Gentleman Ghost | |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | DC Comics |
First appearance | Flash Comics #88 (October 1947) |
Created by | Robert Kanigher (writer) Joe Kubert (artist) |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | James "Jim" Craddock |
Species | Ghost |
Team affiliations | Injustice Society Secret Society of Super Villains Suicide Squad |
Notable aliases | The Ghost "Gentleman Jim" |
Abilities |
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Gentleman Ghost (James "Jim" Craddock), introduced as Ghost, and also known as Gentleman Jim, is a supervillain appearing in works published by DC Entertainment. [1] Created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Joe Kubert, the character first appeared in Flash Comics #88 (October 1947). [2]
Gentleman Ghost has been substantially adapted into media outside comics, including animated television series, films, and video games. He is voiced by Greg Ellis in Batman: The Brave and the Bold , "Weird Al" Yankovic in Teen Titans Go! To the Movies , Toby Stephens in Batman: Caped Crusader , and Robin Atkin Downes in Justice League Unlimited .
The original, Earth-Two incarnation of Gentleman Ghost is a human criminal who used tricks and gadgets to appear to be a ghost. [3] [4]
In Post-Crisis continuity, James "Jim" Craddock is the son of an English gentleman who abandoned both him and his mother, forcing them into poverty. Craddock grows up to become a notorious highwayman and robber who terrorizes England in the 19th century under the name "Gentleman Jim". He encounters the ghosts of other highwaymen, and Dick Turpin leaves him a horse. He journeys to the United States and encounters the gunslingers Nighthawk and Cinnamon. Nighthawk kills Craddock, who returns as a ghost. [5]
The Gentleman Ghost learns that he must wander the earth until the spirit of his killer moves on to the next plane of existence. [6] Nighthawk and Cinnamon are revealed to be the reincarnations of Prince Khufu and Chay-Ara, and cannot die due to their continual reincarnation. Both are resurrected as Hawkman and Hawkgirl, and the Gentleman Ghost becomes their recurring nemesis. [7]
Gentleman Ghost later appears as a member of the Injustice Society. [8]
During Infinite Crisis , Gentleman Ghost joins Alexander Luthor Jr.'s Secret Society of Super Villains. He fights Alan Scott and places him in a coma. [9]
His origin is explored and altered in the pages of JSA #82-87 (2006). The son of an abusive father and a poor mother, young Jim Craddock slips into a life of crime, making contacts with the supernatural. He is eventually captured and sentenced to death, but returns as a ghost. [10]
Gentleman Ghost is one of the villains sent to retrieve the Get Out of Hell Free card from the Secret Six.
In 2011, "The New 52" rebooted the DC universe. Gentleman Ghost is depicted as a human similar to his Earth-Two counterpart before a witch curses him and transforms him into a ghost. [11] [12]
In 2016, DC Comics implemented another relaunch of its books called "DC Rebirth" which restored its continuity to a form much as it was prior to "The New 52". Gentleman Ghost joins Amanda Waller's Suicide Squad Black to fight Sebastian Faust after he steals several artifacts in A.R.G.U.S. storage. [13]
In "The New Golden Age", Gentleman Ghost obtains a special sphere to summon an army of zombies. He fights the Justice Society until Icicle unknowingly uses his ice attack on the sphere, which summons Surtur. Legionnaire borrows some of Hawkman's lifeforce and uses it to revive Gentleman Ghost, causing Surtur to explode and the zombies to disappear. [14]
In the "DC All In" initiative, Gentleman Ghost joins Scandal Savage's Injustice Society. [15]
The Gentleman Ghost of Earth-Two relies on various devices to simulate ghost-like capabilities for his criminal capers.
Jim Craddock is a ghost who can become invisible and intangible, teleport, and freeze people with his touch. However, he is vulnerable to Nth Metal, which has anti-magic properties. [16]
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