Thanks, but you're not the only doctor in the room. "Night Nurse" is just catchier than Night General Practitioner. 
- —Night Nurse[src]
History
Origin
Linda Jane Carter was born in Allentown, New York, as the daughter of a doctor who maintained his practice there.[6] After graduating from medical school herself and becoming a registered nurse, Carter moved to New York City and began working at Metro-General Hospital with Christine Palmer and Georgia Jenkins. When she fell in love with and became engaged to the wealthy businessman Marshall Michaels, he gave her an ultimatum: marry him and leave nursing or stay at Metro-General. She chose to allow Michaels to leave and to continue pursuing her professional career.[5] During her time at Metro-General, Carter demonstrated that her skills were not limited to nursing practice, but also included detective and investigative work.[8]
Night Nurse
At some point, Carter was rescued by a masked vigilante, and afterward decided to repay the superhero community by providing its members with medical health care.[1] To accomplish this, Carter assumed a secret identity of her own, calling herself "Night Nurse," and established a small private clinic hidden in Manhattan's Chinatown[7] on or near Orchard Street.[9]
The Night Nurse was dedicated to providing care to the entire super-hero community,[10][11] but she appeared to form particularly close relationships with Daredevil,[12] Captain America,[13] and Doctor Strange.[14]
She provided long-term recovery care for Daredevil after he was severely injured during a fight with the Yakuza.[12] Later, when Daredevil was shot by Paladin, he asked Elektra to take him to her clinic. Unfortunately, the Black Widow, the Hand, and F.B.I. agents arrived there too, culminating first in a battle and then in Murdock's arrest.[15] When a bloody, beaten Elektra arrived at Nelson, Blake and Murdock Law Offices after months of torture at the hands of the Skrulls, Murdock's legal-counsel partner, Franklin "Foggy" Nelson, enlisted the help of the Night Nurse in tending to Elektra's injuries.[16]
During the Superhero Civil War, the Night Nurse sided with Captain America and his anti-registration act Secret Avengers. She assisted operations from S.H.I.E.L.D. Safe House 23.[13][17] The Night Nurse was trusted enough to be invited to attend the secret wake for Captain America.[18]
Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange and the Night Nurse
After Doctor Strange was shot by Hitler's Handgun and left for dead by Brigand, Wong bought him to the Night Nurse's Hidden Hospice for emergency medical care.[1] When she learned that Brigand had stolen Otkid's Elixir, a magical potion capable of curing any illness, she insisted on accompanying Doctor Strange and Wong on their mission to recover it.[2] Their mission resulted in Wong almost being killed, the Night Nurse's clinic burning down, and the loss of nearly all of Otkid's Elixir, but it also fostered a romantic relationship between Doctor Strange and the Night Nurse.[19] The pair casually continued their romantic relationship[11][20] and even worked together,[21] but they eventually went their separate ways.[22]
Other Patients
The Night Nurse also aided numerous other individuals within the superhero community.[10][11] When Luke Cage was badly injured during Nick Fury's Secret War, Iron Fist and Misty Knight brought Cage to the Night Nurse's clinic to receive medical treatment.[23] The Night Nurse has also helped Araña with battle wounds,[1] Iron Fist with muscular strains,[1] Black Tarantula recover from being stabbed by the White Tiger,[7] Spider-Man with wound-closing stitches,[24] the revival and recuperation of Nomad,[10] and the administration of Firestar's chemotherapy treatments.[25]
Attributes
 |
Powers
None
Abilities
The Night Nurse operating on Doctor Strange.
Expert medical training and certification as a general medical physician[1][26] and as a registered nurse.[5]
Weaknesses
The Night Nurse possesses the normal vulnerabilities, limitations, and weaknesses of any normal human without super-humanoid powers.
Notes
- Though it was at first very hard to recognize the Night Nurse in Civil War #2, Marvel Editor Tom Brevoort stated that it was really her welcoming the Young Avengers at the new headquarters.[27]
- The Night Nurse is very protective of, and maintains a very close guard over, the secrecy with which she maintains her dual identity.[12][9][21][26]
- The "Night Nurse" code name Linda Carter adopted for herself has been a recurring joke:
- Doctor Strange expressed an aversion to referring to her "by what sounds to be the title of an adult film."[2]
- Firestar remarked on the oddity of being treated by someone called the Night Nurse at eleven in the morning.[21]
- Captain America commented that he had no idea where the title "The Night Nurse" had originated, and theorized that it was developed by the super-hero seeking her services.[26]
- When Mockingbird learned about the Night Nurse and her former relationship with Doctor Strange, she commented, "Doctor Strange and the Night Nurse. I'd watch that TV show."[22]
- Despite now being a fully trained as a physician, Carter continues to use the alias of "Night Nurse" because according to her, "[it] is just catchier than Night General Practitioner."[1]
- Valkyrie noted that "The doctor in charge calls herself Night Nurse" and "Presumably her nurse is called Day Doctor".[28]
Trivia
Night Nurse's catchphrase: "Go to the room on the right."
- During her early revival, the Night Nurse was known for her catchphrase "the room on the right."[12][23][28]
- The Night Nurse's Clinic is located in Manhattan's Chinatown[7] on or near Orchard Street.[9]
- Linda Carter technically shares the moniker "Night Nurse" with both Christine Palmer and Georgia Jenkins in the Mainstream Marvel Universe, and with Claire Temple in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- The Night Nurse's phone number is 917-616-6XXX.[29] The "616" portion of her number is likely a reference to Earth-616, the numerical designation of the Marvel Universe.
- Linda Carter was in an relationship with Hawkeye before they broke up.[30]
- She was previously engaged to Marshall Michaels.[5]
See Also
- 68 appearance(s) of Linda Carter (Earth-616)
- 4 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Linda Carter (Earth-616)
- 4 minor appearance(s) of Linda Carter (Earth-616)
- 14 mention(s) of Linda Carter (Earth-616)
- 41 image(s) of Linda Carter (Earth-616)
- 7 quotation(s) by or about Linda Carter (Earth-616)
Links and References
- Linda Carter (Earth-616) on Wikipedia.org
- Christine Palmer
- Georgia Jenkins
- Claire Temple
- Night Nurse's Clinic
- Night Nurse series
- Linda Carter on Marvel Appendix
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Doctor Strange: The Oath #1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Doctor Strange: The Oath #2
- ↑ Linda Carter, Student Nurse #6
- ↑ Linda Carter, Student Nurse #2
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Night Nurse #1
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Linda Carter, Student Nurse #1
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Daredevil #512
- ↑ Night Nurse #1-4
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Doctor Strange: The Oath #3
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Captain America #605
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 New Avengers #34
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Daredevil Vol 2 #58
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Civil War #2
- ↑ Doctor Strange: The Oath #1-5
- ↑ Daredevil Vol 2 #80
- ↑ Dark Reign: Elektra #3
- ↑ Civil War #5
- ↑ Captain America Vol 5 #26
- ↑ Doctor Strange: The Oath #3-5
- ↑ New Avengers Annual #2
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Marvel Divas #2
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 New Avengers #57
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 The Pulse #9
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man: Extra! #3
- ↑ Marvel Divas #2-#4
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 Heroic Age: Heroes #1
- ↑ Tom Brevoort's Civil War Room
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 Valkyrie: Jane Foster #6
- ↑ Daredevil Vol 5 #3
- ↑ Hawkeye: Freefall #1-6
- ↑ All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #8
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol 1 8
