PhantasmPhantasm
Real Name: Dennis Sutton
Identity/Class: Human mutate
Occupation: Mason
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: His assault group
Enemies: Paladin, Marsha Connors
Known Relatives: Marsha Connors (ex-girlfriend, or ex-wife)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: New York City, New York, USA
First Appearance: Marvel Premiere#43 (August, 1978)
Powers/Abilities: Phantasm was considerably stronger than a normal human and apparently stronger than Paladin (who is enhanced human). He claimed he didn't feel pain, because his body was dead for the human standards. He had a glowing aura that surrounded his hands and sometime his entire body. The aura was probably connected with his touch, burning like acid (radioactive neon?). He could do high jumps similar to short floating paths and could vanish in his aura, and also reappear a short distance away (it is uncertain if he could do this for long distances). He also used a chain mace and a chain hook.
History:
(Marvel Premiere#43 (fb) - BTS) - Dennis, the man who would have become
Phantasm, loved Marsha Connors, her girlfriend. She found him fascinating but
often he beat her. He started to neglect Marsha.
(Marvel Premiere#43 (fb)) - Dennis worked as temporary mason for the State Industry of Plutonium. His
superiors sent him to work in the
more hazardous places, and one day he was accidentally exposed to radiation. The
exposure was fatal, and the doctors told him that he was dying. The
responsibility for the accident wasn't given to anybody, so Dennis sought
vengeance against the "system", the "bureaucracy," and the
national economy.
He started experiments with radioactive isotopes and neon gas
to gain power; while doing so he neglected Marsha even more. The experiments
increased his disease and his decay (and probably his madness). Eventually
Dennis bought a costume inspired by the Mr. Fear's costume and became Phantasm.
(Marvel Premiere#43 (fb) - BTS) - Dennis revealed
his plans to Marsha. Marsha Connors left Dennis, who had become mad and dangerous, and
hired she Paladin to be protected by Dennis' madness.
(Marvel Premiere#43) - Some months later, during the last night of the Chinese Calendar's Year of Snake 4675 (presumably topical, though I don't quite understand the whole deal with the Chinese Calendar), Phantasm and his men went to Marsha's apartment in Manhattan to kill Marsha. Phantasm assaulted Marsha; he was choking her with his glowing hand's grip, but Paladin intervened. Dennis thought Paladin was Marsha's lover and tried to kill him. They fought, and Paladin killed a couple of henchmen, but Phantasm nearly caused him to fall off the building when Marsha's distracted her ex-boyfriend. The monstrous man hit his ex-girlfriend and tried to kill her with his deadly touch, but Paladin intervened again. This time, bored, Phantasm disappeared in the night.
Later,
Phantasm reappeared with his men on the top of the bridge on the 59th, observing the Electric Central and revealing his purposes to destroy it
and after, in the ensuing chaos due to the black-out, destroy the whole Wall
Street and so the national economy.
The Year of the Snake finished, and the Year of the Horse started. That night, Phantasm and his men destroyed the Electric Central of Roosevelt Island. New York fell in darkness and Phantasm went back to Marsha's. He had his men knock Paladin out while he killed Marsha.
(Marvel Premiere#43 - BTS) - While running away Phantasm and his gang were stopped by a tramp, and Phantasm hit him.
(Marvel Premiere#43) - Then, Phantasm and his men mingled in the crowd of the Chinese New Year's Day's parade, but Paladin found them. Phantasm hit the hero and Paladin shot to him. Three shot passed through Phantasm who closed his cloak and, shining, reappeared behind Paladin. The dreadful man pulled Paladin to the ground, choking him. Paladin, seeing the Great Dragon of the parade approaching them, shot in the air, frightening the people, who left the Dragon falling on top of Phantasm. Wounded, and immobilized by the Dragon's weight, Phantasm confessed to have not killed Marsha, but to have only drugged her.
Comments: Created by Don Mc Gregor and Tom Sutton.
His last name was revealed in Paladin's entry in OHOTMU A-Z HC#8.
Clarifications:
Phantasm has no known connections to
Marsha Connors has no known connections to
The Phantasm's henchmen were normal humans. They wore black/dark suits and used conventional weapons such cannons?, hand-guns, knives, and cudgels. It is uncertain if they parted with Phantasm after his defeat or if they shared his ideas about the society, or if they only were hired by him.
(Marvel Premiere#43) - At least five of them assaulted Marsha's apartment for the first time, descending from the top of a building near to the one where Phantasm and Paladin fought. Four of them were shot by Paladin on Marsha's building, and another one at long distance before he could hit Paladin with a rifle.
At least 4 men were on the bridge on the 59th, and at least 5 were in the assault group at the Electric Central helping Phantasm to blow it up.
Shortly after they assaulted Marsha's flat and knocked Paladin out.
(Marvel Premiere#43 - BTS) - While they was fleeing they met a tramp who stopped them, asking for money, but Phantasm pushed him away.
Not long after Paladin found them in the crowd of the parade of the Chinese New Year's Day and easily slew three of them before being attacked by Phantasm.
--Marvel Premiere#43
(Marvel Premiere#43 (fb) - BTS) - Marsha Connors loved Dennis, despite the fact he often beat and neglected her, not giving her enough consideration. When Dennis had the accident, he neglected her further, and he eventually went mad and told her his "destructive" plans so she left him. However, she felt guilty for Dennis' status. She hired Paladin for protection. Paladin wanted to bring her in another safer place, but she didn't want him to.
(Marvel Premiere#43) - The night of the end of the Year of the Snake she was assaulted by Phantasm. Paladin freed her from Phantasm's chocking grip, but soon she had to save the hero in return, and she smashed a lamp on Phantasm's head. She distracted Phantasm for the necessary time to allow Paladin to recover and, after another struggle, Phantasm disappeared.
Talking with her, Paladin understood that she knew something about Phantasm's plans, but she didn't revealed them.
The following night, New York was obscured by Phantasm's attack. Marsha confessed to Paladin that she had known, but that she didn't believed that Dennis would have carried his plans out. Suddenly were they attacked by Phantasm. The henchmen knocked Paladin out, and Phantasm tried to kill her, but he couldn't, so drugged her in order to keep her out of his affairs until he was finished. When Paladin woke up he believed Marsha was dead, so left her and sought vengeance. After Paladin captured Phantasm he went back to Marsha's and found her alive. Paladin confessed her that she had become important for him.
--Marvel Premiere#43 (43(fb) - BTS, 43
Images:
Marvel Premiere#43, page 11, panel 6 (Phantasm)
Marvel Premiere#43, page 8, panel 6 (Dennis)
Marvel Premiere#43, page 9, panel 1 (Dennis in decay)
Marvel Premiere#43, page 4, panel 7 (Phantasm, head shot)
Marvel Premiere#43, page 10, panel 4 (henchmen)
Marvel Premiere#43, page 18, panel 10 (Marsha)
Other appearances: None
First Posted: 04/23/2005
Last Updated: 04/24/2005
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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