FILM · 1996 · AUSTRALIA
The Phantom
58 archived facts 6 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (58)
- #001
Billy Zane pumped iron for more than a year to fill out The Phantom's costume. A Batman-style suit with fake muscles was reportedly built, but by the time shooting began Zane had grown strong enough that he no longer needed it.
- #002
The Palmer mansion set is actually the real-life Playboy Mansion owned by Hugh Hefner.
- #003
Billy Zane shaved his head so that the Phantom's cowl would sit as close to it as possible. This meant that all scenes in which the Phantom appears without the costume and with a full head of hair had to be shot early in production. The scene in which the Phantom removes his hood was filmed in two parts, in reverse order, several weeks apart.
- #004
Billy Zane is a huge Phantom fan who was introduced to comic books during the shooting of Dead Calm (1989). Zane has also called it his personal favorite of the films he has made.
- #005
When he was not shooting, Billy Zane had a habit of wearing the Phantom costume out to buy sushi.
- #006
The Phantom wears two rings, one on each hand. On his right hand he wears the skull ring most associated with him; it is the ring that leaves a skull imprint on those he punches. On his left hand he wears what is known as the Phantom's seal. The Phantom gives the seal to those with whom he has formed a close friendship. Anyone who holds the seal can then count on him to help when they are in trouble.
- #007
The striped "underpants" that are one of the Phantom's trademarks in the comic strip were tried on the film costume, but they reportedly looked too silly to be used in the final film.
- #008
The film was originally intended to be the first in a trilogy. After the box office results, however, the two sequels were cancelled.
- #009
Several scenes developing the romance between the Phantom/Kit Walker and Diana Palmer were shot in Thailand, but director Simon Wincer reportedly dropped them because he wanted the film to move faster.
- #010
In the film, the Jungle Patrol is the Phantom's unofficial army. Ironically, it was founded by a pirate crew's second or third Phantom. Years later the Phantom found it necessary to hide this fact from his own troops. Only the commander of the Patrol knows that the Phantom is the group's true leader.
- #011
Diana's idle rich acquaintance Jimmy Wells (Jon Tenney) appeared in the early installments of the Phantom comic strip, when the Phantom was still a vague figure whose identity and motives were unexplained. Lee Falk planned to reveal that Jimmy Wells was the Phantom's second identity, and he added several hints in that direction before deciding on the now-familiar backstory of the Phantom as a globe-trotting crime fighter with a centuries-old legacy and quietly writing Jimmy Wells out of the strip.
- #012
Palmer's butler is named Falkmoore. The name is derived from Lee Falk, the creator of The Phantom, and Ray Moore, the first artist on The Phantom.
- #013
Phantom comics had been hugely popular in Turkey for decades, published under the name Kızılmaske. The comics were printed in black and white, and the color covers (drawn by the world-famous cover artist Aslan) always depicted him in a bright red costume that suited the Turkish name. Many Turkish viewers were therefore astonished to see the Phantom in his lavender costume.
- #014
In both the comic strip and the film, the original Phantom witnessed his father's murder in an attack by pirates. In the comic strip this Phantom swore on the skull of his father's killer that he would fight evil for the rest of his life. Each new Phantom takes on the responsibility of keeping the family's legacy of vengeance alive forever. The Phantom is one of the first superheroes whose primary motivation is avenging one or more murdered loved ones. This theme of tragedy and revenge is shared by characters such as Batman and Spider-Man.
- #015
In the 1970s, pre-production began on a low-budget Phantom feature film to be shot in Mexico, with Batman (1966) star Adam West in the lead role. Problems with the character rights arose, however, and the film was shelved.
- #016
The film depicts the Skull Cave, a detail taken from the comic strip, as the Phantom's headquarters. The original idea was that every Phantom (except the original) would be born in the cave and would eventually return there. In the comics, the interior of the cave contains a throne room, two separate treasure rooms, a vault holding the remains of dead Phantoms, a library containing the chronicles kept by each Phantom, a radio communications room, and a strongbox holding collected relics of various historical figures.
- #017
Bruce Campbell and Kevin Smith were considered for the role of the Phantom.
- #018
While trying to create a secret identity for the Phantom, Lee Falk drew inspiration from the Zorro stories. He wanted to portray the Phantom's civilian identity as a wealthy playboy whose apparent leisure served as cover for his real activities as a nighttime superhero. Falk ultimately rejected the idea on the grounds that it was too much of a derivative of Zorro, and instead turned the Phantom into a jungle-themed hero.
- #019
Although the Phantom is one of the oldest superheroes in comics (predating Superman), he is generally portrayed as having no actual superpowers. The various hereditary Phantoms mostly rely on their high intelligence and physical skills. They pretend to have immortal and/or ghostly powers in order to frighten their superstitious enemies.
- #020
The Phantom comic strip debuted in 1936, making him the first superhero created for comic strips (predating Superman by two years), and the film adaptation was released on the strip's 60th anniversary.
- #021
Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg and Jennifer Lopez both auditioned for the role of Sala. Director Simon Wincer ultimately cast Catherine Zeta-Jones because he had enjoyed working with her on October 1917 (1993) in Palestine.
- #022
The story is set in 1938/39, just before the outbreak of World War II. Apart from the title card at the start of the film, this is established by Kit telling Diana that six years have passed since they last saw each other and that his father was killed by Quill in 1932. The year is also visible on the gravestone in the cave when Kit places the gun belt he finds at the end of the film over it, and on the banner hanging at the entrance to the Museum of World History, which reads 1939.
- #023
Dolph Lundgren was considered for the lead role while the project was in development in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
- #024
In both the comic strip and the film, the Phantom wears a distinctive, tight-fitting costume. In interviews, Lee Falk said he was inspired by the tight costumes worn by Robin Hood in various films and stage plays.
- #025
In 1997, professional wrestler Rey Mysterio wore a Phantom-inspired ring outfit at WCW Halloween Havoc (1997), drawing on this film.
- #026
The comic strip was set in Africa, while the film is set in Thailand.
- #027
The Phantom's father, born in 1872 and killed in 1932, would have been 67 in 1939, the year the film is set, had he not been murdered seven years earlier. Patrick McGoohan, who played the role, was also 67 when the film was shot.
- #028
Billy Zane and Casey Siemaszko had previously appeared together as two of Biff Tannen's friends, Match and 3-D, in Back to the Future (1985) and Back to the Future Part II (1989).
- #029
When the film was released, metal replica Phantom rings were given out at many movie theaters.
- #030
The Phantom comic strip was created in part as an attempt to modernize heroic fiction. Lee Falk had pitched King Properties Syndicate a comic strip depicting King Arthur and his knights in heroic adventures. The Syndicate rejected the idea, and Falk instead set about creating the Phantom as a heroic adventurer in the modern setting of the time.
- #031
The two red floatplanes used by the villains in the film are Grumman G-164 Sea Cats converted from wheeled G-164 Ag Cats, which Grumman developed specifically for industrial crop spraying. Both aircraft had previously been used as crop dusters in Australia; for filming, their hoppers were removed, an extra seat was installed for recreational rides, and floats were added for scenic flights. After the film work was finished, both returned to dusting work.
- #032
Joe Dante was initially set to direct but left due to other commitments. Before that, Joel Schumacher had been considered for the directing job.
- #033
The skull is a dominant symbol in the Phantom's life. He lives in the Skull Cave, wears the Skull Ring, and in the film he was trying to find three Skulls. A close look at his costume even reveals a skull pattern on it.
- #034
One subplot of the film has the female pirate Sala concluding that the Phantom and Diana Palmer are in love despite having seen them together only once. Interestingly, at that point in the film the two characters had not even acknowledged any romantic attraction between them. Thanks to Sala spreading the gossip, their rivals assume they are a couple.
- #035
Many characters in the film, including villains such as Sala, are depicted as smokers. The Phantom himself is depicted as avoiding tobacco, and one scene mentions that smoking is not allowed in the Skull Cave, where he lives.
- #036
Billy Zane and Catherine Zeta-Jones both appeared in Titanic productions: Zane played Caledon Hockley in the blockbuster Titanic (1997), and Zeta-Jones played Isabella Paradine in the miniseries Titanic (1996).
- #037
Both Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa and James Remar appeared in Mortal Kombat films. Tagawa played Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat (1995), and Remar played Lord Rayden in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997).
- #038
The Phantom is part of a short cycle of 1930s comic-strip and pulp-hero adaptations released from the early to mid-1990s. Other films in that cycle included Dick Tracy (1990) and The Shadow (1994).
- #039
When Xander Drax claims that his fate and those of the Phantom and Diana Palmer are intertwined, he uses the word "kismet." Drax is portrayed as a firm believer in the supernatural, and "kismet" is a term from Ottoman Turkish meaning predetermined or inevitable fate. The implication is that nothing about the two prospective lovers' meeting is coincidental.
- #040
Billy Zane, Treat Williams and James Remar are left-handed.
- #041
In the film, the business oligarch Xander Drax appears untouchable by police efforts to investigate his crimes. One plot point is that the corrupt New York City Police Commissioner works for Drax, giving Drax indirect control of the New York City Police Department (NYPD). In real life, the police commissioner in 1938 (when the film is set) was Lewis Joseph Valentine (1882-1946), an expert in combating police corruption. In the late 1930s and early 1940s the NYPD was praised by the press as one of the most honest American police departments.
- #042
The film was directed by Sam Raimi.
- #043
Both Billy Zane and Jon Tenney appeared together in Tombstone (1993).
- #044
In the film, two rival branches of the Sengh Brotherhood meet for the first time. One branch consists of old-fashioned pirates, the other of modern corporate executives and organized crime figures. Xander Drax mocks them as the "old guard" and the "Peg Leg Petes." Peg Leg Pete is the name of Mickey Mouse's arch-enemy Disney character. In most of his early appearances he was depicted with a peg leg. In the Mickey Mouse comic strip (1930-1995), Pete was portrayed variously as an outlaw, a pirate and a spy.
- #045
The Phantom began as an American comic strip, and comic adaptations of the character were published by various American publishers. Original Phantom stories were also created by writers in Australia (working for Frew Publications), Brazil (working for RGE), Germany (working for Bastei), India (working for Indrajal Comics), Italy (working for Nerbini and Fratelli Spada), New Zealand (working for Feature Publications) and Scandinavia (working for Egmont Publications).
- #046
David Proval and Joseph Ragno, who play brothers in this film, also played fellow inmates together in The Shawshank Redemption (1994).
- #047
In the film, two magic skulls mark a map and reveal that the third skull is hidden on an uncharted island in the Andaman Sea. The Andaman Sea is a marginal sea of the northeastern Indian Ocean, lying between the Bay of Bengal and the Malay Peninsula. In the 21st century its territorial waters (according to the size of the claimed areas) are divided among India, Myanmar, Thailand and Indonesia. The Andaman Sea is a popular tourist destination, home to numerous coral reefs and more than 16 marine national parks.
- #048
The passage of time in the film is somewhat unclear. In the opening scenes, when the Phantom encounters a group of grave robbers, the year is given as 1938. When the Phantom visits New York City, a museum sign shows the year as 1939, implying that several months have passed. A scene in New York City also mentions destructive wars in Europe and Asia, implying that the Second World War has either already begun or is about to; the war began in September 1939.
- #049
The Phantom is one of many 1990s superhero/comic-book-themed films that were one-offs rather than part of a series. These include Dick Tracy (1990), The Rocketeer (1991), The Shadow (1994), Tank Girl (1995), Judge Dredd (1995), Barb Wire (1996), Spawn (1997) and Steel (1997).
- #050
In the opening jungle scene, the kidnapped boy speaks Swahili, an East African language.
- #051
A subplot of the film is Diana Palmer's growing irritation with her wealthy suitor Jimmy Wells. Diana belongs to a wealthy family, but both she and her uncle work at the family newspaper. Jimmy, by contrast, is a member of the idle rich with no work activity, and he regards her as beneath him.
- #052
In the film, a Christian gangster refers to Saint Timothy/Timothy of Ephesus. Timothy was the missionary partner and traveling companion of Paul of Tarsus. The New Testament contains two letters from Paul to Timothy.
- #053
After personally killing a former ally, the villain Xander Drax complains of physical pain and mentions that he suffers from bursitis. Bursitis is inflammation of one or more bursae (fluid-filled sacs) of the synovial fluid in the human body. Bursitis makes normal movement difficult and painful.
- #054
In the film, one of the gangsters objects to working with the supernatural forces of darkness. He states that he was once an altar boy and implies that he is still a Christian. Altar boys are ordinary assistants to the clergy during Christian liturgy.
- #055
While stealing an artifact from a history museum, the villain Xander Drax directs regular museum visitors toward the museum's nature exhibits (to clear his path). History museums generally focus on archaeological artifacts and the material culture of past eras; they do not have nature exhibits.
- #056
The trailer uses music that was also used in the trailer for Judge Dredd (1995). James Remar appears in both films.
- #057
One frame of the film displays the 1938 George Raft film "You and Me," which also helps establish the year in which the film's events take place.
- #058
The Phantom was also a novel by Rob MacGregor.
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