| NOTE: This page is only about his TV Show incarnation as the Videogame incarnation of Gentleman Ghost was not voted Pure Evil, and thus only the TV Show's info and crimes should be put here. |
| “ | Rest in peace, Batman! | „ |
| ~ Gentleman Ghost buries Batman alive. |
James “Jim” Craddock, better known as The Gentleman Ghost, is a major antagonist in Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
He was voiced by Greg Ellis.
What Makes Him Pure Evil?[]
- Before he became the Gentleman Ghost, Craddock made a deal with Asteroth that, in exchange for ten souls, he would become immortal, not caring that Astaroth planned to rule earth.
- The process of removing the soul rapidly aged the victim and left them in a catatonic state.
- He lured nine unsuspected victims in his carriage to steal their souls and framed Jason Blood, aka Etrigan, which almost led to him being burned alive by the masses before Batman rescued him.
- He stole Sherlock Holmes’ soul as his tenth victim.
- After Astaroth was defeated, Jim Craddock was sentenced to death by hanging and became a ghost due to Astaroth having instead bound his soul to the earth rather than having actually been made immortal. Despite both Batman and Etrigan having warned him several times that this would be the result, he refused responsibility and vowed to get revenge on Batman.
- He committed a series of robberies in South America during the Los Muertos festival in order to lure in and kill Batman.
- He planned to burn London to the ground by using three artifacts: a quill, a key, and a noose, with the intent to build an army of the undead using condemned souls as revenge for his death.
- After knocking Batman out, he would personally bury him alive, only closing the coffin lid once Batman had regained consciousness, and booby trapped the coffin so it would kill anyone who tried to dig him up.
- Even as Batman tries to save him when his undead army turns on him, he still curses Batman for his predicament and shows no remorse or awareness.
- He joins Owlman in his plan to wipe out the world's heroes using Batman's contingency plans.
- Both he and Black Manta are the only ones who actively attempt to ensure the heroes are killed before Batman and the Joker can free them.
- While he does tell a civilian that they were being scammed by a spiritualist, this is not redeeming as he was planning to destroy London, which said civilian is in. He even outright tells him this.
- He is not genuinely loyal to Astaroth; he only worked for him so he could be made immortal, and he refuses to actually free Astaroth until he is granted immortality, which ultimately is what leads to the demon's death.
- Although the series is lighthearted and campy, Gentleman Ghost is still taken seriously.
- Batman: The Brave and the Bold has a very high heinous standard, with many villains attempting to destroy heavily populated areas. However, many of them have far higher resources than Gentleman Ghost, who also has the unique crimes of attempted murder via live burial, which almost succeeded had Batman not taken an oxygen capsule and enlisted the help of Green Arrow and Speedy, and ten counts of stealing people's souls, which allows him to just edge past villains on his resource tier.
Trivia[]
- Given his modus operandi of attacking women, the Victorian setting, and Batman eventually donning the outfit from the tale, Gentleman Ghost appears to be an adaptation of Jack the Ripper from Batman: Gotham by Gaslight.
- The videogame incarnation of Gentleman Ghost does not qualify as Pure Evil as he is genuinely remorseful and just wants a second chance, as a result does not seek vengeance against the city of London or try to destroy it. He only goes against Batman because he believes him to be a threat to the lives of other criminals. He is also treated sympathetically, as Hawkman advises Batman to treat him with more empathy, and when the latter does so, Craddock appears to appreciate the gesture.
External Link[]
- Gentleman Ghost on the Villains Wiki
