James Craddock (New Earth)

Gentleman Ghost

Mainstream Universe‎‎, 1930s-2011

James "Jim" Craddock, alias theGentleman Ghost, is a ghostly criminal adversary who has battledHawkman on various occasions.

History

Earth-Two

The Gentleman Ghost was a Hawkman villain who used gadgets and tricks to pretend to be a ghost.^[1]

Post-Crisis

He 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 Victorian highwayman and robber who terrorizedEngland in the 1800s.^[2]

As a boy he worked as a pickpocket and with his stolen money, he went to the Gypsy Queen, who lived by the Tyburn Gallows. She prophesied that he would die by hanging, and "meet his end by noble blood", only to return as a ghost. She also said that centuries in the future, he will fight his fiercest foes in the British royal castle. If his foes die that night, he will live again. He refused to believe her.^[3]

He later emigrated to to theUnited States to make his fortune but he met the gunslingersNighthawk andCinnamon. Nighthawk lynched Craddock after wrongly assuming that he sexually assaulted Cinnamon, and killed the criminal in cold blood. Due to the strange nature of his death and his executioners Jim returned from the dead as a ghost, he continues his reign of terror now possessing his ghostly powers. Jim, however is unable to rest until his executioner die and his soul enters the afterlife, but the problem is that Nighthawk is the reincarnation ofKhufu who is cursed to be resurrected along with his true love throughout time.

More than half a century later, the Ghost first made his presence known to the public, beginning a crime spree that took him to all the great capitals ofEurope. He finally met the later incarnation of his executioners; heroesHawkman andHawkgirl. Although they repeatedly stopped the Ghost's plans, they were never able to capture him, due to his ability to seemingly vanish into thin air.

The Gentlemen Ghost, however, has battled many other heroes such asBatman,Superman, and theJustice Society of America andAll-Star Squadron over the years, but his true enemies are always Hawkman and Hawkgirl.

Gotham City

The Gentleman Ghost showed up inGotham City while he was looking for a new hideout. He eventually overheardAlfred Pennyworth talk about the abandonedWayne Manor and the Ghost decided to take control of Alfred in order to use the place as his new hideout. Wayne Manor reminded the Ghost of his British heritage, but his manipulation of Alfred ended with him being confronted by Gotham's protector,Batman. Although the Gentleman Ghost was forced out of Wayne Manor, he managed to escape from the Dark Knight Detective.^[4] Later encounters with Batman often ended with the same results.^[5]

The previous events allowed the Gentleman Ghost to be considered one ofGotham City's established supervillains, and was invited to a large villain gathering by theJoker, to tell them thatKiller Croc had sworn to killBatman within twenty four hours. The Joker felt this was stealing thunder from himself and his fellow well established rogues. So the criminals split into separate teams to search the city and kill Batman before Killer Croc can get to him. The Gentleman Ghost works withClayface andKiller Moth, whilstTwo-Face agreed to come as well after a toss of the coin, to which Killer Moth silently remarked that Gentleman Ghost would have killed Two-Face had he not agreed to help. While searching out Batman an abandoned factory, the villains were intercepted byBatgirl andRobin, who then defeat the criminal band.^[6]

The Gentlemen Ghost has joined various criminal groups in hopes of destroying his enemies. He is a member of theInjustice Society and theSecret Society of Super Villains.

Infinite Crisis

The Gentlemen Ghost worked with theSecret Society of Supervillains as they attack onMetropolis but they are opposed by various superpowered heroes. This led to a fight between Jim andGreen Lantern (Alan Scott). But the Ghost was able to defeat the hero and leaving him in a coma.

One Year Later

During a fight with theJustice Society of America, the Gentleman Ghost gained the power to summon other ghosts. These vengeful spirits are all fallen foes of the Justice Society.^[2] He summoned an army of deceased highwayman who attacked the JSA. However, he is defeated byStargirl, as she was a virgin girl, who are revealed to be protected from ghostly attack. Other spirits arrive and help defeat the rogue ghost and his army.^[7] It is also revealed thatWildcat is a descendant of the Royal familyEngland and was able to decapitate the Ghost's head, which causes the vanquished ghost to disappear.^[8]

Powers and Abilities

Powers

• Ghost Powers
  • Invisibility: Jim Craddock as a ghost is able to make himself invisible. His normal appearance is that of a floating hat and monocle, he uses this power to hide his decayed face.
  • Intangibility: Jim Craddock as a ghost he has the spectral ability to phase through solid objects such as walls and people.
  • Teleportation: Craddock can teleport distances as short as across a room, or as long as the other side of a state. He can even teleport to other dimensions.
• Mind Control: Using his ghostly powers, the Gentleman Ghost is capable of manipulating people to follow his commands.^[4]

Abilities

• Equestrianism
• Marksmanship

Weaknesses

• Vulnerability to Nth Metal: Although he is a ghost and can become completely intangible, the Gentleman Ghost can still be affected by Nth Metal.^{[citation needed]}
• Power Limitation: He is unable to touch or be touched by virgins. This is confirmed by his inability to do harm to bothStargirl andJakeem Thunder. However, he can pick up a real weapon and be able to hurt them, as when he used theCosmic Rod.^{[citation needed]}
• Vulnerability to Noble Blood: Any person of royal lineage is able to attack and banish the Gentleman Ghost to the afterlife, as shown by the defeat byWildcat.^{[citation needed]}
  

Paraphernalia

Transportation

• Ghostly Carriage: The Gentleman Ghost usually travels around a white carriage, with one or two horses to provide rapid movement power. Despite the vehicle's appearance, it has no supernatural capabilities.

Weapons

• Flintlock Pistols: James often carried the same Flintlock pistols that slayed him many years ago. Each still fired and work perfectly despite their years of age.^{[citation needed]}

Notes

• Although this character was originally introduced during DC'sEarth-Two era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985–86 limited seriesCrisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-CrisisNew Earth continuity, and no longer apply.
  

Trivia

• Craddock's spirit can never be put to rest until his killer is put to rest first. However, sinceNighthawk's spirit can never truly die neither can Craddock's.^{[citation needed]}
• Gentleman Ghost looks extremely similar toSquire Shade, but there is no known connection between them.
• When he first appeared in 1947'sFlash Comics #88, the story left the truth of Craddock's "ghostly" nature ambiguous. While Hawkman and Hawkgirl found evidence supporting a fraud, the villain escaped, and the narration suggested Craddock might have been an actual ghost. It was their later confrontation in 1949'sFlash Comics #103 that the fraud was confirmed. However, Post-Crisis, the decision was reversed, and Gentleman Ghost has since been a genuine supernatural threat.

Related

• 74 Appearances of James Craddock (New Earth)
• 18 Images featuring James Craddock (New Earth)
• 2 Quotations by or about James Craddock (New Earth)
• Character Gallery: James Craddock (New Earth)

Footnotes

Batman Villain(s) This character, team or organization, has been primarily an enemy of theBatman, or theBatman Family as a whole. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Batman Villains."

Hawkman andHawkgirl Villain(s) This character, team or organization, is or was primarily an enemy of theHawkman, or his associatesHawkgirl andHawkwoman. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Hawkman Villains category."

Justice League Villain This character has been primarily an enemy of theJustice League, in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Justice League Villains."

Justice Society Villain(s) This character, team or organization has been primarily an enemy of theJustice Society, in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Justice Society Villains" category.

Secret Society of Super-Villains member This character is or was a member of theSecret Society of Super-Villains, a cadre of super-villains who band together to accomplish feats no one super-villain can do alone, in any of itsvarious incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Secret Society of Super-Villains members" category.