History

  English by birth, the Shade finds himself most at home in Opal City, a place he has come to love dearly. Over a century ago, he and a dwarf called Culp experienced something which gave them command of a mysterious shadow-substance and made them immortal. Using these abilities for mercenary purposes, the two of them often clashed across the globe for many years, until finally Culp disappeared. The Shade made a name for himself, of a sort, as a costumed villain, fighting the masked mystery men of America for no reason other than for sport. In recent years, however, he has mellowed and reformed, tending to use his powers in protection of Opal City and could even be regarded as a hero of sorts, having formed friendships with a number of super-people, not least Starman Jack Knight. He has also had a final confrontation with Culp, who had been hiding within his own body for decades. He is now pursuing the current Spider, a member of the hated Ludlow family, against whom the Shade has a long-standing grudge.