Fear The Sword of Azrael
Batman II: “I stand alone. One man against damnation. Let them come.”
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #62
A woman watches several masked men approach. She has two of her servants carry a crate forward. One of them opens it, revealing dozens of automatic weapons. Ten more crates are behind her. The men open briefcases filled with hundred dollar bills. She smiles at the deal going well. The lights turn off. A cold voice rings out.
“Know that men call you cruel. Know that men call you killers. Know that men call you damned.”
Fire blazes as a sword is drawn. A knight in hellish red armor stands before the buyers. One lunge and he’s on them, bringing death with every swing of his blade. Bullets do not hurt him. The woman runs for the door. She shrieks as her legs are pierced. A dozen shuriken bite into them. She prays as the angel of death stalks toward her.
A skylight shatters. A shadowed figure descends. The woman praises God as The Dark Knight blocks Azrael’s path.
Azrael is one of Batman’s darkest characters. He took up the mantle of Batman when Bruce Wayne couldn’t and perverted what it stood for. So who is he? How did he become Batman? How did Bruce reclaim the title? Let’s find out.
Scene Select
Angel of the Bat: Azrael’s Backstory
Azrael: “You have no secrets from me because you have no secrets from God! I am His righteous blade, the last to die, His Angel of Death! I am Azrael!”
Batman and Robin Eternal #9
Azrael debuted in Batman: Sword of Azrael #1 in 1992. He was created by Denny O’Neill and Joe Quesada as a critique of the Dark Age of Comics and murderous heroes like The Punisher.
Jean-Paul Valley was a college student who found his father bleeding in his dorm. Mr. Valley’s dying words sent him to Switzerland where Jean-Paul was recruited by The Order of St. Dumas, a secret sect of the Knights Templar that had been cast out for heresy.
The Order eliminates evil without mercy and trains holy assassins, like Jean-Paul’s father, called Azrael. His father spent years grooming Jean-Paul with The System of hypnotic and technological implants that made him an obedient assassin.
Batman learned what happened to Jean-Paul while investigating the former Azrael’s death. Both of them pursued an arms dealer who had worked for The Order and fought over whether to kill him or bring him to justice. Batman slowed Azrael long enough for him to break through The System’s mind control. Jean-Paul became Batman’s ally while learning to be a hero.
Knightfall: Azrael’s Backstory
Batman II: “I wonder… did Bruce Wayne ever feel like that? Like his hatred for injustice, his rage against oppression, were going to burst out of him in an explosion he couldn’t ever hope to control? Probably not.”
Batman: Shadow of the Bat #19
Azrael stepped into the spotlight when Bane broke Batman’s back. Bruce Wayne decided that he was the best candidate to take over as Batman. Jean-Paul accepted, combining his Azrael gear with a Batsuit to become the new Batman.
Az-Bats struggled with his new role. He lacked any medical, rescue, or detective training. The System’s remaining hooks in Jean-Paul’s mind made him violent and reclusive. Batman slowly began armoring his costume and adding new weapons until the suit was unrecognizable.
Jean-Paul lost control and began killing criminals. Nightwing and Robin were unable to stop him, forcing a recently healed Bruce to train for a final battle. Batman and Azrael fought their way across Gotham City until Bruce lured him to the Batcave.
Azrael was forced to shed his bulky armor to pursue Bruce through narrow passages, finally removing the night-vision mask as Bruce tricked him into daylight. The blinding pain broke The System’s control, freeing Jean-Paul. He surrendered and began working with Bruce again.
The Dark Knight Templar: Azrael’s Powers and Personality
Azrael: “What greater weapon against pestilence than searing flame?”
Robin #27 (1996)
Jean-Paul has superhuman strength and stamina. The System implanted infiltration, assassination, and sword-fighting techniques into his mind. Azreal can only use that knowledge in costume, but The System damages his mental state.
Azreal wears the Suit of Sorrows, which has flaming wrist-mounted blades and an AI named Ascalon that reinforces The System. Jean-Paul also has a flaming sword. His Batman costume became power armor with the Suit of Sorrow’s gear, rapid-fire shuriken launchers, night vision, and a flamethrower. Fortunately for Bruce, it’s as slow as a dumpster and the accessories are all sold separately.
Jean-Paul Valley was a sheltered dork who wanted to help people. The System turned him into a zealous madman who believes that sinners deserve to die. He became judge, jury, and executioner as Batman and sought redemption after being freed.
The Actors Who Play Him
James Frain – Gotham
José Carlos Illanes – Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires
Pablo Schreiber – Batman: Knightfall
Didya Get All That?
God’s Dark Knight.
Image courtesy of DC Comics
Jared Bounacos has written for Movie Rewind since 2016.
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