Crispus Allen

Greg Rucka and Shawn Martinbrough created the character in Detective Comics #742 (March 2000). Allen later went on to be one of the main characters in Gotham Central. After he was killed by a corrupt police technician named Jim Corrigan (unrelated to the Jim Corrigan who was a host of the Spectre), Allen became the third host for the Spectre.

File:Crispusallen.PNG.]]

Originally from Metropolis, Detective Crispus Allen is a police veteran who transfers to Gotham City, where he is partnered with detective Renee Montoya. Allen has a loving wife and two teenaged sons, who he puts above his job and the safety of others. Allen sees Batman as a necessary evil, not wanting to deal with him but tolerating his presence. Their occasional interactions illustrate his views on Batman, notably during Brian Azzarello's "Broken City" storyline. Allen is an agnostic who doubts the existence of God in spite of his family's strong faith.

Allen is killed by corrupt officer Jim Corrigan (unrelated to the original incarnation of Spectre). As a lost wandering soul unable to interact with the living, Allen is selected to be the Spectre's new host. While he initially refused, Allen reconsidered once frustrated with countless crimes going unpunished. Undergoing a trial of sorts to make his bond with Aztar permanent, Allen is conflicted in simply punishing the guilty only after a they committed a sin and in his final test Allen is forced to punish his young son when he kills Corrigan in revenge but learns the Spectre's role merely sends beings to the afterlife to be judged but is granted a moment with his son by Aztar and fully accepts the responsibilities.{{Cite book |last1=Pfeifer |first1=Will |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zzMknPGv9oEC |title=Crisis Aftermath - The Spectre |last2=Lapham |first2=David |last3=Chiang |first3=Cliff |last4=Rollins |first4=Prentis |date=2007 |publisher=DC Comics |isbn=978-1-4012-1380-0 |language=en}}

In Final Crisis, Cain uses the Spear of Destiny to separate Allen and the Spectre.Final Crisis: Revelations #1 - 4 (October 2008 - January 2009) However, Renee Montoya recovers the Spear, enabling Allen and the Spectre to reunite.{{multiref2|Final Crisis: Revelations #5 (February 2009)|Final Crisis #7 (March 2009)|The Brave and the Bold (vol. 3) #26 (October 2009)

}} In Blackest Night, Allen's original body is temporarily resurrected as a Black Lantern.{{multiref2|Blackest Night #2 (October 2009)|Green Lantern (vol. 4) #50 - 51 (January - February 2010)|

}}

In DC Power 2024, Allen's version of Spectre teams up with the Question (Renee Montoya), who acts voice of reason. Reminded of the importance of deductive ability, Allen punishes a therapist who uses therapeutic hypnosis to control a patient's power to manifest a monstrous creature and targets those whom she believed personally wronged her.

{{Main|Spectre (DC Comics character)}}

As the Spectre, Allen possess the same typically associated with the character, which includes near omnipotent magical and physical abilities, making him capable of virtually any feat and to control space, time, reality, and matter.{{Cite web |date=2021-12-03 |title=Spectre |url=https://www.dcuniverseinfinite.com/encyclopedia/spectre/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203005818/https://www.dcuniverseinfinite.com/encyclopedia/spectre/ |archive-date=2021-12-03 |access-date=2024-02-07}} However, Allen's powers has limits; some stories depict him as being disallowed from directly interact with those unrelated to his divine mission in the world of living.

Crispus Allen makes a cameo appearance in Batman: Year 100 #3 via a photograph.Batman: Year 100 #3 (June 2006)

• Crispus Allen appears in Gotham, portrayed by Andrew Stewart-Jones.{{cite web |last=Goldberg |first=Lesley |date=May 12, 2014 |title=Fox's Gotham Promotes Three to Series Regular |url=http://hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/foxs-gotham-promotes-three-series-703147 |access-date=May 12, 2014 |work=The Hollywood Reporter}}{{cite web|url=http://tvline.com/2015/08/02/penny-leonard-big-bang-theory-season-9-wedding-married/|title=Ask Ausiello: Spoilers on Big Bang, Arrow, Bates, Sleepy, Castle, Twin Peaks, UnREAL, Gotham, Dome and More|last=Ausiello|first=Michael|work=TVLine|date=August 2, 2015|access-date=November 10, 2015}}

• Crispus Allen appears in Batman: Gotham Knight, voiced by Gary Dourdan.{{cite web |title=Detective Crispus Allen Voice - Batman: Gotham Knight (Movie) |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/movies/Batman-Gotham-Knight/Detective-Crispus-Allen/ |access-date=December 11, 2024 |publisher=Behind The Voice Actors}} A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version is the partner of Detective Anna Ramirez who originally despised Batman's vigilantism before changing his views after the Dark Knight saves him and Ramirez from a gang war.
• Crispus Allen appears in Justice League, portrayed by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.{{Cite web |last=Tyr-El |first=Shaun |date=January 22, 2020 |title=Zack Snyder included an easter egg for 'The Spectre' in Justice League |url=https://theculturednerd.org/2020/01/zack-snyder-included-an-easter-egg-for-the-spectre-in-justice-league/ |access-date=December 11, 2024 |website=The Cultured Nerd |language=en-US}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [http://www.dccomics.com/graphic_novels/?gn=2955 DC Comics.com listing of Gotham Central vol. 2] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060630000714/http://www.dccomics.com/graphic_novels/?gn=2955 |date=2006-06-30 }}

{{The Spectre}}

{{Batman characters}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Crispus}}

Category:African-American superheroes

Category:Comics characters introduced in 2000

Category:Characters created by Greg Rucka

Category:DC Comics male superheroes

Category:DC Comics television characters

Category:DC Comics undead characters

Category:Fictional American detectives

Category:Fictional American police detectives

Category:Fictional atheists and agnostics

Category:Fictional ghosts

Category:Gotham City Police Department officers

Category:Merged fictional characters

Category:Undead superheroes