The 2000 AD comic book series is set in a futuristic city called Mega City One, which is essentially made up of huge portions of North American cities. The futuristic metropolis was built to address the issue of population growth. Following the Disaster War in 2104 AD, Mega City One descended into chaos and apocalypse.
Thirty years later, on the Day of Chaos in 2134 AD, the city experienced its worst tragedy. Acts of terrorism and anarchy resulted in the deaths of about 350 million people. The city entered a post-apocalyptic state after this day, resulting in the city’s economy collapsing.
The city has been administered by a Judge system since then. In simple words, Judges are law enforcement officers who fulfill practically all police and judicial functions. They are the city’s police, as well as the judge, jury, and, on rare occasions, the executioners.
Judges are not allowed to start their own families, thus future Judges are clones of current Judges. While the most of them are law-abiding folks, a minority are known as the Dark Judges because they break the law. Judge Death, who was also the head of the rogues, was one of these Dark Judges.
Born Sidney De’ath, he is the comic series’ main adversary and the archenemy of Judge Dredd, the comic strip’s most famous Judge and protagonist. In a parallel dimension, Judge Death became a judge and used his brutal and sadistic methods, which often included executing victims who were too weak to defend themselves.
Death believes that only the living commit crimes, hence there would be no crime if everyone alive was put to death! That’s a twisted His ruthlessness and deadly inclinations leave no stone untouched; he even murdered a couple ostensibly for wasting his time.
While his fellow Judges in the parallel universe are willing to rid their world of crime, Judge Death intends to rid all realms of crime, and hence all living humans, as well. Judge Death is frequently suggested as a future version of Judge Dredd because Judge Dredd’s power to inflict violence on criminals was not far behind Judge Death’s.
Death and Dredd, on the other hand, are not the same since Dredd observes the law while Death establishes his own. Judge Death was almost as popular as Judge Dredd in mainstream culture, which is why he was included in crossover books like Batman/Judge Dredd: Judgment on Gotham.
Deadworld and Dark Judges
The Deadworld is similar to Dredd’s MegaCity One, although it is more like to twentieth-century Earth, but with plenty of high-tech gadgets and weapons. It can unmistakably be described as a parallel Earth. Dredd and the other Mega-City One Judges found the residents to be far more corrupt, psychotic, and cruel.
In fact, their nature and personality were represented in their terrifying uniforms, which had skulls adorning the black bodies. The Dark Judges had greater discretion than ordinary Judges, and they could impose punishments of any severity without being held accountable to any higher authority or law.
They were, however, usually bound by their realm’s minimal rules. While Mega City One Judges studied in the Academy of Law and learned about morality and righteousness while carrying out their duties, the Deadworld Judges studied in Law School and learned how to torture without feeling an ounce of remorse.
The Dead World Judges later came under the leadership of Judge Death, who usurped the position by wrongful means, killing the Chief of Dead World Judges. He and his followers created a Grey Division that later resolved to kill all humans as life itself was considered the most severe of crimes.
This led to friction between the Grey Division and other Dead World judges. However, soon the resistance failed and Sidney and his followers came to be known as the Dark Judges. The other Dead World Judges had to serve them willingly or be subjected to slavery.
The residents of the Dead World were killed in a wholesale genocide after the resistance fell. Following that, the Dark Judges went on the hunt for additional realms from which they could eradicate crime. This is where Judge Death and Judge Dredd meet for the first time.
Son of a Serial Killer
Judge Death was born to a loving mother and a wicked father as Sidney. His father was a dentist who was also a serial killer in disguise. Of course, you can’t be a serial killer unless you keep it hidden! His father’s method of operation was to get victims into his van, torment them, and then kill them and dump their bodies.
Because his father encouraged such behaviour, Sidney developed an early aversion to pain and sadism. He used to make remark on how nice individuals become when they died. He believed that the dead made better persons than the living in several ways.
These words of wisdom became etched into Sidney’s heart from an early age. Despite the fact that Sidney one day reported his father’s crimes to the Deadworld Judges, the damage had been done already.
The serial killer was sent to the electric chair and he praised his son, who was the one to flick the switch. Strangely, Sidney’s father was happy and kept praising his child for committing the ultimate act of sadism. Young Sidney’s childhood had been snatched early and he was molded into a boy who derived pleasure out of cruel acts.
He started out small, making the dog fall to its death when he threw a ball out of the window in a game of fetch. Of course, shooting down birds was an act of amusement. However, things got out of control only after Sidney killed three of his bullies at school.
The Sadistic Torturer Joins Law Enforcement
Sidney and his father began torturing their victims together, and Sidney even brought his father victims on occasion. Sidney, on the other hand, grew enmity for his father, who was irresponsible and would risk getting caught by the Dead World Judges.
Sidney tipped off the Judges as they were closing in on his father, saving himself from being prosecuted as an accomplice in the crimes. Following that, Sidney enrolled in law school and was sworn in as a Trainee Judge.
He offered his services to execute his father in an act of pure sadism, believing that doing so would assist restore trust in the Dead World Judges. Sidney’s seniors regarded this as a victory, so they let him do it.
At the Law School, Sidney continued to murder his fellow students until, in his sixth year, he was given the charge of the civil court for a day. He gave death penalties to all the 27 accused and gained the title of Sidney Death.
Becoming Judge Death
Sidney’s first act after becoming a Street Judge was to murder his own sister and mother. He continued his assassination spree, becoming exceedingly well-known among his colleagues and the broader public.
It was at this point that his plan to kill everyone in order to eliminate crime began to take shape and crystallise in his head. He met two sisters named Nausea and Phobia while working as a Street Judge. They were undead witches obsessed with death, cannibalism, and the most heinous forms of torment.
Nausea was a humanoid witch with a decaying body that had several tentacles protruding out from anywhere and everywhere. Instead of in her head, her eyes were placed at her elbows and right shoulder.
With claws for fingers, she had two living human heads on her left shoulder. Both she and Phobia were spectral beings with psychic powers and had the ability to darken the sun, just as happens during an eclipse.
Furthermore, Nausea could control the rate of decay and decomposition in a body. On the other hand, Phobia looked like Nausea but had a snout and living heads as earrings. Her elbows and knees were always covered in spiders, and she carried a giant scorpion on her shoulders. Her back was completely covered in worms, and her arms were encircled by snakes.
During a routine patrol, Sidney came across the Sisters of Death and fell in love with them because they shared his fascination with Death. He participated in cannibalism with them and eventually enabled them to perform a ritual on him.
The ceremony rendered him undead and granted him greater strength, allowing him to pursue his goal of annihilation of the living. Soon, other Judges joined him, and he was nicknamed Judge Death while his group came to be known as Dark Judges. The other three members of his team were Judge Fear, Judge Mortis, and Judge Fire.
Mega-City One
When the Dark judges took over, the Street Judges of Dead World were already a group of incompetent psychopaths who massacred everyone in their world. Only the Dark Judges and the Sisters of Death remained after they completed their task, and they were tormented by endless boredom and insecurity.
Travelers from another realm landed on Dead World and encountered the Dark Judges, which was fortunate for them. These visitors were on their way from Mega-City One. Judge Death appeared in Judge Dredd’s city after passing so-called judgement on them, intending to dispense his version of justice and cleanse the city of crime for good.
Initially, Cassandra Anderson and Judge Dredd destroyed him and his body, but his soulwas put on display at the Hall of Heroes of The Justice Department. The Dark Judges Fire, Mortis and Fear realized that their leader was in peril, they came to Mega-City One to rescue him and gave him a new body.
With this and his freedom, Judge Death was able to lead the Dark Judges to take lives in their thousands. However, Dredd and Anderson once again saved the day, sending them back to their world. But the Dark Judges hadn’t been destroyed, they were to return one day or another.
Judge Dredd stepped down as Chief Judge, and Judge Kraken assumed his place. Kraken was swayed by the Sisters of Death into working for them and freeing Judge Death.
Now that the villain was back and had the full force of Mega-City One’s Street Judges at his disposal, he and his team constructed Necropolis, killing over sixty million people. Kraken was the fifth Dark Judge at this point.
Dredd, Anderson, and a few trainee Judges, on the other hand, stepped forward to imprison Mortis, Fear, and Fire, as well as to put Kraken to death. Judge Death, on the other hand, escaped to another plane through the Cursed Earth pits. Dredd eventually teamed up with Batman, and Death was apprehended.
Dead vs. Death
Judge Dredd: Dredd vs. Death, a first-person shooter game launched in 2005, brought the eponymous characters to life, although it got mixed and unfavourable reviews from critics and fans alike owing to the cheap budget and shoddy storyline.
The Street Judges intercept information about an imminent disease in Mega City One in this story. The Judges point the finger of suspicion towards the Dark Judges, particularly Judge Death. Later, Judge Death and Dr. Icarus unleash a virus that has the ability to turn the host into a zombie or vampire.
Judge Dredd is forced to combat an almost immortal Dr. Icarus, as well as the Dark Judges. The final battle takes place between Dredd and Death. Death possesses Dr. Icarus’s immortal body but Dredd proves to be more than a match. Finally, Death takes refuge inside Anderson’s body.
Powers and Abilities
Judge Death is immune to pain since he resides inside a possessed corpse. The only way to truly harm him is to sever his arms with exceedingly powerful strikes or to incinerate him. If the possessed body is destroyed physically, he can simply seek sanctuary in another.
The Sisters of Death used black magic to construct him, and as a result, he has become immortal. He obtains assistance from others in preparing a new host body, as as when Batman’s foe Scarecrow assisted him in preparing a new host body.
As far as physical strength is concerned, lifting people with one hand and tossing them reasonable distances is no big deal for him. However, his real strength lies in manipulation of the mystic and in his mind. He can create illusions and images of himself, and can get into the heads of other people.
Of course, he has a particular proclivity for gruesome killing, but his favorite method of sending people to meet their maker is to insert his razor-sharp claws into people’s bodies and squeeze their heart until it bursts. He can do this because he can phase through solid physical substances.
Spooky Judge Death
JUDGE DREDD: SUPERFIEND is a six-episode miniseries that follows the exploits and adventures of Sidney, or Judge Death as we’ve dubbed him. Judges Death and Dredd, as previously said, utilise disproportionate force in similar ways.
The only difference is that they are on opposing sides of the coin and can never work together for the same goal. Sidney is portrayed as an alien yet heroic version of Dredd in the miniseries. Sidney followers may forgive him for the awful things he commits now that he has been resurrected since they can see where his true interests lie.
The show begins with a scene where Death kills a victim merely because he would have gotten away committing a crime and avoiding a five-year sentence. So, by killing the victim, he managed to kill the culprit as well.
The show doesn’t feature any of the other Dark Judges but it does outline the childhood of Judge Death aka Sidney De’ath. The show begins with Sidney working with his father as an apprentice who removes the teeth of his patients, until they don’t stop screaming.
However, on one fateful night, Street Judges catch the two red-handed and give chase after the father-son serial killer duo. The end of the chase causes Sidney to want to become a Judge himself, and he does so.
He becomes so fascinated by death that he himself elevates the degree of his crimes so that he can inflict a higher form of punishment on his criminals, or shall we say, victims! Soon, Judge Death meets Death herself and becomes her very embodiment.
The show is loosely based on Judge Dredd: Lawman of the Future, in which Judge Death was both an extraterrestrial and a reincarnation of Judge Dredd himself. And, despite dying in the line of duty, he returned, thanks to his unquenchable drive for justice.
Fans of Judges Death and Dredd frequently express their affection for the characters but not for the 2000 AD publications. And JUDGE DREDD: SUPERFIEND is an excellent example of this sentiment.