Crispus Allen
Crispus Allen is a male comic character who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Crispus Allen
One night Allen and his partner, Renee Montoya, spotted gang members apparently preparing for some sort of violent action. Allen requested backup, but the two opted not to wait for the backup to arrive. Following the gang into a deserted building, the detectives found several murdered men as well as two large gang members. Allen tailed the suspects while Montoya scouted the rest of the building. The Black Spider suddenly appeared at the crime scene, firing upon Montoya. The first few shots hit Montoya, but she was protected by her bulletproof vest. Black Spider then aimed at her head, but Allen shot and killed the villain before he could pull the trigger. The Internal Affairs department subsequently questioned Allen regarding the incident, confiscated his gun, and put him on temporary leave until his story could be corroborated. Complications arose when a crime scene technician named Jim Corrigan stole important evidence — a bullet of Black Spider's that struck a rival gang member — from the scene, putting Allen's career in jeopardy.
The Internal Affairs investigator in charge of Allen's case told Montoya about the missing bullet and suggested Corrigan's connection to its disappearance. Montoya found Corrigan and forced him to reveal the location of the bullet. After it was recovered, Allen was allowed to return to active duty. However, Montoya's actions destroyed an ongoing Internal Affairs investigation into Corrigan's misconduct. This left Allen angry and disappointed in her because he had secretly started his own investigation of Corrigan, which Montoya's actions also compromised. Allen continued his investigation but Corrigan was tipped off. Corrigan found Allen's informant and beat him to death. Corrigan let Allen find the informant's body before shooting Allen in the back and killing him. By tampering with the evidence at the crime scene, Corrigan managed to evade prosecution. Allen's unavenged death pushed Montoya to an emotional breakdown, and she subsequently decided to quit the force in disgust at the system.
Spectre
While Allen's body is in the morgue, the Presence forces the Spectre to accept Allen as his new host. (Infinite Crisis v1 #4)
He was the first to refuse the Spectre in a long time, but he did so nonetheless. Rather than pass on, he was given one year to reconsider. He haunted Gotham City as an unseen spirit for that year, watching his family and his friends. He even satisfied his curiosity about who Batman truly was. When the year was up and the Spectre returned, Cris accepted the offer. He wanted to see Corrigan punished for his murder, and he did. Only it was not in the way he wanted. Rather than punish Corrigan as the Spectre, he had to watch his youngest son Mal pick up a gun and murder Corrigan in an alley. For that act, God demanded vengeance, and Cris had to kill his own son. He hugged Mal and gave his son a peaceful death. He had begun to understand the Spectre's duty, but he also began to hate God for it. In life, he was an agnostic who never gave much thought to faith and God. That had changed.
Later, at Cris's funeral, the Spectre appeared before Cris's ghost. The Spectre informed Cris of his role, and told Cris he had come to realize that he needed a host to humanize him, in order to know what his mission really meant. The Spectre asked Cris to be his host, to join with him. Cris refused, the first in a long time to do so.
The Spectre left Cris for a year, to reconsider his offer. Cris discovered that no-one could see or hear him, and that he was unable to touch anything around him. He was unable to help or communicate with his family, still shattered because Corrigan would not be called to account for Cris's murder.
Cris was still able to watch and observe the world around him, which he put to use solving crimes and uncovering the culprits, even discovering Batman's secret identity as Bruce Wayne. He was frustrated, however, at being unable to bring the criminals to justice.
After a year of being unseen and powerless, Cris received another visit from the Spectre. This time he finally accepted the Spectre's offer, becoming his human host. However, their bond was not permanent - Cris was concerned what full acceptance would do to him, what he would become. In their missions together, the Spectre attempted to help Cris understand what they did and why they did it. Over time, Cris came to accept the necessity of what the Spectre did, involving himself more and more in the Spectre's punishments.
Before the bond between Cris and the Spectre could be permanent, however, Cris found he had to face his greatest trial. Cris's son Mal, frustrated, angry, and grieving over his father's death, shot and killed Jim Corrigan - and Cris had to punish Mal for his crime. Cris ended Mal's life peacefully.
Cris continued on as the Spectre, facing off against Eclipso who had taken on a new host as well. It was a conflict in which there seemed to be no way to win. Disaster would follow whether the victor was the Spectre or Eclipso, so Cris found a way to stop it without either one winning. Cris convinced Eclipso's host that he was the one in control and could put a stop to the fight. Eclipso could not do anything he didn't want. Cris' words were effective, and Eclipso was forced back inside of his host. Unfortunately, Cris couldn't stay to help the new host of Eclipso any more. The Spectre had work to do.
Overview
Personality and attributes
Powers and abilities
Notes
- Crispus Allen was created by Greg Rucka and Shawn Martinbrough where he made his first appearance in Detective Comics v1 #742 (March, 2000).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In Gotham, Crispus Allen appeared in the setting of the live-action television series where he was portrayed by actor Andrew Stewart-Jones.
Films
Appearances
- Detective Comics v1: (2000)
External Links
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