Doctor Light is a
fictional comic book
superhero in the
DC
Comics universe.
Kimiyo Hoshi is a distinct character from the DC villain of the
same name. She has,
however, crossed paths with the villainous Doctor Light on several
occasions. During their first encounter (
Suicide Squad #52 (April 1991)) they
briefly ended up in each other's body; a description of their most
recent meeting (
Green Arrow
vol. 3, #54 (November 2005)) appears below.
Character biography
Kimiyo Hoshi, a thoroughly
unpleasant and selfish woman, was the supervising astronomer at an observatory in Japan
, overseeing
a group of male astronomers charting the unnatural effects of the
Crisis on Infinite
Earths. (She is also a medical doctor, as shown in
Justice League Annual #3 (1989) and
Justice League
America #55 (October 1991).)
As the Crisis continued, Hoshi's fascination with the phenomenon
grew into an obsession while the men grew concerned for their
safety. Disgusted by their mounting fear, Hoshi arrogantly insulted
them and ordered an evacuation, leaving her to study the Crisis
alone through her
telescope.
Meanwhile, the
Monitor, a being
linked with all positive matter, senses his enemy, the
Anti-Monitor, absorbing yet another
positive-matter Earth with his antimatter cloud. In order to tip
the scales for the heroes of the positive universe, the Monitor
activates one last warrior.
He sends a devastating beam of energy from the star
Vega to Earth, which strikes the observing Hoshi,
leaving massive destruction in its wake. Granted the power of
photonics and the name Doctor Light, Hoshi
is assigned by the Monitor to guard one of the vibrational forks
needed to save the Earth.
Teen Titans
member
Starfire and
Outsiders member
Halo set out to destroy the machine. Since
Doctor Light can't 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.
Once the Earth's heroes and villains are brought aboard the
Monitor's satellite, the Japanese-speaking
Katana takes over as Kimiyo's
translator.
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. The Anti-Monitor ambushes the Man of Steel;
Doctor Light defends Superman as best she can.
Supergirl arrives, and sacrifices her life,
allowing Doctor Light to carry the unconscious Superman to
safety.
Seeing Supergirl's sacrifice makes Doctor Light realize how selfish
she has been, and she resolves to change.
When
Harbinger summons her to
fight in the final battle, Doctor Light is ready. As the other
heroes barrage the Anti-Monitor, she absorbs the energy of a
gigantic star that he is using as a power source. Scoring the first
fall of the Anti-Monitor during that battle, she blasts a gaping
hole through him.
In the post-
Crisis continuity, Supergirl was written out
of existence, so it is explained that Doctor Light was inspired by
the other heroes.
She is potentially one of the most powerful superheroines in the DC
Universe, but she has not tapped into the heightened levels of
power she used during the Crisis. (Although few remember those
events, Doctor Light is one of the few who do, seeing as how she
once mentioned in
Showcase '96 #9 (October 1996) that
she's faced "Anti-Matter Gods").
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. She was also a one-time ally of
the
Outsiders and was briefly
part of an incarnation of the
Doom
Patrol. During her time on the Justice League Europe, she
believed that her anti-social attitude during the Crisis was due to
the food she regularly ate, after Power Girl is diagnosed with a
similar condition. However, it is revealed that her behavior in
Crisis was, in fact, her genuine behavior. While a member of the
Justice League, Doctor Light formed significant friendships with
The Flash (
Wally
West) and
Power Girl. There is a
protracted period of animosity with the member of the
Global Guardians known as
Rising Sun. His romantic endeavours win
out and the two enter into a relationship
Infinite Crisis and after

250
In
Green Arrow vol. 3, #54
(November 2005), following his recovery from the
mind-wipe he suffered at the hands of
the Justice League, Arthur Light, the villainous male
Doctor Light attacked Doctor
Hoshi and drained her of her powers.
It
appeared that her de-powerment was temporary; in Infinite
Crisis #5 (February 2006) she used her powers to aid in the
evacuation of Tokyo
,
Japan. In that same issue she was warned by
Bart Allen, in the costume of the
Silver Age Flash, of the escape of an enraged
Superboy-Prime. She was later seen in
Infinite Crisis #7 (April 2006) battling the evil Doctor
Light.
A flashback in
Action Comics
#838 (June 2006) reveals that Doctor Light and
The Ray, heroes possessing solar-based powers,
took part in an unsuccessful attempt to re-activate Superman's
powers.
One Year Later and 52
However, an article discussing the destruction of
Star City (and, by extension, Kimiyo's
depowerment) appeared at the
52
website, which is designed to complement the weekly comic series.
The article places a date on the city's destruction, which was
depicted in the final 2 Pre-
OYL
Green Arrow arcs, specifying that the
event took place on May 15. Problematically, this dating places the
story
after the events depicted in
Infinite
Crisis.
Given this dating, Kimoyo's depowerment took place during the
events of
52 - Week 2 which, given Kimiyo and Green
Arrow's appearances at the end of
52 - Week 1, would
appear to make sense, although it in turn makes nonsense of
information contained in
Green Arrow vol. 3, #54, where it
is revealed that Kimiyo has not used her powers for two
years.
The story arc also concludes with
Green
Arrow experiencing a strange multiplying effect that places the
story during
Infinite Crisis, not
two weeks after the event's conclusion. (Several other characters
in the DCU experienced this effect in the issue of their titles
that immediately preceded the OYL jump).
Kimiyo Hoshi appeared in costume in
52 Week 35, alongside
various other heroes. All are assisting the injured victims of Lex
Luthor, who had caused a rain of 'supermen' by deactivating their
powers. 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.
Geoff Johns has revealed on his message
board that he is working on storylines involving Doctor Light.
[143866].
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,
however, unable to locate any such evidence.
Doctor Light is only occasionally active in the superhero community
owing to the fact that she is a single mother with two children.
Gail Simone confirmed in a chat on
comicbloc.com that
Kimiyo's children have not been retconned out of existence by the
recent changes to DC continuity (that resulted from the
transformation of The Post Crisis Earth into "New Earth" during
Infinite Crisis).
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 superheroing. Upon returning home from work, she is
ambushed by the Dakota-based super-team 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 kidnapped by the team. However, this is later
revealed to have been orchestrated by Superman and
Icon, as a way for both Shadow Cabinet and the
League to gain information on each other.
Hardware uses the candle that was once
Arthur Light (Arthur having been recently killed by the
Spectre) to restore Kimiyo's powers,
allowing her to quickly defeat a powered-up
Shadow Thief and his master, a restored and
more powerful
Starbreaker.
Kimiyo has been confirmed to be a member of the newest incarnation
of the Justice League. In the crossover
Blackest Night Kimiyo and the remaining
members of the League investigate the Hall of Justice after it was
overrun by the Black Lantern villains whose remains were kept in
the Hall's vault for safe-keeping. Upon entering the Hall, Kimiyo
senses the presense of her villianous counterpart, and separates
from the group, believing this Black Lantern is hers alone to face.
However, Kimiyo soons finds herself at the mercy of the Black
Lantern
Arthur Light.
Powers
Doctor Light has the ability to manipulate ambient light for a
variety of purposes. She can absorb all forms of illumination, and
release that absorbed energy as blinding flashes of light, or
destructive laser beams. She can refract lightwaves to create
holographic images. Doctor Light can focus
photons into "hard light" (a fictional form of energy which acts
like a solid object), and fire blasts of pure force or create
protective barriers. She can fly by riding lightwaves. She can also
turn into light thus making her invisible to the naked eye. She can
make blasts of light, much like Starfire's starbolts on Teen
Titans. Her weakness is that she needs a light source to fuel her
powers, and being placed in an area of absolute darkness severely
weakens her abilities.
Appearances in other media
Hoshi has appeared periodically in the
Justice League Unlimited
animated series on Cartoon Network. She has speaking roles in the
episodes "Epilogue" and "The Great Brain Robbery" and is voiced by
Lauren Tom. In "Epilogue", she is seen in
the flashback as
Amanda Waller talks
to
Terry McGinnis. Doctor Light,
Batman,
Shayera,
Red Tornado and
Stargirl had defeated
Ace's new
Royal Flush Gang. Waller told the team that
Ace's new world they were in was very dangerous. Doctor Light
didn't believe Waller at first until she learned that when Ace was
going to have an
aneurysm, her psychic
backlash would kill everyone in range of her power. In "The Great
Brain Robbery", she,
Steel
and
Ice were sent by
Mr. Terrific to stop Luthor's
minions. She used her power to reveal them and stop them, but
Doctor Polaris, using his power to
manipulate magnetic fields, threw Steel onto Doctor Light, knocking
them both out. As well, her history is hinted at in the episode
"Flashpoint," in which she is seen carrying Superman to safety
after he tries to stop the fusion cannon.
Other versions
Teen Titans Go #48 has
Killowat stuck in another dimension. That
particular world is menaced by the Teen Tyrants (
Teen Titans) and protected by The Brotherhood of
Justice (
Brotherhood of Evil).
Kimiyo Hoshi is one of the Brotherhood's members.
Bibliography
List of titles
- Blasters Special #1
- Bloodbath Special #1–2
- Crisis on Infinite
Earths #4–7, 10, 12
- Doom Patrol vol. 3,
#4–6
- Eclipso: The Darkness Within
#2
- Final Night #1
- Identity
Crisis #1
- Invasion! #2
- JLA: Our Worlds at War
#1
- Justice League #1–4
- Justice League Annual
#1, 3
- Justice League
America #54–56, 89–91
- Justice League
Europe #19, 30, 37–52, 54–58, 60–67
- Justice League Europe
Annual #1, 3
- Justice League
Quarterly #7
- Justice League
Spectacular #1
- Showcase '96 #9
- Superman: The Man of
Steel #20
- Superman vol. 2, #76
- Wonder Woman vol. 2,
#174–175
- Green Arrow #53–54
- Justice League of
America #1
- Birds Of
Prey #100, 113
Significant appearances
- Crisis on Infinite
Earths #4 (July 1985); "And Thus Shall the World
Die" – Hoshi is given superpowers by the Monitor. She becomes
the fourth Doctor Light.
- Justice League #1 (May
1987); "Born Again" – Doctor Light is given a Justice League
signal device by Maxwell Lord (who is
not officially connected to the League) in hopes she will join.
Later, as Hoshi is giving a speech to the United Nations, the
organization is attacked by terrorists (privately sent by Lord).
Hoshi activates the signal device and joins the Justice League in
defeating the terrorists.
- Justice League #4
(August 1987); "Winning Hand" – Light, angry at Lord's
deception to get her to join the League, quits.
- Justice League
Annual #3 (1989); "Around the World with the Justice
League" – Hoshi joins the Japanese embassy of the Justice
League in a non-superhero role.
- Justice League
America #54 (September 1991); "The Boot!" – Doctor
Light rejoins the Justice League.
- Justice League
America #56 (November 1991); "Look Homeward
Leaguers" – With their UN charter revoked and the League in
flux, Doctor Light returns to Japan.
- Justice League
Spectacular #1 (March/April 1992); "Teamwork" – After
the break-up of the former Justice League teams, Doctor Light is
recruited by Green Lantern to help
defeat the reorganized Royal Flush
Gang. The heroes decide to recreate the Justice League branches
and Light joins the new Justice League Europe.
- Justice League
Europe #37 (April 1992); "Changing" – Doctor Light
gets a new costume.
- Justice League
Quarterly #7 (Summer 1992); "Time to Enjoy the
Light" – Rising Sun of the Global
Guardians woos Doctor Light.
- Eclipso: The Darkness Within #2
(October 1992); "Brilliant Men" – A small group of heroes,
including Doctor Light, saves the rest of the world's heroes who
had been "eclipsed" by Eclipso.
- Superman: The Man of
Steel (February 1993); "Funeral for a Friend, Part 3: Funeral
Day"; Superman (vol. 2) #76
(February 1993); "Funeral for a Friend, Part 4: Metropolis Mailbag
II" – Doctor Light is among the heroes at Superman's
funeral.
- Justice League
International vol. 2, #63 (April 1994); "Visions of
Death" – Doctor Light becomes leader of Justice League
International.
- Justice League
International vol. 2, #67 (August 1994); "Family
Troubles" – With the dissolution of the European branch of the
League, Doctor Light resigns to return to her children in
Japan.
- Showcase '96 #9
(October 1996); "Illumination" – After defeating a group of
armored people who had come to upset one of her experiments, Hoshi
decides she is both a scientist and a superhero.
- Final Night #1 (November
1996); "Dusk" – After the sun is destroyed by the Sun-Eater, Doctor Light joins other former League
members (the group was disbanded at this time) to help save the
Earth.
- JLA: Our Worlds at War
#1 (September 2001); "A Date Which Will Live in Infamy" –
Having joined the Outsiders,
Doctor Light and the team battle Imperiex's scouts at the South
Pole.
- Wonder Woman vol. 2,
#174–175 (November–December 2001); Doctor Light is recruited by
Wonder Woman, along with a large group
of female superheroes, to battle Circe and her
group of female supervillains.
- Doom Patrol vol. 3, #4–6
(March–May 2002); Doctor Light, along with Metamorpho, Elongated
Man and Beast Boy, took part in a
short-lived Doom Patrol team.
- Identity
Crisis #1 (August 2004); "Chapter One: Coffin" –
Doctor Light attends the funeral of Sue
Dibny.
- Green Arrow vol.3, #53–54
The villain Doctor Light Steals Kimiyo's powers and leaves her
badly injured and close to death.
- Infinite Crisis #5
Kimiyo's powers have somehow returned to her, as she is seen using
them to aid in the evacuation of Tokyo.
- Teen Titans Annual #1
Kimiyo is helping with rescue efforts of Blüdhaven after Chemo was
dropped on it.
- Infinite Crisis #7
Kimiyo battles the evil Doctor Light.
References
- Justice League of America (vol. 2) #27 (November
2008)
- Justice League of America (vol. 2) #28 (December
2008)
- Justice League of America (vol. 2) #30 (February
2009)
- [1]
External links