Charles McNider

## Background

### 1962 - 1980: Charles Cross

Charles Cross was born in Bjorland to noted surgeon Theodoric Cross & his English wife Emilie McNider. When she went into labor, her husband Theodoric was the one to deliver the baby boy. They argued on whether to name him Charles or Pieter after their respective fathers but they settled on Charles Marius McNider.

At young age, his parents realized that Charles was developing at a much faster rate than other children. With their massive wealth, they gave him the best tutors & mentors to help mold his young mind. To keep his social life in tact, his parents frequently had him go on play dates with James Trent, the son of Theodoric's best friend & owner of Trent Industries The two quickly became best friends & were inseparable. A friendly rivalry soon developed between the two geniuses, with each trying to learn more than the other. As Charles went on to graduate from the Ivy University's Medical School at eighteen, James was right with him at the Ivy U's Business School.

### 1980 - 1985: Charles McNider

While he planned on returning back to Bjorland following his graduation, his father's death put things in a different perspective for him. Going by his mother's maiden name, Dr. Charles McNider soon became a brilliant & renowned doctor in Keystone City. He was known for many cases like when he saved a whole city from an accidental derivative that was plaguing the residents. But his most known case was when he was sent to Gotham to save the life of a key witness in an upcoming murder trial. The man had been shot in the back by the men of "Killer" Maroni but would die if not operated on.

As Charles began the surgery, Maroni discovered the witness was still alive & sent his men to finish the job. While conducting his operation, a hand grenade was thrown through the hospital window. Everyone in the room would die as a result of the the explosion except for him. Though alive, he was permanently blind as shards of exploding glass had flown into his eyes.

Not one to take things lying down, McNider placed himself into an intense therapy program to help develop his other senses. In addition, he learned that he had more energy at night so he began spending his evenings practicing gymnastics & working out. His nurse, Myra Mason, would be at his side through it all, with two falling in love. In addition to his night energy, he also discovered that he had perfect vision at night after he woke up in the middle night to use the bathroom.

With his new combat skills & night vision, Charles decided to become a vigilante to strike back at the criminal world that had taken his eyes & career from him. He also developed specially modified infrared goggles that allowed him to see during the daylight. After fashioning himself a costume with the help of Myra, Doctor Mid-Nite was born.

### 1985 - Present: Doctor Mid-Nite

As a superhero, Charles began to feel useful again. And with the help of some other superheroes, he would take down Maroni & other criminals. The courage & commitment he displayed during the mob wars led to Charles being offered him a place on the roster of the Justice Society.

Despite the joining of this new secret soicety, he returned to Bjorland with Myra where he was left the family estate following his mother's death years prior. Back home, he was able to not only spend more time with his old friend James but also his goddaughter Jennifer. The guys' relationship would strengthen in time with Charles consulting with the Society from afar.

In 1987, Charles would receive a new job in life when James & his wife were killed in an explosion in Beijing. At the time, James had begun writing his will due to the birth of his daughter, making sure to clearly lay out what was to happen if he was to perish suddenly. In perfect writing was that Charles was to take over guardianship of his daughter. Following his his best friend's request, he & Myra adopted his goddaughter, Jennifer. Him & Myra raised Jennifer on their own in England. When Jennifer was twelve, her powers began to manifest. Luckily, the two were well equipped in the super powered world & helped her with her abilities until Myra passed away in 1999.

Charles continued to watch her grow up on her own. When Jennifer entered the British Army Intelligence in 2006, he elected to move back to the states. He reached out to his old associate, Alan Scott who invited him to move in the JSA Brownstone so he was not by his lonesome. Since then, Charles kept himself busy by performing operations in the superhero community, maintaining his website where he provides free medical advice to its users & training his prodigy Beth Chapel.

## Romantic Relationships

* Myra Mason: Girlfriend (1985 - 1991); Wife (1991 - 1999)

## Powers & Abilities

* **Infrared Vision**: Doctor Mid-Nite could see perfectly clear in total darkness without the aid of artificial enhancements, despite the fact that he was blind.
* **Longevity:** When the Justice Society battled with Ian Karkull, many of the members were infused with a radioactive energy he was working on. The energy allows for him to age at a slower rate than the average human. Though he is nearly 80, he looks to be in his 50s & is physically fit at one.
* **Hand to Hand Combat:** After losing his eyesight, Charles decided to develop his other senses. He began working out constantly, quickly learning combat.
* **Genius Level Intellect:** McNider is also highly intelligent, graduating from the Ivy University's Medical School at the young age of eighteen.
	+ ***Journalism***
	+ ***Medicine*:** Doctor Mid-Nite is the world's most prominent superhero doctor. As a top physician, he is capable of all manner of various surgeries, including doing it in the dark. He is often called upon when an autopsy is needed or when a hero needs major surgery. He is also called upon by other medical agencies, such as S.T.A.R. Labs, when emergencies or dilemmas appear.
	+ ***Multilingualism***: He fluently speaks eight languages.
* **Infra-Goggles**: He wears special infrared goggles that enabled him to see clearly despite his physical handicap. He did not require these goggles for purposes of night vision.
* **Mid-Nite Gauntlets**: His gauntlets carry a wide variety of chemicals, medicines & small equipment.
* **Blackout Bomb**: It is small bomb which releases pitch-black gas that blinds villains. These "blackout bombs" could be modified to create smokey illusions or flash-bang effects.

### Weaknesses

* **Blindness**: He is blind & cannot see in daylight without the aid of special infrared goggles.

### Ratings

* **Intelligence:** Unknown
* **Strength:** Unknown
* **Speed:** Unknown
* **Occult:** Unknown
* **Weapons:** Unknown
* **Range:** Unknown
* **Strategy:** Unknown
* **Combat:** Unknown
* **TOTAL:** Unknown

## Trivia

* He has a pet owl named Hooty the Owl.
* His father & James Trent's father were best friends. The two grew up to become close friends themselves & he was picked to be the godfather of James' daughter Jennifer. After James & his wife's deaths, Charles took Jennifer in as his own.
* He though Laurel Drake was cute during their time on the Justice Society.
* He has been called the Master of Darkness.
* He is one of the world's most prominent superhero doctors. He is often called upon when an autopsy is needed or when a hero needs major surgery. He is also called upon by other medical agencies, such as S.T.A.R. Labs, when emergencies or dilemmas appear.
* Following his accident, it would be awhile before he returned to work in a hospital as they had trouble trusting a man who was performing major surgeries in the dark.
* He is related to Rex, Joseph & Moose through his marriage to Myra.
* He helped Lois Lane following the births of all her babies as Kryptonian-human hybrids caused much stress on her body.
* He is technically employed by ARGUS, as he is the on call doctor for the League. He works closely with Leslie Thompkins & Pieter Cross.

## Notes

* His birthday is a nod to his first comic appearance, *All-American Comics*#25 (April, 1941).
* Trying to choose between the name Charles & Pieter is a nod to Pieter Cross, the successor of McNider for the mantle of Doctor Mid-Nite.
* His origin story, birthday & attraction to Laurel Lance are from Pieter Cross.