The following article contains spoilers from Batman Incorporated #3, on sale now from DC Comics.
Now that Ghost-Maker's secret sidekick is now on the field, a number of questions needed to be answered in Batman Incorporated #3 (by Ed Brisson, John Timms, Rex Lokus, Clayton Cowles). While Phantom-One did elaborate how he is connected to Ghost-Maker, and why he is so angry with his former mentor, he refused to explain how was alive right now.
The story of his partnership with Ghost-Maker concluded with Phantom-One being seriously injured after getting caught in an explosion. It wasn't Ghost-Maker who saved him, quite the opposite actually, and he was in no position to help himself. The only logical conclusion then is that someone else saved Phantom-One's life. Whoever it was likely wants Ghost-Maker dead just as much as the disgruntled sidekick does.
What Happened to Ghost-Maker's Former Sidekick, Phantom-One?
As expected, Phantom-One was Ghost-Maker's attempt to train a better Robin. Unfortunately, Phantom-One proved to be a bit overeager, and ended up getting caught in an explosion triggered by one of Ghost-Maker's few recurring foes, Palladium. Ghost-Maker had never truly been thrilled with having a partner, so seeing his sidekick's mistake, he decided to abandon Phantom-One, leaving him to die buried in the rubble.
Curiously, that is where his story concluded, ending on the note of betrayal without elaborating how he survived into the present day. When questioned about it, Phantom-One says he was given a "second chance". The phrasing could only imply that someone took pity on the young man and saved his life, perhaps convincing him to serve them as a way to clear the debt. Whoever this mystery player is though, they likely present a greater threat to Ghost-Maker and Batman Incorporated as a whole if they're willing to weaponize one of Ghost-Maker's great failures.
Batman Incorporated Appears to be Facing a Mysterious New Enemy
Phantom-One's mission isn't to target Batman Incorporated, but Ghost-Maker himself. He's been going after his former mentor's teachers in an effort to not only prove that he is better, but to ostensibly improve upon Ghost-Maker's mission of eliminating criminals. The coup de grâce of course being the execution of Ghost-Maker himself. However, if Phantom-One's life was saved by someone else, then it means that this was their intended reason for saving the wayward sidekick.
Whoever it is likely harbors a grudge against Ghost-Maker, probably wanting to ensure that no one like him could ever come into existence again. This would explain their enabling of Phantom-One to hunt down all of Ghost-Maker's mentors. This likely means that one of Ghost-Maker's old foes has resurfaced in an effort to finally get rid of him. Palladium is one possible candidate, but he seems to be more of a bank robber than a master manipulator. Then again, Ghost-Maker's past is being revealed to fans even now, so there's no telling how many skeletons are in his closet. All that's certain is that once this mystery foe makes themselves known, Batman Incorporated will be drawn into the crossfire of their personal vendetta.