hen the First Phantom died in 1566, his son, also named Kit (down through the centuries, all of the Phantoms have answered to the same name, and given it to their sons, in honor of the First) took over the role of jungle protector to honor his father's vow. He was barely a teenager, but already tall and strong, as almost all the men of his line have proved to be. Wearing the mask and the costume, he looked virtually the image of his father. He found it useful to let others think he was, in fact, the same man, unrelenting, unstoppable, immortal. As the Second grew into manhood, he became an equally fierce guardian of jungle peace and justice. The ability of the Phantoms to, seemingly, re-appear from the dead, has been one of their greatest tactical advantages, striking fear into the hearts of their most dangerous enemies. The legend of "The Ghost Who Walks" and "The Man Who Cannot Die" has been crucial to the success and continuation of their fight against evil and injustice.
Thus a tradition was begun, a legacy of dedication and and sacrifice, of secrecy and mystery that has been handed down through 21 generations, for four hundred years.
The Second eventually met and married MARABELLA, Christopher Columbus' granddaughter. They had a son and together established the precedent that, starting at age 12, the child should be formally educated in his mother's native country. (The second had never recieved such an education, since his father died when was only 11.) Marabella had been born and raised in England, so the boy was sent to that country, to be educated by monks. This Phantom almost caused the end of the Phantom line.