Angelus (Top Cow)
Angelus is a comic character who features in Top Cow Comics.
Contents |
Biography
The Angelus was an entity that served as the embodiment of light and operated as the equal and opposite force of the Darkness. Both the Angelus and the Darkness were two of the most powerful entities that made up the the 13 Artifacts. Like the Darkness, the Angelus required a human host to act through in the corporeal world. Unlike the Darkness, however, the Angelus entity forms a symbiotic bond with its host and takes complete control over its mind and body, allowing it no free will of its own. Since the Angelus is a force of light and order, it seeks to destroy anything that is dark and chaotic, while disregarding mortal rules and laws. The Angelus' age is still unknown at this time, yet, she has stated that she and the Darkness have been at war with each other since the creation. Although, sometime during the Angelus' past, it made a truce with the Darkness, and together they conceived a child that would later be known as the Witchblade artifact and represent the eternal balance that exists between the Angelus and the Darkness.
The ancient, primordial force of light known as the Angelus manifested in the physical world after being summoned by a human sorcerer named Sonatine. Sonatine conducted a dark ritual with the specific intention of using the entity to assassinate the mafia hitman and current bearer of the Darkness, Jackie Estacado. Upon her arrival in the mortal plane, she assumed complete control over the mind and body of a human female host, effectively stripping the woman of her free will in order to turn her into a living puppet for the light. She immediately gathered a legion of her loyal, winged Angelus Warriors and led them in a sudden, violent ambush against Jackie Estacado at a local church. During this aggressive confrontation, she demonstrated her immense supernatural power by emitting destructive, blinding light from her body to combat the dark shadows. Despite her immense strength and her ability to manipulate sentient light into deadly constructs, she failed to execute Jackie before he managed to escape the conflict by utilizing the raw, newly awakened power of the Darkness to defend himself. (The Darkness v1 #2) The Angelus remained deeply fixated on executing the current host of the Darkness, Jackie Estacado, and launched a massive secondary offensive when her target was lured out to a wide-open, sunlit field during the day. After observing the sorcerer Sonatine attempting to leverage Jackie into doing his bidding by threatening the life of the captured human Jenny, the Angelus intercepted the standoff by leading a grand, aggressive charge of her winged warriors from the sky. She capitalized on the bright, natural daylight to amplify her destructive capabilities and aggressively engaged both the dark forces of the Brotherhood and Jackie's newly summoned shadows. During this massive, high-octane brawl, she ruthlessly shredded through Jackie's protective defenses and forced the outmatched mobster to go on the defensive against her overwhelming aerial assault. Realizing that the direct sunlight severely hindered his ability to manipulate the Darkness, Jackie was forced to grab the hostage Jenny and flee the open battlefield to find refuge from the entity's lethal, purifying light. (The Darkness v1 #4)
Overview
Personality and attributes
Despite being a luminescent spirit of order and divinity, the Angelus is just as ruthless and destructive as her counterpart. The Angelus desires to spread her "light" to the world whether they want it or not. The Angelus will sometimes create a humanoid out of the light as a sexual companion, even spending centuries perfecting them. Recently the Angelus has allowed her hosts control over her powers such as with Danielle Baptiste and Finch, both of whom were allowed to live a normal life until they needed to tap into the power.
Powers and abilities
The Angelus possesses such basic prowess as supernatural strength and resistance to injury as well as flying at high speeds with her wings and teleportation. Like the Darkness, the Angelus can form weapons such as flaming swords or spears as well as armor from her native element which can easily withstand gunfire. Likewise, the Angelus can fashion living beings. These are called Angelus Warriors and usually appear as angelic beings but can also appear mortal. Unlike the more numerous Darklings, Angelus Warriors require considerably more time and effort to bring to life.
One such otherworldly creature – a mortal concubine created purely for satisfying the Angelus's sexual cravings – possessed a seemingly hypnotic capacity for seduction; sufficient to lure her bodyguards into freely entering her cell so she could bite out their throats and escape. Likewise, her Warriors are possessed of limited teleportation range as well as potent levels of strength and durability – although not to the same degree as their mistress, as their bodies can be dissolved with chemicals and are still vulnerable to Darklings and Darkness weapons.
Unlike the Darkness, the Angelus retains the memories of her previous incarnations. Similarly, the Angelus's abilities and constructs are weakened while in the shadows; although she is not totally powerless. She can see and hear through her servants' eyes as well as breathe fire. As a celestial being, the Angelus can fire powerful waves of raw sunlight to blind or burn her enemies. Even in dark environments, these blasts can obliterate Darklings from a distance. When outraged, the Angelus is known to have destroyed a large island and leveled entire cities.
The Angelus also seems to be able to combine the radiance of both her and her Warriors to intensify their effectiveness. This was shown when they overpowered and banished Glorianna Silver – bearer of the Ember Stone – using their combined light channeled through their spears. An ancient host of the Angelus was also shown to be able to channel the collective souls of an entire host of slain Warriors and infuse them into a dying star to create the Sun Dagger – a blade powerful enough to completely destroy even the most powerful of the Darkness's vessels.
So long as she remains possessed, the Angelus renders its host immortal. However, depending on the age of the body, they will quickly begin to age and decay if depleted of power. This was seen when the first Angelus Jackie fought – nearly a millennium old – began to age into dust. Beyond her supernatural abilities, the Angelus is innately skilled with her weapons. She is a deadly swordswoman and can hold her own against any battle-hardened Darkness wielder, the Magdalena, and even one of her own renegade Warriors who was empowered by the Wheel of Shadows.
Hosts
- Lauren Franchetti :
- Celestine :
- Danielle Baptiste :
- Finch :
- Jenny Romano :
Notes
- The Angelus was created by Marc Silvestri, David Wohl and Garth Ennis where it featured in The Darkness v1 #2 (January, 1997) as part of Top Cow's Witchblade universe.
In other media
Video games
- In The Darkness II, the Angelus appeared in the setting of the video game. Her conflict with the Darkness providing the backstory for many of the collectible relics found throughout the levels. Throughout the course of the story, the Angelus manifested only as visions of Jenny which haunted Jackie. She soon began recreating whole scenarios, making Jackie relive past moments with Jenny - such as a dance at a diner or a time when they visited a now-abandoned amusement park.
Appearances
- The Darkness v1: (1997)
External Link
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