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| As a result of the New 52 in 2011, the entire line of DC characters was relaunched, incorporating properties belonging to the company's imprints: Wildstorm, Milestone, and Vertigo. As such, elements of this character's history have been altered in some way from the previous incarnation. For a complete list of all versions of this character, see our disambiguation page. |
You cross the line in this life, you choose the wrong side-- and you pay the price. All fees collected by-- THE SPECTRE!
- — The Spectre src
History
Origins
New 52
When his fiancé Gwen was kidnapped, he was guided by the Phantom Stranger on the instructions of The Voice. He led Jim Corrigan to the abandoned warehouse where she'd been kept, but this turned out to be a trap; Jim and his girlfriend were both killed by the kidnappers. However, his soul was immediately imbued him with divine powers by The Voice and dubbed The Spectre. He immediately accused the Phantom Stranger of betraying him. As the Spectre was about to attack the Phantom Stranger, The Voice intervened and sent Spectre off to inflict his wrath on those who were more deserving of Spectre's wrath. The Voice chose James like he did the Stranger to be "the mirror of his desire for justice" (though Corrigan believed in vengeance).
Rebirth
As stated by the Spectre, he and Jim were one and the same. He belonged to a family who had traditionally served in the police and thus wanted to be a police officer himself. He eventually joined the New York City Police Department. One day he was caught by a group of criminals and drowned in a river, leading him to plead to mete justice to those who did wrong in return for his survival. The Presence accepted and made his soul the insteument of his judgement upon the wrongdoers.[1]
Divine Mission
James, filled with rage, returned to work as a police detective in Gotham City and was performing his duties as The Spectre by enacting vengeance rather than justice until Phantom Stranger attacked his police precinct convinced that he was the one who kidnapped his family out of revenge. The two exchanged blows physically and verbally until The Voice himself intervened in the form of a Scottish Terrier and informed the Stranger of his mistake, setting him on the right path. The Voice also set Corrigan straight on his duty and that he is meant to exact justice and not wrath.
James later went to Myanmar to punish John Constantine for his lifetime of sin, including the death of Jim's friend Chris. Knowing of the Spectre, Constantine knew his fate but managed to convince Jim to let him continue his mission against the world's evil sorcerers. Corrigan vowed that he will return to collect Constantine's soul upon his death.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Notes
- Spectre (Jim Corrigan) was created by Jerry Siegel and Bernard Baily, first appearing in More Fun Comics. However, in the rebooted Prime Earth continuity his first appearance as part of the DC Universe is in Dan DiDio and Brent Anderson's New 52 Phantom Stranger series.
- The origin of this version of The Spectre is an amalgam of the Golden Age and Bronze Age in that he is a "Vengeful Ghost" but with a Divine mission given to him by The Voice himself.
Trivia
- The Spectre is considered the strongest of the "Judge" classification, the most powerful of magical forces in all of creation limited by tasks set by their given master.[2]
Related
- 62 Appearances of James Corrigan (Prime Earth)
- 25 Images featuring James Corrigan (Prime Earth)
- 10 Quotations by or about James Corrigan (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: James Corrigan (Prime Earth)
Footnotes
- ↑ Detective Comics #1007
- ↑ DC Nation: Magic Masters
  This character is or was an officer of, or held a title in the Gotham City Police Department, in any of its various incarnations. This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the "GCPD members" and "Police Officers" categories. |
 Justice Society of America member |
