Jim Corrigan
Jim Corrigan is a male comic superhero who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Pre-Crisis
Jim Corrigan
Post-Crisis
Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Jim Corrigan was the son of preacher Jebediah Corrigan where he came to be haunted by his father's vivid descriptions of Hell. His father often beat his son for the smallest infraction, assuring him that a beating was better than being damned to Hell. (Spectre v3 #3)
Corrigan grew up and became a police detective in New York City and was later engaged to socialite Clarice Winston. Times were hard, and Corrigan responded by being even harder. He rarely showed mercy or compassion to anyone breaking the law. By 1939, he came to be after mobster Gat Benson, and started collecting information about his illicit activities. Jim convinced several other officers to raid the hideout of Gat's underling McAlister. Some of the cops protested that Jim's evidence would not stand up in court, but Jim intended to gun down the criminals, and hinted that if the arrest went his way they wouldn't have to worry about court. McAlister's men started shooting, and the police mowed them down. Jim told his fellow officer's not to lose any sleep, if they were innocent they would not have shot first. Jim and his pals were ready to raid one of Gat's gambling dens when he met Clarice Winston. He was attracted to her, so he warned her of the raid, and told her to beat it. During the raid, Jim said Gat wasn't getting the message, and he was prepared to unleash more violence. He got his excuse when Gat's dealers drew their guns, and they too were gunned down. Jim thought he was only as brutal as the times he lived in. Jim started Clarice, and after a whirlwind romance they were engaged. Stoolie Louie Snipe told Jim that Gat himself was going to be at a warehouse robbery, and Jim hoped he'd be promoted to captain; a better salary would make his marriage happier in his mind. The whole thing was a setup, and Gat's men were waiting for him. Gat told him he was sick of Jim pushing his luck, so he had him stuffed in a barrel, filled it with cement, and pushed into the river. Jim entered Limbo where he came to cry out for vengeance. The Voice from above bound his soul to the Spectre, the Wrath of God, and tasked him with understanding evil, and attempting to recover it. The Spectre arrived at the scene of his death as Benson's men were about to kill his partner Waylon and Clarice. The mobsters shot at the Spectre, but the bullets went through him, and he unleashed his powers, killing the henchmen and reserving a painful death for Gats by dissolving him into bone. Clarice had been caught in the crossfire, and her soul was on its way to Heaven, but the Spectre snatched it away, and restored Clarice to life. Clarice woke to see Corrigan alive, and he said he'd clawed his way out of the concrete barrel. (Spectre v3 #4)
Still trying to make sense of his new life Jim Corrigan felt drawn to a fortune teller’s shop, where he met Madame Xanadu. She tried to tell him that the power he had as an instrument of God’s vengeance came not from within, but from the Spectre-Force, but he didn’t understand what she was trying to explain to him and walked out in a huff. Madame Xanadu was displeased at not having a chance to be close to the latest incarnation of the Spectre as she had been with previous ones. Spectre sensed a murder, and when he went to investigate he found Dr. Fate standing over a corpse. Spectre accused him of murder and attacked him, but Fate, who told him he was being presumptuous to think he had any power of him, used his mystic arts to counter him. They realized they were evenly matched, and Fate told him he’d discovered the murder and was speaking to the dead man. The dead man gave them enough clues to figure out that he’d been murdered by occultist Micah Cole, who was working on the U.S. government program codenamed the Nightmare Codex. Fate and Spectre flew to Washington and the newly constructed Pentagon. Reverend Col. James Powell admitted that the U.S. was in an occult arms race with the Axis. Hitler was seeking the Spear of Destiny and the Ark of the covenant. The U.S. had sent an archaeologist to get to the Ark first, and were using the Pentagon to harness the power of the Elder gods with the help of Micah Cole. Powell said souls were needed to fuel the magic to summon an Elder god, but claimed they were only using the souls of convicted murderers executed in the electric chair. Michah’s murder of an innocent came as a shock to him, and he realized Micah was trying to hijack the project to bend the elder god to his own designs. Micah summoned Koth-Shugoth, and Fate and Spectre combined their magic to keep it from fully emerging from a dimensional gateway. Spectre killed Micah, turning him into a dusty skeleton, and pushed Koth-Shugoth inside the gate, finding himself in the dimension God had exiled the elder Gods too. He felt insignificant and powerless before Koth-Shugoth, but the Spectre-Force took over, telling Koth-Shugoth he’d make an example of him for daring to cross the boundaries in which god permitted him to exist. Spectre returned to the Pentagon, assuring Fate that Koth-Shugoth would nevermore trouble mankind. On the anniversary of Jim’s death he learned his father was dying, and wanted to torment him with the power of the Spectre before he died, but found his powers didn’t work. The Word warned Spectre that his powers were for God’s vengeance, not his own, and he would suffer greatly if he ever forgot that again. (Spectre Annual v2 #1)
After Hal Jordan became the new Spectre host, the ghostly form of Corrigan appeared where he commented on the sudden disappearance of Neron as being an act from the other demonic princes of Hell who sought to punish him for his attempt at acquiring the power of the Spirit of Vengeance for himself. Similarly, the Presence had intended to punish Asmodel for the angel's plans at usurping the power of the Spectre. He gave some last advice for Jordan before departing with Asmodel who was to be taken to the Shining City. (Day of Judgment v1 #5)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.
Overview
Personality and attributes
Powers and abilities
Notes
- Jim Corrigan was created by Jerry Siegel and Bernard Baily where he made his first appearance in More Fun Comics v1 #52 (February, 1940).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Jim Corrigan as the Spectre appeared in the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Mark Hamill.
- In Constantine, Jim Corrigan appeared in the live-action television series where he was portrayed by Irish actor Emmett J. Scanlan.
- In Arrow, Jim Corrigan appeared in the live-action television series set in the Arrowverse during the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" where he was portrayed by actor Stephen Lobo.
Films
- In DC Showcase: The Spectre, Jim Corrigan appeared in the animated film where he was voiced by actor Gary Cole.
Appearances
- More Fun Comics v1: (1940)
- Spectre v1:
- Day of Judgement v1:
- Green Lantern:
- Phantom Stranger v4:
- Batman Eternal v1:
- Gotham by Midnight v1:
External Links
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