By studying the mysteries of the East, wealthy young scientist Howard Hall is able to give his shadow physical powers such as reaching great distances to touch things, having a good deal of it's own strength, and being able to speak, hear, and act on its own. To help him in his fight against crime, he straps flashlights to his ankles so that, when he turns them on, he has a shadow to control. He only needs a bright light source to go into action against the bad guys as Nightshade.