The Phantom is a 1943 15-chapter cliffhanger superhero serial, produced by Rudolph C. Flothow, directed by B. Reeves Eason, and starring Tom Tyler in the title role.

The Phantom tells Singapore Smith to call him "Walker" when he covers his costume with a hat, dark glasses, and an overcoat so he can enter civilization unobtrusively.

Its special feature is an hour-long conversation between Frew Publications editor-in-chief Jim Shepherd and film historian James Sherlock about the history of the Phantom comic and its various screen adaptations.

According to Jim Harmon and Donald F. Glut: "Unquestionably, The Phantom was one of Columbia's better serials...a task in casting, settings, and mood totally missing in such disasters as Batman from the same studio".

[2] In a 2018 retrospective, Martin Pasko contended that "The Phantom has all the problems most serials - Columbia's in particular - did: an implausible script riddled with inane, unplayable dialogue; wretchedly wooden acting; and a budget that rendered ludicrous any attempt to stage believable, much less spectacular, action by today's standards".

The serial was well into production when producer Sam Katzman discovered that Columbia's rights to the character had expired, and owner King Features was unwilling to renew them.