Michael Lane (DC)
Michael Lane is a male comic character who features in DC Comics.
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Biography
Michael Washington Lane was a male human who was born as the son of Mitchell Douglas Lane and Barbara Lane in Gotham City where he had two older siblings named Marion Lane and Gwendolyn Lane. (Azrael: Death's Dark Knight v1 #1)
Twenty years ago, he lived in Gotham City where he often looked to spend time with his older brother Marion. This often got him into trouble as Marion would be involved with gangs. (Azrael v2 #2) One such incident involved the gang targeting a falafel shop of an immigrant family that moved into the neighbourhood. Marion believed that they did not belong amongst their kind in the area and he along with the gang damaged the shop to send a message to the owners. (Azrael v2 #5)
Several years ago, he was part of a school group that visited the Gotham City Museum of Natural History. (Azrael v2 #8)
Whilst growing up, he came to develop a crush on Jenny Warren who was 2 years older than him. However, his brother Marion set his sights on the girl despite being 10 years older than her. (Azrael v2 #4)
He graduated from East End High School where he received a scholarship to G.U. and was a linebacker for the Nighthawks. During his sophomore year, he had his scholarship revoked after he had beaten a coach unconscious. (Azrael: Death's Dark Knight v1 #1)
Lane was noted for having enlisted in the United States Marines. During this time, he came to marry Chante Coles with her having his son who was named Henry Lane. Michael was said to had served two tours in Iraq with the first marines. (Azrael: Death's Dark Knight v1 #1)
After returning to Gotham, he came to join the Gotham City Police Department and became a uniformed patrolman where his patrol was his old neighbourhood in the east end. (Azrael: Death's Dark Knight v1 #1)
Several months later, his son at the age of three died when he got hit by a car. This eventually culminated in his wife committing suicide two years later. (Azrael: Death's Dark Knight v1 #1)
Later, his family came to be slaughtered by Satanists leading him to be pensioned off and forgotten. He came to join a secret GCPD and military initiative that would train select officers to replace Batman if anything were to happen to the vigilante. Doctor Simon Hurt oversaw the project who determined trauma to be crucial in the creation of the Batman. The recent events in Lane's life thus made him a candidate for the program but the project was abandoned when James Gordon was reinstated as Commissioner. Despite that, the programming instilled within the three Batman candidates was deeply set and began to cause intense psychological issues for the subjects. (Batman v1 #674)
Dr. Hurt and the Black Glove nearly broke Batman’s mind and forced him into a confrontation at Arkham Asylum. With the help of Nightwing Batman was able to defeat the villains. Hurt prepared to takeoff in a helicopter piloted by Bat-Devil, and claimed to be Thomas Wayne. Batman didn’t believe him, and Hurt said he’d staged photos that would paint his parents and Alfred as criminals and degenerates, threatening to release them unless Batman agreed to serve the Black Glove. Batman refused and jumped on the helicopter. Bat-Devil couldn’t control the flight and the helicopter plummeted into Gotham Harbor, exploding in a burst of flames. Nightwing dredged up Batman’s uniform, and Talia al Ghul, who came to Gotham as soon as she learned Batman was in trouble, promised to avenge the father of her child. In the coming months several members of the Black Glove turned up dead. (Batman v1 #681)
The deaths of his siblings broke Michael Lane leading to his dismissal from the GCPD with a full pension. (Azrael: Death's Dark Knight v1 #1)
The Order had Azrael investigate attacks on the Marlowe Mission, and Azrael assaulted a GCPD police precinct to interview nuns from the mission and learned that an assassin was killing people complicit in protecting Father Walter Jankowski, who'd abused the assassin's clients when they were alter boys. Michael Lane sought Jenny's advice, but she wanted to talk about where their new relationship was headed. She eventually let it go for the time being, and when Michael asked her if it was okay to do bad things for a good reason she told him god always sorted it out. Azrael met the killer at Gotham's airport, and let him leave for Dublin because they were both dealing out righteous vengeance. (Azrael v2 #1) The Order had Adrian teach Azrael about their history. Azrael asked him where the helm of the Suit of Sorrows was, and Adrian only knew that it had been lost to the Order. Adrian told him overseas members of the Order were starting to accept him as the new Azrael. Azrael faced the White Ghost, who made him undergo a test of character to see if he was worthy of serving Ra's a Ghul A man and a woman were tied up and hanging from two Gotham buildings, with a flame burning through their rope. The woman had cheated on her minister husband, and the man fled for Beirut after being accused of an act of terrorism. Azrael told White Ghost he'd let him make the call, because if he served a higher power he wouldn't allow an innocent to die. White Ghost saved the man, allowing Azrael to save the woman, who he told to beg for her husband's forgiveness. The Ghost departed and Azrael warned him that false prophets would die. (Azrael v2 #2)
Azrael confronted Israeli special forces who were risking an international incident in Gotham to apprehend Youssif Moussad, whose brother had planted a bomb in a day care center in Tel Aviv. Azrael returned home to ponder the issue, and talked with Jenny, telling her she was not responsible for the death of her husband. She looked at the Suit of Sorrows, and asked if he worked for the Order for the money, but he admitted that he enjoyed enacting vengeance because it was all he knew. Azrael went to Yousiff's apartment and confronted Ragman, who was also interested in Youssif. The dead in Ragman's suit saw lies that blinded Azrael, and forced him to confront the fact that his faith was based on anger, making him empty inside. Azrael was in despair, but still wanted to know if he should kill Youssif, who knew where his brother was hiding. Ragman warned him about blind zealotry, which had led them to this mess in the first place. (Azrael v2 #5) Michael went through the history books of the Order of Purity, and became convinced it held secret messages, so he applied the codebreaking skills he learned in the military to the tomes. He found that every Azrael of the Order of Purity went mad and died, often at the hands of the Order. He determined that the Order were his enemies and out to kill him. (Azrael v2 #6)
Overview
Personality and attributes
He was noted to had been 27 years old by the time he became the new Azrael. (Azrael: Death's Dark Knight v1 #1)
His older brother would say that anything Michael had wanted that Marion could have it. (Azrael v2 #4)
Michael came to marry Chante Coles where the couple had a son named Henry Lane. (Azrael: Death's Dark Knight v1 #1)
When he was a young boy, he came to develop a crush on Jenny Warren who was a girl from the neighbourhood that was 2 years older than him. (Azrael v2 #4)
Powers and abilities
He underwent a special police and military training program to take Batman's place if ever the Dark Knight was killed. (Batman v1 #674)
Notes
- Michael Lane was created by Grant Morrison and Tony S. Daniel where he made his first appearance in Batman v1 #665 (June, 2007).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Video games
- In the Arkham universe, Michael Lane made a number of appearances in the shared continuity setting.
- In Batman: Arkham City, the Michael Lane Azrael appeared in the video game where he was voiced by actor Khary Payton. He was the focus character in the "Watcher in the Wings" side mission. After certain events in the game's main storyline, he can be seen on the rooftops of various buildings in Arkham City, watching over Batman. When approached, Azrael will disappear in a cloud of smoke, leaving a symbol for Batman to scan. After scanning all the symbols and combining them to reveal a location, Batman meets Azrael, who tells him about the Order of St. Dumas and warns him of their prophecy of future events and the Dark Knight's end. Though Batman doubts this, Azrael tells him that, regardless of his belief, there are parts of it that are becoming true and they will meet again, before disappearing into a cloud of smoke.
- In Batman: Arkham Knight, the Michael Lane Azrael returned in the video game where he was voiced by actor Khary Payton.
Appearances
- Batman v1: (2007)
- Azrael: Death's Dark Knight v1:
- Azrael v2:
External Links
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