Pax Dei (DC)
The Pax Dei are a group that features in DC Comics.
Contents |
History
The Pax Dei was an army of angelic beings that were native to a higher order of reality when compared to Earth. Its greater nature meant that the lights of heaven burnt out the cornea's of mortals and its music would puncture eardrums as well as lead to those that heard it insane. Even the air of heaven itself would burst lungs and boil the blood which was why only spirits could survive its touch. (JLA v1 #6) At the beginning of creation, there was the Presence a powerful almighty being that was also known as God and ruled the kingdom of heaven. To serve the Presence was the angels of the Pax Dei who lived in the ethereal realm of Paradise where not only angelic beings resided by many souls of different hosts. During the earliest point of existence, the greatest of the angels was Lucifer Morningstar who ultimately fell from grace when he staged a rebellion against Paradise. His forces were in the end defeated by the loyal ranks of the army of Heaven namely the Pax Dei. These fallen angels were later stripped of their magnificence and cast out into Hell as punishment for their crimes.
The King-Angel Asmodel was secretly conspiring with the demon Neron to supplant the Presence. His plan was discovered by a guardian angel called Zauriel who had fallen in love with his female charge. Thus, he decided to leave the ranks of the Pax Dei and requested mortality. This saw bull angels pursuing him to Earth where they intended to eliminate him to stop him from revealing Asmodel's plans. However, they faced opposition from the Justice League of America which saw Asmodel descend onto Earth to personally eliminate the threat. (JLA v1 #6)
In the aftermath, the Bull host of the Pax Dei sought to redeem themselves after the actions of Asmodel. Following that point, Cronus of the Titans of Myth managed to attain great power where he and his children succeeded in defeating Olympus. After defeating the Hindu pantheon, he turned his attention to heaven and stormed its gates where he battled as well as overwhelmed the angels of the Pax Dei. They were almost defeated whilst Cronus sought to ascend the celestial staircase in order to control he Presence itself. However, the arrival of Wonder Woman with the Greek and Hindu gods managed to turn the tide leading to Cronus's defeat. (Wonder Woman v2 #150)
The angel Malachy was once dispatched to assign a mission on behalf of the Presence to Zauriel, namely to travel to the planet Alstair where the tyrant Queen Hyathis faced a rebellion from Okoentis and her fungoids. Okoentis at thsi time was in possession of the mystical artifact known as the Helmet of Nabu. Its power meant that the Presence commanded that Hyathis remain in power and was one of the few times that heaven intervened directly in mortal affairs even though it sought to ensure that democracies arose in the cosmos. Managing to attack Okoentis herself, Zauriel succeeded in removing the Helmet from her and throwing it back into an interdimensional rift where it would continue its journey across dimensions. This left Queen Hyathis still in power and Okoentis herself was seemingly destroyed by Zauriel's fiery blade. (Helmet of Fate: Zauriel)
During the Final Crisis, the army of God consisting of the vengeful angels of the Pax Dei arrived alongside other armies of superheroes of the Multiverse in order to defeat the vampiric Dark Monitor Mandrakk. (Final Crisis v1 #7)
Overview
The purpose of the Pax Dei was to maintain the peace of God and consist entirely of angels. There were four orders within the ranks of the Pax Dei which were: Eagle, Bull, Lion and Man. The command over these fell to the Lord of Hosts and special permission was required for an angel to leave their ranks. Ultimate rule over the Pax Dei was to the Presence itsel who was known as Him Who Is or as the Most High. (Helmet of Fate: Zauriel) High ranking angels were referred to as lords with the leaders of the different hosts being called King Angels. (Wonder Woman v2 #150) The order of the angels consisted of thrones, powers and dominions. Their armies consisted of various hosts that included the Bull and Eagle Hosts. (JLA v1 #6) One rank within the armies of the Pax Dei included the one of guardian angel. (JLA v1 #6)
They referred to the world as the "Book" and threatened to erase their enemies from it. In the mortal realm, they attuned their bodies to the vibrational level of the plane of the Book. By tuning to a higher key momentarily, they were able to repair any damage done to their substance thus returning unhurt. A trick used by the Eagle host allowed them to release a sonic cry from their mouths that disrupted the frequency of angelic vibrations though the art took years to restabilise. (JLA v1 #6) Angelic beings experienced time in a completely different sense compared to mortal beings as large periods of time were mere moments to members of the Pax Dei whereas years may have passed in the mortal world. (Helmet of Fate: Zauriel) They were able to quit service to the Presence and request mortality. (JLA v1 #6)
Their armies included the alpha battalions of the Man and Bull hosts. (Wonder Woman v2 #150)
The world of the angels had more of everything when compared to the mortal realm and included large vessels known as Chariots. (JLA v1 #6) The Pax Dei members had access to these advanced magical technology of heaven itself such as Chariots. One such example of these flying constructs was Ezekial EL-777 that was a trans-continuum chariot that were intelligent and able to speak to their angel operators by way of telepathic interface. Such constructs allowed angels to travel to distant mortal worlds and dimensions with their vessels being able to brief them on their objectives. (Helmet of Fate: Zauriel)
Ordinarily, the members of the Pax Dei were content to ensure that democracies prospered within the lands of flesh though this was not the case in heaven itself. (Helmet of Fate: Zauriel) They believed themselves to be quite adept at atoning for their sins. (Wonder Woman v2 #150)
Members
- Asmodel : a male King-Angel of the Cherubim Alpha Battalion who conspired to replace the Presence. (JLA v1 #6)
- Echielias : a male angel recruit who was dispatched to kill Cronus only to be killed by the Titan at the gates of heaven. (Wonder Woman v2 #150)
- Heraphon : a male lord who was present during Cronus's ascent into heaven. (Wonder Woman v2 #150)
- Rrall : a male lion lord who was present during Cronus's ascent into heaven. (Wonder Woman v2 #150)
- Traumiel : a male bull angel who was a lieutenant of Asmodel and pursued Zauriel to Earth. (JLA v1 #6)
- Zauriel : a male guardian angel of the eagle host that learnt of Asmodel's rebellion and went to Earth to meet the Justice League. (JLA v1 #6)
Notes
- The term Pax Dei means Peace and Truce of God when translated from Latin and in reality is the name attributed to a medieval European movement of the Catholic Church.
In media
Video games
- Though not named as such, DC Universe Online has a heavenly faction referred to as the Kingdom of Heaven consisting of angelic characters with both the Spectre and Eclipso amongst its ranks.
Appearances
- JLA v1 #6: "Fire in the Sky" (1997)
- Helmet of Fate: Zauriel v1 #1:
- Wonder Woman v2 #150:
- Final Crisis v1 #1:
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