Gentleman Ghost

Gentleman Ghost, formerly known as "Gentleman" Jim Caddock was originally a Hawkman foe, though the spectral charlatan also battles Batman several times. He wore a white suit and pipe hat and used a variety of ghost-like weapons including twin pistols and a staff.

History
"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. 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.

Gentleman Ghost becomes the recurring nemesis of Hawkman and Hawkgirl during the 1940s. Craddock has over the decades menaced other heroes, including Batman and Superman, but the vengeful Ghost always returned to his main foe, Hawkman.

The Gentleman Ghost was a Hawkman foe through 1975's JLA # 128, but in the late 1970s, the Gentleman Ghost began alighting as a Batman foe, first encountering Batman in BATMAN #310 and #319. In one tale, the Ghost even kidnapped and hypnotized Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred Pennyworth. Shortly after, in Detective Comics #526, the Gentleman Ghost, now considered one of Gotham City's established supervillains, was invited to a large villain gathering by the Joker, to alert the villains to the fact that the upstart Killer Croc had sworn to kill Batman within twenty-four hours. This, as the Joker reasoned, would be "stealing the thunder" from the long-established members of Batman's rogues gallery. Thus, the villains split into seperate teams to serach the city and kill Batman before Killer Croc could do so himself. The Ghost was paired with Killer Moth and Clayface II. Two-Face agreed to come as well after a toss of the coin, to which Killer Moth silently remarked that Gentleman Ghost would've killed the two-faced villain otherwise. While searching out Batman and Killer Croc at an abandoned factory, the criminals were intercepted by Batgirl and Robin, who soundly defeated them. The Ghost next clashed with Batman in Detective Comics #326, 1983.

Following the debut of Jason Todd as the new Robin, The Gentleman Ghost left Gotham returned his attention to Hawkman.

Most recently, he is seen alongside two other old Batman rogues: Crazy Quilt and the original Black Spider, as some of the villains sent to retrieve the Get Out of Hell Free card from the Secret Six.

In Other Media

 * Gentleman Ghost appears as a member of Gorilla Grodd's Secret Society of Super Villains on the animated tv series Justice League. He appears being chased by the Green Lantern but is caught by a net.


 * In Batman: The Brave and the Bold "Gentleman Jim" Caddock was a notorious highway man. He was later charged by the demon Astaroth to collect ten souls and return Astaroth to Earth. In the Underworld, Astaroth game Caddock his promised immortality but Batman and Etrigan soon defeated the demom. Caddock was sentenced to death but his ghost returned from the grave swearing revenge on the Dark Knight

During the Day of the Dead, Gentleman Ghost looted a city and was pursued by Batman and Plastic Man. He was eventually captured in a cemetary thanks to Batman's bronze nuckles and a net.

Gentleman Ghost attempted to raise an army of the dead using three artifacts. He even buried Batman at one point. However, with some help from Deadman, Speedy, and Green Arrow, Gentleman Ghost's army turned on him and dragged him to the underworld.