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The Phantom Stranger was a mysterious being that was judged by the Circle of Eternity and was given the verdict of walking the Earth as a stranger.

Biography[]

Condemnation[]

The Phantom Stranger was born Judas Iscariot soon after the start of the Common Era. Betraying Jesus Christ for thirty silver pieces and essentially condemning him, Iscariot was put under judgment by the highest power at the time, the Circle of Eternity. The Circle robbed Judas of the opportunity of killing himself and placed into the Trinity of Sin, along with Pandora and the Question. Judas was renamed the Phantom Stranger, his hair and eyes made white and he himself forced to wear a necklace comprised of the silver pieces he took when he betrayed Jesus. The Stranger was condemned by the Circle to walk the Earth and for his greed, watch it's corrupting effects. He was also damned to eventually betray everybody whose life he dared interfere in.

Trinity War[]

For over 900 years the Stranger walked and watched. In the 21st Century, the Stranger decided to try and lead some semblance of a normal life after encountering Philip Stark. Discovering Philip to be a serial killer, the Stranger scattered the consciousness of the man across the globe and assumed his identity. As Philip, the Stranger discovered he was now married and had a son. It was the debut of Superman in 2007 that changed things forever for the stranger. The Stranger was then guided to help Jim Corrigan find his missing girlfriend. The guidance turned out to be a trap, leading to the death of Corrigan and the creation of the Spectre. After the incident with the Spectre, one of the silver coins fell off and the Stranger finally realized the true punishment for his betrayal. After this, the Stranger had an encounter with Raven, accidentally betraying her to Trigon.

As Metahuman activities increased, Pandora grew more restless, forcing the Stranger to confront her. However, she refused to heed his words. Upon leaving, the Stranger found his family to be kidnapped, suspecting either Pandora or the Spectre. The fight between the Stranger and the Spectre led to the Presence intervening, with nothing having been settled. To find his family, the Stranger confronted many, including the Sons of Trigon and Jack Ryder. Finally he was horrified to have found the Question to have done the deed, with Dr. Thirteen stabbing the Stranger with the Spear of Destiny. The Stranger retreated to the Justice League Dark, seeking their help in the upcoming Trinity War. However, the Stranger's soul was pulled out of his body by the Sin Eater, who turned out to be a "reconstructed" Philip Stark. To save his family, the Stranger defeated the Sin Eater and risked going into Hell. Although the Phantom Stranger escaped Hell, he unfortunately ended up in Heaven soon afterwards.

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