Blaze and Satanus
| Character Name | Blaze and Satanus |
| Image |  |
| Converted | y |
| Caption | Blaze and Satanus as seen on the cover of DC Universe Special: Reign in Hell #1 (August 2008). Art by Ryan Sook. |
| Real Name | Blaze & Satanus |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Debut | Blaze Action Comics #655 (July 1990) Satanus The Adventures of Superman #493 (August 1992) |
| Creators | Blaze Roger Stern (writer) Brett Breeding (artist) Satanus Brett Breeding |
| Species | Demonic hybrids (hellhound/god) |
| Homeworld | Hell |
| Alliances | Satanic Triumvirate |
| Partners | Black Adam |
| Aliases | Blaze Angelica Blaze the Night Eagle Satanus Collin Thornton |
| Powers | * Demonic hybrid physiology grants both of them degrees of superhuman strength, agility, etc. * Both are capable of vastly-high levels of demonic sorcery for a variety of feats including: altering appearances, warp reality, size manipulation, control over souls, command legions of demons, and hell-fire manipulations. Virtually all-powerful in their respective netherworld. |
| Cat | super |
| Subcat | DC Comics |
| Villain | y |
| Sortkey | Blaze and Satanus |
Blaze and Satanus are twin fictional demonic siblings appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Blaze debuted in Action Comics #655 (July 1990), created by Roger Stern and Brett Breeding and first pencilled by Bob McLeod. Later, Satanus was created by Brett Breeding and debuted in The Adventures of Superman #493 (August 1992) by Jerry Ordway and Tom Grummett. The twin duo originally starred as Superman villains associated with the supernatural but were later revealed to be the children of the Wizard Shazam, Blaze respectively depicted as a powerful enemy of the Marvel Family.
Fictional character biographies
Origin and background
The twin demons, Blaze and Satanus, were conceived from the Wizard Shazam and an unidentified hellhound who assumed a human form to seduce him. Shortly after their birth, she revealed her nature to him before being banished by his gods, displeased their champion was a victim to lust. While Shazam learned the lesson of resisting carnal temptations, the pair were raised in Hell and bore an enmity against their father although Blaze loathed him and desired revenge for seemingly abandoning them. The pair were also the half-siblings of the Three Faces of Evil (individually known as Sin, Terror, and Wickedness), whom is considered the Wizard Shazam's most fiercest foe in his lifetime. The pair once battled for the Nether World, a dimension in hell. While Satanus originally ruled it, he was later deposed by Blaze, who would claim it for herself.
Blaze meddled in her father's affair throughout the centuries; In the 19th Dynasty of Egypt (1295 - 1186BC), she was responsible for seducing Black Adam in a human guise to distance him from his mentor and the reason Adam's connection to the gods were given to the Egyptian pantheon instead of Shazam's allies. In the 1940s, she posed as a Fawcett City's unnamed, female crime lord when he was in the process of selecting a new champion, having first resurrected Ibis the Invincible from his slumber to combat the upcoming tyranny but grew attached to the city and inhabitants, including C.C Batson.
Conflicts with Superman and other heroes
Art by Jerry Ordway.
Later in her life, Blaze is involved in the creation of Superman's enemies the Silver Banshee and Skyhook. She disguises herself as Metropolis nightclub owner Angelica Blaze to steal souls. In one altercation, Superman follows her to Hell to fight for the souls of Jimmy Olsen and Perry White's son Jerry (who, in fact, was the son of Perry's wife Alice and Lex Luthor). Superman manages to save Jimmy Olsen, but Blaze succeeds in killing Jerry White, whose selfless sacrifice saves his soul.
Conversely, Satanus resembles a traditional demon, with large horns and dark red skin. He wears a heavy Roman-style helmet which buries his face in shadow. Blaze and Satanus fight each other for possession of Blaze's domain, using Superman as a pawn. Satanus has an Earthly identity and disguises himself as Collin Thornton, the publisher of Newstime magazine, who had previously hired Clark Kent as editor. At one point, Blaze also clashed with Jared Stevens.
In the Powers of Shazam!, Blaze appears as the main antagonist in the first few arcs of the book, being responsible for the creation of Sinclair Batson, the rich cousin of Billy Batson who vehemently denies relations, through the wishes of his corrupt uncle, Ebeneezer Batson. She also plots to exact her revenge on her father as well as release the ultimate evil entity dwelling within the Rock of Eternity. She teams up with Black Adam but is foiled by the combined might of Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, and many of his allies in the process. Satanus also appears as an ally to foil his sister although he later returns to rescue her from certain doom.
''Underworld Unleashed''
Underworld Unleashed
During the Underworld Unleashed event, Blaze and Satanus gain increased power from the demon Neron in exchange for their souls.
''Day of Vengeance''
Day of Vengeance
Satanus reveals to Superman that he is Collin Thornton when the Spectre arrives in Metropolis as part of his mission to destroy all evil magic during the Day of Vengeance miniseries as part of Alexander Luthor Jr.'s plot.
''Reign in Hell'' and afterward
Reign in Hell (comics)
Blaze and Satanus are major characters in the Reign in Hell miniseries. In this story, they have become the rulers of Purgatory and lead a rebellion against Hell by offering hope to the hopeless. They are opposed by Neron, other demons, and the magical superheroes of the DC Universe.
Blaze contacts Mary Marvel, offering to restore her lost powers in exchange for killing Freddy Freeman so that she can have his powers. Mary appears to go along with it, seemingly poisoning Freddy; however, when Blaze arrives, Freddy gets up and fights her, eventually impaling her on an iron statue and using his lightning to send her back to Hell. Now, Blaze seems to be interested in manipulating Osiris.
Satanus sends the Justice League to Hell, where the League thwarts Satanus' plans to obtain Dante's mask. Satanus attempts to use the mask to become all-powerful, but is prevented by Plastic Man. The mask possesses him before the League destroys it and escapes from Hell.
''The New 52''
In 2011, "The New 52" rebooted the DC universe. Blaze and Satanus are reimagined as the overlords of the Dark Realm and unrelated to Shazam. In Supergirl: Red Daughter of Krypton, Blaze is imprisoned by Shay Veritas before being freed.
Characterizations
The children of the Wizard Shazam, both siblings are recognized as major demons with significant mystic power, holding high-ranking positions in the infernal hierarchy within DC Comics' version of Hell although alongside Neron, Blaze is often depicted as the ruler of hell in mainstream comics, having ascended to the position in two instances.
Blaze's characterization
A powerful major demoness, the character's prowess in several stories has remarked her to possess comparable prowess compared to both a Czarnian and a Kryptonian and rivals the demigod Hercules in strength. Blaze is portrayed as more villainous than her brother, hostile to her father, and dismissive to her fellow demon lords. Her primary motivation is depicted to be a combination of attain higher status in hell and usurping her father's power, believing it her birthright and others were chosen over her due to her demonic heritage.
Satanus's characterization
A major demon, he is characterized as a deceitful, hateful, and ambitious who seemingly always has an agenda. Stories also depicts him as being on more fairer terms with his father and harbors a genuine familial love and care for Blaze despite her penchant for betraying him and the pair's rivalry. He is similarly motivated in attaining a higher status although he also enjoys using his persona as a media proprietor to inflict pain onto others.
Powers and abilities
As twin siblings, the pair possess a connection that allows them to share power with one another in given circumstances to bolster one another.
Blaze's powers and abilities
Blaze's demonic heritage grants her superhuman physical abilities such superhuman durability, demonic sorcery, heightened senses, and shapeshifting. Her magical powers grants her a host of powers such as transmutation, invisibility, and spatial manipulation, and wish granting. In her human persona, she is also a successful night club owner in Metropolis and the chief crime lord in Fawcett City. Within her personal realm (prior to her ascension as Queen of Hell), the Nether Realm, her power is nearly limitless, allowing her to animate rock, control fire and lava, manipulate souls, traverse dimensions, and alter her size and appearance. Those who fall under her demonic influence become her servants.
Satanus's powers and abilities
Satanus's demonic heritage grants him demonic sorcery and a diverse range of magical abilities, including illusion creation, shape-shifting, manipulation of eldritch energies, dimensional travel, and the ability to alter his size and appearance at will. He is occasionally seen wielding a gnawed, forked staff capable of emitting blasts of mystical hellfire. Unlike his sister, he retains a fraction of his father's powers, allowing him to invoke the word of power ("Shazam!") for supernatural effects; he used this to de-power Neron into a weakened state and render his collection of souls and deals over the millennia null. Following the New 52, Satanus's powers are altered. He possesses supernatural physical prowess derived from his demonic nature and has abilities such as dimensional travel, reality alteration, and flight.
Other versions
Alternate universe variants of Blaze and Satanus created by Lex Luthor appear in Superman: Red Son.
In other media
Blaze and Satanus appear as character summons in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.
See also
References
- Erickson, Hal, Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003, 2005, McFarland & Co, 2nd, 231
- Greenberger, Robert, The Essential Superman Encyclopedia, Pasko, Martin, 2010, Del Rey
- Ordway, Jerry, The Power of Shazam! Book 1: In the Beginning, 2020-08-18, National Geographic Books, en
- Who's Who in the DC Universe #4, DC Comics, 1990
- Who's Who in the DC Universe Update 1993, DC Comics, 1993
- Red Daughter of Krypton, 2015, Tony Bedard, Robert Venditti, Charles Soule, Frank J. Barbiere, Yildiray C̦inar, Ben Caldwell, Alessandro Vitti, Emanuela Lupacchino, Billy Tan, Ray McCarthy, Rob Hunter, Dan Brown, Alex Sinclair, Gabe Eltaeb, Ben Caldwell, Rob Leigh, Dave Sharpe, Taylor Esposito, Kenneth Rocafort, Hi-Fi Colour Design, New York, 890080225
- Bulmer, Darren, DC Adventures RPG: Heroes & Villains Volume 2, Chang, Leon, Ciechanowski, Walt, Huff, Chris, Johnson, Seth, Kaiser, Matthew E., Kenson, Steve, McGlothlin, Christopher, Melchor, Alejandro, 2012-05-08, Diamond Comic Distributors, en
- Bulmer, Darren, DC Adventures Heroes & Villains, Volume 1: Allies and Enemies from the DC Universe, Ciechanowski, Walt, Huff, Chris, Johnson, Sean, Kenson, Steve, McFarland, Matthew, 2011-10-25, Diamond Comic Distributors, en
- Who's Who in the DC Universe #11, DC Comics, 1991
- Manning, Matthew K., The DC Comics encyclopedia : the definitive guide to the characters of the DC Universe, 2021, Alan Cowsill, Jim Lee, New, London, 1260845288
- Eisen, Andrew, October 2, 2013, DC Characters and Objects - , Scribblenauts Unmasked, Guide, August 11, 2024, IGN, en
External links
Category:Comics characters introduced in 1992
Category:Comics characters introduced in 1990
Category:Characters created by Roger Stern
Category:DC Comics demons
Category:DC Comics supervillains
Category:DC Comics fantasy characters
Category:DC Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability
Category:DC Comics characters with superhuman strength
Category:DC Comics characters who use magic
Category:DC Comics hybrids
Category:Fictional demons
Category:Fictional human hybrids
Category:Fictional duos
Category:Superman characters
Category:Captain Marvel (DC Comics)
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