Spectre

Spectre's History

Jim Corrigan was a Gotham City Police Detective who became the divine spirit of vengeance, the Spectre.

New 52

When his fiancé Gwen was kidnapped, he was guided by the Phantom Stranger on the instructions of The Voice. He led Jim Corrigan to the abandoned warehouse where she'd been kept, but this turned out to be a trap; Jim and his girlfriend were both killed by the kidnappers. However, his soul was immediately imbued him with divine powers by The Voice and dubbed The Spectre. He immediately accused the Phantom Stranger of betraying him. As the Spectre was about to attack the Phantom Stranger, The Voice intervened and sent Spectre off to inflict his wrath on those who were more deserving of Spectre's wrath. The Voice chose James like he did the Stranger to be "the mirror of his desire for justice" (though Corrigan believed in vengeance).

Rebirth

As stated by the Spectre, he and Jim were one and the same. He belonged to a family who had traditionally served in the police and thus wanted to be a police officer himself. He eventually joined the New York City Police Department. One day he was caught by a group of criminals and drowned in a river, leading him to plead to mete justice to those who did wrong in return for his survival. The Presence accepted and made his soul the insteument of his judgement upon the wrongdoers.

Divine Mission

James, filled with rage, returned to work as a police detective in Gotham City and was performing his duties as The Spectre by enacting vengeance rather than justice until Phantom Stranger attacked his police precinct convinced that he was the one who kidnapped his family out of revenge. The two exchanged blows physically and verbally until The Voice himself intervened in the form of a Scottish Terrier and informed the Stranger of his mistake, setting him on the right path. The Voice also set Corrigan straight on his duty and that he is meant to exact justice and not wrath.

James later went to Myanmar to punish John Constantine for his lifetime of sin, including the death of Jim's friend Chris. Knowing of the Spectre, Constantine knew his fate but managed to convince Jim to let him continue his mission against the world's evil sorcerers. Corrigan vowed that he will return to collect Constantine's soul upon his death.