SPECTER
Real Name: Dallas Gibson
Identity/Class: Human mutant
Occupation: Student
Group Membership: None;
formerly Corsairs (Dryad/Callie Betto, Quill/Maxwell Jordan, Three-In-One/Celeste, Mindee, Phoebe Cuckoo), formerly Paragons
Affiliations: Eye-Boy (Trevor Hawkins), the Five (Egg/Fabio Medina, Elixir/Joshua Foley, Proteus/Kevin MacTaggert, Hope Summers, Tempus/Eva Bell), Xavier Institute Squadron's: Alpha Squadron (Anole/Victor Borkowski, Indra/Paras Gavaskar, Kidogo/Lazaro Kotikash, Loa/Alani Ryan, Rubbermaid/Andrea Margulies, Network/Sarah Vale), Excelsiors, Exemplars, Hellions (Dust/Sooraya Qadir, Hellion/Julian Keller, Mercury/Cessily Kincaid, Rockslide/Santo Vaccarro, Tag/Brian Cruz, Wither/Kevin Ford), New Mutants (Elixer/Joey Foley, Icarus/Joshua Guthrie, Prodigy/David Alleyne, Surge/Noriko Ashida, Wallflower/Laurie Collins, Wind Dancer/Sofia Mantega), Paragons (D.J./Mark Sheppard, Match/Ben Hamill, Pixie/Megan Gwynn, Preview/Jessical Vale, Trance/Hope Abbott, Wolf Cub/Nicholas Gleason), X-Men (Cyclops/Scott Summers, Emma Frost, Wolfsbane/Rahne Sinclair)
Enemies: None
Known Relatives: Grandparents (names unrevealed)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Krakoa, most likely the Sextant, Akademos Habitat;
formerly Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Westchester County, New York
First Appearance: New Mutants II#10 (May, 2004)
Powers/Abilities: Specter possessed the mutant ability to become a living shadow. While in this form, he had enhanced strength and speed.
Height: 5'4" (by approximation)
Weight: 100 (by approximation
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde
History:
(New X-Men II#5 (fb) - BTS) - When Dallas first manifested his shadow form, it shocked his grandfather so much, the man suffered a heart attack.
(New Mutants II#10) - Dallas eventually enrolled at Xavier's where he befriended Hellion, Rockslide, Mercury and Tag. They attended their advisory meeting with co-headmistress Emma Frost. She explained that all students would eventually receive codenames which normally were chosen by the faculty. In this instance however, she would let her students pick their own, which prompted Dallas to decide on "Specter". After everyone had chosen a codename, Emma ensured the group that should they ever want or need something they only had to contact her. The next day Specter was seen outside playing frisbee with Hellion.
(New X-Men II#2 - BTS) - When several X-Men introduced their training squads, Emma Frost introduced her team the Hellions though Specter was absent. He had apparently switched training squads to the Paragons where he would be mentored by Wolfsbane (see comments).
(New X-Men II#4 - BTS) - Most squads participated in their first field day assignment against each other: the New Mutants, Hellions, Alpha Squadron, Corsairs, Excelsiors and the Exemplars participated but it has been unrevealed wether or not the Paragons participated.
(New X-Men II#5) - Specter was among the students seen sitting at one of the lunch tables while Hellion spoke up on behalf of Kevin Ford, who was being questioned for crimes. Hellion made an example of the other students whose powers had been responsible for questionable deeds, reminding everyone Specter had caused his grandfather to suffer a heart attack.
(New X-Men II#10 - BTS) - Specter and his fellow Corsairs participated in the second field day assignment against the other training squads. The day was marked with multiple assignments to test a potential X-Man's various skills: battling a Hulk construct in the Danger Room, saving a child, solving a crime and stealing an artifact.
(New X-Men II#15 / New X-Men Yearbook Special#1 - BTS) - During the annual prize giving ceremony the Hellions were rewarded with first place for their impressive performance, the Corsairs received second place.
(New X-Men Yearbook Special#1) - Alongside his fellow Corsairs members, Specter posed for a group photo for the Xavier yearbook. In the yearbook, Specter was voted "most likely to marry a human". He liked the fact he'd finally settled in with the Corsairs and disliked the thought of switching advisors again.
(House of M#8 - BTS) - Specter was one of the many millions of homo superior who lost their powers when a reality altering spell cast by the Scarlet Witch reduced the number of gene active mutants to a mere 300 worldwide.
(New X-Men II#20) - After waking up powerless, Specter feverishly sought his shadow form which had now permanently disappeared.
(New Avengers I#17 - BTS) - Specter's mutant energies joined with those of the other depowered mutants, creating the Collective, a massive force presence that ended up killing, among others, most of the members of the Canadian superhero team Alpha Flight.
(New Avengers I#18 - BTS) - SHIELD analyzed the Collective's multiple energy signatures and managed to identify Specter's, along with 50+ other victims of M-Day.
SECRET WARS III HAPPENED
(X-Factor IV#5 - BTS) - The depowered Specter presumably regained his mutant abilities through Crucible, a ceremony in which a former mutant had to battle for the chance to be killed and reborn a true mutant. Specter also accepted the invitation to remain on the sovereign mutant island nation, ruled by the Quiet Council.
(X-Factor IV#5) - Learning former X-Men student Wind Dancer (Sofia Mantega) had been resurrected, Specter and other former students met up at the Boneyard to celebrate. Specter, Anole and others celebrated until they fell asleep. He was seen sleeping on the floor while Eye-Boy enjoyed a light show created by Aurora and Northstar.
Comments: Created by Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir (writers), Carlo Barberi (pencils), Wayne Faucher, Juan Vlasco (inkers).
Writer Chris Yost confirmed in interviews that Specter was still alive following M-Day, living with his grandparents. This would mean Specter presumably went through crucible to regain his mutant abilities.
Although not specifically shown, it's assumed Specter switched training squads in between pages. He went from the group that would later be called the Hellions to the Paragons, as D.J. was first part of the Corsairs and switched to the Paragons.
It is very well possible the blonde boy seen with Hellion and Rockslide in New Mutants II#3 is Specter. Some websites claim Specter also appeared in New X-Men II#13, 14 & 15 but if you spot him, your eyes are better than mine. Still, he most likely attended Northstar's funeral and was present when the Blob attacked the Institute.
Profile by MarvellousLuke
CLARIFICATIONS:
Specter has no known connections to
images: (without ads)
New X-Men Yearbook Special, p22, pan1 (main image)
New X-Men Yearbook Special, p22, pan4 (closeup)
New Mutants II#10, p2, pan4 (choosing his codename)
New X-Men II#20, p5, pan5 (depowered)
Appearances:
New Mutants II#10 (May, 2004) - Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir (writers), Carlo Barberi (pencils), Wayne Faucher, Juan Vlasco (inkers), Mike Marts (editor)
New X-Men II#5 (November, 2004) - Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir (writers), Michael Ryan (pencils), Rick Ketcham (inks), Mike Marts (editor)
New X-Men Yearbook Special (December, 2005) - Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir (writers), Georges Jeanty (pencils), Don Hillsman (inks), Mike Marts (editor)
New X-Men II#20 (January, 2006) - Craig Kyle, Chris Yost (writers), Mark Brooks (pencils), Jaime Mendoza (inks), Mike Marts (editor)
New Avengers I#18 (June, 2006) - Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Mike Deodato Jr. (pencils), Joe Pimentel (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
X-Factor IV#5 (December, 2020) - Leah Williams (writer), David Baldeon (pencils, inks), Jordan D. White, Annalise Bissa (editors)
First Posted: 07/12/2015
Last Updated: 02/21/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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