Doc Samson

Doc Samson (Dr. Leonard "Leo" Samson) is a fictional character, a superhero and psychiatrist in the Marvel Comics universe, known as a supporting character in stories featuring the Hulk.

Doc Samson first appeared in the Incredible Hulk #141 (July 1971) and was created by Roy Thomas and Herb Trimpe. Since then he has also appeared as a supporting character in several different Marvel Comics titles, including She-Hulk, Uncanny X-Men, and Amazing Spider-Man. In 1996 Doc Samson starred in his first self-titled miniseries written by Dan Slott. In 2006, Samson starred in his second miniseries written by Paul Di Filippo and penciled by Fabrizio Fiorentino.

Leonard Samson was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His father, Dr. Leo (short for Leonard) Skivorski, was a popular psychiatrist in his hometown who specialized in treating young women, most of whom he had affairs with. Mrs. Skivorski had nicknamed her husband "Samson" after his long hair. Leonard Skivorski Junior initially expressed disinterest in becoming a psychiatrist, perhaps because he resented his father's philandering. Despite this he became a college professor and psychiatrist. After Robert Bruce Banner was temporarily cured of being the Hulk by siphoning off the gamma radiation that caused his transformations, Samson, who had been working with Banner/Hulk in his job as a psychiatrist, exposed himself to some of the siphoned radiation, granting him a superhumanly strong and muscular physique and causing his hair to turn green and to grow long, reminiscent of his biblical namesake. Initially, Samson's physical strength depends upon the length of his hair, though his gamma mutation eventually stabilized making the length of his hair no longer a factor. Shortly afterward, his flirting with Betty Ross caused a jealous Banner to re-expose himself to radiation, becoming the Hulk once more to battle Samson. He learned that his power decreases when he cuts his green hair, but then lost his powers due to the bombardment of intense gamma radiation. Feeling guilty about his role in his patient's return to being the Hulk, Samson would spend much time working with Banner over the years.

Samson eventually regained his powers in a gamma ray explosion, and joined the gamma base staff. Alongside S.H.I.E.L.D., he battled the Hulk. He shrank and projected the Hulk into Glenn Talbot's brain to cure Talbot of amnesia. Samson then battled the Rhino.