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]
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]
Post-Crisis
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 gunslingersNighthawk 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]
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.
The New 52
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]
DC Rebirth
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]
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]
Other versions
An alternate universe variant of Gentleman Ghost makes a minor appearance in Kingdom Come #2.[17]
A heroic Gentleman Ghost from Earth-3 called the Pinkerton Ghost appears in Hawkman (vol. 6) #18 as a member of the Justice Society All-Stars.[18]
A possible future variant of Gentleman Ghost appears in The New Golden Age as a member of Huntress' makeshift Justice Society of America until he is revived and killed by Per Degaton.[19]
Gentleman Ghost was briefly considered to appear in The New Batman Adventures. When asked about his potential use in the series, producer and writer Paul Dini stated his appearance would be "likely, if we do more contemporary Batman stories". Ultimately, Gentleman Ghost never appeared in the series.[20]
Gentleman Ghost appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, voiced by Greg Ellis.[21] This version attempted to obtain immortality by offering ten souls to the demon Asteroth in exchange, which he ultimately succeeds in, only to be cursed by Asteroth, bound to the Earthly plane, and defeated by Sherlock Holmes, Etrigan the Demon, and a time-displaced Batman. Subsequently, Craddock is hanged for his crimes, rises from his grave as Gentleman Ghost, and swears revenge on Batman.
Additionally, an unnamed, heroic, alternate reality version of Gentleman Ghost appears in the episode "Deep Cover for Batman!".
Gentleman Ghost appears in the Batman: Caped Crusader episode "Night Ride", voiced by Toby Stephens.[22][21] This version was an 18th-century loyalist nobleman and wealthy aristocrat who later became a highwayman before being captured and hanged. In the present, he returns as a vengeful spirit to terrorize Gotham until Batman defeats him and traps him in a vial with Papa Midnite's help. Afterwards, Midnite takes possession of the vial.
^Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. p. 141. ISBN0-8160-1356-X.
^Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019). DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. p. 53. ISBN978-1-4654-8578-6.
^Greenberger, Robert (2008). The Essential Batman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. p. 145. ISBN9780345501066.
^Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 119. ISBN978-1-4654-5357-0.
^ abcde"Gentleman Ghost Voices (DC Universe)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved April 8, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
