Danny Phantom (character)

Daniel "Danny" Fenton (Danny Phantom)
Danny Phantom character
Danny Phantom Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom
First appearance	"Mystery Meat"
Last appearance	"Phantom Planet"
Created by	Butch Hartman
In-universe information
Alias	"Inviso-Bill" "Ghost Boy/Kid/Child" "Phantom Kid" ("Fenton","Fentons o' Fun", and various other nicknames) to Dash Baxter various nicknames and insults given to him by his enemies The "Halfa"
Species	Human-Ghost Hybrid (Halfa)
Relatives	Jack Fenton (Father) Madeline "Maddie" Fenton (Mother) Jasmine "Jazz" Fenton (sister) Alicia (Maternal aunt) Danielle "Dani" Fenton/Phantom (clone/"cousin"), Danny clones (clones, deceased) John Fenton (Paternal Ancestor)
Nationality	American

Danny Phantom, the heroic ghostly alter-ego of Daniel "Danny" Fenton – is a superhero, the protagonist and title character of the Nickelodeon animated television series Danny Phantom, created and designed by Butch Hartman, Shannon Tendell, and Stephen Silver. Danny Fenton/Phantom is voiced by David Kaufman.

Danny received his powers through an accident with his parents' ghost portal, rendering him with ghost powers. Throughout the series, Danny struggles to master his abilities while balancing school life and his own teenage emotions.

His parents are Jack and Maddie Fenton and his older sister is Jazz Fenton. He has two best friends, Sam Manson and Tucker Foley. Danny is a fourteen-year-old freshmen in Casper High. Unpopular, he is the constant victim of bully Dash Baxter and harbors a crush on popular student, Paulina.

His primary enemy and rival is Vlad Plasmius, another half ghost like him. He is constantly under his persuasion to be his son and apprentice.

Creation and Conception

With Nickelodeon's response for a "boy's action show", Hartman's creation of Danny's character did not originate into the superhero he is now. He was originally a normal human who hunted ghosts. Accompanying him would be an owl named Spooky and his means of travel would be a motorcycle, the latter which Hartman paid tribute later in the series. He and Sam were meant to share a psychic connection as well.

Character

Having become a half-human, half-ghost teenage superhero has significantly altered Danny's life and gained him great maturity. Danny started off the series as a naive and clumsy teenager who tries to find an identity for himself and his newfound powers. His early days had him yearning for popularity and often has him shallow and superficial.

Later in the series, Danny starts to move beyond the superficial to focus on his goal as a superhero, preferring to step out of the spotlight when he isn't on-duty. But he continues to uphold his vow to protecting his hometown and those in need. He has developed a more confident and mature attitude over the course of the series as he continues to develop his powers, but it is ultimately his loyalty to his cause that helps him to overcome all obstacles. Even when he is vilified by the public early in his career his sense of civic duty is so strong that he felt retirement was out of the question.

When his friends and family are in danger, Danny can become rather stubborn and overprotective and is often prone to see a more straightforward black-and-white side of things. He is also often too emotional, which can be used as a disadvantage

He is often cocky in battle and at times underestimates his enemies due to his naïveté and young age, though he is just as often cautious and unsure. He is easily overcome by his emotions and this frequently shatters his confidence and self-esteem as well as his performance as a ghost hunter.

Danny has dreams of becoming an astronaut and expresses an interest in space. He gains his "DP" insignia during the Season Two premiere.

Plot Overview

On the urging of his best friend, Sam, Danny explores the contents of the then under construction Fenton Portal. It resulted in an accident that caused Danny's molecular structure to be infused with ectoplasm, resulting in him being half ghost. Unsure of what to make of it for a month, Danny's battle with a Lunch Lady Ghost causes him to pursue the path of a superhero.

In the beginning, he struggles with his powers as he deals with heroic life and his normal, teenage existence. However his life quickly turns into something bigger when Walker, Ghost Zone's ghost cop frames Danny with the kidnapping of Amity Park's mayor as an act of revenge for escaping his prison earlier. Dubbed "Inviso-Bill" by his hometown, Danny vowed to continue his heroism despite their hatred for him. He eventually gains their trust when he saves both Amity Park and the Ghost Zone from an old, but powerful ghost king. He later becomes their duly deputized protector. By the end, he is known and beloved over the world.

He meets Vlad in-between who would serve as his primary arch-nemesis throughout the series, possessing the same half-ghost powers he does, only with twenty years more experience. He would constantly vile and force Danny into becoming his surrogate son, but often fails. His last plan to obtain Danny resulted in him creating numerous clones of Danny until he reached the perfect one. The one below him was Dani Phantom who, after much convincing, teams up with Danny when she found out she is nothing but a tool to Vlad. Afterward, Vlad changes his ideals and spends the reminder of the series tormenting and trying to destroy Danny.

One of Danny's ongoing stories is his constant battle against his temptation to abuse his powers. This came full circle when he cheats on his C.A.T tests, resulting in a future timeline where he becomes Dark Danny, the most powerful, evil ghost in existence. He defeats his future self with the element of surprise; using the newly acquired Ghostly Wail. The dark future is then permanently altered when Danny is given a second chance by Clockwork.

Danny has had his secret identity accidentally exposed once. He was forced to cross-country across America to gather the three Infinite gems for Freakshow in exchange for their parents' safety while avoiding the pursuing Guys in White. Danny alters the outcome of the events with the completed Reality Gauntlet.

The final episode chronicles Danny's struggles to compete against the "Masters' Blasters", a team of teenage ghost hunters which bests Danny in his field. He briefly retires from ghost hunting, but gains his powers back when he goes to the ghost zone and stops an incoming Ecto-coated asteroid from hitting the earth. He reveals his secret identity to the people of the world during victory and the last scenes involve a bright future with him and his new girlfriend, Sam.

Ghost Powers

Upon receiving his ghost powers, Danny often had great difficulties controlling it. Due to his teenage emotions, his nervous behavior would often trigger his intangibility or invisibility, much to his embarrassment. His early powers composed primary of flight, intangibility, and invisibility. When he transforms, he shouts out "Goin' Ghost" before two white rings intersect his body. When he flies, his legs often turn into a ghost "tail". He also gains super strength and enhanced abilities and agility his human counterpart does not possess. He can manipulate his body and twist them into odd shapes to maneuver from stray attacks. He can walk on walls, though this is rarely utilized.

He has a ghost sense that sends out a blue wisp from his mouth that detects oncoming ghosts. It is equivalent to a cold breathe during chilly weathers and served as a precursor to his ice powers.

Danny early on gains a ghost ray which has become one of his most frequent weapon, an energy ball that can extend in size. It is also usable as a flashlight. He possess a ghost shield that can protect him by deflecting attacks. He has the ability to overshadow people and ghosts, altering their eyes to be glowing green as well as possessing his voice. He later masters to cancel out such obviousness. He can also possess people's dreams.

One of his most powerful attacks is the Ghostly Wail, a sonic scream that can hit multiple targets. It usually takes a lot out of Danny and he often reverts to human after use. He has it mastered by end of the series. He can duplicate his form, but struggles to master it throughout the series—often with disastrous results. He succeeds in splitting in two, then eventually four later on.

He has used a power called the "Ghost Stinger" and was seen teleporting in another. Danny once seemed to have gained telekinesis abilities when he lifted up a rake in a later episode. He has only used these abilities once.

Danny is able to breathe underwater when in ghost mode. It is unclear if he can breathe in space, though it is shown that he can handle its extreme conditions with little more than a space helmet.