Belasco (Marvel)
Belasco is a male comic supervillain who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Belasco
Seven centuries ago, he practiced alchemy and the black arts in Italy where he was able to summon the Elder Gods who were demonic entities from a parallel universe whose chief desire was to invade and rule the Earth. He came to struck a bargain with them where he would help aid them in permanently entering the earthly plane by completing an unfinished pentagonal arrangement of stones where in exchange they granted him extraordinary powers along with immortality. This also resulted in his once human form being changed to match their own as he had the privilege of becoming the father to a new demonic race that would populate the Earth and that he would need a bride for this dark future. (Ka-Zar the Savage v1 #12)
Despite being frozen, this proved to be a temporary inconvenience for him as when the volcano became active it led to Belasco being thawed out and freed from his imprisonment. (Ka-Zar the Savage v1 #12)
Ka-Zar
Over the course of their search, the group was separated. By the time Ka-Zar found Belasco in his inner sanctum, he discovered that his companions had already fallen to Belasco’s influence. Shanna who was Ka-Zar’s lover had been declared by Belasco to be the perfect reincarnation of his Beatrice. Unlike Beatrice, he declared, she was not fragile and weak and would be able to withstand the rigors of childbirth. After becoming his bride, she would give birth to a new generation of demons. On the cusp of victory after so many centuries and having Ka-Zar and his lover so easily in his power, Belasco could not resist to explain his actions. Confirming the logbook of Dante Alighieri, Belasco admitted to being a sorcerer from ancient Florence and his pact with the Elder Gods. It was they who had directed him to the Savage Land, which, they told him, would be the perfect location upon which to carry out the spell. The spell itself would be centered around a chained locket, which would have an incomplete pentagram inside, with bloodstones at each star’s point. Fearful of betrayal from his gods, Belasco kept the final bloodstone until their part of the pact was completed. As stated in the logbook, Belasco’s triumph had been interrupted by the arrival of Dante. Rather than fight, Belasco had looked for the locket so that he may have completed the spell and win by default. Unfortunately, he learned too late that they had lost it during their descent into the caves and was forced to resort to fighting by sword instead of spell. Equally unfortunately, Belasco had been frozen by the freezing liquid for centuries. Had it not been for recent volcanic activity, he would still have been frozen. Now freed, he had been searching for weeks for the locket. How fortunate for him, he now declared, that Ka-Zar and Shanna had discovered the missing locket during their descent. Now the spell could be complete. (Ka-Zar the Savage v1 #12)
Rather than kill Ka-Zar, however, Belasco made the mistake of imprisoning him for a later death. Belasco’s mistake was further compounded when another of Ka-Zar’s companions, the Atlantean android, Dherk, managed to free Ka-Zar from his icy chamber, even though he had been dismembered and nearby destroyed under Belasco’s control. With the help of other dwellers of the caverns, all enemies of the dark sorcerer, Ka-Zar managed to arrive at Belasco’s unholy ceremony, just as he was completing the spell. Once again on the cusp of success, victory was stolen from Belasco when another companion of Ka-Zar, a winged Aerian named Buth, whom Belasco had already believed dead, returned with an army of his people and attacked. During the ensuing chaos, Ka-Zar made his way through Belasco’s armies of harpies and grabbed the ancient locket before the spell was complete. Making haste of the moment, Ka-Zar tossed the locket into the fires of the volcano, destroying it and the bloodstones it contained. Having failed once again, Belasco could only look up in vain at the tear of reality he had created, which was quickly closing. The glare of the Elder Gods beamed their hatred and accusations of failure into his black heart. Having longed for so long to be with these beings whom he worshipped, Belasco plead with them to take him with them. Not tolerant of failure, the Elder Gods had other plans and cast Belasco into the fires of the volcano, who screamed in pain the whole way down. With the dark sorcerer gone, his demonic creations ceased to exist, seemingly ending his threat forever. The crisis passed, Ka-Zar and his companions returned to the surface and their exploration of the Savage Land. (Ka-Zar the Savage v1 #12)
Magik
However, he instead was trapped in Limbo, where he spent his years conquering it. Once complete, he drew the X-Men to him with the intent to use Kitty & Illyana as means for his freedom of limbo and his Elder Gods' access to Earth. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #160)
(Magik I#1) - After Belasco transported Illyana away to an altar, Storm-8280 followed them. Belasco noted that he had been expecting her and that it was time, at long last, for her to return to her rightful place by his side. Storm-616 offered to give herself to Belasco if he would release Illyana, but he refused, telling her he would soon have them both. When he bragged of using Illyana to restore the N'Garai to conquer Earth and eventually the universe, Storm fired a mystic blast to stop him, but he countered her blast and then -- with Storm helpless to stop him -- formed a bloodstone from Illyana's soul and placed it as the first one into his pentagram locket. He then fired a mystic blast that dropped Storm, but as he taunted her that he could just let nature finish off his aged foe, Cat-8280 struck his face with a throwing star. Cat told him that while he didn't age he could still die, and when he fired a mystic blast at her, she dispersed it with her sword's cold steel; however, when she attacked Belasco with her sword, he teleported away, telling her they would meet again.
Storm transported Cat and Illyana to her sanctum, after which she tried and failed to magically break Belasco's mystic hold on Illyana. During a mystic training session, a year passed for Illyana, making her 7 years old. Eventually Cat, not trusting Storm's sorcery, stunned her and convinced Illyana to join her in finding a means to go home. Mystically observing this, Belasco mused that Cat's efforts to bring Illyana back to those who loved her would ultimately lead to his victory and the destruction of humanity. (Magik v1 #1) After training Illyana in combat and fitness en route, Cat brought Illyana to Belasco's citadel where Cat slew Nightcrawler-8280. Cat then tried to phase through the interdimensional walls and bring Illyana back to Earth. Belasco allowed Cat to proceed and made it appear that she had been successful, only to then appear on the other side of the portal and pull Illyana through into his hand, and to pull Cat and Illyana back into his realm. He taunted Illyana with how he had seen a momentary surge of joy when she realized it was him and not the X-Men; he told her that her heart knew its true allegiance even if her head denied him. Illyana denied this, and Belasco silenced S'ym's argument about what happened to those who opposed Belasco, asking him not to frighten the youngling. Noting that Nightcrawler had been an adequate servant despite his limitations, he then mesmerized Cat, forcing her to surrender her sword, and then transformed Cat even further into a quadruped, tailed-feline form to serve as Nigthcrawler's replacement. He enjoyed mocking her will-less form as she rubbed against his leg and purred. Next, Belasco instructed Illyana to cut her own wrist and use the blood to form the second of five bloodstones. Afterward, he prepared to show her her apartments, noting she would begin her apprenticeship in the morning. When Illyana asked if she couldn't please go home, he told her she already was home and would be at his side now and forever. Observing this via her mystic crystal, Storm-8280 vowed that she must destroy Illyana and Cat to save Earth. (Magik v1 #2) Belasco enjoyed tormenting Cat whilst he also trained Illyana in the art of magic. Around this time, Illyana came to find herself punished by S'ym where she swore she would die before she would ever allow that to happen again. (Magik v1 #3)
Limbo
Overview
Personality and attributes
His once human features were forever changed by the Elder Gods to match their own features where he gained horns and a tail. (Ka-Zar the Savage v1 #12)
He was set to become the father of a new demonic race that would populate and rule the Earth where he sought a bride for this goal. (Ka-Zar the Savage v1 #12)
At one point, he came to regard Shanna to be the perfect reincarnation of his beloved Beatrice. The original Beatrice was said to be frail and weak with her incapable of handling the strain of childbirth with Belasco considering Shanna more fit for the task. (Ka-Zar the Savage v1 #12)
In fact, Belasco had fallen in love with Illyana. (New X-Men v2 #41)
Powers and abilities
Originally, Belasco was a mere mortal but one who had studied alchemy and black magic allowing him to make contact with the Elder Gods. They were responsible for empowering him with their might and gifting him with immortality in exchange for him aiding in their arrival on Earth. (Ka-Zar the Savage v1 #12)
Notes
- Belasco was created by Bruce Jones and Brent Anderson where he made his first appearance in Ka-Zar the Savage v1 #11 (February, 1982).
Alternate Versions
Appearances
- Ka-Zar the Savage v1: (1982)
- Uncanny X-Men v1:
External Links
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