The Über-Doctor

May 30th, 2006

Filed under: Comics, Medicine

One of the enduring concepts in comic books is that of the über-doctor. These are individuals who are beyond brilliant. No matter what their original field of study, they have also mastered every other discipline that’s even vaguely related to science. Unlike Scotty, they can break the laws of physics, and the only limit on their abilities is the imagination of their writers. Über-doctors can be found in many comics, though most seem to gravitate to Marvel. Such über-doctors include Hank Pym, Henry McCoy, Charles Xavier, and Michael Holt.

The über-doc against whom all others are measured is, of course, Reed Richards. Is there anything this man can’t do? This scene has always summed up his über-docness the best:

Scene from Gantastic Four #240

Here he is, on the Moon, delivering Crystal and Quicksilver’s baby. (Because, apparently, the Inhumans don’t have their own obstetricians or midwives. What do they do when Reed’s not around? Cross their legs?)

This is from Fantastic Four #240, written and drawn by John Byrne, where in a matter of a mere 22 pages, Reed diagnosis a mysterious illness, concocts a temporary antidote, realizes that Earth’s contaminated air is not safe for the Inhumans, directs the conversion of Attilan into a flying city, back-seat-drives while Ben pilots the ship/city, and finally, acts as obstetrician. Now that, ladies and gentleman, is an über-doctor!

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13 Responses to “ The Über-Doctor ”

  1. Seth Finkelstein
    May 30th, 2006 at 11:38 pm

    I’d assume that the Inhumans have their own obstetricians or midwives, but QuickSilver seems like the kind of guy who would want his kid delivered by Dr. Famous (even Dr. Famous ordinarily treats ingrown toenails). I could see Reed Richards going along with it. There could be someone on standby if complications set in, and handling a normal birth does seem like something he could do within his sphere of knowledge. Remember, he *does* know anatomy and physiology, given his studies of the effects of cosmic rays on human bodies, and probably also from concerns over Sue’s own childbirth.

  2. Korvar
    May 31st, 2006 at 4:36 am

    You’d get the impression, from reading comics, that there is this one field of study called SCIENCE which contains absolutely everything…

  3. Juho Salo
    May 31st, 2006 at 7:56 am

    Well, you have to give it to Michael Holt - the whole concept of the character is that he knows everything. That’s why he’s “Terrific”.

  4. Rod Odom
    May 31st, 2006 at 8:12 am

    Did you read the whole book? Do you know the background of Reed Richards? He spent many years obtaining doctorates in all the sciences so of course he could deliver a baby, diagnose illnesses and formulate antidotes. He is also an architect, physicist, aeronautics engineer, rocket scientist, accountant, forensics expert and physician in all the major medical fields. This is why John Byrne wrote that particular story, to emphasis just why he is called Mr. Fantastic. He believes in writing stories that shows all the characters main attributes. If you notice in that issue John Byrne made an effort to show the Human Torch on fire, the Thing looking menacing and Sue Richards invisible.

    Please read issue #236 of the Fantastic Four “Terror in Tiny Town” to see more on Mr. Fantastics amazing intellect.

  5. David Oakes
    May 31st, 2006 at 11:01 am

    He’s the Goddamn Reed Richards!

  6. Zaratustra
    May 31st, 2006 at 12:30 pm

    Reed Richards has a Doctorate in Science from Science University.

  7. Chuck T.
    May 31st, 2006 at 12:41 pm

    I think in the old Giffen Legion issues, Brainiac 5 is referred to as having an “X.D.” In the letters page, they suggest it may be a doctorate in everything. Very existential.

  8. gorjus
    May 31st, 2006 at 2:10 pm

    Chuck T. beat me to it! Braniac is my favorite super-brain: I absolutely think it’s awesome that somebody spent a little bit of time explaining what it is he’s actually good at (”everything”).

    There’s an attorney in my town who advertises himself as a “doctor-lawyer”–a/k/a, a PhD and a JD. That’s a little too much for me, personally, although there were also two doctors in my entering law school class back in the day.

  9. BPKurtz
    May 31st, 2006 at 4:12 pm

    He is not only the delivering obstetrician, he’s also apparently the examining pediatrician. Or, perhaps he’s a family physician like Scott!

  10. Brett Brooks
    June 1st, 2006 at 11:11 am

    In that issue, Reed only assisted in the delivery of Crystal’s baby. The Inhumans have their own medical personnel or that is at least assumed since Reed only assisted the person actually delivering the child. A “mere 22 pages” in a comic book can contain 5 minutes of time or 5 days, but the fact is that a “mere 22 pages” can contain a lot of information. The sheer page count should not indicate some fixed time constraint. In a “mere 22 pages” Galactus can eat an entire planet, but nobody complains that task would require more than 22 pages. There are years and years of material that go into the background information that have been established to allow so much to happen in a comic book. While I agree that Reed Richards is portrayed as an Über-Doctor that knows a great deal, I don’t buy your examples of how unrealistic that fact is for his character.

  11. Jon Hendry
    June 1st, 2006 at 5:32 pm

    “In that issue, Reed only assisted in the delivery of Crystal’s baby. The Inhumans have their own medical personnel or that is at least assumed since Reed only assisted the person actually delivering the child.”

    Please tell me that was Lockjaw.

  12. Hoosier X
    June 4th, 2006 at 12:03 pm

    Yes, it was Lockjaw. He is very adept with those big Angelina Jolie lips and he gently grabbed the baby’s foot and pulled her out. It was a very tender and touching moment … until it turned out that Lockjaw was a SKRULL … and always had been!

    (It’s been awhile since I read this, so I might have a few of the details wrong.)

  13. Blog@Newsarama » Meanwhile…
    June 5th, 2006 at 11:06 pm

    […] Scott at Polite Dissent handles the medical corner of the blogosphere and this last week he’s been inspecting The Über-Doctor. One of the enduring concepts in comic books is that of the über-doctor. These are individuals who are beyond brilliant. No matter what their original field of study, they have also mastered every other discipline that’s even vaguely related to science. Unlike Scotty, they can break the laws of physics, and the only limit on their abilities is the imagination of their writers. Über-doctors can be found in many comics, though most seem to gravitate to Marvel. Such über-doctors include Hank Pym, Henry McCoy, Charles Xavier, and Michael Holt. […]

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