Doctor Polaris

DOCTOR POLARIS

Real Name: Neal Emerson

Class: Human mutant

Occupation: Supervillain, physician, physicist

Group Affiliation: formerly The Society

Known Relatives: Grant Emerson (Damage, adoptive nephew), John Emerson (brother, deceased), Kate Emerson (sister-in-law, deceased)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Central City, formerly Los Angeles, California, New Mexico

First Appearance: Green Lantern II #12 (April, 1962)

Powers: Polaris generated and absorbed magnetic energy from his body, allowing him to attract or repel anything containing metals. Polaris used magnetism to fly and project force fields or concussive bolts. This power was originally tech-based, but became internalized after long exposure to his own magnetic weapons.

History: Dr. Emerson used magnetism to cure his patients, but prolonged exposure created a split identity, and his evil persona became the supervillain Dr. Polaris. Polaris battled Green Lantern numerous times, and although the benevolent Dr. Emerson sometimes emerged as the dominant personality, Dr. Polaris always returned to take control.

(Final Night #1) - Amanda Waller freed Dr. Polaris so he could help Earth's heroes defeat the Sun-Eater. Polaris volunteered for the mission because he'd rather be alive and in jail that witness the death of Earth. Polaris and a team of heros opened up a Boom Tube to transport the Sun-Eater to the Source, but it overloaded and failed because the Sun-Eater only partially existed in their dimension.

(JLA #59) - Joker Jokerized a number of inmates at the Slab, including Dr. Polaris. Polaris went to the South Pole, and in his psychotic state he absorbed the electromagnetic energy of the South Pole, threatening worldwide catastrophe. The JLA fought him, but he held them back, until they had Plastic Man, who was not vulnerable to Polaris’ power, confront him. Plas defeated Polaris, and he was given the antidote to the Joker Venom.

(JSA #34, 35) - The Ultra-Humanite used Johnny Thunder’s Thunderbolt to conquer the world, and imprisoned Polaris and virtually every superhuman on Earth in stasis tubes, only reviving them when he needed mind-controlled slaves to serve in his personal guard the Thunderfront. Polaris served as a member of the Thunderfront when they attacked the JSA, the only heroes not under the Humanite’s control. During the fight Thunderfront member Captain Atom’s shell was cracked, quantum leaping him and everyone around him, including Polaris, one week into the future. By this time the JSA had already defeated the Humanite and freed the Thunderfront from his control.

(Flash II #183) - Dr. Polaris attended one of the Network’s sales of black-market merchandise.

(Villains United #2) - Doctor Polaris joined “Lex Luthor’s” Society. Luthor wanted to destroy the Secret Six III, a group of dissident villains that refused to join the Society, so he sent Polaris and a number of other Society members to confront the Six aboard the Petrovia, a Russia cargo freighter carrying Thanagarian weapons destined for the Society. The Society defeated the Secret Six and brought them back to Lex Luthor.

Comments: Created by John Broome & Gil Kane

Dr. Polaris received profiles in Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #6 and Who's Who in the DC Universe #2.

Dr. Polaris was pictured on the cover of Flash II #225 and Titans #18.

JSA #81 had a flashback of Dr. Polaris’ appearance in Infinite Crisis #1.