Doctor Light (Kimiyo Hoshi)

This article is about the DC Comics superhero. For the DC Comics supervillain, see Doctor Light (Arthur Light).
Doctor Light
Doctor Light as depicted in DC Universe Holiday Special #1 (February 2009). Art by Rodolfo Migliari.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceCrisis on Infinite Earths #4 (July 1985)
Created byMarv Wolfman
George Pérez
(based upon the Arthur Light character by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky)
In-story information
Alter egoDr. Kimiyo Tazu Hoshi
SpeciesMetahuman
Place of originJapan
Team affiliationsJustice League International
Doom Patrol
Kord Enterprises
Birds of Prey
S.T.A.R. Labs
Justice League
Justice League Europe
Abilities
  • Light transformation (light form/mimicry)
  • Flight
  • Interstellar travel
  • Intangibility
  • Invisibility
  • Phasing
  • Photokinesis
  • Photokinetic constructs
  • EM spectrum control
  • Force field generation

Doctor Light (Dr. Kimiyo Tazu Hoshi) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.[1] Kimiyo Hoshi is a distinct character from the villain of the same name.[2] She has, however, crossed paths with the villainous Doctor Light on several occasions.

Doctor Light appeared in the sixth season of the television series The Flash, portrayed by Emmie Nagata.

Publication history

Doctor Light first appeared in Crisis on Infinite Earths #4 and was created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez.[3]

Fictional character biography

Kimiyo Tazu Hoshi, a brilliant but overly-driven scientist,[4] is the supervising astronomer at an observatory in Japan during Crisis on Infinite Earths. The Monitor decides that he needs additional forces to turn the war against the Anti-Monitor in his favor. To this end, he sends a devastating beam of energy which strikes Hoshi, leaving massive destruction in its wake. Granted power over light, Hoshi is assigned by the Monitor to guard one of the vibrational forks needed to save Earth.[1] Teen Titans member Starfire and Outsiders member Halo set out to destroy the machine. Since Doctor Light cannot speak to them in English, she resorts to blasting them away from the machine. Superman is the first to communicate with her, given his knowledge of most of Earth's languages.[1]

Doctor Light, granted the ability to understand English, accompanies several heroes to the anti-matter universe to confront the Anti-Monitor. She and Superman soon discover the machines that the villain has deployed to destroy the remaining Earths. When Anti-Monitor ambushes Superman, Doctor Light defends Superman until Supergirl arrives, sacrificing herself so that Superman can be brought to safety.[5]

Doctor Light has joined the Justice League a few times over the years, most notably as a member of Justice League Europe during the latter half of its incarnation.[1] She also joins the Doom Patrol for a time and enters a relationship with Global Guardians member Rising Sun.[1]

Infinite Crisis and after

In Green Arrow (vol. 3) #54, Arthur Light, the villainous male Doctor Light, attacks Hoshi and removes her powers. It appeared that her predicament was temporary; in Infinite Crisis, she is seen aiding in the evacuation of Tokyo, Japan.[6]

Kimiyo Hoshi appeared in costume in 52 Week 35, alongside various other heroes. All are assisting the injured victims of Lex Luthor, who had deactivated the powers he had given to select recipients. She is also shown in 52 Week 50, in the climactic battle of World War III.

Dr. Light appears in World War III: United We Stand, the fourth issue of the World War III mini-series that coincided with 52 Week 50. She is one of the first wave of heroes who confront (and are taken down by) Black Adam. He grasps her neck with such force that she instantly blacks out; he throws her aside.

Oracle invites Kimiyo to join the Birds of Prey (issue #100), but she was not selected to take part in the first mission. She does, however, appear in Birds of Prey #113 (January 2008), assisting Oracle by scanning the electromagnetic spectrum for any evidence that might lead her to the parties responsible for an influx of hi-tech weaponry being smuggled into Metropolis. She is unable to locate any such evidence.

Doctor Light is only occasionally active in the superhero community because she is a single mother with two children: Imako, her daughter, and Yasu, her son.[1] Gail Simone confirmed in an interview that Kimiyo's children were not retconned out of existence by changes to DC continuity.

Doctor Light works in S.T.A.R. Labs and has an interior monologue about the erratic fluctuations in her powers that lead to her retirement from being a superhero. Upon returning home from work, she is ambushed by the Shadow Cabinet. After briefly talking with the heroes, she becomes enraged and attacks them after coming to believe they have harmed her children, only to be quickly neutralized and captured.[7] This is later revealed to have been orchestrated by Superman and Icon so that the League and Cabinet could gain information on each other.[8] Hardware uses Arthur Light's powers to restore those of Kimiyo, allowing her to quickly defeat Shadow Thief and Starbreaker.[9]

Kimiyo has been confirmed to be a member of the newest incarnation of the Justice League. In the Blackest Night crossover, Kimiyo and the remaining members of the League arrive at the Hall of Justice after hearing of the Black Lantern attacks taking place across the globe. Upon entering the Hall, Kimiyo senses the presence of her villainous counterpart, and separates from the group, believing this Black Lantern is hers alone to face. Kimiyo is attacked by Arthur Light, who has been resurrected as a Black Lantern. Although initially her powers seem to be ineffectual against Light, when he threatens the lives of her children, Kimiyo manages to generate a light strong enough to destroy him and his black ring.[10]

In the aftermath of the ordeal, Vixen tells Kimiyo that she is taking a leave of absence from the team to recover from her injuries. She is approached by Donna Troy, who joins the team alongside her friends Cyborg, Dick Grayson, and Starfire. With the costume given to her by Hardware destroyed, Kimiyo designs a new one, and then travels to Metropolis to recruit Mon-El and Guardian.[11] Kimiyo briefly appears during the War of the Supermen, where she and the rest of the JLA attempt to repel General Zod's invasion.[12]

After just three issues together, the new JLA team loses most of its members, with Kimiyo temporarily leaving the team to be with her children.[13] Back in Metropolis, Kimiyo helps Supergirl rescue her friend Lana Lang after her body is possessed by the Insect Queen.[14] A short time later, Kimiyo and Gangbuster investigate an object that crashes into a Metropolis park and leaves a massive crystallized crater in its center. While searching the crater, the two heroes discover a Bizarro-like creature resembling Supergirl. Before Kimiyo can call for help, the creature lashes out and attacks her.[15] The Bizarro Supergirl takes Kimiyo and her associates hostage, but is ultimately defeated in battle by the real Supergirl. It is revealed that the Bizarro Supergirl is a refugee fron Bizarro World, and was sent to Earth by her cousin after their planet was attacked by a being known as the Godship. Kimiyo attempts to take the Bizarro Supergirl to S.T.A.R. Labs, only to be knocked unconscious by Supergirl, who then absconds with her doppelganger and her ship, hoping to stop the Godship and save Bizarro World.[16]

Despite resigning from active duty, Doctor Light appears as one of the numerous heroes assembled at Washington, D.C. to break an energy dome trapping the Justice League and the Crime Syndicate of America within the city,[17] as well as a member of the JLA's reserve roster during the team's battle against Eclipso.[18] She also assists the League (as well as several other teams) during a battle against the Secret Six, where she is gunned down by Deadshot.[19]

DC Rebirth

Kimiyo appears in the Rebirth storyline Heroes in Crisis and is among many superheroes that are interviewed in the Sanctuary therapy center. Furthermore, she and Arthur Light were formerly married, during which they had three children: Tommy, Emma, and Sakura.

Powers and abilities

Exposure to energy from the star Vega granted Doctor Light photokinesis: control over all forms of light sources, without relying on equipment. She can absorb all forms of illumination as energy, which allowed her to survive Starbreaker's attack, as well as absorb the energy of the sun to attack the Anti-Monitor. She can project energy, allowing her to shoot destructive laser beams and other blasts of destructive energy, blind her opponents with blinding flashes of light (capable of dispersing Shadow Thief's shadow constructs), and create protective barriers. She can focus photons into "hard light" (a fictional form of energy which acts like a solid object). She can refract lightwaves to create holographic images. She can turn into light, rendering her invisible to the naked eye. Her abilities also allow her to disperse radiation and holographic illusions, scan and "see" the electromagnetic spectrum, track ionized molecules, and convert her body to near light to minimize her mass and escape gravitational pull. She can sense the light around her, which she describes as a "sixth sense" allowing her to know when somebody enters the room. She can ride lightwaves to fly, capable of reaching the speed of light.

Outside of her light-based abilities, she is also a brilliant scientific mind; in early appearances, she considered herself a scientist foremost and superhero second. She is a prominent astronomer, the world's foremost authority on light technology. She even ran S.T.A.R. Labs for a time. On several occasions, she has also displayed knowledge of medicine. Conversations with Batman have also revealed knowledge of Asian martial arts, if not the ability to use it effectively in combat.

Her primary weakness is that she requires a light source to fuel her powers, and being placed in an area of absolute darkness severely weakens her abilities; she can, however, store energy for such occasions.

Other versions

In other media

Television

Film

Video games

Miscellaneous

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wallace, Dan (2008). "Doctor Light II". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). The DC Comics Encyclopedia. New York: Dorling Kindersley. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1. OCLC 213309017.
  2. ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019). DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. p. 203. ISBN 978-1-4654-8578-6.
  3. ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 92. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
  4. ^ Crisis on Infinite Earths #4 (July 1985)
  5. ^ Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 (October 1985)
  6. ^ Infinite Crisis #5 (April 2006)
  7. ^ Justice League of America (vol. 2) #27 (November 2008)
  8. ^ Justice League of America (vol. 2) #28 (December 2008)
  9. ^ Justice League of America (vol. 2) #30 (February 2009)
  10. ^ Justice League of America (vol. 2) #40 (December 2009)
  11. ^ Justice League of America (vol. 2) #41 (January 2010)
  12. ^ Superman: War of the Supermen #4 (July 2010)
  13. ^ Justice League of America (vol. 2) #43 (May 2010)
  14. ^ Supergirl (vol. 5) #50 (April 2010)
  15. ^ Supergirl (vol. 5) #53 (August 2010)
  16. ^ Supergirl (vol. 5) #54-55 (September - October 2010)
  17. ^ Starman/Congorilla one-shot (March 2011)
  18. ^ Justice League of America (vol. 2) #56 (June 2011)
  19. ^ Secret Six (vol. 3) #36 (October 2011)
  20. ^ JLA/The 99 #1
  21. ^ Flashpoint: The World of Flashpoint #1 (June 2011)
  22. ^ DC Comics Bombshells #8 (March 2016)
  23. ^ DC Comics Bombshells #31-32 (September - October 2017)
  24. ^ a b c d "Doctor Light Voices (DC Universe)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved March 17, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  25. ^ "New Justice League Action Characters Officially Revealed". Comicbook.com. June 6, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  26. ^ Harvey, James (December 5, 2023). "Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths, Part One Arrives January 2024, Press Details". The World's Finest. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  27. ^ Eisen, Andrew (October 2, 2013). "DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide". IGN. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  28. ^ Teen Titans Go! #48
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