Vance Collins, also known as The Unknown Soldier, was an American civil war Confederate soldier, who returned after death as a specter, a particularly vengeful kind of ghosts.
History[]
Early life[]
Picture of Vance when he was alive.
In life, he and his brother Corporal Collins fought on opposite sides of the American civil war. Corporal Collins shot Vance and with Vance's dying breath he swore vengeance. Years later his brother, consumed with guilt, dug him up from the battle field and brought him home. Years later, Vance's unidentifiable body, was chosen and came to be called The Unknown Soldier.
Season 8[]
In modern times, several teenagers desecrated his grave, waking him up. Vance then became a specter, a spirit that possesses the living and makes them act out whatever grudge they may have no matter how small. Sam, Dean and Garth salt and burn his bones but it's not enough to put him to rest as he is tied to his stolen Indian Head Penny. After possessing Dean and trying to kill Sam, Garth manages to get the penny off of Dean, and melts it down, putting him to rest.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Ghost Possession - Vance can possess anyone in contact with his penny. Without having someone to possess though, he is completely powerless and unable to affect reality.
- Super strength - Vance imbues his host with increased strength.
- Super Durability - Vance greatly enhances the durability of its host. One described being punched in the face as "tickling."
- Emotion Detection - Vance can identify humans with suppressed anger and feelings of betrayal and appears to prefer possessing such hosts.
- Anger Fueling - Vance increases the host's volatility and prevents suppression of their rage.
- Empathy - Even if Vance is already possessing someone else, he can sense if a person is holding feelings of betrayal and resentment as well as the strength of these feelings, even if the individual attempts to suppress these feelings.
- Ectoplasm Secretion - Vance secrete green ectoplasm rather than black.
- Electronic Manipulation - While possessing someone, Vance can't be filmed. His head just appears as a blip.
Appearances[]
Trivia[]
- There are similarities with his story line and the novel Supernatural: Unholy Cause, such as the civil war reenactment references. The theme of betrayal was also used in the book as well.