The Shadow

Kent Allard was an American World War I flying ace and intelligence officer who became known as the Black Eagle. After the war, Allard crash-landed in Guatemala and became a god to the Xinca tribe, before going to New York City, setting up a private spy network and numerous aliases, and taking on the name of the Shadow. He became a feared and mythical figure in the United States criminal underworld, operating a private network of spies and operatives of varying backgrounds in his war on crime.
== Weapons and Abilities ==
=== Skills===
*Aviation
*Disguise
*Escapology
*Marksmanship
*Polyglotism
*Stealth: The Shadow was able to silently paddle a canoe with ease and speed. (PROSE: The North Woods Mystery)
== Notes ==
=== Behind the Scenes ===
*The Shadow was originally conceived as a radio announcer character who narrated Street & Smith's stories on the radio. Audience demand for a non-existent magazine led the company to develop "The Shadow Magazine", with the task of developing the character and his first appearance falling to Walter Gibson.Mystery Movie Series of 1940s Hollywood - Ron Backer - McFarland - Published 2014 - Page 86 - Retrieved 4 January 2021
*Gibson went on to describe the character as, "A weird crime fighter who invariably emerged from the blackness of the night to pluck helpless victims of black-hearted villains from the brink of doom," also referring to the character as "nebulous as the swirling fog."Walter B. Gibson and The Shadow - Thomas J. Shimeld -McFarland - Published 2015 - Page 74 - Retrieved 4 January 2021
*The Shadow went on to inspire many pulp imitators, such as the Spider, Wu Fang, Operator 5, and the Phantom Detective. Gibson didn't care about them, referring to them as interchangeable.Walter B. Gibson and The Shadow - Thomas J. Shimeld -McFarland - Published 2015 - Page 79 - Retrieved 4 January 2021 Comic book characters Superman and Batman were also directly influenced by the Shadow. Gibson considered Batman a "clowned-up version" of the Shadow.Walter B. Gibson and The Shadow - Thomas J. Shimeld -McFarland - Published 2015 - Page 80 - Retrieved 4 January 2021
*Film editor and writer of Dynamite Entertainment's "Altered States: The Shadow" David Avallone said of the character, "it’s not the guns... but his keen intellect that makes The Shadow so dangerous.""I NEVER VISIT MANHATTAN OR OUTER SPACE WITHOUT A GOOD FEDORA" - DAVID AVALLONE ON ALTERED STATES: THE SHADOW - Mark Rahner - 25 March 2015 - Dynamite Entertainment - Retrieved 1 August 2021
*An individual claiming to be the vigilante widely known as the "Bromley Batman" asked to be referred to as the Shadow, stating he had enjoyed stories of the character as a child.'Call me The Shadow, not Bromley Batman': anonymous London vigilante comes forward - Ramzy Alwakeel - 15 June 2015 - The Evening Standard - Retrieved 2 September 2021
==Appearances==
* The Shadow Magazine
**The Living Shadow (first appearance)
*Blackmail Bay (final appearance)
== See also ==
* The Phantom
* Batman
* Moon Knight
==References==
Category:The Shadow
Category:Humans
Category:Heroes
Category:Murderers
Category:Mass Murderers
Category:Spies
Category:Pilots
Category:Vigilantes
Category:Radio hosts
Category:Detectives
Category:Radio station employees
Category:Trick shots
Category:New York City characters
Category:New York characters
Category:American characters
Category:Literary characters
Category:Walter B. Gibson characters
Category:Polyglots
Category:Masters of disguise
Category:Veterans of WWI