Doctor Fate's origins begin over 10 billion years ago. Here, not long after the formation of the universe were born two elemental forces—the
Lords of Order and
Lords of Chaos, came into being at the beginning of the universe's struggle for supremacy.
On the world called Cilia, the Lords of Order manifested themselves as the first sentient race in the universe, a race of incorporeal magical beings. After millennia, circa 3500 BCE, one of the Lords of Order, descended to Earth from Cilia and became Nabu the Wise, an adviser to the pharaohs of ancient Egypt.
Nabu became the keeper of several powerful talismans. In the 26th century BCE, he created the Scarab of
Kha-Ef-Re with the help of a time traveler from the 20th century. This was an attempt to overthrow
Vandal Savage, who was at that time the pharaoh called Khafre. (Regardless, the Scarab was lost for 4,500 years before being rediscovered in the 20th century by archaeologist
Dan Garrett, who became the first Blue Beetle).
Nabu's most powerful talisman, the
Amulet of Anubis was created a few centuries later (c. 2025 BCE), but the circumstances are not certain. According to the devious creatures called
Flaw and
Child, Nabu commissioned the Amulet of Anubis from The Cutter, of the magical
Gemworld. Another tale asserts that in the Egyptian city of Bubastis, the mad priest
Khalis slayed his followers in the name of the god
Anubis, who then granted Khalis the Amulet of Anubis as a reward for his service. Whatever its origin, this Amulet then became home to the Lords of Order.
During the reign of pharaoh Ramses (c. 1260 BCE), Nabu became a royal adviser and court magician. He was humbled in battle with the
Spectre, who killed Ramses for his crimes against the Hebrews.
He was also on hand when a
Thanagarian starship crashed. From it Nabu recovered a portion of the anti-gravity metal that powered the ship, called "Nth metal" by the dying Thanagarian pilot. Nabu and his ally,
Teth-Adam used a portion of the
Nth metal to forge a war gauntlet called the
Claw of Horus, which they predicted would be instrumental in a battle thousands of years in the future.