The fictional character's origin was revealed in
Secret Origins (vol. 2) #17. (August 1987) by
E. Nelson Bridwell and
Roy Thomas. They depicted him and a woman (the future
Rose Psychic) being kidnapped by a demonic cult to be sacrificed but were rescued by a shadowy group of magicians called "The Seven". Recognizing that both Occult and Psychic had magical potential, the Seven took them away for a number of years to study and learn the mystic arts. Thirty-six years later, Doctor Occult opened up his own detective agency, specializing in crimes of a mystical nature and during
World War II he joined the All-Star Squadron. At some point, Occult and Rose were fused into one being; the exact circumstances vary between stories. In 1991,
Neil Gaiman brought the character back into the spotlight with a prominent supporting role in
The Books of Magic. In the third issue he acts as
Tim Hunter's guide to otherworlds. When visiting
Faerie, he takes the form of Rose Psychic. Hunter's other guides are
Mister E, the
Phantom Stranger, and
John Constantine, the last of whom sarcastically nicknames the group the
Trenchcoat Brigade. The four would return later at a summons from Hunter, who, having lost everything at that point, needs a new direction in life. In
Day of Judgment, Occult joins the
Sentinels of Magic, a group created to prevent artifacts such as the
Spear of Destiny from falling into the wrong hands. Occult appears as a main character in
Reign in Hell, where he enters
Hell to find and release the soul of Rose Psychic. In the
DC All In series
Justice League Unlimited (vol. 2), he joins the expanded
Justice League. == Powers and abilities ==