A pox on stubborn females! Meseems I must deal with yonder scurvy knaves myself! 
- — The Gay Ghost src
The spirit of 17th Century Irish nobleman Keith Everet fought for justice in the 20th Century as the Gay Ghost, and later the Grim Ghost, inhabiting the body of Charles Collins.
History
Keith Everet, the Earl of Strethmere in the 17th Century, was shot by marauding highwaymen as he was on his way to propose to his beloved Deborah Wallace. After his death, the spirits of his ancestors taught him all their secrets and sent him back to Earth to fight for justice.
Everet's ghost inhabited a painting of himself in Cannaught Castle by day and wandered the castle by night. He continued to haunt his castle until 1941. During World War Two, the last remaining descendant of Deborah Wallace returned to the castle with her would-be fiance, Charles Collins. Unfortunately, they came back at the same time as Nazi saboteurs were occupying it, and they killed Collins. Everet witnessed the attack and took over Collins' body. He then dealt with the saboteurs and returned the woman to America. Adopting the moniker Gay Ghost, he went to work against the Axis with zeal.[1]
After being non-active for several decades, he was found by Animal Man in a dimension called "Limbo." He confessed that he did not want to be "brought back", out of embarrassment. The colloquial meaning of the word gay has changed since his earlier days, and he is not a homosexual.[2]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- No Physical Body: The Gay Ghost can solidify or desolidify his own ectoplasm at will. Bullets can't hurt him.[3]
- Size Alteration: The Gay Ghost can instantly balloon to colossal size.[4]
- Possession: Everet can animate and control the body of any living person who has the slightest goodness of heart.[4]
- Immortality: Lord Strathmere typically operates in the reanimated corpse of Charles Collins, which he can leave and return to, at will.[3]
- Flight: The Ghost can grab a person and fly, thru walls and roofs, and up to high altitudes.[5]
- Divination In his first exploit as the Gay Ghost, the Earl of Strathmere flew to London, a city he had not seen in 250 years, and went directly to the correct place at which to deliver a captured Nazi spy, indicating he has some magical truth-finding ability.[5]
Abilities
Notes
- Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-Two era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985–86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and no longer apply.
Trivia
Keith Everet as the Grim Ghost.
- Although Keith Everet was officially recognized as the Grim Ghost, he has never actually taken to calling himself that. The Sensation Comics #8 reprint in World's Finest #212 was the first story to call him the Grim Ghost. That comic, Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #9, History of the DC Universe #1 and Secret Origins (Volume 2) #42 are the only resources that credit Lord Strethmere as "the Grim Ghost."
- The Gay Ghost's publishing history suggests that Roy Thomas had planned to change the character's name to "the Grim Ghost" but that no stories actually calling him that were ever produced.
Related
- 42 Appearances of Keith Everet (New Earth)
- 4 Images featuring Keith Everet (New Earth)
- 1 Quotations by or about Keith Everet (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: Keith Everet (New Earth)
Footnotes