Doctor Phosphorus 3175648 226123747 2008-07-16T22:36:07Z Treybien 1234927 /* Powers and abilities */ {{unreferenced|date=February 2008}} {{Superherobox| image=[[Image:Drp.PNG|250px]] |caption=Doctor Phosphorus<br>Art by Marcos Marz |comic_color=background:#8080ff |character_name=Doctor Phosphorus |real_name=Dr. Alex Sartorius |publisher=[[DC Comics]] |debut=''Detective Comics'' #469 |creators=[[Steve Englehart]] |alliance_color=background:#c0c0ff |status=Deceased? |alliances= |previous_alliances= |aliases= |relatives= |powers=Burning skin<br />[[Toxic]] fume emission<br />[[List of comic book superpowers#Radiation manipulation|Radiation manipulation]] |}} '''Doctor Phosphorus''' (real name '''Dr. Alex Sartorius''') is a [[Fictional character]] who has appeared in various [[comic book]] series published by [[DC Comics]]. Primarily an enemy of [[Batman]], the [[supervillain]] exists in DC's main [[shared universe]], known as the [[DC Universe]]. He first appeared in ''[[Detective Comics]]'' #469, and was created by [[Steve Englehart]]. ==History== A crack in a reactor core causes Alex Sartorius to get "five million slivers of ([[radioactive]]) red-hot sand" into his body. Burning forever, he starts a quest for [[revenge]] against the people he blames for his terrible fate. During the ''[[Underworld Unleashed]]'' storyline, he is one of many villains to sell his [[soul]] to the [[demon]] [[Neron]]. In exchange for his soul, he is granted greater power and more control; for example, he can now wear normal clothing without it bursting into flame. In [[James Robinson]]'s series ''[[Starman (Jack Knight)|Starman]]'' he is initially hired by the [[Mist (comics)|Mist]] to kill the original [[Starman (DC Comics Golden Age)|Starman]], Ted Knight, but is defeated by the retired hero. However, they face each other a second time; this time, Phosphorus has given Knight a significant dose of radiation, which gave him terminal [[cancer]]. In a third and final confrontation, Knight is determined to ensure that Phosphorus would harm no one else. During the battle, he uses his cosmic rod to tear the pavement from beneath Phosphorus and drive him into the earth, apparently killing him. Phosphorus returns in ''Detective Comics'' #825, where he is being held in [[Project Cadmus|Cadmus]] Research laboratories. When one of the scientists examining him says he heard Sartorius had died, the other replies, "From being crushed? Hardly. Everything human in Sartorius was consumed by fire long ago. We believe his powers manifested a fusion reaction that completely sublimated his [[central nervous system]] &mdash; creating functional facsimiles of his [[heart]], his [[lung]]s, his [[kidney]]s &mdash; all working in concert to produce a near-endless supply of [[alternative energy|clean energy]]." Phosphorus escapes from Cadmus, and once again seeks revenge on those responsible for his condition. He is defeated by Batman during an attack on [[Rupert Thorne]], and he is imprisoned in [[Arkham Asylum]]. ==Powers and abilities== Doctor Phosphorus has burning skin, toxic emissions, and can manipulate radiation. When he sells his soul to Neron, he is granted better control of his powers so his clothes won't burn off him. [[Category:DC Comics supervillains]] [[Category:DC Comics metahumans]] [[Category:Fictional scientists]] [[de:Schurken im Batman-Universum#Doctor Phosphorus]] [[pl:Doctor Phosphorus]] [[tl:Doctor Phosphorus]]