The Phantom Stranger

*Personal Data:*
Click here to view a gallery of Phantom Stranger graphics.	Real Name:	Unknown
	Status:	Active
	Versions of the JLA:	Justice League of America
	Known Aliases:	Unknown
	Nicknames:	Unknown
	Occupation:	Protector of humankind
	Other Group Affiliations:	The Sentinels of Magic - Active (member), The Quintessence - Active (member)
	First Appearance:	Unknown
	Base of Operations:	Mobile
	Age:	Unknown
	Height:	6'2"
	Weight:	185 lbs.
	Eyes:	White
	Hair:	White
	Known Relatives:	Unknown
	Known Allies:	The Justice Society of America, The Justice League of America, various magical heroes such as Zatanna, Madame Xanadu, The Spectre I, Nabu the Wise, The Lords of Order.
	Known Enemies:	The Lords of Chaos, Eclipso, Felix Faust, Neron
	Powers and Abilities:	The true extent of the Stranger's abilities has never been determined. But a good many things are clear. He can travel at will among the magical dimensions, including the Realm of the Just Dead, the Antechamber of Souls, Heaven, Hell, and Apokolips. He has at least some telepathic abilities, and can ordinarily perceive truth and deception, good and evil. He can see spiritual entities and travelers invisible to normal sight; he can perceive magical events at a great distance. He can hurl magical which are extremely potent. He can mysteriously vanish and appear at will. He can send dreams of omen, warning, or information, though possibly only with the permission of Dream of the Endless. He can dispel magic and sorcery, especially magic of mental control or illusion and deception; he can also cast illusions and mind controls of his own. He can perform some feats of transmutation, such as turning fired bullets into flowers and sticks into snakes and back. He can survive and even communicate in outer space, though he may not be able to travel of his own volition while there.
	Weaknesses/Limitations:	The Stranger's most important weakness, if that is what it is, is the sharp limitation on his acting directly and overtly. Threats which he would presumably have the raw power to directly defeat he must instead warn others about, especially if those others have some particular responsibility at stake. Even his information he apparently cannot provide clearly and explicitly; in many cases his warnings or clues are cryptic. It might be, for example, that he is forbidden from removing the responsibility from humanity's shoulders; he definitely believes in free will, and the availability of a balance of choices to humans. (The very entertaining free will debate in the Books of Magic was in fact perfectly in character for the Stranger.) The Stranger is not physically invulnerable. Especially when he is heavily outnumbered when his magical abilities are already in use, or when he is taken by surprise, he can be injured or knocked out. He can be imprisoned by magical means; and his innate magical energies can be siphoned away. His physical form can be destroyed (as in Dr. Fate #3); and he can die in at least some circumstances (as in JLA #145). He has often thought that a particular combination of threats might destroy him, particularly those which combined magical imprisonment with physical attacks or magical drains. It may be that the Stranger is mistaken and that there is nothing which could permanently destroy him (nothing has yet, obviously); but he definitely believes that there are things which can. A weakness of a different sort is his oft-noticed tendency to speak too much; but this may be related to his need to make those around him understand the consequences of their choices and the fact that they face choices. He must not act in their place, so he must make them understand what their actions mean.

Background:

There are many legends of the origins of The Phantom Stranger. Some say that he is the doomed soldier who slew Christ and is cursed to walk the Earth until the last days. Others say that he is .

Perhaps second only to The Spectre in power, The Phantom Stranger wields vast power, but only interferes at times of his choosing. The Phantom Stranger is one of only four heroes to turn down membership in the Justice League, but has served as an honorary member on occasion. The Stranger has been known to walk alongside such powerful beings as Darkseid during the Legends Limited Series (1986), and is seen as one of a five being council (The Wizard Shazam, The New God Highfather, A Guardian of the Universe and ) who try to steer the Universe's destiny during the recent The Kingdom Miniseries (1999).

The true identity and origin of the Phantom Stranger are lost in time, and the Stranger himself has never volunteered the secrets his past holds. But for the troubled and forlorn, the Phantom Stranger has appeared in times of crisis - or when all hope is lost - sometimes offering moral counsel, on other occasions marshaling magical powers in defense of the weak. Though once empowered by the Lords of Order in his journeys, the Phantom Stranger now draws his magical energies from the collective strength of humankind, whom he has protected since before recorded history. And despite having allied himself with other benevolent forces in his long wanderings - including the Justice League - the Stranger nevertheless remains one step removed from humanity, appearing when he is needed and returning to his solitary existence once a crisis has passed.

Notes:

The Stranger almost never uses spoken spells, magical artifacts, or magical rituals more complex than a séance or a circle of entrapment. He does not fly in the material world. He cannot travel to the future. He is a moderately skilled hand-to-hand combatant, often surprising with a punch someone who smugly thought their protection against magic rendered them untouchable.

When the Stranger is acting in his bailiwick, he is almost supremely powerful. If he is not taken by surprise and can plan and act, he can be baffled only by universal forces such as the Spectre, the Anti-Monitor, the Lords of Order, and presumably the Endless. However, there are mysterious limitations on when the Stranger is permitted to act directly; it is not even known whether these are self-imposed or the commands of a higher power. Very often, he is limited to providing warnings and cryptic information, or perhaps gathering together those who must win the day.

The Stranger is not physically invulnerable. Especially when he is heavily outnumbered when his magical abilities are already in use, or when he is taken by surprise, he can be injured or knocked out. He can be imprisoned by magical means; and his innate magical energies can be siphoned away. His physical form can be destroyed and he can die in at least some circumstances.