DC Showcase: The Spectre (2010) Plot Summary Explained

The Spectre kills Drew Flynn because he was one of the two masked men who planted the bomb that murdered Foster Brenner. Flynn was a special effects designer who helped plan and execute the killing. The Spectre appears to him at his workplace and animates the film props and animatronics to attack and kill him.

• drew flynn death
• specter kills
• bomb murder

Jim reveals his identity as The Spectre when Aimee shoots him and the bullets pass harmlessly through his body. He states that he is already dead before transforming into The Spectre right in front of her. This is the moment the film confirms that Detective Jim Corrigan and The Spectre are the same entity.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Jim arrives at Aimee's house by phasing through the wall, hinting at his supernatural nature.

• jim corrigan specter
• reveal identity
• transformation

The Spectre kills Aimee because she orchestrated her father's murder. She provided the correct access code to Flynn and McCoy, allowing them to enter the estate and plant the bomb. She was motivated by money and stood to inherit her father's fortune. When confronted by Jim, she tried to kill him as well, sealing her fate.

Foreshadowing: Jim tells Aimee she is good enough to be an actress in her father's films, hinting at her professional ambitions tied to the family fortune.

• aimee death
• patricide
• financial motive

The money in the briefcase is the core motive behind Foster Brenner's murder. Peter McCoy was fleeing with the suitcase containing the cash when The Spectre killed him. Jim later shows Aimee the briefcase, revealing that the money was the real connection to the murder and that Aimee had been stealing from her father's estate.

Foreshadowing: The timeline notes that after killing McCoy, The Spectre inspects the suitcase of money, implying it holds importance.

• briefcase money
• murder motive
• financial greed

The Spectre demonstrates several powers throughout the film. He can transform his physical appearance, appearing as Foster Brenner to Drew Flynn. He can animate inanimate objects, commanding film props and animatronics to attack. He can phase through solid matter, entering Aimee's house through the wall. He can also create physical phenomena like a cyclone of money that kills by crushing force.

• specter powers
• animate objects
• phasing

The Spectre targets all participants in Foster Brenner's murder as part of his role as an agent of supernatural justice. Drew Flynn and Peter McCoy planted the bomb, and Aimee Brenner hired them. The film establishes that The Spectre delivers horrific justice to perpetrators, and all three were guilty of murder for financial gain.

• vengeance
• justice
• murder victims

Yes, Jim Corrigan is already dead before the movie begins. When Aimee shoots him, the bullets pass through his body, and he explains that he is already dead. He has been transformed into The Spectre, a supernatural entity, though he continues working as a detective in his human form.

• jim corrigan dead
• specter origin

Jim deduces that Aimee provided the access code because only someone with intimate knowledge of the estate's security could have allowed the killers to enter and place the bomb undetected. The security system required a specific code, and Flynn and McCoy could only have obtained it from someone with access, Aimee.

• access code
• security breach
• betrayal

The Spectre kills Peter McCoy by crushing him with his own car. He confronts McCoy in a warehouse district as McCoy attempts to flee with a suitcase full of money. The Spectre uses his supernatural power to crush the vehicle onto McCoy, killing him before inspecting the money inside.

• peter mccoy death
• car crushing

After killing Aimee, The Spectre completes his vengeance and transforms back into Jim Corrigan. He walks away from the scene undetected while police arrive. The film ends with Jim narrating about his mission to root out evil, revealing that he will continue his work as The Spectre from the shadows.

• ending
• vengeance complete
• walk away