Dee Tyler

Note: This page is for Dee Tyler, DC’s Phantom Lady from 1989 – 2005.

For the original Phantom Lady (active from the Golden Age through 1989), see: Sandra Knight.

For the third Phantom Lady (active from 2006 – 2011), see: Stormy Knight.

For the current New 52 Phantom Lady (active from 2012 – ), see: Jennifer Knight.

Origin

Delilah “Dee” Tyler was the beautiful daughter of a U.S. Attorney General. Being both bright and athletically gifted, Dee became the understudy of the original Phantom Lady, Sandra Knight, at the Our Lady of the Shadows University (Université Notre Dame des Ombres) in France. Instead of using her training to become a government spy, which was her original intention, Dee was inspired to continue the legacy of her mentor as the next Phantom Lady.

Creation

Dee Tyler was created by writer Len Strazewski and artist Chuck Austen to be the new Phantom Lady in 1989, after DC decided to have the original Phantom Lady, Sandra Knight, call it a career.

Character Evolution

Dee made her debut as Phantom Lady in Action Comics #636, which at the time was an anthology title. She was given an ongoing storyline in Action Comics with the idea that she could one day star in her own series, but this never came to fruition. In addition to receiving special training from Sandra, Dee received Sandra’s classic Phantom Lady costume (though it was drawn to look even skimpier on Dee) and high-tech wristbands so she could seamlessly assume the role when Sandra retired from crime-fighting in 1989. Because Dee was a buxom brunette like Sandra and wore the same costume, it was difficult to tell the two apart, with the main visual difference being their hairstyles: Sandra wore her hair in a 1950’s Bettie Page style, while Dee wore her hair in a ‘frizzy’ rocker style popularized in the 1980’s.

Major Story Arcs

Solo Career

In her first action as Phantom Lady, Dee teamed up with the Flash to defeat the villains Merlyn and Syonide when they attempted to assassinate a defected Russian scientist in Africa. During her solo career she worked many times with the heroes Starman and Rampage, and fought alongside Jack Knight against the minions of Culp in Opal City. Afterwards Dee considered serving as Opal City’s resident superheroine, but later followed in the footsteps of the original Phantom Lady and joined Uncle Sam and his Freedom Fighters in 1999.

It was revealed in Birds of Prey #110 – The Fan Club that Phantom Lady once did a mission for Oracle as a ‘try out’. Phantom Lady faced off against a gang known as the Artful Dodgers, who looked like children. Seeing them as such, Phantom Lady hesitated to take them down, and it was only thanks to a timely intervention by Black Canary that the day – and Phantom Lady herself – were saved. Because of this incident Phantom Lady did not join the Birds of Prey.

Freedom Fighters

Dee participated in many missions with the Freedom Fighters, including their debut during the Our Worlds at War crisis. She later joined an army of female super-heroes led by Wonder Woman against an army of female super-villains led by Circe. Dee was nearly killed during the massive battle by Lady Vic, but her life was saved by Nemesis.

During the Princes of Darkness story arc, Dee and the Freedom Fighters teamed up with the Justice Society of America to combat the threat of Eclipso. Dee helped save New York City from destruction by using her invisibility to steal Eclipso’s powerful Black Diamond from him.

Death

After adventuring as Phantom Lady for many years, Dee Tyler met her demise during the events of Infinite Crisis in 2005. Along with several of her Freedom Fighters teammates, she was killed in battle with the third incarnation of the Society of Super Villains at the hands of Deathstroke. Her body was placed on the Washington Monument next to the bodies of teammates Human Bomb and Black Condor.

Less than a year later, Stormy Knight assumed the role of Phantom Lady as her replacement.

Black Lantern

In 2009, along with many other deceased heroes, Dee was reanimated as a Black Lantern during the Blackest Night crisis.

Powers and Abilities

Dee Tyler was a superb athlete in top physical condition and a master of the martial art known as Savate (French kickboxing). She was also trained by the original Phantom Lady in the arts of espionage, stealth, and sleuthing. Like the original Phantom Lady, Dee was equipped with high-tech wristbands that allowed her to project intense beams of light or darkness in order to blind her enemies, as well as bend light waves to effectively make herself invisible. She wore special goggles that made her immune to the visual effects created by her wristbands. Unlike the original Phantom Lady, Dee’s offensive capabilities were augmented by wrist-mounted lasers that she could use to blast opponents, as well as holographic projectors that allowed her to create intensely realistic illusions. Her wrist devices were also designed to be undetectable by electronic surveillance. In the tradition of her predecessor, Dee wore the revealing Phantom Lady costume with the idea that it distracted her mostly male opponents.