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| Doctor Terrence Thirteen | |
| Aliases: | Dr. 13 Doctor 13 Doctor Thirteen Ghost Breaker |
| Continuity: | DC Universe |
| Notability: | Main character |
| Type: | Detective |
| Occupation: | Paranormal investigator |
| Gender: | Male |
| Race: | Human |
| Associations: | Justice League Dark Team 13 |
| Relatives: | Marie Leeds Meihui Lan Traci Thirteen |
| Status: | Alive |
| First: | Star-Spangled Comics #122 |
Doctor Terrence Thirteen is a fictional occult detective and a recurring character featured in comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared in his own series of vignette stories beginning with "I Talked With the Dead" from Star-Spangled Comics #122 in November, 1951.
Biography[]
Terrence Thirteen became an occult investigator and debunker of the supernatural. This chosen vocation stemmed from an alleged curse placed on his family line that saw many of his ancestors being lynched going back more than a thousand years. Despite his skepticism, Doctor Thirteen frequently encountered paranormal entities and supernatural creatures ranging from the Phantom Stranger to the Frankenstein Monster.
As a youth, Terrence Thirteen broke into his father's study and saw paintings of several of his ancestors being lynched and murdered due to superstition. His father made Terry swear that he would never live a life ruled by superstition and that he would always seek the truth. He gave him a set of instructions to try to contact him from beyond the grave once he died.
That day came three years later, when the elder Thirteen's car skidded off the road. Terry was considered an outcast and others considered him cursed by his family name, but he insisted on exposing charlatans and proclaiming the truth. It was around this time that Terrence became romantically involved with Marie Leeds, and they eventually became engaged.
Five years following the death of his father, Terrence Thirteen headed to Doomsbury Hall at midnight on New Year's Day to see if the veil between the living and the dead would drop and they could communicate. As he entered, his fiancée Marie pleaded with him to reconsider but he insists on honoring their pact and entered the purportedly haunted mansion. While he waited for the clock to strike midnight, he recited the questions on the paper that his father had given him and heard his late father's spectral voice responding to him. Skeptical, he checked the grandfather clock that had a record player with the answers pre-recorded. Marie revealed that she also had a pact with Terry's father. She planted the record to test his detective skills and commitment to the scientific method and he passed. The duo left to dispel the "Curse of Thirteen". [1]
Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Magical resistance: Some magical effects can be rendered ineffective depending upon the strength of an individual's disbelief. Doctor Thirteen's skepticism enables him to shrug off minor forms of mystical enchantment.
Skills[]
- Investigation: As a detective of the paranormal, Doctor Thirteen is well trained in the areas of research, observation, and detection.
- Occultism: Doctor Thirteen is well versed in matters relating to the occult.
Weaknesses[]
- Amnesia: While investigating the "Ghost of Wayne Manor", Doctor Thirteen found his way into the batcave and found Batman fighting Man-Bat. Thirteen was injured during this affair and suffered temporary amnesia.
Associations[]
Teams[]
- Justice League Dark - Member.
- Team 13 - Member.
Family[]
- Marie Leeds - First wife
- Meihui Lan - Second wife
- Traci Thirteen - Daughter
Notes & Trivia[]
- The character of Terrence Thirteen was created by artist & inker Leonard Starr. The writer who helmed Doctor Thirteen's introductory story is unknown.
- Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-One era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985-86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis continuity, and should be considered apocryphal.
- Doctor Thirteen received a profile page in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe, Volume VII in September, 1985.
- Doctor Thirteen received his own back-up feature in all eight issue of Tales of the Unexpected, Volume 2, which ran from 2006-2007.
- Doctor Thirteen was re-imagined for DC's "New 52" era of continuity. The original Terrence Thirteen was a scientist and occult investigator 19th century Gotham City. He later became a ghost and associate of StormWatch. The modern era New 52 version of Doctor Thirteen was created by writer Dan DiDio and artist Brent Anderson. He first appeared in The Phantom Stranger, Volume 4 #2 in January, 2013.
See also[]
External Links[]
- Doctor Thirteen at DCDP
- Doctor Thirteen at Wikipedia
- Doctor Thirteen at Comic Vine
- Doctor Thirteen at the DCU Guide
Appearances[]
- To be added.