| Etrigan the Demon | |
|---|---|
 Etrigan as depicted inAction Comics Weekly #638 (February 1989). Art by Jack Kirby. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | The Demon #1 (September 1972) |
| Created by | Jack Kirby |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Etrigan Jason Blood |
| Species | Demon(Etrigan) Human(Jason Blood) |
| Place of origin | Hell(Etrigan) Camelot(Jason Blood) |
| Team affiliations | Justice League Dark Demon Knights Justice League United Justice League |
| Partnerships | Madame Xanadu |
| Notable aliases | The Demon(Etrigan) Jason Blood, Jason of Norwich(Jason Blood) |
| Abilities |
(Etrigan)
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Etrigan the Demon is asuperhero appearing inAmerican comic books published byDC Comics. Created byJack Kirby, Etrigan is a demon fromHell who, despite his violent tendencies, usually finds himself allied with the forces of good, mainly because of the alliance between the heroic characters of theDC Universe andJason Blood, a human to whom Etrigan is bound. Etrigan is commonly depicted as a muscularhumanoid creature with orange or yellow skin, horns, red eyes, and pointed, webbed ears, who frequently speaks in rhymes. The character was originally based inGotham City, leading to numerous team-ups withBatman.
Since his conception, Etrigan has been adapted into several forms of media outside of comics, including animated series, films, and video games. He is voiced byMichael T. Weiss in theDC Animated Universe,Dee Bradley Baker inBatman: The Brave and the Bold,Patrick Seitz inJustice League Action, andRay Chase in theDC Animated Movie Universe.
Kirby's former assistant,Mark Evanier, said thatCarmine Infantino asked Jack Kirby to create a new monster hero. Kirby or Infantino mentioned a demon, and Kirby from that point worked on creating a demonic character. Evanier said that he was with Kirby and several others during a dinner at a restaurant, and Kirby came up with Etrigan's name, back story, and motivations on the spot. Kirby intended to create the character but pass him off to others to write and draw. However, Infantino convinced him to make the first issue and made the decision final by suspending Kirby's unprofitableFourth World comics series. Kirby then moved full-time to the Etrigan comics.[1]
Etrigan first appeared inThe Demon #1 (September 1972)[2] and was created byJack Kirby.[3] He created him at the behest of DC, who saw it as likely to be more commercially successful than theFourth World and cancelledNew Gods andForever People to facilitate work on the new title.[4] According to Evanier, Kirby had no interest in horror comics, but created Etrigan in response to DC's demand for a horror character. Kirby was annoyed that Etrigan's popularity forced him to abandon the Fourth World titles before he was done with them.[5]
Etrigan returned for a four-issue miniseries in 1987, written and illustrated byMatt Wagner.Alan Grant followed this with an Etrigan feature inAction Comics Weekly #636-641 and a second ongoing title in 1990. The 1990 series lasted 58 issues, twoAnnuals and one #0 issue.Garth Ennis took over the title beginning with issue #40. Ennis' run included the first appearance of his characterHitman. This series was followed by a miniseries,Driven Out. Following this,John Byrne'sBlood of the Demon lasted 17 issues, and ignored much of the continuity that took place after Kirby's initial run.
While his first monthlycomic book series was short-lived, and his second was canceled after five years, Etrigan remains a popular supporting character with occasional additional miniseries.[6] Series in which Etrigan has appeared includeAlan Moore'sSwamp Thing,Neil Gaiman'sThe Sandman,Kevin Smith'sGreen Arrow andBatman: The Widening Gyre, Garth Ennis'sHitman, andCosmic Odyssey byJim Starlin andMike Mignola.
InThe New 52 rebooted continuity, DC Comics launched a new series featuring Etrigan titledDemon Knights, which debuted on September 14, 2011.[7] It was written byPaul Cornell and drawn by Diógenes Neves.[8][9][10]
Etrigan will receive a new ongoing series in March 2026 as part of the "DC Next Level" publishing initiative.[11]
Etrigan, son of the demonBelial, is summoned by thewizardMerlin, his half-brother.[12][13] Unable to gain the creature's secrets, he binds the demon to Jason Blood, an arrogant knight inKing Arthur'sCamelot. This renders Jason immortal, which he alternately considers either a penance or a curse.
In modern times, Jason Blood resurfaces as a prominentdemonologist inGotham City. He is called to the crypt of Merlin and discovers a poem that causes him to switch places with Etrigan (appearing to transform him into Etrigan). To his misfortune, he is followed by the long-livedMorgaine le Fey, who lusts for Merlin's secrets. Over the years, Etrigan both clashes with and occasionally aids Earth's heroes, guided by his own whims and Blood's attempts to use his power for good.
Some time after his first appearance, Etrigan begins speaking in rhyme due to a promotion inHell,[14][15] though he is not limited to rhyme.[16] He leads the forces of Hell in a battle against the Great Evil Beast and is in brief contact with the entity in its questions about its nature - he barely survives the attempt.[17][18] His high rank would also see him guideDream of the Endless from Hell's gates to Lucifer.
Some time after this, Jason Blood and Glenda Mark attempt to separate Blood and Etrigan, an event which leads to Blood's ally, Harry Matthews, being devoured, and later turned into a pillow, by Belial. At the end of these events, Etrigan and Blood are separated.[19] However, both begin to age rapidly without Blood's curse to sustain them. During theCosmic Odyssey event, Blood and Etrigan are reunited.[20]
After the remerging, the relationship between Blood and Etrigan becomes even more contentious. Drawn to Hell by the Archfiend Asteroth, Etrigan stops Asteroth's attempt to sacrifice Glenda Mark, Randu Singh, Merlin and Blood himself (in Hell, Blood and Etrigan were, at the time, separated).[21] Etrigan followed these events by overthrowing the triumvirate of leaders in Hell (Lucifer, Belial and Beezlebub) and taking the symbol of authority in Hell, the Crown of Horns, for himself. Separated from Blood via the Crown's power and about to destroy him, Merlin reminded Blood of hisown power. Jason Blood spoke the incantation and remerged with Etrigan and they were drawn back to Earth.[22] There, he foughtLobo, Klarion the Witch Boy and his gang[23] and was drawn into the Realm Beyond, where he met the Thing-That-Cannot-Die and was reunited with his older brother, Lord Scapegoat.[24]
Upon escape from the Realm Beyond,[25] Etrigan and Blood agree to work together and team withBatman andRobin against the Howler.[26] Soon after, Etrigan was chosen as a political candidate for President of the United States and nearly succeeds in securing the Republican nomination fromGeorge H. W. Bush. During his political run, he attempts to gainSuperman's endorsement, but is denied it.[27]
Blood and Mark later have a daughter named Kathryn. Knowing Etrigan will not tolerate such a distraction, Blood hires hitmanTommy Monaghan to slay the demon. After a battle against both Merlin and Etrigan, the two of them rescue Kathryn and Blood steals Etrigan's heart, essentially neutralizing him and binding him to Jason's will. At the end of the battle, Blood leaves Kathryn with her mother, hoping that she never meets him.[28] Following these events, Etrigan becomes listless and ceases to rhyme. When Monaghan needs an edge against the demon Mawzir, he cons Blood into returning to Gotham and using Etrigan to retrieve the Ace of Winchesters, an anti-demon rifle, from Hell, all while preparing to force Blood to return Etrigan to Earth. Despite the risk of Etrigan killing him in vengeance, Monahgan trades Etrigan his heart for the Ace of Winchesters, once more forcing Blood to have the full burden of their merging and returning Etrigan to his full strength.[29]
When theJustice League vanishes during their attempt to rescueAquaman from the past,Batman's emergency program — designed to assemble a substitute Justice League in the event that the originals were ever killed — selects Jason Blood as the team's magic expert. Batman creates a pre-recorded message assuring Blood that he will not give Etrigan the keys to the Watchtower unless he is certain that he can be controlled. During the subsequent fight withGamemnae, Blood sacrifices himself to freeZatanna from her control, although he later escapes Gamemnae's quagmire spell thanks toMartian Manhunter telepathically prompting his transformation into Etrigan.[30] The crisis resolved, Blood passes his duties as the League's magic expert toManitou Raven before departing.[31]
The seriesBlood of the Demon, plotted and drawn byJohn Byrne and scripted byWill Pfeifer, began in May 2005. Etrigan apparently loses the restrictions imposed upon him by the wizard Merlin which turned him from evil, caused by his "murder" at the exact moment he was transforming from his human self, Jason Blood, into his demon self. The incident resulted in Blood being able to exert some will over Etrigan's violent nature, whereas previously the two remained separate.Blood of the Demon ended with issue #17 in July 2006.
Etrigan later attempts to use the Trident ofLucifer to take control of Hell. A makeshiftShadowpact team successfully takes the Trident from him and flees to the supernaturalOblivion Bar. Etrigan follows and battles the team inside the bar. He is turned into stone via magical pistols and is used as a hat rack. The pistols' magic would return Etrigan to normal at sunrise, which never happens within the bar.[32]
Etrigan takes part in the war for control of Hell on behalf ofNeron, duellingBlue Devil. Later, due to the effects of a magical drugSatanus had infested Hell with, he is transformed into a soulless duplicate of Jason Blood. Blood has taken steps as to interfere with any possible attempts of Etrigan's to re-merge.[33]
Etrigan briefly appears in the prelude to theJLA/JSA crossover during theBrightest Day event. Etrigan travels to Germany to find a crashed meteorite that contains an unconsciousJade and is drawn into a confrontation with the Justice League after attacking a squad of German superheroes. He mocks the League by claiming they are an inferior team of substitutes, but is ultimately defeated whenDonna Troy uses her Lasso of Persuasion to force him back into his Jason Blood form. Blood apologizes for the trouble he caused and departs from the scene, but not before warningBatman and his teammates that the meteorite possesses supernatural qualities. The meteor is later revealed to be the Starheart, a legendary entity that has the power to possessmetahumans with magical or elemental abilities.[34]
Etrigan is shown aiding the JLA during their mission into Hell, where he helpsHawkman defeat a demonic beast.[35] He also was the guide to theSecret Six in their trip to Hell and ledCatman to see the fate of his father, all the while amused by the confusion and pain they were suffering as a result of their visit.
InThe New 52, the 2011 reboot of theDC Comics universe, his past and origins are largely changed. Before the Dark Ages, Etrigan was a Rhyming Demon who served Lucifer before leading a rebellion against him. Jason ofNorwich had been sent to Camelot as a scribe to Merlin and was growing frustrated with life, believing he was meant for greater things and suffering from rages. A prophecy showed that if Jason did not have some sort of quest to force him to heal himself, his rage would grow and cause him to kill his lover,Madame Xanadu. During the fall of Camelot, Merlin bonded Etrigan to Jason in an attempt to provide this quest.[36]
Now immortal, Jason and Etrigan came to an agreement and shared their existence. Madame Xanadu began traveling with Jason, only to find Etrigan had now begun falling for her as well and would slaughter innocents if he thought she and Jason were happy together. To placate the demon, she pretended to be in love with him andcuckolding Jason.[37]
Over the centuries, Jason became known as Jason o' the Blood and Etrigan continued to practice his rhymes. By the Dark Ages, he and Etrigan became the centre of a rag-tag team of adventurers, the "Demon Knights": Jason/Etrigan, Xanadu,Vandal Savage,Shining Knight, the Horsewoman, Saracen inventor Al Jabr (The Numbers in Arabic) and the Amazon Exoristos (The Exile in Greek). They first foughtMordru and the Questing Queen's army to a standstill before being tasked by the city of Alba Sarum to return Merlin to life at Avalon. Etrigan plotted to betray his teammates' souls and Avalon itself to Lucifer to curry his favour.[38] While he successfully manipulated the Knights into letting Hell invade Avalon (and secretly felt guilty about his treatment of Xanadu), he was himself captured and used by the Questing Queen to gain access as well. Lucifer believed Etrigan had done this deliberately and condemned him; outraged, the demon refused to serve anyone again. At the end of the battle, Jason was tasked as a member of Avalon'sStormwatch, but neither he nor Xanadu wanted to serve Merlin after having Etrigan forced on them again. Jason vowed to not let the demon out so often.[39][40][41]
In the present, Etrigan's body lies buried in London; it is explained that he was sealed there by his own friends because of his betrayal of them, but magic emanating from it is able to possess persons above, eventually freeing the demon, who promptly attacksMidnighter andApollo.[42] The entire Stormwatch then battles Etrigan, but after being defeated, he is able to possess a host and flees.[43]
DuringTrinity War, Etrigan is among the superheroes who feel the disturbance in the magical plane whenShazam picks upPandora's box.[44] In the timeline ofThe New 52: Futures End, Zatanna is romantically involved with Etrigan.[45][46]
Jason Blood and Etrigan appear in the 2024 miniseriesBatman/Santa Claus: Silent Knight Returns, where they assist Batman in battling theSilent Knight's forces. The Silent Knight is revealed to be a former friend of Blood who was corrupted after venturing into the Hollow Kingdom and became a conqueror.[47][48][49]
To transform into Etrigan, Blood must recite the poem from Merlin's crypt (though usually he only recites the last two lines). The poem does not have to be spoken for it to work. For instance, in one adventure, Blood is magically transformed into a fly by the warlock Shahn-Zi. Unable to speak, Blood triggers the change by writing out the poem in the dust.[50]
Change! Change! O form of man!
Free the prince forever damned!
Free the might from fleshy mire!
Boil the blood in the heart for fire!
Gone! Gone! O form of man
[And] rise the demon Etrigan!!
To return to human form, a couplet must be recited, either by Etrigan or someone else in his hearing, but there are several versions of it:
Begone, begone, O Etrigan
Resume once more the form of man!
Gone now, O Etrigan
And rise again (orrise once more)the form of man!
In other media such asJustice League Dark, a different poem is used to return Etrigan to human form:
Since the battle's fought and won.
Jason Blood with me is done.
Even among demons, Etrigan is considered to be extremely powerful. He has mystically enhanced superhuman strength, to the degree that he can stand against other powerhouses such asSuperman,Wonder Woman, andLobo. He has a high degree of resistance to injury and can project hellfire from his body, usually from his mouth. He has a very high command of magic. Other powers include mystically enhanced fangs and claws, enhanced senses, super speed, agility, telepathy, energy blasts, and precognition. His sadomasochistic nature allows him to enjoy pain as if it were pleasure, making him generally fearless in the face of combat and torture. His healing factor can handle an incredible amount of damage, allowing him to recover from wounds that have removed large sections of his body. He also has pyrokinesis and cryokinesis enabling him to manipulate fire and ice.
Jason Blood is a highly skilled hand-to-hand combatant, including mastery in swordsmanship. Jason is adept at magic, and is often called upon to act as an advisor or investigator in occult matters. He has limitedprecognition andtelepathy. Jason is technically immortal due to his connection to the demon Etrigan. He has the combined experiences of Etrigan since he was bonded to the demon. Jason shares all of Etrigan's weaknesses.
Etrigan has all the limitations usually associated with a demon, including a weakness towards holy powers, holy water and iron. While his command of magic is strong, it is considered to be less than his father,Belial, and half-brother,Merlin. Additionally, Belial granted the "power of Etrigan" to both Merlin and another son, Lord Scapegoat. He is also helpless against those with magic strong enough to control him, such as Morgaine le Fey. He is also said to have a strong frailty for certain sounds as well.
| Title | Material collected | Year | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Kirby's The Demon | The Demon #1–16 | 2008 | ISBN 978-1401219161 |
| The Demon: From the Darkness | The Demon vol. 2 #1–4 and vol. 3 #22 | 2014 | ISBN 978-1401242503 |
| The Demon: Hell's Hitman | The Demon vol. 3 #40, 42–49 andAnnual #2 | 2015 | ISBN 978-1401258214 |
| The Demon: The Longest Day | The Demon vol. 3 #0, #50–58 | 2016 | ISBN 978-1401260996 |
Jason Blood / Etrigan appears in TV series set in theDC Animated Universe (DCAU):
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)While his "Fourth World" opus was winding down, Jack Kirby was busy conjuring his next creation, which emerged not from the furthest reaches of the galaxy but from the deepest pits of Hell. Etrigan was hardly the usual Kirby protagonist.
"One afternoon, as he was working onForever People #11, [Jack] received a very disturbing call of the good news/bad news variety. The Good News:Kamandi andThe Demon looked like sure hits. The Bad News: In order to make sure Jack could keep on doing both sure hits, a decision had been made to 'suspend'Forever People andNew Gods." [quote of Mark Evanier]
Meanwhile, in Gotham City, Santa, Zatanna, and Robin thwart a street race led by the demon Etrigan before attending a magical conclave. There, they learn more about the Silent Knight's origins through a reading by Jason Blood, who knew the Knight in his mortal days. The story reveals that the Knight's origins trace back to the early days of King Arthur's court and Camelot.
With the threat of the menacing Silent Knight and his army of monsters growing by the minute, the heroes of Batman/Santa Claus: Silent Knight Returns #2 are forced to turn to any and all supernaturally inclined allies they can find for help. Fortunately, one in particular doesn't just know of the Silent Knight, but served with him personally when they were both knights in King Arthur's Court. Tragically, there was nothing Jason Blood could do at the time to prevent the brave Sir Brian from falling to the forces of darkness, nor is there anything anyone else can do to save Jason Blood once the Silent Knight catches up with him.
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