10 Shockingly Dark Origins Of Comic Book Heroes
1. Spectre
The Spectre is the Spirit of God’s Vengeance. It was he who punished Cain for killing Abel, destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and killed the firstborn of Egypt. The spirit was cast into Limbo when Jesus was on Earth, as God’s vengeance and love could not exist at the same time. The celestial concept returned after Jesus’ death, but God decreed that he must be tied to a human host now. The Spectre rebelled but lost and was cast to the first of many hosts.
In the 1930s, detective Jim Corrigan was killed by gangsters, put in a barrel filled with cement, and dropped in the river. A voice stopped Corrigan’s spirit on its way to the afterlife and gave him the chance to exact vengeance on evildoers. Corrigan agreed and the Spirit of Vengeance was reborn on Earth. The hared Corrigan/Spectre fought the Nazis alongside the Justice Society and delivered brutal judgement for decades.
In modern times, Corrigan was allowed to die and the Spectre passed to deceased former Green Lantern Hal Jordan and finally, slain Gotham City Crispus Allen. Both men had an extremely difficult time coming to terms with the violent and often grisly nature of the acts of judgement that the Spectre dolls out to his victims. Both men have found a way to temper vengeance with humanity.