On Apr 17, 2020, at 8:18 PM, Kenneth Barns <xxxxxx@gmail.com> wrote:

Thus, if actions an public perceptions are that the "Phantom" has done things across a few hundred years, and no-one can identify when the 20th Phantom handed over to the 21st, then the pressure for "Kit Walker" (who is that?) to make a name for himself is significantly lessened.

You could combine this with a "committee" structure, and have the "Leader" actually be a triumvirate.  Only a very small cadre of people know that the "Leader" is actually more than one person, and perhaps only a handful are aware of the former identities of the office's current occupants.