Monarchs of Motion vs Doctors of Darkness

Flash encountered a variety of colorful crooks. However, among the most deadly was the Duke of Darkness, the master villain known as Eclipso. Secretly the split personality of Doctor Bruce Gordon, a renowned solar scientist, Eclipso used his ebony gem to case shadows wherever he gazed through its prism. For several years, Eclipso wages a relentless war against his arch-enemy Gordon, very nearly defeating him scores of times. Instead, the duo kept tormenting one another, with neither finding lasting victory nor peace of mind knowing the other was ever present. Eventually, the villain's notoriety captured the attention of Flash's Justice League teammate, the Batman. During one battle between the two Dark Knights, Eclipso's fabricated body dematerialized and phased through Batman's physical form. This led to Batman capturing some of the essence of Eclipso himself, which would later link him across the Multiverse with Doctor Gordon's counterpart, Doctor Charles McNider

Doctor Mid-Nite, the heroic alter ego of Doctor McNider, did not have a fractured mind like his doppelgänger. Rather, he was a mentally well-adjusted individual, who aspired to help the helpless despite having a heinous handicap. Having been blinded in the prime of his career as a physician, McNider learned that his eyes were attuned to the darkness, allowing him to see in shadows while developing infrared goggles to see during daylight. He ended up a teammate of his Justice Society allies, the Flash and Batman. However, on one occasion, one his crimefighting partners turned him against the other in the heat of battle!

While Eclipso sought world dominating, leading his foes in pitched battle against the Justice League, Doctor Mid-Nite was manipulated with some of his teammates into attempting to subdue active members of the Justice Society. While Earth-One Batman tipped off his fellow Leaguers to their foe's modus operandi, the Earth-Two Batman in his Commissioner Bruce Wayne identity spurred his colleagues on into a conflict that sought to fracture the Society from within.

In each situation, a Scarlet Speedster opposed a Dark Doctor with varied results. Earth-One Flash was able to circumvent the darkness cast by Eclipso and contained him within a super-fast vortex. Earth-Two Flash was caught flat-footed when Doctor Mid-Nite caused him to make a tactical mistake, and slammed into the Batmobile. Eventually. Eclipso was captured and Bruce Gordon was freed of worry for one more day... while Doctor Mid-Nite, the Flash and their fellow heroes made peace with one another at the end of the day.

Twice-Told-Tales: Medical Miracles of the Caped Crusaders

These strikingly similar twice-told-tales involved shrinking superheroes... performing delicate procedures from within their patients... victims of criminals seeking to conceal their crimes from those who could expose them.

In 1943 on Earth-Two, Doctor Charles McNider was made the executor to a man named Jamison's estate. Among the items in his possession was a shrinking ray projector developed by Jamison, which McNider replicated. Soon after, McNider was called to a hospital to recommend treatment for a gunshot victim, a detective ambushed by crooks. While unable to perform an operation himself, as he was legally blind, McNider secretly had the superhuman ability to see in complete darkness as well as infra-red googles allowing him to say in daylight was well. Requesting his "friend" Doctor Mid-Nite to perform the surgery on his behalf, Charles as Mid-Nite shrunk down to microscopic size, bringing with him his homemade portable projector. Navigating through the near-death police man's body, the Doctor finally arrived at the man's heart where he used the shrinking ray to reduce the size of the bullet lodged within it. 

In 1974 on Earth-One, social activist Debbie Manton is kidnapped by criminals in the employ of gang-leader Bugsy Cathart, as she had witnessed his slaying of a competitor. Tracking down Cathart's goons to a building, Batman unwittingly was stunned by an electric current as he swung onto its rooftop ledge. Left for dead, the Caped Crusader was retrieved and brought to a Gotham City hospital, where he was pronounced near-brain dead. Called to consult on his case, visiting physicist Ray Palmer hypothesized that by using his white dwarf shrinking belt, he could stimulate Batman's brain from within as the Tiny Titan known as the Atom.  

Reviving the detective, a now full-sized Mid-Nite learned from his patient that critical evidence was discovered that would expose gang-leader Clipper Jackson. Cornering Jackson and his henchmen, the Doctor was able to bring the crook to justice.

Piloting Batman's body from within his brain, the Atom was able to reactive the Gotham Guardian's  subconscious reflexes, and together they were able to rescue Debbie. With her testimony, the crook was brought to justice.

Interestingly, Doctor McNider still possessed this shrinking technology which was remarkably similar Ray Palmer's, yet unlike the Atom of Earth-One, Mid-Nite neither used it himself nor did he bequeath it to his Justice Society colleague Al "Atom" Pratt. Instead, Al-Atom wore a dimensional-vibrator device in his belt, something Ray-Atom also developed but used only once.

Regardless, the fact that such a technique was successful and such science was available highlights the amazing accomplishments within the DC Multiverse!

_____________________

Continuing thru April 2025 - #JSApril! Celebrating 85 years of #DCComics JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA, the world's first greatest superheroi team! Join over 40 podcasters bloggers as we honor our favorite heroes! Info participants:

www.fireandwaterpodcast.com/JSApril

Avenging Auras Adversely Affect Antagonist Anomalies

When Batman first encountered the young amnesiac woman Violet Harper, he saw her manifest the ability project various colored auras around her body. Each of these manifested as a unique ability, which she used in her costumed career as the superheroine known as Halo.

However, this wasn't the first time he saw such auras projected from a human, granting a person mighty powers. In fact, Batman himself had similiar aura-based energies on one occasion, years earlier when confronting his old foe... Doctor Double-X. And then several months later, after encountering the alien entity known as Aquarius. However, each time there was a different manifestation of this process.

In order to defeat Doctor Double X, Batman used the same device which the doctor developed to created his aura-clone, Double X, and spawned Double Batman. This energy duplicate had superstrength, the power of flight and could emit electrical charges from its hands. Once victorious, this Bat-aura destroyed itself, which would later be replaced by an evil entity. 

Later, while Batman and his allies in the Justice League traveled to Earth-Two to assist the Justice Society in defeating the aggressive alien Aquarius, a residual effect when returning to Earth-One led to the Leaguers inadvertently birthing negative aura-clones of themselves. These had powers similar to the originals, which the heroes quickly vanquished.

While the laws of physics in the Earth-One realm naturally included the ability to split one's aura from oneself with the proper mechanism, the physical laws of Earth-Two were the reverse, with such auras being absorbed within a person through devices such as Doctor Mid-Nite's cryotuber and Aquarius’ cosmic radiation. 

Years later, the counterpart of the Aurakle alien which Violet merged with to become Halo was able to create its own body, separate from that of Harper's Earth-Two counterpart Marcie Cooper. This being, Chroma, was a physically separate manifestation from Cooper... much as the Double X clones were to Doctor Double X and Batman. Unlike Chroma, Aurakle wasn’t capable of accomplishing this feat.

With his prior experience with related powers, Batman was able to successfully train Halo in harnessing her own aura-abilities.

Sinister Stealing Sky-Raiders

A pair of unidentified doppelgängers, each known only as the Sky-Raider, were one-hit-wonders who attempted to use their mastery of flight to perform daring thefts. Clad in colorful costumes while employing state-of-the-art equipment, these aspiring supervillians committed high-value thefts as their modus operandi. The Earth-One Sky-Raider used a jetpack along with sution grapplers and vaccuum pressurizers along with a gun, the Earth-Two Sky-Raider used a helium-powered flying sled and liquid adhesive weaponry.

The Sky-Raider of Earth-One focused on stealing priceless paintings, such as a Rembrandt original purchased by the wealthy James and Samantha Grant. The couple had just purchased this item in Paris, France, and while flying aboard their private jet across the Atlantic Ocean, they were intercepted by Sky-Raider. Holding the Grants at gunpoint, the crook successfully stole their prized possession. However, back in the city of Fairfax in America, police Detective King lured Sky-Raider to the Grant's mansion by publishing fake-news articles about the stolen Rembrandt being a copy. 

The Sky-Raider of Earth-Two broke into National Securities Company's skyscraper offices, and while removing a safe containing valuable financial documents, he was intercepted by Doctor Mid-Nite. Although initially catching the Doctor offguard and ensnaring him, he found his foe was far more tenacious than anticipated. 

As younger Sky-Raider plundered the mansion and absconding of the Rembrandt replica, he unwittingly brought with him a tracking device to his hideout. Discovering the deception, the flying felon fled with the painting, pursued by the Grant's daughter Vicki in her alter ego of Sparrow Hawk. Using the H-Dail pendant to transform into the winged superheroine, Vicki as Sparrow Hawk outmanevered Sky-Raider and recovered her parent's painting.

As the older Sky-Raid thought he had sent Mid-Nite to a watery grave, he and his minions returned to his base of operations. In fact, the Doctor freed himself thanks to some sea-life who helped free him of his bonds. Deducing where Sky-Raider's hideout was located, Mid-Nite overcome the master thief and his henchmen while retrieving the safe.

Neither of these mustache malcontents resumed their costumed criminal careers, undoubtedly having served length stays in prison for their felonious acts.

Strange Stories of the Swamp: Caped Crusaders vs Bayou Behemoths

Soon after Swamp Thing formed around the consciousness of scientist Alec Holland, he grew attached to a pair of humans named Matt Cable and Abigail Arcane. Cable was a government agent in pursuit of the creature, while Abigail was the niece of the bayou being's arch-enemy, Anton Arcane. Both were captured by Nathan Ellery, the founder and financier of the evil Conclave, the organization which sought to steal Holland's bio-regenerative formula. Tracking them to Gotham City, Swamp Thing tried unsuccessfully to disguise himself in a hat and overcoat, leading the Gotham City Police to enlist Batman's aid in tracking him down. Swamp Thing reluctantly overpowered Batman, then freed Matt and Abigail while confronting Ellery. After Nathan seemingly fell to his death, Swamp Thing left Gotham.

Decades earlier, Solomon Grundy was on a cross-country criminal rampage, seeking his arch-enemy Green Lantern for revenge. Lantern's fellow Justice Society members each tracked Grundy to various towns, with Doctor Mid-Nite encountering Solomon in the burg of Carver. The Doctor was unable to subdue Grundy, who overpowered him and escaped. However, Mid-Nite and his fellow teammates eventually joined forces to overwhelm Grundy, with their fallen friend Green Lantern returning the favor for saving his life by exiling Solomon in an emerald globe on the surface of the Moon.

Swamp Thing and the Batman of Earth-One would encounter one another a couple more times, the first of which was when Swampy was captured by a carnival promoter. Soon after freed, Swamp Thing assists Batman in uprooting dangerous experimental spores while evading capture by the government. Still later, Swamp Thing and Batman teamed up on a case to track down the killers of Catwoman's sister Felicia, a woman who resembled Alec's late wife Linda.

Solomon Grundy and Doctor Mid-Nite battled one another once more, when Grundy's green-globe was eventually pulled from the moon back down to Earth-Two. However, this encounter was overshadowed by the appearance of the Anti-Matter Man, a malevolent explorer from the Anti-Matter Universe. Mid-Nite's Justice Society teammate Batman finally met Grundy years later, when he and Superman confronted the creature along with his new master, the Ultra-Humanite.

Hidden Hemispheres of Hyperspace

Hyperspace is defined as four or more dimensions folded upon itself, creating a multi-dimensional universal plane of existence. 

On one occasion, four Krptonian prisoners of the Phantom Zone discovered the means to reach a planet with unusual properties in an adjacent dimension they also labeled an "alternate universe"*. From this world, they launched deadly robotic Anachroids to wreak havok in space and time, until the Superman and Flash of Earth-One tracked them to their source and defeated these creatures and their masters. This trans-dimensional world may have been the same as Rokyn, where the Kandorians resided once Superman and Supergirl enlarged them.

This world had a counterpart in an "alternate universe"* of Earth-Two, a psuedo-Pluto which the Spectre had been exiled to, wherein the inhabitants spoke a language derived from that of the Andromedan Galaxy, the same galaxy where Krypton once resided! Could these have been long lost Kryptonian refugees? The domed city on this Pluto mirrored the once bottled city of Kandor. After quelling a civil war, Spectre later returned to this world, exiling Nazi agents there, no doubt out of revenge for their treatment of he and his Justice Society allies.

In face, six of his Justice Society colleagues had been simultaneously captured and also exiled into hyperspace via experimental rocketships by enemy Nazi agents. Hawkman was sent to a Saturn-like world named Arkania, a militant people like those of the extra-dimensional world Llorth, whom the Earth-One Hawkman once encountered. Later, the younger Hawkman traveled on twice through another dimensional warp to the world of Illoral, a mirror image of the Wingworld that Wonder Woman of the Justice Society visited more than once. Queen Desira and her daughter Princess Eve of Wingworld had counterparts in Dwyanna Ral of Llorth and Queen Maya of Floria.

The Atom of Earth-One and Doctor Mid-Nite of Earth-Two likewise visited other-dimensional worlds in Floria and Faux-Neptune (the Atom of Earth-Two visited a hyperspacial version of Mars like that of Mars II settled by the Martian Manhunter and his people in Earth-One's universe). 

Fellow Justice Society members Starman and Sandman visited worlds resembling Jupiter and Uranus with strange substance sentients as had the Metal Men of Earth-One , such as the alien Robot-spider Queen and minions of Metalus 5. Jimmy Olsen of Earth-One and Johnny Thunder of Earth-Two likewise ventured to alien dimensions on the same occasions as their peers Superman and Spectre above.

* The term "alternate universe" used for worlds visited by the individual Justice Leaguers and Justice Socialites as mentioned is different from that of planets in a "parallel universe". The alternate universe simply means an adjacent dimension attached to either the Earth-One or Earth-Two universe, respectively.

Determined Doctors Devise Dangerous Devices

Doctor Bruce Gordon and Doctor Charles McNider were innovative inventors, each developing gadgets and weaponry which they used in their costumed careers as Eclipso of Earth-One and Doctor Mid-Nite of Earth-Two. Primarily, Eclipso used his black diamond which projected darkness from his right-side eclipsed eye and destructive beams of energy from his left-side normal eye... while Doctor Mid-Nite used his black-out bombs to project darkness while utilizing his infra-red goggles allowing him see in daylight.

Just as McNider focused on one end of the electromagnetic spectrum with his infra-red eyewear to aid him in his crimefighting career, Gordon employed various ultra-violet projectors based on the other end of the electromagnetic spectrum to attempt purging his antagonistic alias. While Bruce met failure despite his multiple attempts at overcoming his opponent, Charles proved successful with his alter ego's adventures.

Eclipso's equipment varied depending on his various schemes, although a common feature with many of these devices was to split either himself or others into positive and negative versions of themselves. He was able to successfully able to accomplish this when battling Hal "Green" Lantern" Jordan while employing his "Murder Moon", allowing Eclipso to perpetually exist in a constant eclipse... until Jordan reintegrated himself and isolated the villain from his Gordon persona, exiling him in space.

Doctor Mid-Nite's Cryotuber had various functions, such as a liquid nitrogen freeze function, a tight laser beam and a setting which attacks his opponent's nervous system causing temporary paralysis. However, McNider utilized this device only on a few occasions in the 1960s before retiring it. 

Interestingly, just as Eclipso was able to merge and separate energized versions of himself using his and Gordon's technologies, so too McNider was able to develop a device which did something similar...only not on his world! When Dr. McNider used an experimental healing ray of his own desire to aid in the recovery of the Jimmy Olsen of Earth-Two, he then shared this technology with a visiting Superman of Earth-One, who brought the device back to his world. However, instead of just healing a test subject whom Dr. Phineas Potter had projected it rays upon, it transformed her into an energy being whom Lois Lane and the amateur superhero Human Cannonball had to corral and convert back to normal. 

It seems that some technology on Earth-Two which internalized power onto an individual does the reverse on Earth-One, amplifying that energy outside a resident of that world. So too the twin natures of Eclipso and Doctor Mid-Nite... just as Eclipso was a separate individual from McNider, Doctor Mid-Nite himelf gained a second life when he was revived from a death-like state by Wonder Woman's own purple healing ray and then transforming back into a boy after exposure to his foe Doctor Zodiac's elixir of youth.

Hawkmen and Darkness Doctors of Two Worlds

Katar and Shayera Hol were originally police officers from the planet of Thanagar, who had been tasked with journeying to Earth-One and learn the law enforcement techniques of that world. Soon after starting their dual careers as masked superheroes as well as a museum curator and his assistant, the pair as Carter and Shiera Hall established a solid reputation as the crime-fighting duo of Hawkman and Hawkgirl. This led to Katar being invited to join the Justice League of America, with his wife joining years later. 

Just a few months prior to this, a renowned physicist in the field of light studies named Doctor Bruce Gordon while on the island of Diablo during a solar eclipse, encountered a local self-made "seer" named Mophir. This madman attacked Doctor Gordon, scratching him with a black diamond, before plunging off a cliff. The lasting effects of this on Bruce was an infection, caused by this alien meteorite fragment, which unleashed an evil version of himself that took control during any eclipse. As the supervillian known as Eclipso, Gordon's malevolent alter ego tried several times to unleash sinister schemes upon humanity. Yet each time, Bruce along with his girlfriend Mona and her father Professor Simon Bennett, thwarted the plans of Eclipso time and again. 

After several attempts to purge himself once and for all of the corrupted version of himself, Doctor Gordon along with lab assistant John "Red Tornado" Smith, used a machine that seemingly accomplished this. In fact, it unleashed three temporary clones of Eclipso which would cause irreputable harm upon Earth-One if left unchecked. Red Tornado brought Bruce to the JLA Satellite to enlist the aid of the android's Justice League companions, including Hawkman... who himself was about to resign from the League and return with Shayera to Thanagar. On this occasion, Katar met Bruce, not knowing that this man.. designer of the Solar City... could have been his son!  Thankfully, the League destroyed this incarnation of Eclipso.

On Earth-Two, Doctor Charles McNider was both blessed and cursed by tragic circumstances into gaining the ability to see in perfect darkness while experiencing blindness in the light. Adopting the alias of Doctor Mid-Nite, McNider built a heroic costumed career for himself, both in his solo adventures as well as a member of the Justice Society of America after it was founded.

Throughout the years, Mid-Nite built a friendship with the Society's chairman Carter "Hawkman" Hall, as they two served for decades together on this team. Even when the team disbanded in 1951 due to government pressure, the pair supported one another as collegial colleagues through good times and bad.

However, when Green Lantern along with the Flash were mentally manipulated by the Psycho-Pirate, with the former causing destruction both at GBC-TV studios as well as Gotham City Airport, a fracture developed between the two men. Motivated by Police Commissioner Bruce Wayne, who as Batman was a fellow member of the team before his retirement, Doctor Mid-Nite and other inactive members attacked the active roster seeing them now as a threat. When Mid-Nite and his confederates discovered that the Pirate also emotionally influenced Wayne himself in to causing this conflict, the Doctor and Hawkman along with the rest of the Justice Society mended their relationships from then on. 

Still later, under the influence of Koehaha aka the River of Ruthlessness, Hawkman and four other Society members were under the water's evil influence thanks to Ultra-Humanite's malevolent machinations. Mid-Nite helped to spearhead behind the scenes the counterattack against the rogue heroes, as their children of Infinity, Inc. were sent to subdue their parents and former guardians until the river's influence subsided with Hawkman and the others returning to normal.

Goggled Good Guys Gabbing

 

Spy Smasher and Captain Midnight were remarkably similar crimefighters who operated during the same period of World War II. Each were skilled aviators, masterful inventors, daring dogooders. 

In 1943, while testing out his new aircraft, Midnight was involved with clashes versus Imperial Japanese forces in the skies. Calling out to his Secret Squadron code named "SS" on the airwaves, his transmission is received by Spy Smasher's equipment in his amazing Gyrosub vessel. Thinking the message was for him, he tracks the source and meet the Captsin.

What follows is a race around the globe to see which aircraft is the fastest on Earth-S, and have further encounters with their Japanese foes. The goggled good guys ultimately prove victorious versus their foes, parting as friends and allies.

Spy Smasher's counterpart Mister Terrific and Captain Midnight's doppleganger Doctor Mid-Nite teamed up in a case of the Justice Society of America in 1945. The Doctor was a regular meeting of the Society while Terrific was first an honorary member then later a full-fledged one.

While these Society teammates on Earth-Two didn't have fancy aircraft.. that would be owned by the Batman and Green Arrow of their world... they were just as courageous and tenacious.

Determined Dynamite Dynamic Duo: Doctor Double X and Doctor Doog

Doctor Simon Eckes was a scientist who through his own aura-generating device gained the ability to manipulate ambient electricity... in the form of an energy discharging duplicate that was separate and distinct in significant ways yet shared a conscience with his creator. When Eckes fed his body with sufficient electrical energy, Double X would emerge with superstrength and energy emissions which he'd used to aid the criminal maneuvers of his "brother" on Earth-One.

Doctor Doog was a scientist who through his ultra-dynamo devise allowed him to project deadly electricity... while menally manipulating his Brotherhood of the Electron into doing his bidding has he attempted to amass power on Earth-Two.

Doctor X and Double X came into conflict Batman and Robin. During their second encounter, Batman used Ecks’ machine to spawn an aura duplicate of himself similar to Double X, with the two energy battling and Double Batman triumphing. This entity self-destructed, with Batman later absorbing a portion of Eclipso’s negative essence during their first meeting, when he was absorbed into Doctor Bruce Gordon. 

This in effect made the Earth-One Batman the “closest counterpart” to Doctor Charles McNider aka the Justice Society member Doctor Mid-Nite. By the 1970s, McNider’s doppleganger Doctor Gordon and his Eclipso alias were in an alternate dimension during the time of this adventure, while Batman of Bruce's Earth absorbed some of Eclipso's essence earlier.

Years after this, Doctor and Double X resurface to seek vengeance upon Batman, although they this time the hero was aided by Superman in defeating the dual foes. Soon after, another fellow Justice League ally the Flash  teamed up with Batman to combat Doctor Double X and his fellow felon the Rainbow Raider. 

Doctor Doog was an enemy of the Justice Society of America which included Starman, Hourman, Batman and Robin. All of these costumed crusaders at one point or another faced this menacing madman.

Time Travelling Titans Team-Up

Bess Lynn, a nurse during the 17th century  Revolutionary War of America, decided to assume the guise of Miss Liberty in order to combat oppression... assisting adventurers such as Tomahawk during this critical juncture in history. In fact, two Beth's pursued this course, with near identical tales to tell.

On Earth-One, her notoriety led to the Lord of Time plucking her from her native era into the 20th century, where she alongside four other "history heroes" were used as pawns of his both to defeat the Justice League and visiting Justice Society, and to save all time from the Lord's wayward mechanical brain.

On Earth-Two, she was pulled to the present during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, alongside dozens of other past protagonists. This culminated in their battle versus the Ultra-Humanite, where they proved victorious. After returning home, this Beth later perished when the original Liberty Bell fell on her during an adventure towards the end of the War. However, she would inspire a new generation of heroine, many years later, from her own lineage.

The descendant of the Earth-Two Miss Liberty was a 20th century heroine known as Liberty Belle. Just like her ancestress Beth Lynn, Libby Lawrence was courageous and fought to protect innocents while wearing a domino mask and colorful outfit. Having escaped Poland during the start of World War II, Libby made a new life for herself in America as a radio newswoman. In her civilian and costumed identities, Belle crusaded for truth and justice.

Empowered by the self-same Bell that claimed her ancestor, Libby became a leader of the All-Star Squadron during another war, World War II. Of note, her counterpart Lena Luthor Thorul Colby was herself the descendant of 18th century Louella Thompson, who had been misidentified as a witch due to tragedy in her family. Lena was Lex Luthor's sister and Linda "Supergirl" Danvers' best friend. 

Others who were involved in these twin time travelling tales were the Black Pirates of each world, Jonah Hex and his cosmic twin the Roving Ranger, and both Viking Princes. Additional western heroes who came in contact with the modern day superheroes of Earth-Two had dopplegangers on Earth-One, working alongside the Justice League on another case that also involved the Lord of Time. 

Midnight Marauders: Doctor Gordon Meet Doctor McNider

Two doctors scarred by tragedy, claimed by the night, casting long shadows of legacy. Doctor Bruce Gordon and Doctor Charles McNider were geniuses in the field of light, mastering it despite being impaced by disabilities that led to their costumed careers. One was a craven criminal, the other a courageous crimefighter.

Doctor Bruce Gordon was infected while visiting a South Pacific Diablo Island. There he confronted a misguided local priest named Mophir, who cut the doctor's flesh with a black diamond before perishing to his death. This infection caused Gordon to transfer him into an evil persona of himself named Eclipso during each eclipse, whether a natural or an artificial one. This led to a new supervillain who terrorized the world, opposed by his alter ego.

Doctor Charles McNider sustained permanent injury to his optical nerves following an explosion during a surgical procedure he was performing. After this, he learned that he had the ability to see in darkness when an owl crashed through his home's window. Devising infra-red goggles allowing him to see in daylight, while his own vision adapted to grant him sight in total darkness, Charles developed weaponry for his costumed career as Doctor Mid-Nite. 

Utilzing the black diamond as a weapon, Eclipso could cast frezzing darkness when positioning the dimaond in front of his eclipsed left-side eye, while emit devastating beams of light when cast over his normal right-side eye. To combat his adversarial alias, Bruce equipped his friend (and later himself when he and Eclipso separated into two individuals for brief periods) used light flash grenades and ulta-violet weapons to revert the villain back to his domant state within Gordon's body.

In addition to the Doctor's grenades which caused the blackout mist, he later devised a cryotuber that shot devastating laser beams, freeze rays and paralysis fields. This device was instrumental in some of his adventures during the 1960s, although he later retired his cryotuber for some unknown reason.

Interestingly, during a teamup between the Justice League and Justice Society, an alien entity known as Creator2 led his minions into battle versus the Society in order to obtain Earth-Two. This malefactor's plan was to destroy that world, paving the way for another to replace it. As each of his henchmen attacked individual members of the Society, one cornered and captured Doctor Mid-Nite in a specialized immobilization net. As had happened with the Doctor's teammates Superman and the Flash, who likewise were captured which inadvertently caused their Earth-One doppelgängers to also be paralyzed in their own universe, a similar thing happened with the Doctor. However, in this instance, it was Mid-Nite's "closest Earth-One equivalent" the Batman who felt the effects. Why not Eclipso?

In an earlier tale, Batman confronted Eclipso several stories above ground outside a skyscraper. However, a flash light grenade employed by Bruce Gordon below the two men caused Eclipso to revert into his phantom form, which passed downward through Batman’s body below him, before reentering Gordon's body. This caused a portion of Eclipso's aura to surround Batman, in place of the aura the Batman possessed which was brought it to life to combat Doctor Double X (after this battle, the aura ceased to exist). 

Simultaneous to Creator2's invasion occuring on Earth-Two months later, Doctor Gordon had sent Eclipso and himself into another dimension outside of Earth-One's universe, ridding his world of his alter ego. Hence, Doctor Gordon was not on Earth-One when Doctor McNider on Earth-Two was immobilized by Creator2’s minion… resulting in Batman at that moment being the closest counterpart to Mid-Nite instead of Eclipso!

The counterpart of Doctor McNider's nurse and girlfriend Myra Mason was a future Myra Mason who assisted industrialist Rick Starr in both his business and costumed identities. This Myra was aware of Starr's alter ego as Space Ranger while they shared various adventures in the 22nd century of Earth-One. Myra Mason of Earth-Two never seemed aware that her boss and his masked manhunter alter ego were the same man, even when she played the role of a female Doctor Mid-Nite alongside other girlfriends of Mid-Nite's Justice Society of America.

* Apparently, Wonder Woman’s purple ray also gave Doctor Mid-Nite extended youth and longevity matching that of his Justice Society  teammates, who had their own lives extended by exposure to Ian Karkull’s radiation years earlier.

** Since the aura-duplicate of Batman self-destructed following his victory over Doctor Double X, this left a void around Batman later filled by the energy entity that was Bruce Gordon’s Eclipso.

Fawcett's Finest: Midnight Men

Mystery Men of Midnight. A noted physician and a famous aviator, motivated to assume a costumed mantle during a period when the world needs such heroes.

We introduce for your kindly consumption Doctor Charles McNider and Captain Jim Albright also known as Doctor Mid-Nite and Captain Midnight. Both of this goggle wearing gladiators were protectors of the night, whether in mid-flight or in ailing their common man's plight. Using a variety of devices and their innate skills and strategy, this pair were preeminent protectors in worlds were superhumans were fighting alongside them.

Coupled with that, Albright and McNider's counterpart on Earth-One was Doctor Bruce Gordon aka Eclipso. While Doctor Gordon’s alter ego was adversarial and evil, due to being infected with radiation within the black diamond scrapped across his flesh, Bruce’s heroic demeanor counteracting Eclipso’s menacing manipulations. And on occasion, Gordon himself donned Eclipso’s uniform as a champion for good when his problematic persona was submerged within his psyche.

While Albright's supporting cast such as Chuck and Joyce Ramsey as well as mechanic Icaabod Mudd were background players on Earth-S, their dopplegangers on Earth-Two of Hop and Gerry Harrigan and mechanic Tank Tinker had their own adventures apart from the good Doctor. Still, beyond just their aliases, much more binds the ties between these Midnight mavericks on Earths Two and S:

• Along with their physical attributes, they were brilliant inventors
• As such, they developed specialized googles and black-out bombs
• Also used was Mid-Nites Cryotuber and Cap's Doom-Beam torch
• They joined the Justice Society/Batallion and Secret Squadron
• Mid-Nite's winged Hooty flew as fast as Cap in his gliderchute
• Formed partnerships with masked men Sandman and Spy Smasher

* The Earth-Four counterpart to Captain Midnight/Doctor Mid-Nite/Eclipso was the international explorer Professor Cyrus Coffin, known as the Midnight Philosopher. With his Arachne, he traveled the world investigating various unique cases.

Fiendish Fishermen Foes of Fearless Fighters

Kurt Hartmann of Earth-One adopted the alias of the Fisherman, with the goal of stealing high-tech equipment and valuable items, becoming a middleman as he sold them to various wealthy benefactors. Utilizing a pressurized uniform allowing him to stay indefinitely underwater, his primary tool was his razor-hooked fishing rod and specialized gaseous lures. His initial foray into felony brought him into conflict with the Justice Leaguer known as Aquaman

Kurt Hartmann of Earth-Two was a prominent fly-fisherman who sought utilize his skills from criminal endeavors. To that end, Hartmann assumed the alter ego of the Fisherman, clad in more tradional geer couples with a stylish suit. Employing a deadly fishing rod which could snare unsuspecting prey, he came into conflict with Doctor Mid-Nite of the Justice Society.

While the Earth-Two Fisherman had only one documented appearance, his Earth-One counterpart was a recurring threat to the King of the Sea, as Hartmann hired out his services to the Shark as a weapons-dealer for disgruntled Atlanteans and later working for the warlord known as Kobra. Despite his varous death-dealing devices, Fisherman always found defeat when matched with Aquaman. His older doppleganger realized after his sole clash with Doctor Mid-Nite that crime didn't pay!