- "The Gray Ghost was my hero... and he still is"
- ―Batman[src]
Simon Trent, also known as the Gray Ghost, was an actor who played the hero of an old television show, The Gray Ghost.
History[]
The Gray Ghost, played by actor Simon Trent, was a fictional television hero from Bruce Wayne's childhood. Before his parents' death, Bruce often watched The Gray Ghost on television with his father, Thomas Wayne. The dynamic costumed vigilante helped shape the vigilante persona Bruce Wayne adopted later in his life, the cape and cowl of the Dark Knight.
But decades later, Simon Trent was little more than a washed up, typecast actor. Unable to pay his rent, he slowly sold his Gray Ghost memorabilia to cover the bills. Frustrated with his life, he regretted his decision to ever play the Gray Ghost, destroying the few pieces of the collection he had left. But fate, chance or perhaps just very careful planning brought Batman into contact with Trent. Though he was investigating a bombing spree similar to one depicted in The Gray Ghost, Batman revealed to Trent the importance and influence the character had on him in his early years. Upon hearing that, Trent loaned Batman his own personal archival print of "The Mad Bomber" to help Batman crack the case.
Trent realized the worthiness of his role as the Gray Ghost after seeing the Batman's personal collection of Gray Ghost merchandise and he was glad that what he had done had a positive influence. Trent redeemed himself, donning the Gray Ghost persona once more and aided Batman in unraveling the mystery of The Mad Bomber. The Bomber turned out to be a toy collector who used Trent's memorabilia to re-enact an episode of The Gray Ghost.
Shortly thereafter, a major home video release of the long lost TV series was made from Trent's personal archival film collection, likely making him a very wealthy man. During a public video signing (in costume), Bruce Wayne acquired Trent's autograph and subtly revealed to his hero his own secret identity, which pleased Trent to no end. It is assumed Trent kept the secret to himself.
Trivia[]
- The Gray Ghost is voiced by Adam West, the actor who played Batman in the 1960s TV series and associated movie. Bruce Timm and Paul Dini have stated that they would not have made the episode in which he appears if West had turned down the part, as they feared he would be offended by an animated parody of the typecasting he reportedly suffered in his later career. West, however, was happy to voice the character.
- Several Gray Ghost posters make appearances in the backgrounds of various episodes.
- Overtime, Bruce Wayne filled the Batcave with multiple pieces of memorabilia from his life. One piece is a Gray Ghost outfit. It's unknown if it is the original or a replica Bruce obtained.
- In the 2015 game, Batman: Arkham Knight, in Oracle's clock tower there is a poster for "The Ghost in Gray", a tribute to the Gray Ghost from Batman: The Animated Series.
- This article uses material from the Gray Ghost article at the DCAU Wiki and is licensed under the CC BY-SA License.