Spectre
Back to Heroes Main > Spectre
Real Identity: James Brendan Corrigan
Affiliation(s): Justice Society of America
Appearances: Chill of the Night!, Gorillas in Our Midst!, Powerless! (Aquaman), Crisis: 22,300 Miles Above Earth!, and Mitefall!
Powers: Flight, Intangibility, Possession, Animation, Telepathy, Teleportation, Fear Projection, Invisibility, Illusion Casting, Mist Generation, Astral Projection, Size Manipulation, and Magic
Voiced By: Mark Hamill
In 776 BC, God's wrath was manifested and unleashed as Spectre. In order to atone for his role in Lucifer's rebellion, Raphael was transformed into the Spectre and used to inflict wrath on those who sinned. It is said he destroyed Sodom and Gommorah, spread the 10 plagues across Egypt, and destroyed the walls of Jericho. After the arrival of Jesus Christ, Spectre was delegated to Limbo as it was decreed that the spirits of vengeance and forgiveness could not exist on Earth at the same time. He was freed after Christ's death, Spectre was freed but required to bond with a human host.
In 1940, James Corrigan was born to Reverend Jedediah Corrigan, a fundamentalist preacher. In order to teach him about the nature of sin, the Reverend often physically and emotionally abused his son. When James turned into a teenager, he ran away to New York City and became a police officer. Although he did well as a detective, Corrigan was infamous for his self-righteous and arrogant attitude. In 1940, Corrigan was killed by a mobster named Gat Benson. Corrigan's soul desired vengeance and attracted the attention of the Spectre. The Spectre got his revenge on Benson. A local patrolman, Percival Poplanski, suggested he use his powers for good.
On the eve of Batman discovering Joe Chill was the man who killed his parents, Spectre offered a wager to the Phantom Stranger. If Batman killed Chill, the Spectre would make Batman his agent. If Batman upheld justice, he was free to make his own choices. The Spectre pushed his notion of justice and vengeance on Batman and teleported him to the past at Blackgate Penitentiary. They observed Lew Moxon approve a hit on Thomas Wayne. In the conclusion, Spectre tried to steer Batman to fulfill his destiny but Chill was spared. Unsatisfied with the outcome, the Spectre made sure Chill happened to be under the roof when it gave way from pulse shots fired from the Sonic Disrupter so that vengeance would be carried out.
After Dr. Milo dispatched modified rats to steal diamonds, Batman and the Spectre confronted the scientist. Spectre offered to issue his wrath but was turned down by Batman. Disappointed with his ally's leniency on evil, the Spectre vanished. However, once Batman left, Spectre returned. He released the lab rats and transformed Milo into living cheese.