Character Relationship Map: Doc

Characters

• Doc Holliday (played by Stacy Keach) — protagonist

  Doc Holliday is a gambler, former dentist, and tuberculosis sufferer who travels west seeking a drier climate. He reunites with his old friend Wyatt Earp, helps him confront the Cowboys, and teaches T...

• Wyatt Earp (played by Harris Yulin) — supporting

  Wyatt Earp is a deputy marshal of Cochise County who hopes to become sheriff. He plans to grow wealthy with Doc Holliday running gambling in town, investigates a stagecoach robbery, and battles the Co...

• Ike Clanton (played by Michael Witney) — supporting

  Ike Clanton is a leading member of the Cowboys and a powerful opponent of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Doc defeats him in cards, while Wyatt later pistol-whips and ejects him from a saloon. Ike beats...

• The Kid (played by Denver John Collins) — supporting

  The Kid is a younger gunman whom Doc Holliday takes under his instruction. Doc teaches him how to shoot a pistol, establishing a mentor-like relationship between them. Although the plot gives little f...

• Morgan Earp (played by Philip Shafer) — supporting

  Morgan Earp is involved with the Earp side during the final conflict at the OK Corral. The plot specifically records that he does not survive the gunfight, unlike Wyatt Earp, Virgil Earp, and Doc Holl...

• Virgil Earp (played by John Bottoms) — supporting

  Virgil Earp is part of the Earp side in the final confrontation at the OK Corral. The plot names him alongside Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday as a participant in the gunfight, and specifically states tha...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Doc Holliday → The Kid (Professional Shooting Instructor) — Doc provides practical firearms instruction to The Kid.

  Doc teaches The Kid how to shoot a pistol.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Doc Holliday → Morgan Earp (Conflict Gunfight Opponent) — The final showdown places them on opposing sides of the violence.

  Doc survives the OK Corral gunfight, while Morgan Earp does not.

• Doc Holliday → Virgil Earp (Alliance Combat Associate) — They are aligned during the climactic armed encounter.

  Doc Holliday and Virgil Earp both survive the OK Corral gunfight.

• Wyatt Earp → Virgil Earp (Alliance Gunfight Associate) — They participate together in the final showdown.

  Virgil Earp and Wyatt Earp both survive the OK Corral gunfight.

• Wyatt Earp → Morgan Earp (Alliance Gunfight Associate) — They appear on the same side of the climactic confrontation.

  Wyatt and Morgan are both involved in the OK Corral showdown, where Wyatt survives and Morgan does not.

• Wyatt Earp → Ike Clanton (Conflict Armed Rival) — Their hostility escalates from public humiliation to physical combat.

  Wyatt pistol-whips Ike and throws him out of the saloon; later, Ike defeats Wyatt in a fight.

• Doc Holliday → Ike Clanton (Conflict Card Game Opponent) — Their first meeting establishes a direct competitive rivalry.

  Doc beats Ike in a hand of Five Card Stud at the saloon and wins the wager.

• Doc Holliday → Wyatt Earp (Social Old Friend) — Their prior friendship reconnects them and drives Doc's arrival in Tombstone.

  Doc tells the woman that he is hoping to find his old friend Wyatt Earp in Tombstone.

Story Analysis

A gambler and tuberculosis sufferer becomes bound to Wyatt's lawman ambitions and a violent Tombstone showdown.

Plot Progression

1. Cards on the Road — Doc meets Ike at a roadside saloon and wins a Five Card Stud wager. He then travels to Tombstone, where he reconnects with Wyatt.
2. A Dangerous Partnership — Wyatt presents his sheriff-and-gambling plan to Doc, while his confrontation with Ike establishes the town's violent tensions. Doc also begins a domestic relationship.
3. The Failed Bargain — A stagecoach robbery sends Doc and Wyatt to the ranch. Wyatt loses a fight with Ike, vows revenge, and later tries to secure the reward through a bargain.
4. Authority Under Siege — Wyatt becomes sheriff but faces resistance after failing to produce the reward money. Doc teaches The Kid while his illness and treatments reveal his personal vulnerability.
5. The Corral Reckoning — During a fiesta, the conflict reaches the OK Corral. Doc, Wyatt, and Virgil survive the gunfight, while Ike and Morgan do not.