The CW Arrowverse Casts Stephen Lobo as The Spectre

What the Spectre fears may destroy us all.

IGN has revealed that actor Stephen Lobo has been cast for the upcoming Arrowverse crossover event "Crisis on Infinite Earths" as Detective Jim Corrigan, better known to DC Comics fans as the supernatural antihero The Spectre.

According to the article, "the network isn't confirming whether The Spectre himself will appear, though given the character's role in the original Crisis on Infinite Earths comic, that seems a distinct possibility."

Executive producer Marc Guggenheim remarked, "Fans of the Crisis on Infinite Earths comic know the Spectre plays a pivotal role.  We’re thrilled Stephen is our Jim Corrigan."

Lobo, 45, is a Canadian-British actor probably best known as Matthew Kellog on the Syfy series Continuum.  He's appeared in episodes of Supernatural, The X-Files, Smallvillle, Fringe, Painkiller Jane, Colony, Zoo, Arctic Air, and The Dead Zone.

Created by Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel and artist Bernard Baily, The Spectre first appeared in 1940's More Fun Comics #52 as Jim Corrigan, a hard-boiled cop who was on his way to his engagement party until was he murdered by being stuffed into a barrel filled with cement and then drowned.  His spirit was refused entry into the afterlife however, instead being sent back to Earth by a supernatural entity referred to only as "The Voice" to eradicate evil.  Assuming the identity of The Spectre, Corrigan begins seeking vengeance against his murderers in grim, supernatural ways.  Breaking off his engagement with his fiancée Clarice, Corrigan continues his crusade, becoming the Spectre whenever he's needed.

During the event known as Crisis on Infinite Earths, The Spectre united superheroes and supervillains by warning them about the threat of the Anti-Monitor.  The heroes traveled back in time to stop the Anti-Monitor, while the villains traveled back in time to the ancient planet Oa to prevent renegade scientist Krona from creating the technology necessary for the Anti-Monitor's plan to succeed.  The villains failed, and Krona continued his experiment. The Anti-Monitor waited for Alexander Luthor to reopen the portal between the positive and antimatter universes, capturing the heroes, but the magically empowered Spectre created an energy overload which shattered space and time.  The five Earths merged into a single shared universe, and the superheroes returned to the present, with only those present at the dawn of time remembering the original realities.

In the current New 52 continuity, Corrigan is a Gotham City Police Detective whose fiancee is kidnapped.  Guided by the Phantom Stranger on the instructions of The Voice, the Stranger leads Corrigan to the abandoned warehouse where she is being kept, but this turns out to be a trap.  Jim Corrigan and his girlfriend are murdered by the kidnappers and he is then transformed into The Spectre, who accuses the Phantom Stranger of betraying him.  As the Spectre is about to attack the Phantom Stranger, The Voice intervenes and sends the Spectre off to inflict his wrath on those who are more deserving.

Lobo will be the second actor to portray The Spectre in live-action, after Emmett J. Scanlan in the NBC series Constantine.  The character has also appeared in the animated short DC Showcase: The Spectre (voiced by Gary Cole) and on the series Batman: The Brave and the Bold (voiced by Mark Hamill).

The "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover event begins with the CW series Supergirl on December 8, 2019.