Powers: The Stranger had vast supernatural abilities, including the ability to manipulate magic and nature, teleportation, and precognition.

History: The Stranger's origins were shrouded in mystery, although some whispered he was an angel that refused to take sides during Lucifer's uprising.

(Trenchcoat Brigade #2 (fb, BTS)) -  Phantom Stranger was cast down from Heaven and consigned to limbo and told by the Creator hat he would stay there until he made a definitive choice to fight for the forces of good or evil. The Stranger chose to fight for good and was allowed to leave.

(Spectre III #14 (fb)) -<1300 BC> The Presence caused plagues to torment Egypt, but every time Ramses was ready to relent, his heart hardened and he refused to free the Jews. The Phantom Stranger informed Nabu that the final plague was the death of the Egyptian firstborn, and warned him that the murders would be carried out by the Spectre, so he was not to interfere in God's work.

(DC Comics Presents #25) - Superman started experiencing pangs of pain, and was visited by the Phantom Stranger, who warned him he was under a curse that would sap his strength and steal his soul. Stranger s arch-enemy Tala had been contacted by Pete Ross from his asylum cell to place the curse, because Superman failed to rescue his son Jon from the alien Nyrvnians because the Legion of Super-Heroes told him it was Jon s destiny to learn how to be a warrior and save Earth from a future space conflict. Tala s curse could only affect a guilty conscience, and Superman felt guilty about his actions. Phantom Stranger traveled to Tala s hellish abode to battle for the soul of Madame Benita, the fortune-teller who d stolen a lock of Superman s hair from the Superman Museum to facilitate the curse. Tala, still calling Stranger her love, once again offered Stranger a place at her side, which he refused. Superman rescued Jon, freeing his guilty mind, and ending the curse, and Stranger took the soul of Benita away from Tala, telling her she d never triumph.

(Swamp Thing II #51) - Phantom Stranger and Deadman guided Swamp Thing on the path from the Afterlife back to Earth. Stranger took his leave of the duo so that he could inspect any changed that might have occurred in the Afterlife after the Shadow Creature merged with Heaven.

(Swamp Thing II #55) - Gotham City; Phantom Stranger and John Constantine attended a memorial service for the apparently deceased swamp Thing.

(Swamp Thing II #76) - The presence of two plant elementals on Earth created a synchronicity storm that threatened to plunge the Earth into chaos. Swamp Thing came up the solution of having his wife Abigail Arcane give birth to the second plant elemental, the Sprout, using John Constantine to impregnate her. Demon and the Phantom Stranger watched on, and the Stranger remarked that now that darkness and light had formed a union the grey lines between good and evil seemed that much murkier. The Demon called his musings banal, and happily pointed out that Constantine's blood was tainted by the demon Nergal, and that this could unravel all of Swamp Thing s plans. Phantom Stranger was ready to intercede, but the Demon stopped him with his breath of hellfire.

(Demon III #9) - The Phantom Stranger sensed dark forces growing, and saw Tenzin Wyatt, an enemy oif the demon Etrigan as a weak link in the forces. Wyatt was in a catatonic state in Arkham, but had just created a tulpa through meditation to destroy Etrigan. After he was tricked by Etrigan's former foe Klarion into believing the Demon was dead the Stranger visited him. He tried to enter and heal his mind, reminding him he had no need for anger with his tormenter gone, at least as far as he knew. The Stranger saw he was too lost in his madness and violent fantasies to be changed, so the Stranger let him be.

(Demon III #10) - The world continued to be plagued by unprecedented disaster and violence, so Phantom Stranger went to Nepal to visit Jason Blood, who was studying with the apocalypse cult the Green Dragon Society to contain the demon within him. The Stranger told him he must return to Gotham to prevent the end of the world, and Jason told him to take care of whatever dangers he foresaw himself. Phantom Stranger said it was only in his power to illuminate the minds of men, not to instigate actions on his own, and Jason told him to leave. Displeased, the Stranger called forth Etrigan to plead his case to him. Etrigan blasted him with hellfire and attacked. Once the Stranger was able to get Etrigan to give a respite from battle he pleaded for him to stop the coming apocalypse, but Etrigan said the thought of humanity burning amused him, and he didn't care if his own life ended and Hell perished as well. Stranger realized his time had been wasted, so he returned Etrigan to the form of Blood. He knew the Society cultists were too blinded by their faith to heed him either, so he departed.

(Demon III #11, 14, 15) - Phantom Stranger walked the earth, observing more signs of the end times, including Paris in flames, Japan suffering from volcanic eruptions, and the Green Dragon Society calling down their prophesized destroyer Lobo the intergalactic bounty hunter to Earth. Lobo teamed with Etrigan to get a nuke and drop it on a fault line to end life on Earth. Lobo located an atom bomb in Gotham's Woodside Military Base, and the Phantom Stranger appeared to him, trying to appeal to his better nature to rethink what he was doing, but Lobo laughed him off. Phantom Stranger said if it was within his power he'd end Lobo's life and do the universe a favor, but that course of action was forbidden to him by the higher power he served. At Woodside Glenda Mark found Jason Blood clinging to life after being double-crossed by Lobo and having a confrontation with Klarion, but just barely, and seeing no other choice she said the words that turned him back into Etrigan. Etrigan taunted her for her choice and teleported away to kill Lobo for his betrayal and end life on Earth by himself. Phantom Stranger appeared to Glenda and her friends Randu Singh and Harry Matthews to explain the predicament they were in. Every 13,000 years, halfway through the Great Tropical Year of Earth's orbit the planet entered an area of space that vibrated at a higher frequency, and at that time the chances of cataclysm were great. The Bible and the ancient records of China, Egypt and Babylon all recognized that every 13,000 years the world could undergo catastrophic change, and at that moment Lobo was set to detonate his nuke in the fault line of Megiddo, Israel, which would unleash an earthquake that would knock Earth from its' orbit. Meanwhile Klarion use a mystic rod of power and charged it up to cast a spell on Etrigan and Lobo. Etrigan and Lobo were having a fierce battle on Lobo's bike above Israel, and during their combat the nuke came loose and plunged toward Megiddo. Phantom Stranger sensed akll these events and had Harry use the minor magic he'd learned during his time in Hell to combine with Klarion's spell, sending Etrigan and the falling bomb off to the Beyond Region. Harry, Randu and Glenda celebrated the world not ending, but Phantom Stranger had to break it to Glenda that Jason and Etrigan were either destroyed or severely altered by the spell.

(Showcase '93 #4) -Gaea empowered Blue Devil with the worldseed, or the essence of the Earth, to defend it against Galaxa. The mystic vibrations were sensed by Phantom Stranger among others.

(Spectre III #14) - Phantom Stranger visited Father Craemer to discuss what he'd spoken to the Spectre about. Craemer said iw was confession, and he had a vow to not disclose what was said. The Phantom Stranger still couldn't convince him to talk when he revealed that the Spectre had massacred all of Vlatava, and now wondered if the entire world was guilty enough to be destroyed. To make Craemer understand what the Spectre was he told him the story of how the Wrath of God had killed the Egyptian firstborn. Craemer knew the Spectre was now tied to a human soul, which he hoped would make a difference. Stranger said Cramer was responsible for what happened in Vlatava, and warned him that Spectre's god was one of vengeance.

(Spectre III #15, 16) - Spectre visited the Sinai peninsula, and the dead cried for vengeance. Phantom Stranger appeared and warned the Spectre that he would not be allowed to destroy the world, and Spectre replied that he had not yet made his judgment, but was curious who Stranger thought would stop him. Stranger knew he'd need allies, so he recruited Dr. Fate. He wanted to recruit John Constantine, but he was a complete wreck due to his alcoholism. Fate offered to cure him, but Stranger said that was not their place. He got the Demon to join them by simply asking if he was stronger than the Spectre. Zatanna joined Stranger's crew, and explained that she would be the bridge between the corrupt Demon and the good Fate. He said after Madame Xanadu joined them their group would be complete.

(Eclipso #18) -

(Spectre III #17, 18) - Stranger contacted Xanadu, and she already knew his plan, he hoped Spectre and Eclipso would destroy each other, or failing that be weakened enough for the Stranger to destroy the embodiments of wrath with the heart of darkness. Xanadu refused to join him, foreseeing his plan failing. Stranger called her petty, and she said the same was true of him for still blaming her for her mentor's foreordained demise. Eclipso possessed Spectre, and shatter the heart of darkness, allowing him to walk the Earth unfettered. Father Craemer reached out to Jim, and Corrigan realized that he was very tired of his responsibility, and that he wished the world was gone so he could go into eternity. Craemer convinced him that there were other good souls like Amy Beitermann, Jim, revitalized, took back control of the Spectre form Eclipso, and entrapped him in the heart of darkness. He destroyed Eclipso's moon palace, and turned the heart of darkness into dust. The Spectre said his judgment was that he could only judge humanity on a case by case basis. The Archangel Michael appeared, and said Spectre had been tested, but passed. He would never have been allowed to destroy the world without God stopping him, and Heaven wanted Spectre to continue his work. Zatanna told Phantom Stranger their interference was unnecessary, especially if he already knew God would not have allowed Spectre to go unchecked, and Stranger replied that he acted as he saw fit

(Final Night #1, 3, Spectre III #47) - Superman organized a summit of superheroes, including the Stranger, to listen to an alien named Dusk. She'd seen the Sun-Eater snuff out the sun of countless planets, and she was there to warn the heroes that the Sun-Eater was headed towards Earth. Phantom Stranger approached Spectre and asked him to save Earth from the Sun-Eater. He refused and the Stranger asked him why he avoided Earth's major crises. Spectre replied that events on that scale were completely in the hands of the Creator. The Sun-Eater engulfed the sun, and Dusk was attacked by a mob that blamed her. The Stranger gave her a tour of the world to show her people banding together to survive the crisis. He convinced her that although humanity stumbled in the face of adversity they still had a chance to overcome the Eater and needed her help.

(Green Lantern III #81) - Coast City; Phantom Stranger was among the heroes who attended a memorial service for Green Lantern Hal Jordan.

(Batman / Phantom Stranger #1) - Batman found former Street Demonz gang member Jon Kronik standing over a body in a Gotham graveyard and holding a locket from a desecrated tomb, and despite his pleas of innocence he brought him to the police. The Phantom Stranger appeared to Batman and told him Kronik was a pawn in a larger game, and that without Batman s help a great secret would be lost. Batman was in no mood for Stranger s cryptic comments, but went to see the boy as Bruce Wayne, his class sponsor. Kronik wasn t happy to see Bruce, telling him he d left his castle to sponsor kids without a future and gave them false hope. On the ride home Bruce reflected that he d helped few of Kronik's class, and although he d won skirmishes in his battle against crime he d never win the war. The Stranger appeared to him and hinted that Kronik and the locket held the key to the secrets of ancient and destroyed Lemuria. The Stranger was forbidden from direct interference, but knew he could count on Batman, one of the few men whod always chosen the right moral path in the face of evil. Kronik was broken out of jail by Boss Vidor, who d killed the man in the graveyard, an assistant of Prof. Cosimo, who d uncovered the secret of Lemuria that was prophesized to make or break the world.  Vidor told Kronik he was now part of his gang and had him accompany him in tracking down the homeless Joel Judd, formerly Joel Jeddu, who was pictured in the graveyard locket and a descendant of the Lumurian prophet Jeddu. Batman and Phantom Stranger cleaned up Vidor and his gang, and Kronik  was chosen by Jeddu as the person worthy to relearn Lemuria's secret. Hre had a vision of the Lemurian utopia destroyed by the greedy and power-hungry, and recalled Jeddu s words that civilization would only flourish when men did unto others as they d have done unto themselves. Phantom Stranger revealed that he was there when Lemuria was destroyed and never wanted to see such an event repeated. He charged Kronik with spreading the message, the golden rule at the heart of every religion.

(Spectre III #62) - Corrigan decided to give up the mantle of the Spectre, at last seeking peace in death. Craemer arranged for his bones to be buried in a small grave, and performed a funeral service, with all of the friends Corrigan met as the Spectre attending. The Spectre-Force vanished and Jim ascended to Heaven, seeing Amy waiting for him. Craemer told Phantom stranger he still had many questions about his beliefs after meeting Spectre,a nd the Stranger said it was good to question one's beliefs.

(Trenchcoat Brigade #1-4) - John Constantine called together Stranger and the Trenchcoat Brigade to have a talk with Mister E. E told them he suffered from visions of a world eaten up by the cancer god M'nagalah, and knew that Pyotr Konstantin somehow caused it. E took the Trenchcoat Brigade on a trip to the possible future of his vision, where the only person left alive was Pyotr. Pyotr summoned the Whining Ones to attack the Brigade. The Brigade won the fight and Pyotr told them they could avert the tragedy he caused if they took him back in time to the 1600s. In the past Pyotr cast a spell to force the Brigade to confront and deal with each other s past failures and guilt while he set off to prevent his past self from setting off the chain of events that unleashed M'nagalah. The Brigade conquered each other's guilt and found Pyotr, who d failed to stop his past self. The Brigade traveled to the time of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, when Pyotr s past self and Elliana of the Leshy, whose people had been destroyed by mankind, would bring M'nagalah to Earth. The Brigade used a containment spell on M'nagalah but Phantom Stranger, who d dealt with Dr. Occult s guilt over never being able to touch his true love Rose again and felt he was in a similar situation, was ready to abandon the fight. Occult changed into Rose and convinced Stranger that where there was life there was hope. The Brigade vanquished M'nagalah.

(JLA #29, 31) - Stranger and the Quintessence, five immortals that held a constant vigil over all creation, watched the conflict between Lkz, an invader from the 5th Dimension, and the 5-D genie Thunderbolt. Their battle threatened all reality, but Shazam assured the Quintessence that his champion Captain Marvel would save the day. Marvel delivered, convincing Lkz and Thunderbolt to merge into one being, ending their war.

(Day of Judgment #1-5) - The Quintessence sent Phantom Stranger to deal with Asmodel / Spectre, who'd unleashed Hell on Earth. The Stranger joined Zatanna's Sentinels of Magic and confronted Asmodel. The Sentinels separated Asmodel from most of the Spectre-Force, containing it in Madame Xanadu's orb. They knew it was only a temporary measure, so Phantom Stranger sent Captain Marvel, Starfire and S.T.R.I.P.E. into orbit to retrieve the Spear of Destiny. After the Spear was used to wound Asmodel, the soul of Green Lantern Hal Jordan became the Spectre's new host. A new threat emerged when Neron possessed Superman, but Hal defeated him and sent him back to Hell. Phantom Stranger rejoined the Quintessence to observe the aftermath of the Day of Judgment.

(Martian Manhunter II #23) - Phantom Stranger appeared to Jim Corrigan after Martian Manhunter usurped the Spectre-Force and tried to restore life to Mars. This resurrection was against the natural order, so the Stranger told Corrigan to stop it and revealed that the Spectre-Force was inseparably bonded to him.

(Martian Manhunter II #28) - The Phantom Stranger appeared to Martian Manhunter and told him the Sentinels of Magic were battling the Demon at Stonehenge, and it was essential for Manhunter to help them win the day.

(Justice Leagues: Justice League of Atlantis #1, Justice Leagues: JLA #1 (BTS)) - When the Advance Man made the world forgot that the JLA ever existed the individual members still had a vague memory of the team and formed their own Justice Leagues. Phantom Stranger was recruited to be in Zauriel's Justice League of Apostles. The Apostles offered to help Aquaman s Justice League of Atlantis attack Advance Man s techno-organic island, but Aquaman refused their aid out of pride. The Leagues of Apostles disbanded following the reformation of the Justice League of America.

(Green Arrow III #7) - Spectre wanted to take the soulless Green Arrow to reunite with his soul in heaven, but Phantom Stranger barred their way because he said Arrow had no place in Heaven. Spectre threatened to judge Stranger for the crime that led to his fall from grace, and Stranger stepped aside.

(Justice League of America II #3, 6) - Solomon Grundy and Felix Faust tricked Red Tornado into trading his android body for a human one. Phantom Stranger warned Red Tornado  that he'd erred, and that Grundy and his employee Professor Ivo were trying to disturb the balance of the thirteen true immortals that walked the Earth. Red Tornado asked him what he should do, and the Stranger told him he directed people, but never led them anywhere. Tornado and the new Justice League of America defeated Grundy. Phantom Stranger and Zatanna helped the League put Tornado's consciousness back in his android body.

(Batman: Gotham County Line #3) - Deadman investigated Gotham County after Batman was tricked into helping serial killer Radmuller commit suicide. Radmuller's death had created a fold in time that made Gotham county a unique time and space between the living and the dead, and as the dead rose they fell under Radmuller's control. Batman found himself in Radmuller's basement with his dead parents, and learned his deepest secret, he'd killed his parents and blamed it on robbers, but had come to believe his lie. Deadman appeared with the Phantom Stranger, and were pleased that Batman finally realized he was being used by Radmuller to sustain his hellish realm. With this realization they were able to help Batman go back in time and prevent Radmuller from committing suicide, undoing everything he'd created.

(Faces of Evil: Solomon Grundy #1) - The Phantom Stranger was aware that Solomon Grundy had been resurrected in human form, now only becoming a monster at night. he knew a black night was coming, and it would be for the best if Grundy was not around for it, so he recruited the reluctant Green Arrow to act as Grundy's guide in finding a way to lift his curse.

(Solomon Grundy #1) - Phantom Stranger narrated the story of Slaughter Swamp, the land itself was corrupted before the dawn of man when the Spectre beheaded a demon that called him brother on the grounds. In a rage Solomon Grundy killed a man in a cemetery, and as Green Lantern was about to punish him Stranger intervened and reminded him they needed to save his soul. The Stranger pointed at Grundy and told him he had to find the instrument of his death and his murderer in order to save his soul before the Blackest Night. He told Lantern to protect the innocent while watching Grundy, and then went off to see who was interfering with their mission.