Percival Popp

PERCIVAL POPP

Real Name: J. Percival Poplaski

Class: Human spirit

Occupation: Security guard, former police officer

Group Affiliation: None

Known Relatives: Poplaski (father, deceased)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: NYC, NY, 1940s to present

First Appearance: More Fun Comics #74 (December, 1941)

Powers: Popp was a well-meaning if incompetent law enforcement officer. As a spirit he was immaterial and immune to conventional attacks.

History: (Spectre III #24 (fb)) - Percival Popp got a job on the police force thanks to his father, an alderman, pulling some strings. He worked the same beat as Jim Corrigan, and when he saw Corrigan leading a raid on Gat Benson's men he eagerly joined in. Popp bumbled around, and almost got himself shot, but Corrigan took out the mobsters himself. Most officers thought of Popp as a joke, giving him the ironic nickname Super-Cop, but Corrigan always stood up for him.

(Spectre III #3 (fb) 24 (fb), Spectre Annual #1 (fb)) - Corrigan got a tip on a warehouse robbery, and Popp secretly followed him, suspecting a trap. It was a setup, and Gat Benson had Corrigan killed, while Popp panicked and passed out. When he woke up Jim had been resurrected as the Spectre, and made short work of Gat. Jim shared his secret with Popp, who thought he should create a mysteryman identity, showing him sketches for a Spectre costume. Popp assisted him on a few cases, much to the confusion of the rest of the precinct.

(Spectre Annual II #1 (fb)) - Spectre and Dr. Fate were investigating a supernatural occurrence at the Pentagon involving the Elder Gods, and Percival Popp was downhearted when Spectre told him to stay behind. Spectre was starting to realize more and more that Popp was a liability, and it was more in keeping with his nature to be a loner.

(Spectre III #24 (fb)) - After WWII Popp was fired from the force to make way for returning soldiers who needed jobs. He took a security guard job, and rented a small room in a men's hotel. He kept a scrapbook for Spectre's adventures. Popp died, and his body wasn't discovered for days.

(Spectre III #24) - Popp's spirit called out to Spectre. He'd been wandering a graveyard for decades as a lost soul, and wondered if Spectre would team up with him again. Spectre decided he deserved better than that, he deserved a reward for a life well lived. -Spectre brought Popp to the gates of Heaven, but Michael said there was no room for him, not because he'd sinned, but because he lacked the proper amount of good deeds. Amy Beitermann had some pull in Heaven, and because of her plea the gates cracked open, allowing Popp entry. Popp told Spectre that he now had two friends in Heaven.

(Spectre III #29) -Azmodus warred with Spectre, and sought to destroy everyone he knew. Officer Nate Kane was trapped by a group of people who'd given their souls to Azmodus, but Percival showed up to save him, and told him to tell the Spectre he said hello.

Comments: Created by Jerry Siegel & Bernard Baily.

In the pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths DCU Popp lived on Earth-2.