| The Spirit King | |
|---|---|
 The Spirit King as depicted inJSA #60 (June 2004). Art byDon Kramer (penciler),Keith Champagne (inker), and Hi-Fi Design (colorist). | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Justice League of America #171 (October 1979) |
| Created by | Gerry Conway Dick Dillin Frank McLaughlin |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Roger Romaine |
| Team affiliations | The Demon Shaitan |
| Abilities | Command of the dead Able to possess the bodies of others |
TheSpirit King (Roger Romaine) is a character in the fictionalDC Universe; he was initially an adversary of the originalMister Terrific,[1] but later expanded to be a threat to the entireJustice Society, particularly theSpectre and theFlash.
The character was created for a murder mystery story in the 1970s and retroactively introduced into the fictional history of the characterMister Terrific.[2]
During theGolden Age of heroes, Roger Romaine began to kill women in the city of Portsmouth, Washington, believing that he would absorb their spirits and gain command of the dead to use against the living world. Romaine is banished toHell by theSpectre, despiteMister Terrific (Terry Sloane) insisting that the families of Romaine's victims deserve to see him stand trial.
Now trapped in Hell, Romaine makes a deal with the demon Shaitan, gaining the power to possess the bodies of others in exchange for giving Shaitan the chance to confront the Spectre. Returning to Earth shortly before a meeting between theJustice Society of America (JSA) and theJustice League, the Spirit King possessesthe Flash (Jay Garrick) and uses him to kill Mister Terrific. However, the spirit of Mister Terrific returns and disrupts the connection between the Spirit King and Shaitan, banishing the Spirit King to Hell once again.[3]
Years later, the Justice Society investigate a spree of violence in Portsmouth, one of the victims being a friend ofDoctor Mid-Nite. While Mid-Nite and the newMister Terrific (Michael Holt) debate religion in a church, they are visited byHal Jordan, the current Spectre, who reveals that his attempts to turn the Spectre's mission to one of redemption as opposed to one of vengeance had weakened the Spectre's hold on the spirits he had once damned. As a result, the condemned souls escape, with the Spirit King leading them against the JSA. As the JSA try to hold their own against the undead army, the Spirit King once again possesses the Flash, using him to attackSentinel and seriously injure Mister Terrific. However, Jordan banishes the Spirit King and his army back to Hell.[4]