Sorry, Doc- you'll always be merely the SECOND-coolest character whose name rhymes with "-Ock Samson".
DOC SAMSON (Dr. Leonard Samson, formerly Leonard Skivorski, Jr.)
Created By: Roy Thomas & Herb Trimpe
First Appearance: The Incredible Hulk #141 (July 1971)
Role: Official Psychiatrist to the Super-Heroes
PL 11 (150), PL 12 (150) Saves
STRENGTH 13
STAMINA 13
AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 8
DEXTERITY 1
INTELLIGENCE 5
AWARENESS 4
PRESENCE 4
Skills:
Deception 6 (+10)
Expertise (Psychiatrist) 10 (+15)
Insight 10 (+14)
Intimidation 4 (+8)
Perception 3 (+7)
Persuasion 5 (+9)
Ranged Combat (Thrown Objects) 2 (+7)
Technology 1 (+6)
Vehicles 2 (+3)
Advantages:
Fast Grab, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Hold, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4
Powers:
Impervious Toughness 9 [9]
Immunity 5 (Heat, Cold, Radiation, Disease, Poison) [5]
Leaping 5 (250 mph) [5]
"Supreme Knowledge of the Mind" Enhanced Will 3 (Flaws: Limited to Mental Attacks/Mind-Reading) [1.5]
Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+13 Damage, DC 28)
Initiative +2
Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +13 (+5 Impervious), Fortitude +13, Will +8 (+11 vs. Mental Effects)
Complications:
Motivation (Psychiatric Care)- Samson is a devoted shrink, and is authentically interested in the psychological well-being of Bruce Banner and Robbie "Speedball" Baldwin, among others. He engages in regular therapy groups with the members of X-Factor and those who were replaced by Skrulls during "The Secret Invasion".
Responsibility (Gamma-Powered)- Samson usually ends up mixed-in with other Gamma-powered characters, and may be "overloaded" with the radiation and turned stronger and crazy.
Power Loss (All Powers- Cut Hair)- In his early days, Doc Samson would be rendered powerless if his long green hair were cut. This fell away relatively quickly, perhaps being too goofy for a world in which Apes were super-villains and having Maggots for a stomach is a super-power.
Involuntary Transformation (Multiple Personalities)- Like other Gamma-powered characters, Samson eventually became afflicted with multiple personalities. By giving up his intellect, Samson grew much stronger (into a PL 12-13 creature).
Total: Abilities: 100 / Skills: 43--20.5 / Advantages: 9 / Powers: 11.5 / Defenses: 9 (150)
-As a kid, I thought Doc Samson was flat-out dumb- a Psychiatrist Hero who has long green hair because of Gamma Radiation that fights or cures The Hulk at random? Goofy stuff. Later writers have used him as one of those weird "Comic Book Things", in a world where people use a blind martial artist or a Gamma-powered green lady as a Lawyer, a Sorcerer Supreme as an M.D. referrer, and a Gamma-powered green-haired guy as a sit-down Psychiatrist. They actually do a bit of good work with him, and Warren Ellis made him kind of funny and personable (if a bit obnoxiously competent in a Mary Sue sort of way) in his
Thunderbolts run, but part of me still likes watching this guy get the living crap beaten out of him.
-Samson has the goofiest origin ever- a reluctant psychiatrist (he resented his psychiatrist father's philandering), he nonetheless used his skills to temporarily cure Bruce Banner of his green affliction... at which point he took some of the siphoned-off gamma radiation into himself, becoming "Doc Samson". Initially, his strength was proportionate to the length of his hair- a true psychological hang-up. Banner's "cure" is over quickly, as he gets pissed off at Samson hitting on Betty Ross, and thus re-exposes himself to the radiation and fights Samson as The Hulk once more. Feeling guilty over Banner's troubles, Samson thus devotes himself to permanently caring for him.
-Though Samson was de-powered at the end of his origin story, he soon gained powers back, joining the Hulk's Ensemble Cast as his "Hercules/Worf"- the guy who loses to the bad guy so that the bad guy can look strong. He often gets captured by villains, or fights lesser threats like The Rhino. Peter David gets the best use out of him, resulting in Banner coalescing into one, singular Hulk. At some point, he also becomes the go-to guy for "Superhero Psychiatry" in the Marvel Universe- this one man acting as therapist and guide to every costume with an issue. One particularly memorable issue of David's
X-Factor featured his assessments of the various members of the team, giving some great characterization and insight.
-Modern times sees Samson in generally that same kind of role- advising and assisting others. He sides with the Illuminati in exiling Hulk off-planet, setting off
World War Hulk and a split with his old friend, but also helps Speedball through his troubles as "Penance". However, the
Hulk book twists him into a bad guy, as he himself gains multiple personalities, growing larger and more insane as "Samson"- this stupider persona "kills" the other two, taking over. He is eventually killed in a
Hulked Out event where various Marvel characters had received Gamma-upgrades- he dies absorbing as much gamma radiation as possible into himself, being reduced to a smoking skeleton in seconds. In recent years, he's turned up alive without explanation.
-Doc Samson is gamma-powered, meaning he's a toughie around She-Hulk or The Thing's level. Most of the Upper-Tier Powerhouses in Marvel are PL 10-11 in my opinion- putting them a bit above the Street Levellers of the world, but they're a level below a Standard Hulk, and WELL below a Thunder God or a Raging Hulk. Samson is a bit below them- he doesn't have the experience or the big wins to be up there with Ben Grimm or Jennifer Walters, in my opinion, though he once fought the Hulk for HOURS, so he's still PL 10.5. He wins out a bit in being MUCH smarter and more capable than most of those guys, however- only Jen is anywhere close to his level, and she's no scientist.