Lamont Cranston

• Also known as

The Shadow is in reality Kent Allard (The Shadow Unmasks, 1937), a famed aviator who fought for the French during World War I, known by the aliases the "Black Eagle" (The Shadow's Shadow, 1933) and the "Dark Eagle" (The Shadow Unmasks, 1937). After the war's conclusion, Allard falsifies his death by crash landing his plane in Guatemala, encountering the indigenous Xinca tribe as a result. He returns to the United States and takes residence in New York City, adopting numerous identities to acquire valuable information and conceal his true nature, and recruiting a variety of agents to aid his war on crime. The Shadow's best known alter ego is Lamont Cranston. The real Lamont Cranston is actually a separate character, a rich playboy who travels the world while The Shadow uses his identity and resources in New York (The Shadow Laughs, 1931). In their first meeting, The Shadow threatens Cranston, telling him that if the playboy doesn't agree to allow him to use his identity when he is abroad, then Allard will simply take over the man's identity entirely. Although alarmed at first, the real Cranston agrees, deciding that sharing his resources and identity is better than losing both entirely.