Some of the most fascinating characters to study in the DC Comics universe are those who straddle the line between hero and villain. Many classic DC Comics stories revolve around characters born out of darkness rising above their villainy to become heroes.
We will look at one of these well-known individuals that walk the edge between good and evil today. The Demon, sometimes known as Etrigan, is a DC comics cult figure notable for his strange rhyming speech. But where did he come from, and what exactly are his abilities? Depending on how he feels at the time, the everlasting Etrigan, a demon linked to an old knight, can be seen striving to save the world or fighting DC’s greatest heroes.
Both Marvel and DC published a seemingly never-ending parade of vampires, werewolves, and other monsters in the early 1970s, culminating in a boom of supernatural characters in comic books. Because of his cult status, the demon Etrigan has evolved into a fan favorite, starring in a number of standalone games, appearing in a number of surprising team-ups, and even branching out into other media assets.
In September 1972, Jack Kirby originally presented Etrigan in The Demon #1. He is unquestionably to blame for the character’s distinct personality and appeal. On the other side, Alan Moore provided Etrigan with one of his most recognizable characteristics: he speaks in rhyme.
Despite the fact that it was not part of Kirby’s original vision for Etrigan, it has now become synonymous with the character. Etrigan went on to star in several solo issues, including a major run in the early 1990s written by Garth Ennis and presented an intriguing challenge to writers while providing a dark twist to superhero stories. Let us have a look at where he came from.
Etrigan The Demon Origin
Etrigan the demon has two recorded origin stories and we will be laying out both in front of you today. When Archduke Belial conquered the Serpent Queen’s, Ran Va Daath, territories. The two rivals finished the conflict by copulating on each other’s corpses. Etrigan was born as a result of this. Belial’s firstborn was branded with a symbol, and the child displayed delight in pain almost immediately.
Because the young demon was such a handful, Lucifer instructed Belial to keep him under control. Belial exiled Etrigan’s mother to Masak Mavdil and told his son that his antics drove her away because no amount of beatings could tame someone who relished physical agony.
Etrigan simply retaliated against his father more, and when he was older, he used a glamour enchantment to mislead him into falling in love with an animal spirit, with the joke being the birth of a goat son. Belial attempted to turn Etrigan’s new sibling against him, but Lord Scapegoat only loved his older brother unrequitedly. Etrigan was born on the 13th day of the 13th month after his parents met, according to Lord Scapegoat.
Belial was so frustrated that he fled Hell for several decades, only to return with a third son, Merlin, who was born of a mortal witch. The infant was bred with one goal in mind: to produce a wizard with enough magical strength to subdue Etrigan.
The first tale or the original one was written by Jack Kirby in 1972 and details that Etrigan is a demon from Hell that was summoned to Camelot by Merlin when Camelot was under attack by the forces of the powerful and ruthless sorceress, Morgaine Le Fay Morgaine was behind a very important book called the Eternity Book which was in the possession of Merlin who lived in Camelot.
She attacked Camelot with a massive army and seeing the level of power she commanded, Merlin summoned Etrigan to help turn the tide of battle. Etrigan was successful and he chased all the soldiers away, including Morgaine and Merlin erased Camelot from history, and all that was left behind was burning ruins. Interestingly, we learn in this issue that Merlin is Etrigan’s half-brother.
After the smoke cleared, a man stood up and left, thus marking the beginning of Erigan and Jason Blood’s co-existence. Etrigan and Jason were the same people. Jason Blood was simply made by Merlin to serve as Etrigan’s living prison, and he had no idea of his demonic half.
Etrigan had been in slumber for generations until he was reawakened by an encounter with the evil witch Morgaine Le Fay. It was her continued search for the Eternity book as she became old and frail that triggered Etrigan’s return. Blood on the other hand worked as a demonologist with no memory of his past however, he was made aware of the demon that was inside him after Etrigan awakened.
The process was an intriguing and mysterious one as Jason Blood receives a scroll summoning him to Castle Branek where he is jumped by Morgaine Le Fay and her men. However, before they can stop him, he gets atop a summoning table and transforms into Etrigan, the demon.
Etrigan then comes face to face with Morgaine Le Fay herself, kick-starting the adventures of Etrigan and Jason Blood and giving birth to a complicated character that mostly fought on behalf of good but always had his own motivations. Kirby wasn’t happy that his first issue was a hit because he particularly was not a fan of writing horror comics and had only written this because there was a lack of horror characters in DC and he wanted to fill that demand.
The second origin story places Etrigan and Jason Blood as two separate beings and entities. Jason Blood and Etrigan were two separate monsters living at the time of Arthur and his knights in the second origin, which was the same historical period as the first.
Jason was represented as a Druid, while Etrigan’s role was the same as in his initial appearance: a servant of Merlin summoned to help protect Camelot. For keeping it, Merlin gave him a ripped piece of the famous Eternity Book. It is to play a role in his Earthly destiny. He was the path to Merlin and the Book of Eternity. He was known as the “One Who Waits.” He was known as THE Demon.
Etrigan in Various story arcs
His major story arcs are full of adventures of all kinds. The first one takes place during Green Arrow’s Resurrection. Following Green Arrow’s resurrection, he and Batman sought out Jason Blood for occult knowledge in order to figure out how Oliver was brought back to life. They quickly discovered that Oliver was a hollow, a soulless husk of a humanoid. The Spectre turned him into a hollow out of pure guilt.
Blood then sought to kill Oliver because he was afraid of being possessed because he was hollow. As a result, he summoned the Demon’s abilities, and the two battled. The Demon was defeated when Green Lantern shot him in the mouth with a fire-extinguishing arrow.
Stay with us for another significant story arc, the marriage of Supergirl and Etrigan-Buzz. Etrigan tries to flee Jason’s body at a dinner party in San Francisco, but Jason drives the demon back inside.
The Cult of Buzz then draws Jason and Etrigan to Las Vegas, where Etrigan is summoned byJason within one of the casinos. After that, Etrigan is implanted into Buzz’s body. Etrigan-Buzz then attacks Supergirl, who had arrived to prevent the summoning. Despite the fact that Etrigan appears to be winning the fight, Frank the Mighty teleports her away. Etrigan executes him as a result of this.
After that, Etrigan-Buzz visits Dante’s Inferno Casino and starts winning at craps. This all comes to a screeching halt when he loses all of his money on a single roll. Supergirl flies in to stop him from destroying the place, but rather than battling her, he proposes to her.
If you marry him, you will have all of his forces at your disposal to fight the Mother of Demons. Supergirl agrees, but Lilith shows up and interrupts the wedding. She sent Supergirl to Reno and reintroduces Etrigan into Jason’s body. When Jason later discovers Buzz, he warns him that if he does it again, he will be in serious trouble.
He also ruled over hell for a certain time. Working for Neron, Etrigan took part in the battle for dominion of Hell. He defeated Blue Devil and took away his humanity. Satanus’ spell rendered him powerless. Blue Devil also became human because he was entirely demonic at the time. Now that Etrigan had reclaimed his demonic side, he returned it to Blue Devil. In the Solomon Grundy miniseries, Etrigan was fully powerful.
Etrigan had also opted not to participate in the war against the Black Lanterns in Blackest Night but was forced to after being possessed by Deadman. During a struggle between the Black Lanterns and Batman, Red Robin, and Deadman, Etrigan fought against the possession for a bit. After that, he flees, claiming that this was not his fight. Etrigan is immune to the Black Lanterns’ heart-ripping.
Finally, Jason Blood was in his Gotham Penthouse when he sensed a disturbance in the equilibrium between Heaven and Hell in Batman: Dark Knight. He quickly transforms into Etrigan and sets out to find this otherworldly threat hiding in Gotham City’s dark alleyways. Etrigan eventually comes upon a group of homeless people who believe that a demon has been murdering their fellow squatters.
Etrigan searches the region for any evidence that these stories are true, but all he finds is Killer Croc’s scent. Etrigan believes Croc has been gorging on Gotham’s unfortunates, but he is attacked by Ragman. The blaze had taken possession of Ragman in order to determine whether Etrigan was worthy of returning to Hell as her mate.
Blaze intervenes, and the conflict between these evil forces finishes in the sewers. Blaze complimented Etrigan on his performance and offered him the opportunity to reclaim his hellish rank in the underworld. Etrigan agreed to Blaze’s request without hesitation, despite Jason’s pleas for Etrigan to reject Blaze’s proposition.
Etrigan Demonic Powers
Etrigan’s summoning is of great importance. Over time, the transformation spell has changed. The complete verses are given below, however, the rhyme to change him from Jason Blood to Etrigan is often abbreviated to “Man’s shape hath vanished! Etrigan, summon the Demon!” “Gone away, O Etrigan, and rise again the form of man!” is the poem to return him to Jason Blood.
During Blood of the Demon, John Byrne modified it such that Jason would transform into Etrigan simply by hearing “Yarva Etrigan Demonicus,” or even “Demonicus.” After hearing “Leave, leave, Etrigan, Fade O Demon, return the man!” he transformed back into Jason. Jason and Etrigan have the ability to say it, but they don’t have to. Anyone who says it within hearing distance will change.
He has shown tremendous physical strength. His punches can shatter skyscrapers in seconds, he can leap hundreds of yards in a single leap, and he has punched Superman out of Earth’s orbit with a single punch. He can also project hellfire from his body, but he normally only does it from his mouth or hands, and he is extremely resistant to most types of injuries. Etrigan has the ability to cast spells, although he lacks the patience to do it most of the time.
He can teleport, build mystic shields, emit mystic blasts, and pull demonic souls from humans, among other things. Another of his skills is the ability to heal from practically any type of injury. When his limbs were hacked off, he was able to use magic to transplant human limbs in their stead. He is immortal and exceedingly difficult to kill due to his durability and healing factor. His clothing has also been described as being anti-assault. He has demonstrated the capacity to track someone across a metropolis using their scent.
He also is very adept at hand-to-hand combat along with having a vast knowledge of the occult. However, he is not completely bulletproof and has certain weaknesses. Iron affects him along with the fact that he has to follow the Demonic laws or he will have to face consequences.
All of this culminates in Etrigan being an immensely powerful demon and entity who often uses his powers for good and aids superheroes but also has his own ideas and wishes and plans, making him a complicated character with immense powers.
Lesser Known Facts About Etrigan The Demon
Here are some crazy things that Etrigan has done over the course of his life and we begin with the time he took control of Hell. Jason and Etrigan’s relationship was rocky, to say the least. When Etrigan went to Hell to stop Archfiend Asteroth from sacrificing Glenda, Mark, Randu Singh, Merlin, and even Jason Blood himself, who was separated from Etrigan in hell, one of the most controversial moments between the two occurred.
Etrigan then went on to depose the Hell’s Triumvirate, which included Lucifer, Belial, and Beezlebub. Taking the Crown of Horns, Etrigan gained control of Hell itself and set out to destroy Jason. However, Merlin pushed Jason to fight back, and Jason reconnected with Etrigan, foiling Etrigan’s plan.
He was also chosen by Batman to fight on the side of good. One of the most pivotal events in Jason Blood and Etrigan’s relationship occurred while Jason was doubting himself and his aspirations to be a hero. All that changed and was put to the test when the Justice League vanished in the past while attempting to save Aquaman.
When this happened, Batman’s automated contingency plan kicked in, contacting various heroes and civilians to join them in a temporary Justice League. Etrigan was chosen to be a member of this group, which also featured Zatanna and Martian Manhunter. While there, Etrigan upgraded the Watchtower’s magical defenses.
It only makes sense that the demon who once took control of Hell would also be the best person if you needed a guide through the terrain and thus, he led the Secret Six and Justice League through Hell. Years later, after the events of Blackest Night and Brightest Day, in which Etrigan battled the Justice League for a meteorite with supernatural qualities, Etrigan became a hell guide for two different teams.
Not just the Justice League, but also the infamous Secret Six were among these teams. Etrigan assisted the Justice League, particularly Hawkman, in slaying a demonic beast, and later led the Secret Six into hell. The most important part of that mission came when he revealed Catman’s father’s true fate, and Etrigan found joy in the Secret Six’s anguish.
He also joined the Demon Knights. When the New 52 completely retconned Jason and Etrigan’s histories, Etrigan found himself in the Dark Ages. After spending so much time with Jason, the two were accepted into a unique team of warriors known as the Demon Knights, a rag-tag gang of heroes at the time.
Madame Xanadu, Vandal Savage, and Shining Knight were among the many members of the team. Mordru and the armies of the Questing Queen were among the adversaries they faced. Etrigan later betrayed the crew, attempting to acquire Lucifer’s favor by sacrificing their souls to the demon lord, but the operation failed.
Last but not the least, just because he was a demon and not particularly great to look at, does not mean that he did not have any love interests. While Jason Blood had a relationship that culminated in a daughter and a family in the years leading up to the New 52, Etrigan and Jason both found new partners in the New 52 era, primarily with two well-known supernatural heroes.
The first was Madame Xanadu, whom Jason adored but whom Etrigan quickly fell in love with as well, making him envious. Later, during the New 52: Future’s End event, Etrigan was seen in a post-apocalyptic future with none other than Zatanna, one of DC Comics’ most powerful supernatural heroes of all time.
Creative and Terrifying Versions Of Etrigan In Various Forms Of Media – Explored
Etrigan has a slew of film credits to his name. Etrigan is a member of the Resistance in Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. Dee Bradley Baker reprises his role as him. Etrigan is also a key character in Justice League Dark, and his voice is provided by Ray Chase. Finally, Ray Chase reprises his role as Etrigan in Justice League Dark: Apokolips War. He is slain by a brainwashed cyborg version of Wonder Woman during the final attack on Apokolips by the Justice League’s remaining members.
When it comes to the DC animated shows, the Demon initially appears in the episode “The Demon Within” of the New Batman Adventures, and is voiced by Billy Zane. This incarnation of Jason Blood is a Bruce Wayne buddy who transforms into the demon Etrigan to aid Batman in his struggle with Klarion. The Demon reappears.
Michael T. Weiss currently voices the character in the Justice League episode A Knight of Shadows. Jason’s past is revealed, showing that he betrayed Camelot to Morgaine Le Feye and was poisoned by her as a result. He was bound to the demon Etrigan as a punishment. 700 years later, the Demon joins forces with the Justice League to prevent Morgaine from converting Gotham City into Mordred’s domain.
In Justice League Unlimited, the Demon reappears, this time as part of the extended Justice League lineup. He makes his debut appearance in Dee Bradley Baker’s “Kid’s Stuff,” in which he is transformed into a baby and was forced to face Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern after they have been transformed into children. In the episode “The Balance,” he reappears as an adult, once again voiced by Michael T. Weiss.
In addition, the Demon reappears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold as a recurrent character, voiced by Dee Bradley Baker once more. In “Day of the Dark Knight!” he is brainwashed by Morgaine and forced to confront Batman and Green Arrow for the first time.
“Trials of the Demon!” was Batman’s second appearance, in which he journeyed back in time to clear his name after being falsely accused of crimes perpetrated by Jim Craddock. He linked up with Martian Manhunter in “Shadow of the Bat!” to stop the vampirized Batman from turning the rest of the Justice League International into vampires as well. Patrick Seitz portrays the Demon in Justice League Action.
With that, we come to the end of detailing the life and origins of Etrigan the demon, Merlin’s half brother and son of archdemon Belial.