10 Comic Book Heroes Whose Origins Are A Mystery
1. Phantom Stranger
When the Phantom Stranger was created in 1952 in his own self-titled comic by now-legendary creators John Broome and Carmine Infantino, he was a mysterious figure who appeared to debunk supernatural occurrences in the lives of ordinary people. The Stranger went onto more directly battle the demon sorceress Tala, the evil immortal Tannarak, and the Dark Circle cult.
Over time, the Phantom Stranger became a being of near endless power. He was a member of the Quintessence, a group of gods and cosmic beings. He was an acquaintance or member of every major super team, especially those dealing with magic. He stood with Earth against Darkseid in the classic “Legends” miniseries, and was turned into a mouse by the Spectre to keep him out of the way in the first issue of “Shadowpact.”
While there is no official origin for the Phantom Stranger, there have been several possible ones. One was that he was an angel who refused to pick sides in Lucifer’s rebellion against Heaven. There are also those who believe that he was the famous Wandering Jew. The New 52 tried to make the Stranger Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Jesus, and his necklace was the 30 pieces of silver that he was paid. But no origin except one has ever stuck. He is now and forever simply a Stranger.