REAL NAME: NA
OCCUPATION: Musician, Composer
IDENTITY: Secret
CLASS: Mutant
LEGAL STATUS: Citizen of France
OTHER ALIASES: Opera Ghost, The Angel of Music
PLACE OF BIRTH: Honfleur
MARITAL STATUS: Single
KNOWN RELATIVES: NA
GROUP AFFILIATIONS: Knights of Mystery
BASE OF OPERATIONS: NA
FIRST APPEARANCE: The Phantom of the Opera (September 23, 1909)
HEIGHT: 6' 2"
WEIGHT: 187 lbs
EYES: Yellow
HAIR: Black
Erik was born in a small village outside Rouen, France. Unfortunately, he was born with a horrible deformity and his mother, unable to bear his appearance, abandoned him. He escaped from the workhouse and joined a band of gypsies, making a living as an attraction (he was known as "le mort vivant" - the living dead). During his time with the gypsies Erik learned illusionism, ventriloquism, knife throwing and many other skills. He was also noted for his magnificent voice. His fame grew to the point that he caught the attention of the Shah of Persia. Impressed by his qualities and superior intelligence, the Shah made him his personal advisor and assassin. Erik helped design the Mazenderan, the Shah's new palace, replete with traps and secret passages. Although pleased, the Shah distrusted Erik and ordered his death. A member of the court known only as Daroga helped Eric escape with his life and became his partner in adventures. Together they traveled throughout the East to the shores of China learning new skills and working in the service of perfidious rulers and satraps. Finally Erik, fed up, decided to return to France. There he participated in the construction of the Palais Garnier, the Paris Opera (in addition to filling the building with secret passages). Erik built himself a lair in the basement of the Opera, far from the cruelty of man. He fell in love with a young woman, Christine, who aspired to be a singer. Under the Phantom's tutelage and protection the young woman achieved her dream, but could not reciprocate Erik's love because she had fallen for another (Raoul). After much affliction and conflict Erik accepts his defeat and his loneliness, gives his blessing to Christine and Raoul and leaves Paris again followed closely by Daroga.
POWERS & WEAPONS
The Phantom of the Opera was, in reality, a mutant horribly disfigured but with an intelligence far superior to that of a normal human being. Music, languages, mathematics, no subject posed a real challenge to his prodigious mind. Among the many disciplines in which he was a master were illusionism, ventriloquism, music, architecture, chemistry, engineering, fencing, knife throwing, acrobatics, disguise, infiltration... The list could go on and on. The Phantom possessed a magnificent baritone-tenor voice.
