Why doesn't the Spectre wreck vengence on Meta-Villians?

[spaz]

I've read the 3 issue Spectre mini and the character got on my nerves. Why kill Crispin's son for murdering one lousy killer? Why doesn't Spectre go after the massive killers, i.e. Joker or any of the meta-villians that prey on society? Yeah I know it's a comic and you can't kill off your super-villians but I say it's time to get rid the Spectre. Such a flimsy pseudo hero or whatever he is. He should be concentrating on the killers that do the most damage.

[OverMaster]

The Spectre went after the Joker once.

And the Joker managed to beat him and steal his powers.

So I figure Spectre has no interest in going back to it... :D

[Titan76]

Yeah this is the problem I have with DC in regards to the Spectre. With so many big time villains there are he goes after nobodies unless there is a big-event crossover.

[PastePotPete]

The Spectre does not just deal vengeance to anything and anyone who is evil.

The Spectre enacts vengeance on those who will never be punished before they die and receive their final judgement. His punishment purifies these souls, preparing them for final judgement.

Presumably, supervillains have superheroes to act as their foil and punish them again and again and again. There's already a good/evil balance there.

When he has a host, the Spectre is as much a spirit of balance as he is of vengeance. He realizes evil MUST exist so he doesn't eradicate all evil. Instead he chooses certain crucial souls and punishes them because they would never be punished otherwise. This helps keep the balance between good and evil.

Did that make sense or does it sound like a lot of hooey? It makes sense to me...

Look, the Spectre is NEVER going to make total rational sense because he's a living embodiment of ethical debate. Enjoy the debate, enjoy the horror.

[Apathy Boy]

The Spectre's mission isn't to eradicate the earth of all evil. It isn't even about eliminating the people who are most evil. It's about putting the host in situations that will teach the person about the darkness in his or her own soul (or in Hal Jordan's case, the potential for redemption), making him or her a better person and thus allowing him or her to finally rest in peace.

[Surt]

I can't remember, but wasn't the Spectre's conclusion wrt. the Joker that he was insane and thus couldn't be judged by the Spectre?

[Apathy Boy]

I can't remember, but wasn't the Spectre's conclusion wrt. the Joker that he was insane and thus couldn't be judged by the Spectre?Yeah, that's right. When the Spectre tried to kill the Joker, Batman butted in and said Joker was beyond judgment on grounds of insanity. The Spectre took a trip into the Joker's mind and reluctantly agreed. So as punishment, all the Spectre did was give the Joker a brief moment of sanity, which drove Joker into catatonia upon realizing how much evil he had performed.

The Spectre really wanted to kill the Joker, though. Letting him live was one of the things that led to Jim Corrigan splitting from the Spectre and going to his final rest.

[Matt]

A bit later, the Hal Jordan Spectre went for a trip into the Joker's mind with the JLA. What they found at it's very core was a tiny spark of goodness that no mortal could fake, oddly enough.

To be honest, that was probably the best of all the Hal Jordan Spectre stories.


As for wiping out all evil on the planet... well, there was a silver age story wherein Alan Scott decided he'd use his Power Ring to do just that. He did it, too - eliminated every trace of evil on Earth. Unfortunately, iirc, he then discovered that there's a bit of evil in everything so he wiped out the human race at the same time.

[The Batman]

well the real reason that the Spectre doesn't go after supervillians is sales. but the in universe explanation that since super villians already have superheroes to punish them again and again and therefore the Spectre need not intervene has always worked for me.

[tricksterpup]

Well, if he took care of the Supervillains who would the super heroes fight?

[CjP]

Well, if he took care of the Supervillains who would the super heroes fight?

Exactly. It's the same reasoning behind why the Japanese don't pull out the super-secret experimental solar laser weapon until Godzilla has already demolished Tokyo... if they did it sooner you'd have a 5-minute movie (or in this case a 3-page comic).

[CMBMOOL]

Yeah, that's right. When the Spectre tried to kill the Joker, Batman butted in and said Joker was beyond judgment on grounds of insanity. The Spectre took a trip into the Joker's mind and reluctantly agreed. So as punishment, all the Spectre did was give the Joker a brief moment of sanity, which drove Joker into catatonia upon realizing how much evil he had performed.

The Spectre really wanted to kill the Joker, though. Letting him live was one of the things that led to Jim Corrigan splitting from the Spectre and going to his final rest.


A bit later, the Hal Jordan Spectre went for a trip into the Joker's mind with the JLA. What they found at it's very core was a tiny spark of goodness that no mortal could fake, oddly enough.

To be honest, that was probably the best of all the Hal Jordan Spectre stories.

HA HA HA!!! :D

Man, that a laugh up riot.

The Joker, have been Sane for several minutes and having a good side. Baww-ha- ha ha !!!! :D

[Sean Walsh]

Because the Spectre answers to a higher power. If said power said "Go after em!" then he does; if not.....he must obey.

As much as that sucks.......it makes sense, I guess.

Green Arrow got all ticked off at Hal during IDENTITY CRISIS because Hal wouldn't divulge the info about Sue's death even though he probably knew all the facts.

[Captain Smith]

The Spectre has the power to eliminate most of the superfolk in the DCU. Thus, you can't use him if you still want the books. Also, his mission is not that of the standard hero as he is on a mission from a God that has a mysterious plan. That plan is not to use divine power to make the world a paradise.

However, recently the Spectre destroyed Star Sapphire. Hal as the Spectre nuked Darkseid rather decisively but the latter was reconstituted as some universal plan (blah). He could have stopped the Sun Eater or the Anti Monitor in those two events but in the first chose not to and in the second was in a funk (and then was scolded by God). He had intervened against Parallax and did zap the JLA back in time without powers to foil an alien invasion.

He's a great character if used correctly. Having him destroy all the villians and the JLA and JSA are saving cats from trees.

[IamtheRock3]

The Son thing happen was good because it Was a cool F UP scene

And shows you the sacrfices the new host got to make. Not like the kid going to burn in hell guranteed or nothing. It a quick death, heck could of clense him.

[Sean Walsh]

A bit later, the Hal Jordan Spectre went for a trip into the Joker's mind with the JLA. What they found at it's very core was a tiny spark of goodness that no mortal could fake, oddly enough.

To be honest, that was probably the best of all the Hal Jordan Spectre stories.

I always thought the Darkseid story was the best - in that it was the only issue of that series not written by JM "He should be the Spirit of Redemption now!" DeMatteis but was written by John "The Spectre is a bad moth*#&$%@%!!!" Ostrander... :p