| Gentleman Ghost | |
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Gentleman Ghost facing Alan Scott from JSA #86, artist Luke Ross |
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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 Craddock |
| Team affiliations | Injustice Society Secret Society of Super Villains |
| Notable aliases | The Ghost, "Gentleman Jim", Jim Craddock |
| Abilities | Spectral ability to turn invisible and incorporeal. Renders any body part who touches him deathly cold. Teleport. Adequate marksman with antique flintlock pistols. Interdimensional travel. Spectral energy projection. |
Gentleman Ghost is a fictional character, a supervillain published by DC Comics publications. He first appeared in Flash Comics #88 (October 1947), and was created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert.[1]
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"Gentleman Ghost" Jim Craddock is the son of an English gentleman who abandoned both Jim and his mother, forcing them into poverty. Craddock grew up to become a notorious highwayman and robber who terrorized England in the 1800s after a prophecy from a gypsy said he would be a highwayman. He encountered the ghosts of other highwaymen and Dick Turpin left him a horse. He journeys to the United States and encounters the gunslingers Nighthawk and Cinnamon. The hot-headed Nighthawk lynches Craddock after wrongly assuming that he sexually assaulted Cinnamon, but Craddock somehow eludes death to rise again as a phantom.
The Gentleman Ghost learns he must wander the earth until the spirit of his killer moves on to the next plane of existence. Unfortunately, Nighthawk and Cinnamon turn out to be the reincarnations of Ancient Egyptian royalty Prince Khufu and Chay-Ara: their souls (due to their exposure to the Thanagarian Nth metal) can never truly pass on. Both are eventually resurrected as Hawkman and Hawkgirl, and the Gentleman Ghost becomes their recurring nemesis during the 1940s.[1] Craddock has over the decades menaced other heroes, including Batman, The Atom, The Flash, The New Teen Titans, Max Mercury and Stargirl, but the vengeful Ghost always returns to his main foes, the Hawks, sometimes as a foe and sometimes as a friend.
Gentleman Ghost has clashed with Batman and Superman on different occasions. In JSA Classified, issues 5-7, the Gentleman Ghost is a member of the Injustice Society. In Villains United #1, he joins the Secret Society of Super Villains.
His origin is explored and altered in the pages of JSA #82-87 (2006). The natural son of an abusive father and a poor mother, young Jim Craddock soon slips into a life of crime, making contacts with the supernatural. After a gypsy prophesies that he will be able to transcend death and return to life fighting and killing his enemies on English soil, his villainous career is put to an end when he is captured and sentenced to death by hanging after he is tricked by a woman he is trying to seduce who summons Redcoats. Returning as a ghost, he battles the JSA, hoping for the prophecy to come true.
The Ghost is briefly seen in the Infinite Crisis, during the Secret Society of Supervillains' attack on Metropolis and its dozens of superpowered and human defenders. Afterwards, the Ghost becomes involved in a fight with Alan Scott. This ends badly for Scott, leaving him in a coma.
When the rightful time arrives, the Ghost gains the additional power of summoning vengeful ghosts from his enemies' (the JSA) past, like someone Scott accidentally killed with an electrical accident, although this is a fake, and other highwaymen. His plan is foiled by Stargirl, who, as a virgin girl, is impervious to ghostly attacks, an army of ghostly nobles who attack his army, and Wildcat, surprisingly a descendant of the Royal House of England, who decapitates him. Vanquished, he disappears.
Gentleman Ghost is seen as one of the villains sent to retrieve the Get Out of Hell Free card from the Secret Six.
Originally, the Gentleman Ghost seemed to rely on devices to simulate a ghostly existence; the original 1940s stories left the question of his nature open to speculation. Later, however, he is retconned into a true ghost and his abilities altered to follow suit. As a ghost, Craddock has several abilities. He can become intangible and pass effortlessly through solid material. He can become completely invisible. In fact, the appearance of his head as a floating hat and monocle is actually him rendering his decayed face invisible. He has been shown as being able to teleport as short a distance as a few rooms or as far as across states. Gentleman Ghost can also summon spectral weapons including a cane that shoots spectral fire and flintlock pistols. When passing through Craddock's ghostly form, people will sometimes experience an intense feeling of cold. Since this does not happen every time, it would seem that he can control this effect. Craddock can apparently track psionic energy and travel across dimensions as he did when he followed an astral tether from the Wizard to Johnny Sorrow. On certain occasions most of the manifestations of his abilities like teleportation and phasing are accompanied by a purple glow of spectral energy or transparent mist (possibly courtesy of different pencilers). Around the time of his prophesied return to life, he gains the power to summon and control the spirits of the dead due to his mother's spirit spending centuries recruiting them to help her son. It is unknown if he can still call upon them.
The Gentleman Ghost is apparently unable to touch or be touched by virgins. This is confirmed by his inability to do harm to both Stargirl and Jakeem Thunder. However, he can pick up a real weapon and be able to hurt them, as when he brandished the Cosmic Rod.
As a supernatural being, Gentleman Ghost cannot be killed and is very hard to hurt. However, those with royal blood can physically harm him and, when unaware, energy hitting him causes pain.
In the episode "Dawn of The Deadman" of Batman the Brave and The Bold animated series, it is shown that if he is hit with Nth metal, he will momentarily show his true form, reverting to a decayed version of himself with black suit and hat. As shown in the same episode, he can also be hurt by other ghosts, as Deadman is able to hit him. It is also shown that if he is out cold then he remains in his black form. Also, despite the fact that he is easily defeated by Batman during the early episodes, Gentleman Ghost later demonstrates that he is a skilled hand-to-hand/martial combatant, as shown for example when he simultaneously fights with Batman and Deadman. His heroic Earth-Three counterpart reverses his color scheme, appearing as a ghost with a black suit and hat and turning white when hit.
Gentleman Ghost appears in the All New Super Friends Hour episode titled "Ghost." In this show, he is referred to only as "Gentleman Jim Craddock" instead of "Gentleman Ghost." A man casts a spell to bring Gentleman Ghost to the living so that he can take revenge on Superman and Wonder Woman for imprisoning his spirit. He uses his powers to turn U.N. representatives into ghosts and later turns Superman and Wonder Woman into ghosts. The curse is eventually broken, after which the Superfriends used the mystical Rods of Merlin to send Gentleman Ghost back to his grave, never to return.
In Justice League Unlimited, Gentleman Ghost (voiced by Robin Atkin Downes) is seen as a member of Gorilla Grodd's Secret Society. In "Ancient History," he is shown trying to outrun the Green Lantern until Hawkman catches him with a net made from Nth metal.
Gentleman Ghost appears in several episodes of the animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold, voiced by Greg Ellis. He first appears in the pre-credits teaser of "Terror on Dinosaur Island!", where he is defeated by Batman, Plastic Man, and Fire. He is the featured villain in "Dawn of the Deadman!", in which he has Batman buried alive. The Ghost is subsequently defeated by Batman, Deadman, and Green Arrow. A heroic version of the Ghost appears in "Deep Cover for Batman!", which is set in an alternate universe based on DC Comics' Earth-Three. The Gentleman Ghost appears in the season 1 episode, "Trials of the Demon!" where his origins are revealed in late 19th century London. Originally known as Gentleman Jim Craddock, he made a pact with a demon named Astaroth to become immortal in return for stealing ten souls that Astaroth needed to enter the mortal realm (probably based on Jack the Ripper's murders). Craddock steals the tenth soul from Sherlock Holmes and is granted what seems to be his wish in spite of Batman's warning of what will come to pass. Etrigan and Batman defeat Craddock and Astoroth in battle, although Jim tried to frame Jason Blood. Holmes and the other nine victims have their lives restored as Craddock is sentenced to death, emerging from his grave later in his well-known ghostly form, the -real- meaning of Asaroth's promise that Craddock's spirit would never leave the earthly realm. Now Gentleman Ghost and blaming Batman for his condition, Craddock vows to wait through the centuries to gain revenge on him. Craddock appears again in "Death Race to Oblivion!" he is kidnapped by Mongul with other superheroes and supervillains and forced to drive in a death race. He teamed-up with Black Manta in order to take Batman's Batmobile out of the game, but Batman managed to survive and Black Manta betrayed him, destroying his old black car, which resembles a hearse, and disqualifying Craddock. He was also seen in the opening for "Crisis: 22,300 Miles Above Earth" as part of the audience that attended the Joker's celebrity roast. In one of the scenes, he laughed so hard that his disfigured ghostly face was shown.
Gentleman Ghost also appears as a villain in Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Videogame. Greg Ellis reprises the role. Gentleman Ghost hires Clock King to lure Batman to London, England, and later lures him and Hawkman into the underworld, in order to offer them to Asteroth as a sacrifice in exchange for his life back. When that fails, a vengeful Craddock attempts to bury them under, and later fights them in a graveyard. After being humiliated, Hawkman teaches Batman to have respect even for his enemies, and picks up the villain respectfully to take him to jail.
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