Spectre's power fluctuations Post-COIE

[Buried Alien]

Note the thread title: it's getting to the point that Post-CRISIS can't be taken for granted to mean Post-CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS anymore. Maybe that's a good thing...

But back on topic: immediately after COIE, God (as DC depicts the Almighty) depowered the Spectre for failing to halt the Crisis and save the Multiverse. The Spectre was still the most powerful ghost on Earth, but not omnipotent as he had been Pre-COIE. Since then, however, the Spectre seemed to have become omnipotent again. When? How? Why?


Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive! )

[K'Nort]

I'm thinking Ostrander simply ret-conned it but I'll have to look.

[Apathy Boy]

If I recall, Ostrander suggested that the Spectre's power levels fluctuated according to the confidence levels of the host. Jim Corrigan was always a bit unstable (on account of the fact that being a ghost is really freakin' depressing), but after COIE he became a complete basketcase. So much so that Madame Xanadu was able to siphon off some of Spec's power for herself, while also splitting Spec's ectoplasm into separate Spectre and Jim Corrigan personas. Thus the drastic power downgrade.

Once he got away from Xanadu, Corrigan regained emotional and physical stability and began to return to his regular power levels.