Danny Chase/Phantasm first appeared in The New Teen Titans Annual (vol. 2) #3 and was created by Marv Wolfman and artist Mike Collins. Although Wolfman hoped the character would restore the "teen hero" feel to a group composed mostly of characters in their twenties, Danny was also intended as a comic foil for one of the group's foundational characters, Changeling. However, readers responded negatively to the character, leading him to be written out of the series.
During Jay Faerber's run on Teen Titans, he intended for the villain Epsilon to be a resurrected Danny, but editor Andy Helfer vetoed the idea.[2]
Fictional character biography
Danny Chase is the son of Central Bureau of Intelligence spies, and was thus trained in espionage, infiltration and intelligence acquisition.[3] He later joins the Teen Titans, but Nightwing forces him to leave following Jason Todd's death.[4]
During the Titans Hunt storyline, Danny is attacked by the Wildebeest Society and presumed dead. However, he survives and adopts the Phantasm identity, using a makeshift costume and voice modulator.
Danny later sacrifices himself to save Raven's homeworld of Azarath. He, Arella, and other disembodied souls of Azarath merge into a new entity called Phantasm.[5][6]
Danny Chase's body briefly returns as an undead slave to Brother Blood in Teen Titans (vol. 3). In the "One Year Later" event, Zachary Zatara mentions that he and Kid Devil went on a trip to New Azarath and were almost killed by the Phantasm.[7]
In 2011, The New 52 rebooted the DC universe. Phantasm is among the many subjects kept under A.R.G.U.S. control.[9]
Powers and abilities
Danny Chase is a metahuman who possesses telekinesis, and is additionally skilled in espionage and has a photographic memory. As Phantasm, he possesses the combined magic of the souls of Azarath.
In other media
Danny Chase appears in Young Justice, voiced by Jason Marsden.[10] This version possesses teleportation in addition to telekinesis, both of which he gained from experimentation by the Light, and was further transformed by DeSaad into a robotic being known as the Kaiser-Thrall. Subsequently, he is forced into serving the forces of Apokolips before being freed by the Team.[11]
^"Danny Chase Voice - Young Justice (TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved August 17, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
