The GIW have found out about Danny being half ghost. However, due to the dangers of getting caught Danny has a plan.
Danny some time beforehand manages to successfully figure out how to duplicate himself. Each one is just as strong as the others and the last duplicate remaining becomes the real Danny. Any duplicate the disappears will have all its memories return to the other copies.
The plan is simple: the Dannys all split up and set themselves up in different parts of the world, far away from one another. Should one get caught, it will simply vanish before the GIW can do any serious and traumatizing damage. Plus, Danny won't have to try and build another life for himself should he need to abandon one.
However, what Danny didn't consider is the fact that the copies don't have any kind of mental connection aside from when their memories are redistributed. They also don't keep in contact, as that would defeat the purpose of having them split up.
When the various superheroes around the globe find a child with incredible power who is all alone, they tend to try to help them. And since Danny doesn't want the GIW to find him, he tends to pick a different hero name than Phantom.
Needless to say, its a very interesting meeting at the Watchtower when they belatedly discover that several new heroes that had were being mentored by several heroes were all the same person.
Danny has always been able to manage his obsession with the help of his human half & also because a variety of urges were running through him when he died - curiosity (the desire to explore), service (the desire to be of use, to fix), and his overall innate nature, protectiveness (to protect this new, loving family he's found, to protect his little brother, no matter the cost)
-and underneath it all, buried deep down and an admittance he will never speak is his desire for power, because with power comes the ability to accomplish all of the above.
Still, he has seen what power does to people, to his Grandfather, and then what power had done to him, in a future where no human half had tempered his urges and his desire for power was doubled when he combined with the ghost of his godfather, obsession meeting obsession.
So he keeps himself on a tight leash except for the day he embraces Power and Ends Pariah, which is fine because the power from the suit is temporary and he still has no idea the dark future that awaits him, believes that he can temper himself. But he is something wild and dark and feral when he goes after Pariah, calling upon lessons from a past life and not hesitating to go for the kill in a way that makes Vlad, the only true witness, hesitant around him forevermore, a sliver of fear in his eyes that he cannot mask.
If he had known defeating Pariah would mean inheriting the crown, he never would've done it. Because with the power of the Crown and the Ring comes again his inability to fight his urges - not for more power, he has plenty, but to protect.
For Clockwork, for the Ancients, a King that will Protect his Realm is the ideal. But the ramifications for Danny are clear to his family the moment he wrenches Ellie from the Earth and into a room in The Keep for a week until her cheeks are flush with ectoplasm but also tears and Jazz and Maddie have successfully talked him through how safety must also mean happiness. To this day they do not know if it was their words that eventually penetrated his mind or his power settling. But he still struggles to allow them their freedom, and it is apparent to all who love him.
And so they figure out ways to manage. Systems. None of his Beloved, his Fraid will ever willingly step into danger. They will give him consistent updates, they will provide tech that manages their vitals. They will visit and allow him trespass in turn. They will sleep in his bed (less necessary, but said with a wink and an errant hand that shows they are willing to make the sacrifice).
And deep within the Zone, on one of his routine checks with nary a soul in a sight, Danny allows himself to curl into a ball and cry. Wail. Because he knows he can never go in search of his brother, nor his father, the Batman. The one reunion he craved, because with power came the ability to protect, even from one as horrible as Ra's Al Ghul, is the same reason he must deny himself. Because Damian Wayne and Bruce Wayne will always put themselves in danger. And if he comes to them, he will never let them go.
have i mentioned how much i love villains being not villainous because of small (or not so small) child?
because
anyway
imagine you are killer croc and you are just kind of chilling in the sewers doing killer croc things
when suddenly there is an Intruder! In! Your! Territory!!!
so obviously you take your scary face and take on a more menacing stance and go to fight off whoever is down here because
this is your place! and you do not share!!
and then you get there its a child, and like, you have fought robin before but his dad was there and he was in good health and you might have gone easy on him but you will never admit to it so it might as well have never happened
but that is a young teenager(!), looks like he might be 13(!!) but with how skinny he is he might be older and just malnourished(!!), he is actively bleeding(!) and might get an infection(!!!) from the wound on his chest that on closer inspection looks like a Vivisection(!!!!!!!) wound on his chest and he is looking fearfully at the manhole cover that he just came in from
so obviously you scoop him up and bring him deep deep down
crocodiles are excellent parents and highly protective of their young
he even runs through the water instead of swimming because of all the grossness lf the sewer
this kid is his now and he will protect him with the ferociousness of a wild boar
The Fentons have created a machine! A wonderful machine that will reveal a ghost’s true form! So that everyone will see their trickery! They’ll see that the monsters they really are!
Now, to know what all went wrong, one would have to know some things about the ghost zone, and more specifically the area the Fentons had managed to punch through to.
For one, ghosts do not age like humans. Oh they might take a form similar to that of their death, which may appear as an adult or teen or something similar, but with how they can only die by the complete destruction of their core, theoretically a ghost could live forever once formed.
In fact, the equivalent of eighteen years for a ghost was one-hundred realms-years dead. And those years don’t always sync up with the years of the living world that one might open a door into. Thankfully, the Fenton’s world, being one of those synced closer to the Realms, only had a time dilation of a few seconds.
That being said, the area their portal had ripped into was incredibly rich in ectoplasm. And areas like that, were where newborn ghosts were formed and arrived. A ghost daycare of sorts, almost akin to a toddler area of the zone.
Which meant that when they shoot the Phantom-menace and other pesky ghosts to revert them into their true form, it isn’t exactly monsters that appear. Instead, there are now several ghost toddlers- or in the phantom-trio’s case literal babies- flying around. Very unhappy ghost toddlers.
What a horrible time for the Justice League to arrive. Though perhaps some would say it was actually perfect timing.
So! We have a typical story where the JLA finds out about the Situation in Amity.
Whichever way they find out doesn't matter, but either way they end up sending Batman to do a threat analysis and review of whether this requires their attention.
And while there, he runs into a Kid who obviously needs to be saved from his Abusive Home. Look at him, he's far too thin, his grades are horrible, he has many unexcused absences, and he has bruises hidden under his clothes.
Even after figuring out that Danny is Phantom the local Hero, he thinks Danny needs to be saved from his Parents.
I mean, it's plain to see! They Hates Ghosts with a Passion, negelct their son very often, shoot at him nearly every day, and are probably the ones who killed him in the first place!
So, with no input from Danny himself, Bruce calls CPS on the Fentons and uses his Wealth to expedite the process and avoid the actual Investigation. (I mean, why would you even need one? It's so obviously a bad home!)
The Fenton's are arrested, and Bruce reveals that Danny is Phantom to convince the Courts that they are horrible people for shooting at their own son, and that they should be locked up (ignoring the horrified looks on their faces, probably cause they were living with a Ghost for so long, thats probably why).
He immediately offers to adopt Danny, even when Danny vehemently refuses his offer. He knows that Danny will come around to it, he's doing this for his own good. He still thinks his Parents were good people, and not thr Villains they really were.
Meanwhile Danny's life has been completely uprooted thanks to the self-righteous machinations of an Adoption Crazed Fruitloop! And not even the usual one!
Sure his parents were often busy with their work, but they Always set aside time to hang out with their kids and make sure they were okay. They never abused him, the neglect was only for like a month or two when the portal before they got their act together and apologized for it, and (most importantly) THEY DIDN'T KNOW he was a Halfa when they shot at him! They only found out when the ASSHOLE revealed his Identity in Court!
And Danny is Extra enraged by that part. The Adoption Crazed Fruitloop had revealed his secret identity for the ENTIRE WORLD TO HEAR!
He would never be able to live a normal life anymore, even if he managed to get away from the Moron who caused all this!
Bruce Wayne was a Villain in his eyes.
He ripped him from his home and from his family (basically kidnapped), revealed his identity to the world so he was forced to stay with him for fear of the GIW, and spun the whole story so that it looked like he was the Good Guy in this!?
It was official. Danny Hates Bruce Wayne, possibly more than anyone else in the World.
And that's a High Bar.
Danny was doing homework when Fright knight came to him.
FK: I would like your permission to go out on a Quest.
DP: Why are you asking me?
FK: You are the Guardian of the portal, a keeper of balance, and may be the next ghost king. So i ask your leave.
DP: What is this quest?
FK: It has come to my attention that there is a energy entity out in the stars who claims to be the emotional embodiment of fear and is powering this "Sinestro Corps" to do heinious deeds in the name of fear and terror. I seek to eliminate this corps and give this "Parallax" a beating and a lesson in true fear.
DP: Parallax sounds like a pharmaceutical drug or a laxative.
FK: Fear work well as a laxative. Your friend Tucker knows this very well.
DP: I thought you were the embodiment of fear?
FK: I AM.
DP: OK permission uh granted i guess.
Fright Knight bows then turns to go but is interrupted.
DP: oh and Fright knight?
FK: Hmm?
DP: win.
FK: of course.
Bruce: ALRIGHT. FAMILY MEETING. NOW. *sits down in an armchair, and frowns at the assorted children he’s collected, plus an amused Alfred*
Bruce: Just because I leave the house without you, does NOT mean you have permission to reenact Home Alone with your siblings, assorted pets, and dubious friends.
Tim: *blinking innocently* Who would do a thing like that?
Jason: *staring* You still have an iron imprint on your forehead, moron.
Tim: Ooooh, that explains the headache and double vision.
Bruce: YOU ACTUALLY HIT HIM WITH AN IRON?!
Duke: He volunteered for it, for the sake of authenticity.
Bruce:……..
Cass: We also zapped Jason.
Bruce: WHAT.
Jason: Hey, like I was gonna turn down free electroshock therapy. I’m not that stupid, old man.
Bruce:………..when did my house turn into the Wayne Asylum for the Deranged?
Alfred: I believe it was when you first decided that dressing up as a bat was a proper alternative for therapy, sir.
Bruce: Oh. Ouch.
The kids: OOOOH BURN!
Tim: Like my forehead! 😃
Bruce: Someone haul him down to the med bay please.
Danny discovers his DNA was used to stabilize Connor long after he and Clark have reconciled. What follows is a Cold War full of passive aggression as the two parents fight for favorite dad status.
Danny has been reincarnated.
Which was an odd thing to realize, it wasn't even a slow one he just... snapped into it one day. One moment he was staring at a wall out of boredom the next, well, he was staring for an entirely different reason.
It was a task for his now young -he thinks around three years old?- mind to work its way through the memories, but it wasn't like he had much else to do honestly. So, what does he know?
His name is Danny, like, his actual name and not just a moniker. He was once a halfa and he already knows he's going to be missing invisibility and intangibility. He, well, died. For like, a second time which actually makes sense because reincarnation-
Anyways.
He was a clone of two people from this thing called the Justice League which, weird name but probably some government or activist group. Wonder Woman and Superman. Which were pretty weird names to name your kids but eh.
He doesn't really remember much besides that from this life, or the one from before but he's an adult! He'll figure things out once he gets out of this containment tube thing.
Did he mention he was in a test tube? He's a tube baby now. He thinks? Or maybe it's more like he's being contained.
Whatever.
So he breaks out. Thank you apparent superstrength that he has no idea why he has but he's not going to complain! He then wandered around all of the other test tubes, able to remember just enough of English to see that yea, they're dead.
He probably was too, before he had memories zapped into him. Or a vegetable.
He then finds this really big container, checks it out, then opens it because the clone inside isn't dead!
'Project Match' it said. He'll just call him Match.
Was he thanked for helping him? Nope. You would think that he would be thanked or at least somewhat respected for saving this guy but nope!
He was, quite literally, held up by his leg and dangled in the air. Who dangles a three-year-old?! Well, he was technically and adult but still! The next few things were a blur but after pulling off the old Fenton charm he found him and Match outside as he tried to stop him from attacking random people.
Luckily the charms and privilege of the youngest (he's assuming he's the youngest, because he's physically three) was more than enough to get through to him. Sure, the guy couldn't form words, really aggressive for literally no reason, really weird but also absolutely cool looking eyes. But he worked around the first issue by developing their own personal language from like grunts and stuff, the second he once again used his youngest privilege to boss him around and the third a pair of sunglasses easily fixed.
He just had to steer Match clear of those random S crest mark thingies. Which was a weird thing to hate but hey, he's not there to judge.
# Dcu x Dp 177
Danny is having mix feelings his parents believed that his powers were the cause of ecto contaminated and was making him sick and slow killing.
While the bat's and birds think that he is also sick they belived that the powers he has have made him think he is dead and have given him something called walking corpse syndrome
The batfam believes that Danny is a meta with Cotard's syndrome and are trying to convince him that he is not dead. While also making sure that he does not die for real because of starvation or injury/infection.
Cotard's syndrome ( aslo called walking corpse) a rare mental disorder in which the affected person holds the believe that parts of their body are missing, or that they are dying, dead, or don't exist
So! For the first few weeks after his accident, whenever Danny would try to help the people of Amity Park, he would be treated as a Villain.
No matter if he had just defeated the Big Bad of the Week or saved a Cat from a tree, everybody in town only saw him as a Monster or Villain to he feared and hunted down. Danny was really getting sick of trying to get them on his side, until Sam made a suggestion.
"Why not just...play into it?" She said, barely looking up from painting her nails.
It was just an offhand suggestion, but it stuck with Danny. Why shouldn't he lean into it? The people of Amity Park already saw Ghosts as Evil, and they already assumed he was in cahoots with the Ghosts attacking the town. Why shouldn't he just...play into it?
So he does just that.
From that day on, whenever Phantom was spotted he would dramatically monologue about his Evil Plans, or claim that another Rogues attack on the City was his own act of terror.
Box Ghost destroys the towns Warehouses? It was on his orders.
Ember mind controls masses of Teenagers? All part of his Plans somehow.
Every Adult in Town is kidnapped by Young Blood? Danny gave them over to a friend as a Gift.
He crafts an identity for himself as the most Vile and Horrible Ghost that has ever attacked the City, using his own infamy to cement his legend even more firmly. The town only sees a Monsterous Villain, who has eveded capture near effortlessly for months on end, who constantly attacks their City and gets away with it.
Of course he still needs an excuse for how his plans keep getting stopped, and he gets it when his girlfriend Valerie becomes the Red Huntress. Before that, he just claimed infighting or the Fentons getting lucky, but Valerie becoming the Town's Hero meant he had a plausible excuse for how he kept getting "Foiled".
Val was suspicious, because she was not as involved as Phantom painted her to be, but in the end she had no proof of him faking his defeats. And she couldn't come up with any explanations for why he would do that in the first place. I mean, who would fake being a Supervillain? It had to he something else.
This did come back to bite him a while later, when the Justice League decided that enough was enough, and dispatched Justice League Dark to recruit Red Huntress and help Deal with him.
Coincidentally, that was the same day Pariah Dark attacked the Mortal Realm and sucked Amity Park into the Ghost Zone.
And honestly? Danny had spent over a Year proclaiming himself as a Villain who commanded Ghosts to attack the Human Realm, and he had heard about the Right of Conquest being Absolute in the Ghost Zone, so why not make it official? Why not overthrow the Ghost King, become the Ghost King, and cement his identity as a Villain while also forbidding Ghosts from entering the Human Realm without his permission?
He may have gotten a bit carried away and forgotten that the Villain thing was a disguise...but hey! He was still preventing Ghost Attacks! ...mostly. That's got to count for something right?
He may have let the Bit run a bit too far...
...
Check the tags for more context!