Editing Phantom Stranger (section)

===Depictions by different writers===
[[File:Phantom_Stranger_n1_p8_1952.png|left|thumb|400px|The character in his first appearance (''Phantom Stranger'' #1, 1952).]]
In his earliest appearances, the Phantom Stranger would prove supernatural events to be hoaxes perpetrated by criminals. He would directly confront the villains, and displayed no supernatural abilities apart perhaps from his uncanny ability to appear where and when he is needed and to disappear just as mysteriously, with nobody seeing him coming or going. In later stories, the supernatural events were real and the Phantom Stranger was given unspecified supernatural powers of his own to defeat them. For example, he was able to control a smoke-based sedative with a gesture, claiming that smoke itself is his ally.<ref>{{cite comic| writer= [[Bob Haney|Haney, Bob]]|penciller= [[Ross Andru|Andru, Ross]]|inker= [[Mike Esposito (comics)|Esposito, Mike]]|story= Arise Ye Ghosts of Gotham|title= [[The Brave and the Bold]]|issue= #89|date= April–May 1970}}</ref>

In his second comic book series, the Phantom Stranger became a truly supernatural hero.

The Phantom Stranger played a major part in [[Neil Gaiman]]'s ''[[The Books of Magic]]'', taking protagonist [[Timothy Hunter|Tim Hunter]] through time to show him the history and nature of magic. He has assisted the Justice League on numerous occasions, even being formally elected to the group in ''Justice League of America'' #103, although he did not acknowledge his membership until ''Justice League of America'' #143. The Stranger also had his own limited series, where, lacking much of his power, he tries to foil Eclipso's plan to cause a nuclear war.

During [[Kevin Smith]]'s relaunch of ''[[Green Arrow]]'', he prevented [[Hal Jordan]] from uniting the resurrected body of Oliver Queen with his soul in Heaven. This earned him Jordan's wrath; indeed, the [[Spectre (DC Comics character)|Spectre]] threatened to judge the Stranger to see whether God had "punished" him properly by refusing him access to Heaven itself. Nonetheless, the Phantom Stranger assisted Jordan during his tenure as the Spectre on numerous occasions as well, most notably in a short stint babysitting his niece Helen.

In 2005's ''[[Day of Vengeance]]'', the Phantom Stranger had been turned into a mouse by the Spectre. Upon the Spectre's confrontation and battle with the Stranger, the Stranger states: "You can't kill me. I doubt that the universe would allow it". He was still able to advise [[Detective Chimp]], however, who sheltered him in his hat while he regained his powers. He changed back using recovered energies in ''Day of Vengeance'' #6 and aided the [[Shadowpact]], allowing them to see the battle between the Spectre and [[Shazam (wizard)|Shazam]]. The series makes a point that the supernatural community generally regards the Phantom Stranger as invincible. The first reaction of some characters to the Spectre's assault on magic is simply to presume that the Stranger will take care of it. Other stories have shown the Stranger to be nearly as powerful as the Spectre.

In ''Day of Vengeance: Infinite Crisis Special'' #1, the Phantom Stranger works with [[Nabu (comics)|Nabu]], [[Doctor Occult]], [[Zatanna]], the Shadowpact, and other mystics to re-form the Rock of Eternity and help defeat the maddened Spectre.

The Phantom Stranger's relationships with the other mystic heroes are usually tense. The Stranger has no qualms gathering various forces to combat evil, often invading those people's personal lives. However, he does not usually extend them that same courtesy. The Phantom Stranger has resisted such people as [[Doctor Fate]] (notably [[Hector Hall]]) in this, although Doctor Fate is, in almost any incarnation, an ally of the Stranger. Despite this, he does get along well with Zatanna; in ''Justice League of America'' #6, he appeared by her side to help remove the influence of Faust on the Red Tornado, and in the ''Justice'' series he seems to have a fatherly affection for her, calling her "my dear".

Since he is ultimately an unpredictable force, others often meet the Phantom Stranger's appearance with distrust. Nonetheless, most heroes will follow him, seeing not only his immense power, but also knowing that the Stranger is, in the end, a force for good. He has generally shown to side with humanity first in many supernatural-based problems, such as when he aided [[Superman]] in a confrontation with the magician [[Arion (character)|Arion]], who attempted to force Superman to retire in the belief that Superman and other alien heroes would hold back the 'darkness' that would make civilization—Arion describing human history as existing in a cycle that would allow humanity to develop to a certain point before they collapsed and had to start again—for so long that it would destroy humanity when it came. Although the Stranger acknowledged that the future Arion had foreseen, where Earth was completely destroyed by Khyber due to Superman delaying him for so long that he only struck at his peak, was possible, he also told Superman to keep fighting to find another way as the cost in souls and experience if Arion succeeded would be too great. A notable exception to the heroes who will work with the Stranger is [[Madame Xanadu]], who has refused to join the Stranger on a few occasions, although she is a member of his Sentinels of Magic. Eventually, it was revealed that Madame Xanadu's hatred for the Phantom Stranger stems from his involvement in the events costing young Nimue her powers and heritage, and turning the young fey into the immortal yet powerless clairvoyant.

The Stranger also holds a unique relationship with the Spectre, as the two forces often come into conflict. He was responsible for gathering a group of mystic heroes to combat the Spectre, when its human host [[Jim Corrigan]] seemingly lost control of the Spectre. It was during this time that they destroyed the country of Vlatava. The Phantom Stranger participated in Jim Corrigan's funeral, when Corrigan's soul finally earned its rest and left the Spectre. The Stranger subsequently became one of the forces that stood against the Spectre when it went on a rampage without its human host, until the soul of Hal Jordan bonded with it. The Stranger occasionally took on an advisory role for this new Spectre. In ''Infinite Crisis'' #6, aware that the Spectre now has yet another new host, the Phantom Stranger gathered a large group of magic wielders in an unsuccessful attempt to solicit the Spectre's assistance in the Crisis.

In the ''[[Madame Xanadu]]'' series, the first encounter between the then-young and innocent Nimue, as Xanadu was known in the Arthurian Age, and the Phantom Stranger himself is told. There, Nimue acknowledges his unearthly nature, describing him as "Ageless and yet so...uneasy", and claiming, "You're not human! Nor are you of the Ancient Folk! Nor fey creature. Nor...nor demon..." Before Nimue is able to grasp his nature, the Stranger goes away, claiming to be "compelled to counsel and yet forbidden to interfere in the course of history".<ref>{{cite comic|writer= [[Matt Wagner|Wagner, Matt]]|penciller= [[Amy Reeder Hadley|Reeder Hadley, Amy]]| inker= Reeder Hadley, Amy|story= War. Ancient scourge of mankind, of prosperity, of life itself|title= Madame Xanadu|volume= 2|issue= #2|date= September 2008}}</ref>

The Phantom Stranger serves as the narrator of ''[[Shadowpact]]''. He is shown to be aware of the mystical happenings, not only on Earth, but across several dimensions; once again he is shown to be unable to interfere, no matter how dire the danger that he is aware of may be.