Danny Chase (later called Phantasm) is a fictional superhero in

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publications.

Publication history

Phantasm first appeared in ''The New Teen Titans'' Annual (vol. 2) #3 and was created by

Marv Wolfman Marvin Arthur Wolfman (born May 13, 1946) is an American comic book and novelization writer. He worked on Marvel Comics's '' The Tomb of Dracula'', for which he and artist Gene Colan created the vampire-slayer Blade, and DC Comics's ''The New Te ...

. Although Wolfman hoped the character would restore the "teen hero" feel to a group composed mostly of characters in their twenties, Danny was also intended as a comic foil for one of the group's foundational characters,

Changeling A changeling, also historically referred to as an auf or oaf, is a human-like creature found in folklore throughout Europe. A changeling was believed to be a fairy that had been left in place of a human (typically a child) stolen by other fairi ...

. Problematically, the character is often portrayed as an overly snide, egotistical brat. Conflicts with Beast Boy were one-sided, with Chase invariably delivering come-uppance. Meanwhile, other members of the team proved prone to commenting on how impressed they are by Chase's cleverness and capability. All of this made him something of a "

Mary Sue A Mary Sue is a character archetype in fiction, usually a young woman, who is often portrayed as inexplicably competent across all domains, gifted with unique talents or powers, liked or respected by most other characters, unrealistically fre ...

". This quickly proved unpopular with most fans, and pro and anti-Chase letters sparked heated debate in the letter column. Wolfman tried various ways to make the character more appealing to the Titans' fan base, including having him briefly disguised as the mysterious "Phantasm" during the ''Titans Hunt'' storyline. However, negative fan pressure was strong enough to write Danny out of the series. Years later, during

Jay Faerber Jay Faerber (born 1972) is an American comic book and television writer. Faerber is known for his work on ''Generation X'' and ''New Warriors'' for Marvel Comics, and '' The Titans'' and '' Connor: Spotlight'' for DC Comics. He later wrote his ow ...

's run on "The Titans", he planned for new series villain Epsilon to be a resurrected Danny.

Tempest Tempest is a synonym for a storm. '' The Tempest'' is a play by William Shakespeare. Tempest or The Tempest may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Films * ''The Tempest'' (1908 film), a British silent film * ''The Tempest'' (1911 film), a ...

's evil uncle Slizzath was supposed to have revived him as part of a planned storyline. The new editor Andrew Helfer overturned this and a new origin was given instead.

Fictional character biography

Danny Chase is a short-lived member of the New Teen Titans. He is raised by parents who are international spies. As a result, he is extensively trained in espionage, infiltration and intelligence acquisition. In addition, he is a metahuman with powerful telekinetic abilities and a near-

photographic memory Eidetic memory ( ; more commonly called photographic memory or total recall) is the ability to recall an image from memory with high precision—at least for a brief period of time—after seeing it only onceThe terms ''eidetic memory'' and ''pho ...

The creation of the Phantasm identity

At one point early in the Titans Hunt storyline, Danny Chase finds himself confronted by two members of the Wildebeest Society inside a shopping mall. One of them blasts him away and assumes him to be dead. He, however, survives and decides to use his telekinetic powers to assemble a costume from assorted items - a

hockey mask A goaltender mask, commonly referred to as a goalie mask, is a mask worn by goaltenders in a variety of sports to protect the head and face from injury from the ball or puck, as they constantly face incoming shots on goal. Some sports requiring th ...

, a bolt of fabric, and a robot-voice simulator to disguise his voice. He presents himself as the "Phantasm" in order to remain incognito. In the end, the character willingly gives up his life to save Raven's homeworld of

Azarath Raven is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a special insert in ''DC Comics Presents'' #26 (October 1980), and was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez. A c ...

. He,

Arella Angela Roth, commonly called Arella, is a fictional character from DC Comics. She is the pacifist mother of the superheroine Raven in the '' Teen Titans'' comics and animated series. She is the reluctant lover and wife of the all-powerful inter ...

, and the disembodied souls of Azarath merge into a new entity that also refers to itself as the Phantasm. It wears Danny Chase's costume. Danny Chase's body briefly returns as an undead slave to

Brother Blood Brother Blood is the name of two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first iteration, Sebastian Blood VIII, is a power hungry priest and the head of the Church of Blood, as well as the eighth person in the DC ...

in issues #30-#31 (January-February 2006) of the third ''Teen Titans'' series (2003-2011), written by Geoff Johns.

One Year Later "One Year Later" is a 2006 comic book storyline running through books published by DC Comics. It involves a narrative jump exactly one year into the future of the DC Universe following the events of the ''Infinite Crisis'' storyline, to explore ...

, Zachary Zatara mentions that he and

Kid Devil Edward Bloomberg (currently known as Red Devil) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Alan Kupperberg, Dan Mishkin, and Gary Cohn, the character first appeared in Fury of Firestorm #2 (June, 1984). Th ...

went on a trip to New Azarath where they were almost eaten by the Phantasm. During the "

Blackest Night "Blackest Night" is a 2009–10 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous central miniseries, written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Ivan Reis, along with a number of tie-in issues. ''Blackest Ni ...

" storyline, Danny Chase's body is briefly revived as a Black Lantern. In the ''

: Titans'' miniseries, his body is soon destroyed by a burst of white light emanating from

Dawn Granger Hawk and Dove are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Steve Ditko and Steve Skeates, they appeared in ''Showcase'' #75 (June 1968) during the Silver Age of Comic Books. The duo has existed in mu ...

. In 2011, "

The New 52 The New 52 is the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC canceled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new serie ...

" rebooted the DC universe. Phantasm is among the many subjects kept under

A.R.G.U.S. A.R.G.U.S. is a government organization in DC Comics. A.R.G.U.S. first appeared in ''Justice League'' vol. 2 #7 and was created by Geoff Johns and Gene Ha. Headed by Amanda Waller, A.R.G.U.S. is typically depicted as a parent organization for the ...

's control.

Powers and abilities

Danny Chase possesses the power of telekinesis. Danny is also trained in espionage and has a photographic memory. Phantasm has the combined powers of Danny Chase and Arella as well as the souls of Azarath making him a more advanced and powerful version of them along with new powers.

Other characters named Phantasm

A Phantasm appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #485. He was a ghost-like supervillain who is a member of the Master's Evil Eight and had fought Chris King and Vicki Grant.

Other versions

In the ''

Injustice Injustice is a quality relating to unfairness or undeserved outcomes. The term may be applied in reference to a particular event or situation, or to a larger status quo. In Western philosophy and jurisprudence, injustice is very commonly—but n ...

'' comic, Danny is confronted by Superman of the Regime, who requires his powers to meet with Raven on Azarath.''Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Five'' #16. DC Comics.

In other media

Danny Chase appears in '' Young Justice: Phantoms'', voiced by

Jason Marsden Jason Christopher Marsden (born January 3, 1975) is an American actor, director, producer and YouTuber, who has done numerous voice roles in animated films, as well as various television series and video games. He has been the official voice of ...

. Debuting in the episode "Zenith and Abyss", Danny Chase is a boy who was captured by The Light, had his metahuman abilities activated, and was trafficked to Apokolips where DeSaad dissected him to create the Kaizer Thrall.

References

External links

Danny Chase
at Comic Vine {{DEFAULTSORT:Chase, Danny Comics characters introduced in 1988 Characters created by Marv Wolfman DC Comics child superheroes DC Comics metahumans Fictional ghosts Fictional government agents DC Comics telekinetics Fictional characters with eidetic memory