Azazel (Marvel)
Azazel is a male comic supervillain who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Azazel was a male red-skinned Mutant who was born in Biblical times. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #433) He was a member of the Neyaphem tribe who were mortal enemies of the angelic Mutants of the Cheyarafim. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #429) Around this time, he decided to challenge God by imposing his rule and dominion over ancient Earth by enslaving or removing what he considered the toxic presence of Humans. For his actions, he was opposed by angelic Mutants that cast him and his followers out into a burning dimension where they were removed from all worlds. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #433)
With his power, he was able to make limited jumps back to Earth for short periods of time allowing him to meet people before he was shunted back into his dimension. On one of these trips, he encountered a mystic named Margali Szardos who believed she had summoned a demon by accident. He encouraged this belief leading to the two becoming allies and more as he helped teach her 'magic'. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #433) Over the years, he was known to had dealings with the St. Croix family. (Weapon X v3 #25) Azazel came to spawn many offspring on Earth with these including Abyss, Kiwi Black and many more. (Uncanny v1 #432) Around 20 years ago, he came upon the castle estate of Baron Christian Wagner in Germany with the two being acquaintances. During this time, he encountered the nobleman's wife Raven Wagner whilst he stayed in the area. He accompanied the Wagner's regularly where he had many discussions with Raven where he was aware of her true nature. Azazel also stated that she could never have a child with her husband and that she was the future. She became enchanted by him and all her efforts at staying away failed as she felt in love with Azazel. Raven sought him out him the church by himself where he bade her to undress and show her true nature to him with the two sleeping with one another. Afterwards, she became pregnant with Azazel's child and proclaimed her love for him. However, Azazel showed a cold disinterest and instead bade her to return to her husband Baron Wagner and claimed that her child was his so that he could be raised in safety with Azazel disappearing suddenly. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #428) Raven later abandoned the offspring and threw the child off a rivers edge but Azazel was nearby where he saved his son. The young Kurt Wagner was then given to one of Azazel's close friends named Margali Szardos who hid Nightcrawler's true parentage from him as she cared for him in his formative years. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #432)
Return
Using his powers, he came to operate as a pirate in the afterlife where he pillage realms of souls where he gathered a crew of evil beings to serve him. (Amazing X-Men v2 #1) During one of his raids, he found a brood of newborn demon maggots where he fed them some of his blood. This changed them into something based on his appearance and bound them to his service. These became the demonic Bamfs that were part of his army that participated in his attacks. (Amazing X-Men v2 #4) He came to have ties with the witch Calcabrina who headed the Murder Circus on Earth where she came to serve him. (Wolverine and the X-Men v1 #23)
To stop his father, Nightcrawler struck a deal with his Bamfs were with the aid of his fellow X-Men they succeeded in drawing Azazel from the afterlife only to bind him to Earth. Such a measure meant that Nightcrawler effected abandoned his position in Heaven which he could never return to as a result. (Amazing X-Men v2 #5) After Azazel was defeated, he was taken by the authorities to be sent to Ryker's Island prison where during transport he was freed by his Bamfs. Nightcrawler intervened in an effort to arrest his father but their confrontation was interrupted by Mystique who also joined the fight. Ultimately, Nightcrawler was knocked out and Azazel teleported away with Mystique by his side seemingly to take revenge but instead offered her former lover a job. (Amazing X-Men v2 #6)
In the aftermath, he came to operate in the shadows near the U.S. Congress where he forged pacts with sinful politicians to strengthen his own powerbase. After battling a reborn William Stryker, Weapon X-Force came to learn that their foe had made a demonic pact making him supernaturally powerful with him intending to come for his Mutant foes. To find an ally to defeat him, Mystique sought out Azazel's aid but her team in Weapon X-Force attempted to force his help leading to a fight between them. (Weapon X v3 #25) Azazel aided the team by travelling into Hell to enter the realm of the demon Marduk Kurios in order to defeat Stryker. (Weapon X v3 #26)
House of X
After the establishment of Krakoa, the living island was declared to be the new homeland of the Mutant race with a call to all to come to the nation. Azazel came to be one of those that were invited and arriving through one of the Krakoan portals. (House of X v1 #5)
Overview
Personality and attributes
Over the years, he came to be known by a variety of names including Semihazah, Duma, Keriel, Mastema, Beliar, Gadreel, Beelzebub and more commonly as Satan. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #432)
He was known to prey on the temptations of others and form pacts with them with these benefiting him ultimately. Azazel claimed that he could sense the fingerprints of evil in the soul of a person and determine if they were a sinner. (Weapon X v3 #25) He was considered a Casanova where he charmed many women over the years including the sorceress Margali Szardos. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #433)
Azazel believed that everything on the planet Earth belonged to him and in fact did until his banishment. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #433) According to him, he was not good with following the orders of others. (Weapon X v3 #25)
Originally, he enchanted the shapeshifter named Mystique as he was fascinated by her nature but later said that he only desired to get her pregnant so that she would bear his son. According to Azazel, this was simply a physical passion rather than a condition of the heart with him engaging in the matter in an almost scientific way. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #428) Despite that, in latter years he stated that he had feelings for Mystique and considered her his beloved. It was this reason that he refused to work with Sabretooth due to jealously as Creed had also been involved with Mystique and had spawned children with him. (Weapon X v3 #25)
It was said that the only reason he ever sired children was to use them as his pawns. (Amazing X-Men v2 #5)
Powers and abilities
Azazel was shown having some ability at masking his true appearance allowing him to show himself as a human being. His senses also made it possible for him to see an aura among others whereby he could detect a person being a shapeshifter. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #428) He claimed that he could see into the soul of a person and see the fingerprints of evil committed by a person. (Weapon X v3 #25)
His power allowed his thoughts to manipulate the energies that formed a unique juncture in space-time that was the Brimstone Dimension. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #433) He was considered the world's greatest teleporter with his power leaving a scent of sulphur and brimstone in the air. (Weapon X v3 #25) It was his son Nightcrawler who similarly noted that his father was the world's most powerful teleporter. (Amazing X-Men v2 #5) When angered, he could unleash an unknown form of energy that could render large numbers of foes passive. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #431) He could utilise his teleportation powers to freeze time and space over a select area. (Weapon X v3 #26)
Azazel had the ability to influence the minds of his offspring and summon them in a trance-like state. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #429) Thus, through their genetic connection, he could control the minds of his children who remained unaware of their actions in this period. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #433)
During his life, he came to be the leader of a tribe of Mutants known as the Neyaphem that served him loyally. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #429) For a time, he came to control a group of diminutive demons called Bamfs that resembled miniature versions of himself. These were originally demons whose mothers were giant maggots and father was a changeling with their offspring being abandoned in the brimstone plains as soon as they were born. The maggot-like offspring managed to survive in the dark and were left in a starving state when Azazel discovered them on a raid. He fed the creatures his blood thus remaking them in his image and bounding them to his will. (Amazing X-Men v2 #4)
He one claimed that he was the ruler of an island nation La Isla de Demonas that was located off the coast of Bermuda. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #428) Azazel long ago was banished into the Brimstone Dimension that connected to areas in all points on Earth but ultimately served as his prison for a time. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #433)
Notes
- Azazel was created by Chuck Austen and Sean Phillips where he made his first appearance in Uncanny X-Men v1 #428 (October 2003).
- The character received an entry in Marvel Zombies: The Book of Angels, Demons & Various Monstrosities v1 #1 (2007) where he was identified as being an extremely long lived Mutant.
Alternate Versions
- In Age of Apocalypse v1 #1 (2012), an alternate version of the Age of Apocalypse was shown where Apocalypse was killed and Weapon Omega ascended to power where he took his role on their Earth. The aftermath saw Azazel being appointed as Weapon Omega's Minister of Death and one of the top leaders of his empire.
In other media
Films
- In X-Men: First Class, the character appeared in a supporting villain role where he was portrayed by actor Jason Flemyng.
- In X-Men: Days of Future's Past, the character did not return in the sequel movie but was referenced. It was revealed that he was among the Mutants killed and experimented on by Bolivar Trask.
Video games
- In X-Men: Battle of the Atom, Azazel appeared on a card in the iOS video card game.
Appearances
- Uncanny X-Men v1: #428 (2003)
- Wolverine and the X-Men v1:
- Amazing X-Men v2:
- Weapon X v3:
External Links
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