy of the Squadron Supreme's Doctor Spectrum, and that the Squadron Sinister version's power prism was actually an alien Skrull, named Krimonn, in a mutated crystalline form. Retroactive continuity — commonly contracted to the blend retcon — is the adding of new information to historical material, or deliberately changing previously established facts in a work of serial fiction. ... The Skrull are an alien race in Marvel Comics fictional universe. ...

Squadron Supreme (I)

In Avengers #85-86 (March-April 1971), Thomas created the Squadron Supreme, a group of heroes from Earth-712 who were a more direct homage of the Justice League than their Squadron Sinister predecessors. This group had its own version of Dr. Spectrum, with a human secret identity of Joe Ledger. 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... The Squadron Supreme is a team of comic book superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe, a thinly disguised version of DC Comics Justice League of America. ...

Dr. Spectrum used to be an astronaut, adventurer and something of a playboy. On one of his space missions he saved the life of a benevolent alien of the Skrull race. In gratitude for rescuing him, the Skrull gave Joe Ledger the Power Prism, an energy synthesizer his people had created. U.S. Space Shuttle astronaut Bruce McCandless II using a manned maneuvering unit (MMU) outside the Challenger in 1984. ... The Skrull are an alien race in Marvel Comics fictional universe. ...

Dr. Spectrum has the similar relationships to the other Squadron members as the Green Lantern character has to other members of the Justice League of America. His best friends are Golden Archer (based on Green Arrow) and the Whizzer (based on the Flash). Golden Archer (Wyatt McDonald) is a comic book superhero and a member of the Squadron Supreme. ... Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) is a DC Comics superhero. ... Whizzer I Whizzer II The Whizzer (I) The original Whizzer was Robert L. Frank. ... The Flash. ...

The Squadron implemented a Utopia project in the wake of their world being devastated by the Overmind. During that period the distraught former Squadron member known as Nuke died in a fight with Dr. Spectrum and his best friend, Golden Archer, was killed in a fight about the Utopia project. Both events turned Dr. Spectrum's character into a more serious one.

At last note, Dr. Spectrum and a reformed Squadron were fighting to free their world from a global dictatorship which had taken it over while the team was stranded in the main Marvel Universe.

Supreme Power (III)

In August 2003, the Supreme Power series began to chronicle a rebooted version of the Squadron Supreme. Supreme Power is a comic book series which was published under Marvel Comics MAX imprint for mature audiences, from 2003 to 2005 and writen by J. Michael Straczynski and drawn by Gary Frank, lasting eighteen issues. ... The Squadron Supreme is a team of comic book superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe, a thinly disguised version of DC Comics Justice League of America. ...

In this version, Joseph (Joe) Daniel Ledger is a Colonel in the United States Army, the son of a prostitute named Mary Ledger, whose step-father Eddie physically abused him. He has an ex-wife named Mandy and a son named Jordan whom he doesn't know. He joined the Army at sixteen with a fake identity. Later in life Sergeant Joe Ledger was on a mission in South America, in which he shot and killed a boy and afterwards attacked a fellow soldier, being demoted to Corporal. After his mother was murdered, Joe discovered his mother didn't know who his real father is. He killed his step-father upon learning the truth. The government gave Joe Ledger an option, to perform covert operations missions or go to prison. Colonel is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with the corresponding ranks existing in nearly every country in the world. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Child abuse is the physical or psychological maltreatment of a child by an adult often synonymous with the term child maltreatment or the term child abuse and neglect. ... This article is about the rank of sergeant. ... Covert operations are military or political activities that are not only clandestine (undertaken in a manner that disguises the identity of the perpetrators) but also covert, i. ...

Ledger got the nickname Doctor because of the precision he performed his secret missions around the world, like a surgeon. He is considered the perfect soldier: an army man who follows any and all orders and is a natural killer. Joe Ledger was the only candidate who was focused and single minded enough to be able to control the power prism found in Hyperion's space ship. It was absorbed into his skin and he lapsed into a coma. A thoracic surgeon performs a mitral valve replacement at the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center, November 1990. ... Hyperion is a character in the Marvel Comics series Supreme Power, published under the mature-readers imprint MAX Comics, written by J. Michael Straczynski and drawn by Gary Frank. ... In medicine, a coma (from the Greek koma, meaning deep sleep) is a profound state of unconsciousness. ...

A six-issue limited series entitled Doctor Spectrum: Full Spectrum was launched in 2004 while Supreme Power went on hiatus. The series was written by Samm Barnes, and dealt with Joe Ledger's background, presented in flashback when the power prism was attempting to the take control of Joe's mind while he was in coma. Ledger learned what the power prism's real mission directive is and how much power he and the prism really has. The limited series is a term referring to a comic book series with a set finite number of issues. ... Sara (Samm) Barnes is a television and comics writer, as well as a television producer. ...

After recovering from his coma, Doctor Spectrum was once again used for covert missions for the government, missions Hyperion was being blamed for. The two fought a long battle in which Hyperion touched the crystal by accident and was given memories of his journey to Earth, after which he defeated Spectrum. Ledger then met Amphibian while healing after the fight. Doctor Spectrum found out doctors had used samples of Hyperion's DNA to create new superhumans like the super-human serial killer. Amphibian is a member of the Squadron Supreme, and an analogue of DC Comics Aquaman. ...

After taking the super-human serial killer Michael Redstone into custody, he was approached by the super-hero program's new official, General Richard Alexander, who ordered Spectrum to locate and capture Amphibian, showing him a picture of her killing two people. After capturing Amphibian and starting a romantic relationship with her, Doctor Spectrum meets Zarda, who attempted to remove the power prism and retrieve her memories. But before that happened, she was attacked by Amphibian in retaliation for harming Spectrum. Power Princess, real name Zarda, is a fictional character in Marvel Comics. ...

Powers and abilities

Dr. Spectrum's power prism enables him to fly and create objects of some unknown form of energy. He can create a force field around himself in order to withstand enormous concussive impacts and can use the prism to allow himself to withstand the vacuum of space.

Additional notes

• Joe Ledger's initials, JL, are very reminiscent of Green Lantern's sometime nickname, GL.

• The bullies that appear in issue 2 of the limited series look remarkably similar to Jimbo, Dolph, Kearney and Nelson from The Simpsons.

• In early issues of Supreme Power, Joe Ledger is sometimes referred to as Corporal Ledger. The author J Michael Straczynski verified this as a typo in his internet postings. (ref: http://www.jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-17086). Samm Barnes retrofits this typo in the six issue Dr. Spectrum by having Joe Ledger busted back to Corporal early in his career.