Gray Ghost (fictional character)

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caption = The Gray Ghost
From ""
comic_color = background: #8080ff
character_name = The Gray Ghost
publisher = DC Comics
debut = "Batman: The Animated Series" Episode #18
creators = Tom Ruegger
alliance_color = background: #ffc0c0
real_name = Simon Trent
status = Retired
alliances =
previous_alliances =
aliases =
relatives =
powers = Although an old man, Trent possesses uncanny tenacity and agility for a man of his age, enough so that he was able to swing through a window using a grappling line.The Gray Ghost is a character voiced by Adam West from "".

Character history

Within the series, the Gray Ghost is a fictional hero who appears in a television show and in movies, played by actor Simon Trent. When Bruce Wayne was younger, he would often watch The Gray Ghost on television, and the dynamic costumed vigilante would be part of the inspiration for Bruce to become one himself later in life, donning the cape and cowl of Batman.

At the time that Simon Trent made his appearance, he was a washed up and typecast actor who was unable to pay his rent and so sells his memorabilia to cover the bills. He later meets Batman and finds out that all of Batman's belongings and the Batcave have been inspired by the Gray Ghost. Trent redeems his fame by helping Batman solve a case that is identical to an episode of his show. The villain turned out to be the Gray Ghost's most passionate fan and collector (voiced by series producer Bruce Timm) who used Trent's memorabilia to blackmail the city with bomb threats. The story ends with a major home video release of the long lost TV series using Trent's personal film collection which likely has made him a wealthy man.

The "Gray Ghost" franchise did not end with the re-release of the TV Series. In the episode of "Justice League Unlimited" called "Epilogue", Terry McGinnis and his family are shown leaving a theatre playing "Gray Ghost Strikes" while the Phantasm is waiting to murder his parents. Although the Phantasm does not follow through, this scene parallels the traditional origin of Batman, where Bruce Wayne's parents are murdered as he and they leave "The Mark of Zorro". This is actually the intention of characters within the show; Amanda Waller hired the Phantasm to recreate Batman in Terry. (These events occurred between the end of "Justice League Unlimited" and the beginning of "Batman Beyond".)

One of the original costumes for the Gray Ghost hangs in the Batcave. In the "Batman Beyond" episode "Black Out", Bruce Wayne tells Terry that the Gray Ghost is "way before your time." (There is no explanation for why Terry does not recall the character from the movie; he may have simply forgotten, or it might be a continuity error, or there is the possibility that Terry does remember as he never explicitly mentions that he doesn't know who the Gray Ghost is, he only says "I don't even know what half this stuff is". Although the referenced sequence from "Epilogue" occurs years before "Batman Beyond", the episode itself aired over six years after "Black Out".) Later in the same episode, Bruce Wayne dons the hat and goggles of the Gray Ghost to hide his identity from Inque, who had infiltrated the Batcave.

Episode List

The following are the titles of "The Gray Ghost" episodes as written on the film reels owned by Simon Trent. The reels are also numbered, which shows where one or two episodes are still missing from the collection. This list also includes "The Mad Bomber", the episode which inspired the toy collector's crime spree.

*"Have a Heart"

*"Red Ghost Run"

*"The Claw"

*"Take a Hike"

*"One on One"

*"Dr. Death"

*"Jimmy's Homecoming"

*"The Doll Maker"

*"Gray Ghost Returns"

*"Missing Link"

*"The Card Shark"

*"Spy Smashers"

*"The Secret Chamber"

*"The Road Trip"

*"Terror in the Sky"

*"Earthquake"

*"Sweet Revenge"

*"Electronic Man"

*"Sweating Bullets"

Comic Books

The Gray Ghost made a return appearance in an early issue of "" in the late 1990s, and turned up again years later in the most recent "Batman Adventures" series in 2004, in a story about the making of a Gray Ghost film.

The "Justice League Unlimited" comic series also recently referenced the Gray Ghost in the Christmas-themed Issue #28. Superman mentions that he had also watched the show as a child, and he was terrified by it but still loved it. The Gray Ghost toys play a key role during the issue.

Inspirations and references

The Gray Ghost bears a striking resemblance to the classic Will Eisner character, The Spirit, and to The Shadow in pulps by Walter B. Gibson. In fact, it was The Shadow who Batman represents as his "biggest inspiration" in the comic book "Batman" #263. This, plus the striking similarities in their costumes, and a Shadow pulp issue entitled "The Gray Ghost", published in April 1936, all add to the foundation of this opinion.

The character's name might have come from the movie-serial crime drama entitled "The Gray Ghost." It might also have been inspired (albeit, to a lesser extent) by the comic strip hero "The Phantom", who was originally planned to be named the Gray Ghost.

In addition, the voice-casting of West is clearly a nod to his starring role in the 1960s "Batman" TV series.

The character may also have been inspired by a character in "The Flash" TV show, Nightshade, played by the late Jason Bernard.

There is also a distinct possibility that the Gray Ghost (in design) was a nod to the Crimson Avenger. The character made his first appearance in Detective Comics #20, well over a year before the debut of Batman himself in Detective Comics #27. The design of the Crimson Avenger's first costume was strikingly similar to the designs of The Shadow and to a lesser extent, The Green Hornet (whom the Crimson Avenger himself may have been inspired from).

However, the plight of the character Simon Trent in the episode of "Batman: The Animated Series" bears a striking similarity to the plight of actor Al Hodge, who played the title character of the DuMont TV show "Captain Video and His Video Rangers". Like Trent, Hodge was much admired and venerated in his prime, and years later would live in obscurity, residing in a small apartment that was crammed with memorabilia from his once-famous TV show. Unlike the fictional character, sadly, Hodge lived most of his later years in poverty and died a forgotten man. To a lesser degree, Adam West had similar difficulties finding work for years after his Batman role, although his career and cult star status has improved recently.