| Blaze and Satanus | |
|---|---|
 Blaze and Satanus as seen on the cover ofDC Universe Special: Reign in Hell #1 (August 2008). Art byRyan Sook. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Blaze Action Comics #655 (July 1990) Satanus The Adventures of Superman #493 (August 1992) |
| Created by | Blaze Roger Stern (writer) Brett Breeding (artist) Satanus Brett Breeding |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Blaze & Satanus |
| Species | Demonic hybrids(hellhound/god) |
| Place of origin | Hell |
| Team affiliations | Satanic Triumvirate |
| Partnerships | Black Adam |
| Notable aliases | Blaze Angelica Blaze the Night Eagle Satanus Collin Thornton |
| Abilities |
|
Blaze andSatanus are twinfictional demonic siblings appearing inAmerican comic books published byDC Comics. Blaze debuted inAction Comics #655 (July 1990), created byRoger Stern andBrett Breeding and first pencilled byBob McLeod.[1] Later, Satanus was created byBrett Breeding and debuted inThe Adventures of Superman #493 (August 1992) byJerry Ordway andTom Grummett. The twin duo originally starred asSuperman villains associated with the supernatural but were later revealed to be the children of theWizard Shazam, Blaze respectively depicted as a powerful enemy of theMarvel Family.
The twin demons, Blaze and Satanus, were conceived from theWizard 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 inHell and bore an enmity against their father although Blaze loathed him and desired revenge for seemingly abandoning them.[2][3] 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.[4][5]
Blaze meddled in her father's affair throughout the centuries; In the19th Dynasty of Egypt (1295 - 1186BC), she was responsible for seducingBlack 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 aFawcett City's unnamed, female crime lord when he was in the process of selecting a new champion, having first resurrectedIbis the Invincible from his slumber to combat theupcoming tyranny but grew attached to the city and inhabitants, including C.C Batson.[3]
Later in her life, Blaze is involved in the creation ofSuperman's enemies theSilver Banshee andSkyhook. She disguises herself asMetropolis nightclub ownerAngelica Blaze to steal souls. In one altercation, Superman follows her toHell to fight for the souls ofJimmy Olsen andPerry White's son Jerry (who, in fact, was the son of Perry's wife Alice andLex Luthor). Superman manages to save Jimmy Olsen, but Blaze succeeds in killing Jerry White, whose selfless sacrifice saves his soul.[6]
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 asCollin Thornton, the publisher ofNewstime magazine, who had previously hired Clark Kent as editor.[7] At one point, Blaze also clashed withJared Stevens.[8]
In thePowers 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 ofBilly 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 theRock of Eternity. She teams up withBlack 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.
During theUnderworld Unleashed event, Blaze and Satanus gain increased power from the demonNeron in exchange for their souls.[9]
Satanus reveals to Superman that he is Collin Thornton when theSpectre arrives in Metropolis as part of his mission to destroy all evil magic during theDay of Vengeance miniseries as part ofAlexander Luthor Jr.'s plot.[10]
Blaze and Satanus are major characters in theReign in Hell miniseries. In this story, they have become the rulers ofPurgatory 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.[11]
Blaze contactsMary Marvel, offering to restore her lost powers in exchange for killingFreddy 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 manipulatingOsiris.[12]
Satanus sends theJustice League to Hell, where the League thwarts Satanus' plans to obtainDante's mask. Satanus attempts to use the mask to become all-powerful, but is prevented byPlastic Man. The mask possesses him before the League destroys it and escapes from Hell.[13]
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. InSupergirl: Red Daughter of Krypton, Blaze is imprisoned by Shay Veritas before being freed.[14]
The children of theWizard Shazam, both siblings are recognized as major demons with significant mystic power, holding high-ranking positions in the infernal hierarchy within DC Comics' version ofHell[15][16][4] although alongsideNeron, Blaze is often depicted as the ruler of hell in mainstream comics, having ascended to the position in two instances.[11]
A powerful majordemoness, the character's prowess in several stories has remarked her to possess comparable prowess compared to both aCzarnian and aKryptonian and rivals the demigodHercules in strength.[12][14] Blaze is portrayed as more villainous than her brother, hostile to her father, and dismissive to her fellow demon lords.[17][3] 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.[12][7]
A major demon, he is characterized as a deceitful, hateful, and ambitious who seemingly always has an agenda.[15] 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.[11][5] He is similarly motivated in attaining a higher status although he also enjoys using his persona as amedia proprietor to inflict pain onto others.[15]
As twin siblings, the pair possess a connection that allows them to share power with one another in given circumstances to bolster one another.[11]
Blaze's demonic heritage grants her superhuman physical abilities such superhuman durability, demonic sorcery, heightened senses, and shapeshifting.[16] Her magical powers grants her a host of powers such as transmutation, invisibility, and spatial manipulation,[14] and wish granting.[16] In her human persona, she is also a successful night club owner in Metropolis and the chief crime lord in Fawcett City.[16][3] 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.[4]
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.[5] 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.[11] 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.[18]
Alternate universe variants of Blaze and Satanus created by Lex Luthor appear inSuperman: Red Son.[19]
Blaze and Satanus appear as character summons inScribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.[20]
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