Hell (DC Comics)
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Hell (a.k.a. Gehenna, Hades, Hel, Jahannam, Sheol and Tartarus) is a fictional
location In geography, location or place is used to denote a region (point, line, or area) on Earth's surface. The term ''location'' generally implies a higher degree of certainty than ''place'', the latter often indicating an entity with an ambiguous bou ...
, an infernal Underworld utilized in various
American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...
stories published by
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
. It is the locational
antithesis Antithesis (: antitheses; Greek for "setting opposite", from "against" and "placing") is used in writing or speech either as a proposition that contrasts with or reverses some previously mentioned proposition, or when two opposites are introd ...
of the Silver City in
Heaven Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...
. The DC Comics location known as Hell is heavily based on its depiction in Abrahamic mythology. Although several versions of Hell had briefly appeared in other DC Comics publications in the past, the official DC Comics concept of Hell was first properly established when it was mentioned in ''The Saga of the Swamp Thing'' (vol. 2) #25–27 (June–August 1984) and was first seen in ''Swamp Thing Annual'' #2 (1985), all of which were written by
Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...
and illustrated by Stephen Bissette and John Totleben. The
hierarchy A hierarchy (from Ancient Greek, Greek: , from , 'president of sacred rites') is an arrangement of items (objects, names, values, categories, etc.) that are represented as being "above", "below", or "at the same level as" one another. Hierarchy ...
of Hell, specifically the triumvirate of
Lucifer The most common meaning for Lucifer in English is as a name for the Devil in Christian theology. He appeared in the King James Version of the Bible in Isaiah and before that in the Vulgate (the late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bib ...
,
Azazel In the Hebrew Bible, the name Azazel (; ''ʿĂzāʾzēl'') represents a desolate place where a scapegoat bearing the Jewish views on sin, sins of the Jews was sent during Yom Kippur. During the late Second Temple period (after the Development ...
, and
Beelzebub Ba'al Zabub , Ba'al Zvuv or Beelzebub ( ; ''Baʿal-zəḇūḇ''), also spelled Beelzebul or Belzebuth, and occasionally known as the Lord of the Flies, is a name derived from a Philistine god, formerly worshipped in Ekron, and later adopted ...
, was first referred to in '' John Constantine, Hellblazer'' #12 (December 1988) ("The Devil You Know..." (page 6) by
Jamie Delano Jamie Delano ( ; born 1954) is an English comic book writer. He was part of the first post-Alan Moore "British Invasion" of writers which started to feature in American comics in the 1980s. He is best known as the first writer of the comic book ...
and Richard Piers Rayner) and first appeared in '' The Sandman'' (vol. 2) #4 (April 1989) ("A Hope in Hell" by
Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...
and
Sam Kieth Sam Kieth (born January 11, 1963) is an American comics artist and writer, best known as the creator of ''The Maxx'' and '' Zero Girl''. Career Comics Kieth's first published work was "a story in the back of a Comico comic" when he was "about ...
). In the story, Lucifer had been forced to accept the position of the ruler of Hell due to the disruption caused by the Great Evil Beast's attack on Creation during the ''
Crisis on Infinite Earths ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is a 1985 to 1986 American comic book fictional crossover, crossover series published by DC Comics. Written by Marv Wolfman and penciller, pencilled by George Pérez, it was first released as a 12-issue limited ser ...
'' in the 16-part storyline "American Gothic" in ''Swamp Thing'' (vol. 2) #35–50 (April 1985–July 1986). ''John Constantine, Hellblazer'', would also later add in the First of the Fallen, who preceded Lucifer and his failed rebellion in Heaven. In ''
Who's Who in the DC Universe ''Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe'' (1985–87), usually referred to simply as ''Who's Who'', is the umbrella title for a number of comic book series which DC Comics published to catalogue the wide variety of fictional ch ...
'' #11 (July 1991), the entry on "Hell's Hierarchy" included all the elements of Gaiman's version, plus John Constantine the Hellblazer's demonic enemy Nergal, Agony and Ecstasy the Slave-Twins of the Inquisition, Asteroth, Abaddon the Destroyer, Morax and
Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
's demonic enemy Blaze, who, along with her brother Satanus, came to rule Hell in the eight-issue
miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
''
Reign in Hell A reign is the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office of monarch of a nation (e.g., Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Andorra), of a people (e.g., the Franks, the Zulus) or of a spiritual community (e.g., Catholicism, Tibetan Buddhism, ...
'' (September 2008–April 2009, also including ''DC Universe Special: Reign in Hell'' #1 (August 2008).


Publication history

Because of the multiplicity of imprints and acquisitions under the DC Comics umbrella, there have been many different versions of both "Satan" and "Hell". At
Quality Comics Quality Comics was an American comic book publishing Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, ...
in 1942, the superhero known as
Midnight Midnight is the transition time from one day to the next – the moment when the date changes, on the local official clock time for any particular jurisdiction. By clock time, midnight is the opposite of noon, differing from it by 12 hours. ...
encountered the Devil and his domineering Wife after his untimely death. At
Fawcett Comics Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s. Its most popular character was Captain Marvel, the alter ego of radio reporter Billy Bats ...
in 1942, Ibis the Invincible I (Prince Amentep) confronted a demonic entity who inexplicably named itself "Satan". At
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
, the pages of '' Showcase'' #60 (January–February 1966) featured the first appearance of Azmodus and ''
Justice League of America The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in '' The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived t ...
'' #49 (November 1966) introduced the demon Abaddon, who possessed a farmer named Hiram Spiezel. DC Comics' interpretation of
Lucifer The most common meaning for Lucifer in English is as a name for the Devil in Christian theology. He appeared in the King James Version of the Bible in Isaiah and before that in the Vulgate (the late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bib ...
debuted in a dream sequence in ''
Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen ''Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from September–October 1954 until March 1974, spanning a total of 163 issues. Featuring the adventures of Superman supporting character Jimmy Olsen, it conta ...
'' #65 (December 1962). Lucifer was introduced for real in '' DC Special Series'' #8 (1978), a.k.a. ''
The Brave and the Bold ''The Brave and the Bold'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983. It was followed by a reprint miniseries in 1988, two original miniseries in 1991 and 1999, and was revived as an ongoing anthology ...
Special'', which teamed up the
Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
I (Bruce Wayne), Sgt. Franklin John "Frank" Rock and
Deadman Deadman or Deadman's may refer to: * "Deadman" or "dead man", are alternative terms for a dead man's switch * "Deadman's foot" is another name for a Salamander (metallurgy), Salamander in metallurgy * "Deadman anchor" is a buried object (log, con ...
and depicted Lucifer being summoned by the ghosts of
Guy Fawkes Guy Fawkes (; 13 April 1570 – 31 January 1606), also known as Guido Fawkes while fighting for the Spanish, was a member of a group of provincial English Catholics involved in the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. He was born and educate ...
,
Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold (#Brandt, Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American-born British military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of ...
,
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
,
Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer who was active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer was also ...
,
Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...
and
Bluebeard "Bluebeard" ( ) is a French Folklore, folktale, the most famous surviving version of which was written by Charles Perrault and first published by Barbin in Paris in 1697 in . The tale is about a wealthy man in the habit of murdering his wives an ...
and controlling a human operative named Edward Dirkes. Jason Blood had a nightmare about Hell in
Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...
's ''The Demon'' #14 (November 1973), but otherwise, the concept was in absentia other than through
retcon Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in fictional story telling whereby facts and events established through the narrative itself are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subsequently published work ...
. Etrigan the Demon debuted in the first issue of the 16-issue Jack Kirby series ''The Demon'' (August–September 1972–January 1974), but Hell was never actually mentioned, seen or shown in a concrete manner in any of the original ''Demon'' stories until ''The Saga of the Swamp Thing'' (vol. 2) #25–27 (June–August 1984), in which
Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...
made the first canonical claim for Etrigan the Demon being a denizen of Hell, referring to his promotion to a Rhyming Demon and having him speak consistently in rhyme, which he did ''not'' do at all during the Kirby series. Many stories in DC's various mystery and horror anthology titles featured "Satan" and at least one, in '' Weird Mystery Tales'' #4 (January–February 1973), featured Lucifer, but these stories may or may not be in mainstream DC Universe continuity. Satan did appear, along with an angelic pre-Fall Etrigan the Demon, in one of the four possible origins of the Phantom Stranger (three of which are
Judeo-Christian The term ''Judeo-Christian'' is used to group Christianity and Judaism together, either in reference to Christianity's derivation from Judaism, Christianity's recognition of Jewish scripture to constitute the Old Testament of the Christian Bibl ...
inspired, the fourth,
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
inspired) in ''
Secret Origins ''Secret Origins'' is the title of several comic book series published by DC Comics which featured the origin stories of the publisher's various characters. Publication history ''Secret Origins'' was first published as a one-shot in 1961 and c ...
'' (vol. 2) #10 (January 1987). Aside from the above-mentioned stories, Hell made its actual first appearance in ''Swamp Thing Annual'' #2 (1985). Subsequently, it would appear again in ''Swamp Thing'' (vol. 2) #49–50 (June–July 1986), in which a civil war was going on in Hell and Etrigan the Demon was there. The Spectre's ( James Brendan "Jim" Corrigan I) failure in his intervention in this conflict led to a reduction of his powers, as described in ''The Spectre'' (vol. 2) #1 (April 1987). While Hell appeared in the 31 issues (and one ''Annual'' (1988)) of that series (April 1987–November 1989), readers never saw any major developments outside of characters being condemned to go there and the occasional demon or demons tormenting them, such as in ''The Spectre'' (vol. 2) #21 (December 1988). Hell also appeared in the 31 issues (and one ''Annual'' (1985)) of '' Blue Devil'' (June 1984–December 1986; also including a special insert in ''The Fury of
Firestorm A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been used ...
the Nuclear Man'' #24 (June 1984), which started the series). In '' The Sandman'' (vol. 2) #4 (April 1989), the rulers of Hell are introduced: a triumvirate consisting of Lucifer, a fallen angel deliberately drawn to resemble
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
; Azazel, a shadowy, many-eyed former
djinn Jinn or djinn (), alternatively genies, are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabian religion and Islam. Their existence is generally defined as parallel to humans, as they have free will, are accountable for their deeds, and can be either ...
("genie") (Azazel had previously appeared as an
incubus An Incubus () is a demon, male demon in human form in folklore that seeks to have Sexuality in Christian demonology, sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. Parallels exist in many c ...
in a Madame Xanadu story first published in ''
Cancelled Comic Cavalcade The "DC Explosion" and "DC Implosion" were two events in 1978 – the first an official marketing campaign, the second a sardonic reference to it – in which American comics company DC Comics expanded their roster of publications, then abruptly cu ...
'' #1 (summer 1978) and then officially published in '' The Unexpected'' #190 (March–April 1978)); and Beelzebub, a high-ranking demon resembling a large fly. This triumvirate (albeit with Beelzebub referred to as Belial; possibly a continuity error) returned in ''
Secret Origins ''Secret Origins'' is the title of several comic book series published by DC Comics which featured the origin stories of the publisher's various characters. Publication history ''Secret Origins'' was first published as a one-shot in 1961 and c ...
'' (vol. 2) #48 (April 1990), presenting the never-before-told origin of Stanley and his Monster, in which Lucifer banishes a minor demon from Hell to Earth for being "too nice" for Hell, where he is discovered by Stanley Dover Junior, who names him Spot. This version of Hell is also depicted in the 58 issues (plus two ''Annual''s (1992 and 1993) and one #0 issue (October 1994)) of ''The Demon'' (vol. 3) (July 1990–May 1995), the four-issue miniseries ''
The Books of Magic ''The Books of Magic'' is the title of a four-issue English-language comic book Limited series (comics), miniseries written by Neil Gaiman, published by DC Comics, and later an ongoing series under the imprint Vertigo Comics, Vertigo. Since its or ...
'' (December 1990–March 1991) and the three-issue miniseries '' Kid Eternity'' (vol. 2) (May–October 1991) by
Grant Morrison Grant Morrison (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narratives, Humanism, humanist philosophy and counterculture, countercultural leanings. Morrison has writt ...
and
Duncan Fegredo Duncan Fegredo (; born 1964) is a British comic book artist. Career Born in Leicester, Fegredo first managed to get into comics after showing his portfolio around UKCAC in 1987 and meeting Dave Thorpe. Together they worked on a strip for a s ...
. In ''Swamp Thing Annual'' #2, Hell was said to be a place where mortal beings went only because they truly ''believed'' that they belonged there. During the fourth ''Sandman'' story arc, '' Season of Mists'', in ''The Sandman'' (vol. 2) #21–28 (January–July 1991), Lucifer decides to abdicate the throne of Hell and forces all of these beings to leave it. He closes the gates of Hell behind him, locks them and gives the key to
Dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensation (psychology), sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around ...
of the Endless, who does not want it, and many divine beings, such as
Odin Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...
, Bast and Shivering Jemmy of the Shallow Brigade, a Lord of Chaos, attempt to persuade him to give the key to them. Odin attempts to bribe Dream with the Twilight Dimension of Ragnarok from ''Last Days of the
Justice Society of America The Justice Society of America (JSA) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Books. It first appeared in '' ...
Special'' #1 (1986), specifically because it contains his successor's grandfather,
Hawkman Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1, published by All-American ...
I (Carter Hall (a.k.a. Prince Khufu Kha-Tarr)) and his protégé, the Sandman I (Wesley Bernard "Wes" Dodds), but this attempt fails, as do ''all'' of the others. Eventually, Dream gives the key to the angels Remiel and
Duma A duma () is a Russian assembly with advisory or legislative functions. The term ''boyar duma'' is used to refer to advisory councils in Russia from the 10th to 17th centuries. Starting in the 18th century, city dumas were formed across Russia ...
, who, having been denied re-entry into the Silver City, reinstate Hell as a place of spiritual rehabilitation rather than eternal punishment. This version of Hell is also depicted in the four-issue miniseries ''Stanley and His Monster'' (vol. 2) (February–May 1993), ''Vertigo Visions: Phantom Stranger'' #1 (October 1993), a one-shot issue under the Vertigo imprint by Alisa Kwitney and Guy Davis, the 16-issue series '' Kid Eternity'' (vol. 3) (May 1993–September 1994) by Ann Nocenti and Sean Phillips, also under the Vertigo imprint (albeit with Beelzebub having taken human form) and ''
Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
'' #544–546 (July–September 1997), which guest-starred Etrigan the Demon. ''John Constantine, Hellblazer'' under Garth Ennis would have its own Satan, and to avoid clashes with ''The Sandman'' (vol. 2), this version was turned in ''John Constantine, Hellblazer'' #59 (November 1992) into the First of the Fallen: the first being in Hell, preceding Lucifer and his failed rebellion in Heaven. The First and two other demons ruled Hell once Lucifer had abdicated the throne, with the two demons said to be only barely in charge, and in a
fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance dramatic convention, convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. ...
moment the First complained about "those endless, bloody triumvirates". John Constantine the Hellblazer, to save himself from death from terminal lung cancer, set up the First to be killed by the
succubus A succubus () is a female demon who is described in various folklore as appearing in the dreams of male humans in order to seduce them. Repeated interactions between a succubus and a man will lead to sexual activity, a bond forming between them, ...
Chantinelle, who then briefly took control of Hell, but the First returned from the dead and reclaimed the throne of Hell shortly afterward. The First also killed the other two demons after he found out that they were not truly two of the Fallen after all (instead, they were only mere demons) and transformed their dead bodies into a two-bladed knife that was called the Knife of the Fallen, which was then used by Chantinelle to kill him. The Master Baytor was an ineffective ruler who was unable to govern Hell due to his constant babbling and lack of coherent leadership. In ''The Sandman Presents: Lucifer'' #1–3 (March–May 1999) and the 75-issue series ''Lucifer'' (June 2000–August 2006; including a one-shot issue called ''Lucifer: Nirvana'' (2002)), a human was eventually placed in charge of Hell while Lucifer roamed Earth and owned a piano bar named Lux (the Latin word for "light") as depicted in the ninth ''Sandman'' story arc, '' The Kindly Ones'', in ''Vertigo Jam'' #1 (August 1993) and ''The Sandman'' (vol. 2) #57–69 (February 1994–July 1995). The six-issue miniseries ''
Human Defense Corps The Human Defense Corps are a comic book military organization published by DC Comics. They first appeared in ''Human Defense Corps'' #1 (July 2003), and were created by writer Ty Templeton and artist Clément Sauvé. Publication history ''Huma ...
'' (July–December 2003) detailed the U.S. military designation for demons as "Hostile Species NHH-014". The Human Defense Corps were able to defeat a minor Lord of the Damned named Scarmaglione, then Sergeant Montgomery Kelly of the Corps killed him, assumed his powers and claimed his clan for the
United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...
. His status as a minor ruler of Hell was confirmed by no less an authority than Neron himself, who was still the ruler of Hell at that time. Superman briefly became the Lord of Hell in ''
Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
'' #666 (October 2007). The eight-issue miniseries ''Reign in Hell'', also including ''DC Universe Special: Reign in Hell'' #1 and created by
Keith Giffen Keith Ian Giffen (November 30, 1952 – October 9, 2023) was an American comics artist and writer. He was known for his work for DC Comics on their ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' and ''Justice League'' titles as well as for being the co-creator of ...
and Tom Derenick, introduced a new status quo for the mainstream DC Comics version of Hell; it also gave readers specific geographical references of the region and defined a codex of rules that governed the damned (however, it is also known to have had many internal continuity errors that make its place in mainstream DC Universe
canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...
questionable at best).''DC Universe Special: Reign in Hell'' #1 (August 2008) and ''Reign in Hell'' #1–8 (September 2008–April 2009) Two years after ''Reign in Hell'', DC Comics decided to remove all DC Universe characters from their Vertigo imprint, though Vertigo would have its own version of John Constantine the Hellblazer for a time.


DC Comics


Description

In the mainstream
DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the shared universe in which most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. In context, the term "DC Universe" usually refers to the main DC Continuity (fiction), continuity. It contains v ...
, Hell is an alternate plane of reality, traditionally accessible only by those with demonic heritage, beings of a higher order, and those whose
soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
s have been barred from entering the Silver City because of any evil that they had committed in their lives. DC Comics' Hell is a debased reflection of Earth, meaning that as Earth became more technologically or socially advanced so did Hell, due to an effect not unlike
time dilation Time dilation is the difference in elapsed time as measured by two clocks, either because of a relative velocity between them (special relativity), or a difference in gravitational potential between their locations (general relativity). When unsp ...
: " day in Hell is equal to a minute's passage on Earth". All denizens of the mainstream DC Comics version of Hell are capable of using some form of maleficium; the most powerful infernal magic users are the ruling gentry of Hell and their enforcers the Necro-Mages, Forges, Exegesis Guild, Renderers, Howlers, Incendiaries, Rhyming Demons and Wishweavers. Every building, weapon, piece of furniture, piece of armor, article of clothing, serving of food, etc. in Hell is made from the bodies of the damned. The damned are turned into resources for the functioning of Hell through the process of rendering, which is carried out by the Exegesis Guild and their helpers, the Renderers.''Reign in Hell'' #1 (September 2008)


Fictional history


''Underworld Unleashed''

During the ''Underworld Unleashed'' crossover event, Neron appeared in the mainstream DC Universe for the first time and established himself as the ruler of Hell, a position that he held for many years. He then devised an elaborate scheme to conquer Earth and to gain a "pure soul" that he could corrupt, which ultimately involved many of the DC Universe's
supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...
s and a number of the DC Universe's
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
es. Neron offered both groups numerous deals to give them their greatest desires in exchange for their souls or for completing a task for him. The scheme was ultimately defeated by the combined efforts of both Justice League America and the
Trickster In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story (god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherw ...
I (Giovanni Giuseppe a.k.a. James Montgomery Jesse).


''The Final Night''

During ''The Final Night'' crossover story line, the Rhyming Demon known as Etrigan the Demon offered to bring all of the living people of Earth into Hell so that they could stay warm in exchange for their souls. The people rejected his offer, primarily because his plan was to shift Earth into Hell.


''Day of Judgment''

During the ''Day of Judgment'' crossover storyline, a renegade King-Angel of the Bull Host named Asmodel, with the help of Etrigan the Demon (who was trying to cause chaos on Earth and defeat his enemy, Neron), briefly took control of the then-hostless Spectre-Force using the ashes of an angel's wing feather and sought to destroy both Heaven and Hell. He used the Spectre's powers to extinguish the hellfire font, causing Hell to freeze over. A team of superheroes, including Superman, Zatanna Zatara, Sebastian Faust, Firestorm the Nuclear Man II (Ronald Roy "Ronnie" Raymond), the
Atom Atoms are the basic particles of the chemical elements. An atom consists of a atomic nucleus, nucleus of protons and generally neutrons, surrounded by an electromagnetically bound swarm of electrons. The chemical elements are distinguished fr ...
II (Raymond "Ray" Palmer), the Enchantress and
Deadman Deadman or Deadman's may refer to: * "Deadman" or "dead man", are alternative terms for a dead man's switch * "Deadman's foot" is another name for a Salamander (metallurgy), Salamander in metallurgy * "Deadman anchor" is a buried object (log, con ...
, were sent deep into Hell's depths to reignite the hellfire font. The reignition required an act of true evil, so Sebastian Faust took matters into his own hands and killed the Enchantress by slitting her throat, thereby damning himself to Hell and thus satisfying the infernal conditions. The crossover storyline ended with a three-way battle between Neron, Asmodel and the then-deceased Harold "Hal" Jordan (the former
Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
II) for control over the Spectre-Force (which ultimately chose Hal Jordan, thus making ''him'' the Spectre for a time).


''Reign in Hell''

During the events of the ''Reign in Hell'' miniseries, Hell was thrown into a massive conflict while Neron and his generals are confronted with a rebellion led by Blaze and Satanus, the rulers of Purgatory. Neron soon discovered that the rebel demons were offering the damned "hope to the hopeless" and redemption for them, which had ''never'' happened before, and that this was a powerful spur. Realizing what would happen if the damned ever rose against him, Neron has his consort Lilith, the "mother of all Earthborn fiends", summon all of the
vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...
s,
werewolves In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (from Ancient Greek ), is an individual who can shapeshift into a wolf, or especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf–humanlike creature, either purposely or after bei ...
,
ghoul In folklore, a ghoul (from , ') is a demon-like being or monstrous humanoid, often associated with graveyards and the consumption of human flesh. In the legends or tales in which they appear, a ghoul is far more ill-mannered and foul than go ...
s and infernally powered humans to Hell to fight on his side. This unrest in the infernal realms attracts the attention of Earth's magical superheroes, who are concerned with the outcome and possible repercussions of the war. Many of them descend into Hell and take sides in the conflict (all for reasons of their own), including Giovanni "John" Zatara, his daughter Zatanna Zatara, Jason Blood a.k.a. Etrigan the Demon, Randu Singh,
Doctor Fate Doctor Fate (also known as Fate) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version was originally created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, debuting in ''More Fun Comics' ...
V (Kent V. Nelson), the Ragman III (Rory Regan), the Creeper II (Jack Ryder), Detective Chimp, the vampire Lord Andrew Bennett,
Acheron The Acheron ( or ; ''Acheron'' or Ἀχερούσιος ''Acherousios''; ''Acherontas'') is a river in the Epirus (region), Epirus region of northwest Greece. It is long, and has a drainage area of . The river's source is located near the vil ...
, the angel Zauriel, the Enchantress,
Deadman Deadman or Deadman's may refer to: * "Deadman" or "dead man", are alternative terms for a dead man's switch * "Deadman's foot" is another name for a Salamander (metallurgy), Salamander in metallurgy * "Deadman anchor" is a buried object (log, con ...
, the
Phantom Stranger The Phantom Stranger is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, of unspecified paranormal origins, who battles mysterious and occult forces, sometimes under their Vertigo (DC Comics), Vertigo imprint. The character ...
, Sargon the Sorcerer II (David John Sargent), Ibis the Invincible II (Daniel Kasim "Danny" Khalifa), the Nightmaster,
Nightshade Solanaceae (), commonly known as the nightshades, is a family of flowering plants in the order Solanales. It contains approximately 2,700 species, several of which are used as agricultural crops, medicinal plants, and ornamental plants. Many me ...
II (Eve Eden), the
Midnight Rider "Midnight Rider" is a song by the American rock band the Allman Brothers Band. It was the second Single (music), single from their second studio album, ''Idlewild South'' (1970), released on Capricorn Records. The song was primarily written by v ...
, the Warlock's Daughter, Black Alice, Blue Devil, Red Devil and the fallen angel Linda Danvers. In the miniseries' backup story, Doctor Richard Occult, aided by the Yellow Peri, also descends into Hell, but separately from the others and with his ulterior motive - to free the soul of his beloved, Rose Psychic, from damnation. Lobo, who, at this time, is confined to the Labyrinth, Hell's only prison (due to the deal that he had earlier made with Neron in the ''Underworld Unleashed'' crossover event) and whose suffering alone is enough to power Neron's entire palace, is freed from his torment as a result of the titanic battle between Etrigan the Demon and Blue Devil, a battle that results in Etrigan the Demon's (temporary) death at Blue Devil's hands. Lobo then tears apart the soul of Zatara, which forces Zatanna to destroy his soul and banish it to the Abyss (a place that even Hell cannot touch) at his request, rather than to consign him to an eternity of pain and torment(later, in the 16-issue miniseries ''Zatanna'' (vol. 2) (July 2010–October 2011), Zatara's soul is shown to have been saved from destruction by a demon who owes him a favor). Despite all of this and ''just'' when Neron seems to be victorious, Satanus finally reveals that he used the war as a cover to spread a modified viral version of DMN, the anagogic drug that changes humans into monsters and that he had used once before to destabilize
Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big city b ...
and confound Superman. This variation of DMN is airborne and, when combined with the speaking of the magic word " Shazam", it transforms Neron and all of Hell's demons into soulless humans, all except Lilith, who was ''not'' a true demon. It also causes all of the demonic entities that Neron had consumed over the millennia to be cast out of him. Satanus then kills Neron and takes the throne of Hell for himself.''Reign in Hell'' #7 (March 2009) The damned then turn their rage upon the now-human and powerless demons, slaughtering them wholesale and thus damning themselves anew. Blaze later takes advantage of her brother's momentary weakness during a moment when he allows Black Alice to touch him and sample his powers. This action shatters Black Alice's psyche and allows Blaze to drain Satanus' power and take the throne of Hell for ''herself'', thus winning the war. Towards the end of the miniseries, the ''Unspoken Principium'' of Hell is revealed by Doctor Occult to be "You can leave whenever you want", reiterating what was said about Hell in the Neil Gaiman version. However, the miniseries is known to have many internal continuity errors that make its place in mainstream DC Universe canon questionable at best.


Geography

In the ''Reign in Hell'' miniseries, the Infernal Dominion is divided up into nine Provinces, each of which have their own rulers. All of the rulers of the Provinces bowed down to Neron, then to Satanus when he took the throne of Hell from Neron and then to Blaze when she did the same thing to Satanus. The Nine Provinces included Pandemonia, the Odium, the Gull, Praetori, Internecia, Ament, the Labyrinth, Err and Purgatory (''below, there are descriptions of the Nine Provinces of the Infernal Dominion as depicted in the miniseries''). * Pandemonia - the First Province, home of Hell's high-caste demons and the location of the throne of Hell, the seat of the Dominus or Domina. * The Odium - the Second Province, the industrial and
manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer ...
center. It is home of the rendering factories, the Exegesis Guild and the Renderers. * The Gull - the Third Province, the
mercantile Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cred ...
, and
commerce Commerce is the organized Complex system, system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions that directly or indirectly contribute to the smooth, unhindered large-scale exchange (distribution through Financial transaction, transactiona ...
center. * Praetori - the Fourth Province, the administrative and
government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
al ministries. * Internecia - the Fifth Province, the
military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...
and
enforcement Enforcement is the proper execution of the process of ensuring compliance with laws, regulations, rules, standards, and social norms. Governments attempt to effectuate successful implementation of policies by enforcing laws and regulations. En ...
ministries. * Ament - the Sixth Province, the cultural
propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...
ministry. * The Labyrinth - the Seventh Province, the judicial detainment ministry, and Hell's only prison. * Err - the Eighth Province, the theological suppression ministry. * Purgatory - the Ninth Province, the place of secondary damnation. It was formerly ruled by Blaze and Satanus. Anyone can leave Purgatory and enter Hell, but they can never leave Hell once they have arrived there. * The Selvage - the Selvage is the infernal aether, a dimensional waste which separates and surrounds the Provinces; all passage between the Provinces must pass through the Selvage. The very nature of the Selvage is such that it rejects magic. * Masak Mavdil - the lowest place in Hell; the pit of rejected failures where demons exile their own kind, and which is guarded by the Archfiend Abaddon the Destroyer.


The Infernal Hosts

According to the ''Reign in Hell'' miniseries, Blaze, the sister of Satanus, is the current ruler of Hell; she succeeded her brother who, in turn, succeeded Neron. The mainstream DC Comics version of Hell always has a single ruler known as the "First Seated of the Entire Infernal Dominion" and holding the title of either Dominus (male) or Domina (female); the first such Dominus was Neron, the current Domina is Blaze, sister of Satanus and daughter of the wizard Shazam and a demoness (name unknown). The First Seated rules by his (or her) "infernal will and chthonic way"; he (or she) is addressed as the "Lord" (or "Lady") "of the Hosts of Hell, First Seated of the Entire Infernal Dominion".


The First Seated of the Entire Infernal Dominion

* Blaze - the former co-ruler of Purgatory; the current Domina, the First Seated of the Entire Infernal Dominion and the hybrid daughter of the wizard Shazam and a demoness (name unknown). * Satanus - the former co-ruler of Purgatory; the former Dominus, the First Seated of the Entire Infernal Dominion and the hybrid son of the wizard Shazam and a demoness (name unknown). * Neron - Neron is also known as the "King of Hate" and the "Lord of Lies". He was a high-ranking Wishweaver who mysteriously emerged from obscurity several years ago and soon established himself as the ruler of Hell, a position that he held for many years. He is the former Dominus, the First Seated of the Entire Infernal Dominion.


Archfiends

* Abaddon the Destroyer - the guardian and oracle of Masak Mavdil, the lowest place in Hell.First seen in ''Justice League of America'' #49 (November 1966). * Asmodel - a renegade King-Angel and the former leader of the Bull Host, an elite order of angels tasked with protecting the Silver City. Asmodel served as Neron's Dominion Overseer, in charge of the armies of the Infernal Dominion. * Asteroth - Asteroth once captured Merlin I and Etrigan the Demon in a failed attempt to disrupt the political structure of Hell. *
Belial Belial (; , ''Bəlīyyaʿal'') is a term occurring in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament which later became personified as the devilSee the reference to "Beliar" in ''The Ascension of Isaiah'', at EarlyChristianWritings.com', specifically at 1:8 ...
- the father of the demons Lord Scapegoat and Etrigan the Demon and of the half-human/half-demon hybrid wizard Merlin I (who all had different mothers; see below). Belial physically resembled his son Etrigan the Demon. He also served as Neron's Archfiend of Internal Security; his spies kept watch on demon and damned alike. * Lilith the Mother of Monsters - the mother of all Earthbound monsters and the first wife of the human progenitor Adam in Judeo-Christian mythology. She held dominion over any human empowered by infernal energies, as well as the lilim, incubi, succubi, vampires, werewolves and ghouls. * Myrddin Ambrosius - Myrddin Ambrosius is the modern-day version of DC Comics' original version of Merlin I as introduced in the 12-issue maxiseries '' The Trials of Shazam!'' (October 2006–May 2008). He is the youngest son of Belial, born of a blasphemous mating between his father and a human woman (name unknown), and the younger half-brother of the demons Lord Scapegoat and Etrigan the Demon. * Mordecai Smyt - a tactical genius from the
Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...
who served as one of Satanus' generals.First seen in ''Reign in Hell'' #2 (October 2008). * Nebiros - the ruler of an unnamed Infernal Province and an enemy of both the Swamp Thing IV ("Alexander "Alec" Holland") and Blue Devil. * Prince Ra-Man the Mind-Master - a powerful magician who served as Satanus' Secretary of State. * Rann Va Dath of the Pit - the Serpent Queen and the Spirit of Deceit, also a former mate of Belial and the mother of Etrigan the Demon.First seen in ''The Demon'' (vol. 3) #2 (August 1990). * Shamma - a protoplasmic shapeshifter who served as Satanus' Chief of Intelligence. * The Thing-That-Cannot-Die - a resident of a prison called the "Region Beyond", which ''may'' be a section of the Labyrinth.First seen in ''The Demon'' (vol. 3) #16 (October 1991). * Trigon - the ruler of an unnamed Infernal Province and the father of Raven VI.


Fiends

* The Abortives - the Abortives are the lowest caste of demons, creatures born in Hell without a language or the ability to travel. They can only escape from Hell by inhabiting a "hollow" - the demonic term for a human with a body and a mind, but without a soul. * The Arkannone - the "Lords of Gunfire". * Azmodus - an enemy of the Spectre created by the union of Caraka (the Spectre's first human host) and the demon Sekuba. *
Baphomet Baphomet is a figure incorporated across various occult and Western esotericism, Western esoteric traditions. During Trials of the Knights Templar, trials starting in 1307, the Knights Templar were accused of heresy for worshipping Baphomet as ...
- a 6th century demon who battled Arak, Son of Thunder. * Bathopet, Maw and Atopeh - a trio of demons who were offered to
Madame Xanadu Madame Xanadu (Nimue Inwudu) is a fictional character published by DC Comics. The character is identified with Nimue, the sorceress from Arthurian mythology made popular by Sir Thomas Malory's ''Le Morte d'Arthur''. Jeryl Prescott portrays X ...
- along with the power to command and control them - by Neron during the ''Underworld Unleashed'' crossover event in exchange for her soul when she died. Madame Xanadu accepted the offer ''only'' to trick Neron because she was immortal and, therefore, could ''not'' die. Neron, however, in a cruel twist, revealed to Madame Xanadu that he had ''only'' made a deal with her just to prove that he could tempt those with "gray souls" as well as those who were evil. * Black Nergal - a demon who fought
Doctor Fate Doctor Fate (also known as Fate) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version was originally created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, debuting in ''More Fun Comics' ...
I (Kent Nelson) in ''More Fun Comics'' #67 (May 1941).First seen in ''More Fun Comics'' #67 (May 1941). He may be the same being as Vertigo's Nergal. * Bloodklott the Prince of Pox - a Rhyming Demon who is terrible at rhyming and a sometimes ally of Etrigan the Demon. * Etrigan the Demon - the middle son of Belial, born of a mating between his father and Rann Va Dath of the Pit, and a prominent Rhyming Demon who once made an attempt to claim the throne of Hell for himself and failed to do so.This incident occurred in ''The Demon'' (vol. 3) #1–7 (July 1990–January 1991). * The Exegesis Guild - one of the Infernal Hosts, the Exegesis Guild controls manufacturing in the Odium; their servants - also one of the Infernal Hosts - are the Renderers, infernal machines which are Hell's architects, capable of transmuting damned souls into building materials and using the rendered brick and mortar in their projects. * The Forges - one of the Infernal Hosts, the Forges are infernal robotic constructs built by the Exegesis Guild; they are tasked with scouring anomalies from Hell. * Grockk the Devil's Son - due to his unique facial appearance, Grockk the Devil's Son appears to be related to Etrigan the Demon. He is a ''
Dial H for Hero ''Dial H for Hero'' is a comic book feature published by DC Comics about a magical dial that enables an ordinary person to become a superhero for a short time, such as an hour, by selecting the letters H-E-R-O in order. Each time it is used, the ...
'' supervillain. * The Howlers - one of the Infernal Hosts, the Howlers are described as
lycanthrope In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (from Ancient Greek ), is an individual who can shapeshift into a wolf, or especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf–humanlike creature, either purposely or after being ...
s, so they appear to be infernal werewolves. They have also been mentioned in Merlin I's book of spells titled ''The Book of Eternity'' and have been known to work for Morgaine le Fey. * The Incendiaries - one of the Infernal Hosts, the Incendiaries are living hellfire constructs used by Satanus' armies. * Lord Scapegoat - the oldest son of Belial, born of a blasphemous mating between his father and a nanny (female)
goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...
, and a sometimes ally of his younger half-brother Etrigan the Demon. * Morax - the Bull-Beast of Stygia and a sometimes ally of Etrigan the Demon. * The Necro-Mages - one of the Infernal Hosts, the Necro-Mages, while under Neron's rule, were tasked with monitoring all magical activity in Hell. * Rhavenj - a purple,
minotaur In Greek mythology, the Minotaur (, ''Mīnṓtauros''), also known as Asterion, is a mythical creature portrayed during classical antiquity with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "par ...
-like demon of vengeance from ''Action Comics'' #569 (July 1985). * The Rhyming Demons - one of the Infernal Hosts, the Rhyming Demons (like Etrigan the Demon) are compelled to rhyme all spoken word conversations. * The Scabbies - one of the Infernal Hosts; according to the Yellow Peri, the Scabbies are former angels who were captured and tortured by demons, becoming demons themselves in the process. They appear to have also become cannibals, feeding on demon and damned alike. * Shathan the Eternal - a giant demon who ruled
Dis Dis, DIS or variants may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Dis (album), ''Dis'' (album), by Jan Garbarek, 1976 * ''Dís'', a soundtrack album by Jóhann Jóhannsson, 2004 * "Dis", a song by The Gazette from the 2003 album ''Hankou Seimeib ...
and fought the Spectre in ''Showcase'' #61 (March–April 1966). * The Wishweavers - one of the Infernal Hosts, the Wishweavers are demons who specialize in fulfilling mortals' greatest desires in exchange for their immortal souls or for completing a task for them, usually by making deals with said mortals (with such deals usually ''not'' ending well for the mortals). Neron is the most prominent, powerful and well-known Wishweaver and, possibly, ''might'' have been their ruler. * Xolotl - the demon guardian of the "Mictlan Gate" and the servant of Lord
Mictlāntēcutli Mictlāntēcutli or Mictlantecuhtli (, meaning "Lord of Mictlan"), in Aztec mythology, is a god of the dead and the king of Mictlan (Chicunauhmictlan), the lowest and northernmost section of the underworld. He is one of the principal gods of the ...
, the Aztec god of death.


Notable damned

*
Baal Baal (), or Baʻal, was a title and honorific meaning 'owner' or 'lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The ...
- a Semitic fertility and storm god who is confined to a temple that is hidden in an unnamed corner of Hell. * Buzz - Buzz was born Gaius Marcus, a
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
patrician from A.D. 41; he was a frequent enemy of the fallen angel Linda Danvers. * Chthon - one of Echidna's monstrous children and the guardian of the "Pillars of Unreason". * Daemon - an incubus who assaulted Supergirl. * The Demons Three (Abnegazar, Rath and Ghast) - three proto-demons who predate humanity and yet, at the same time, are among the many children of Lilith.First seen in ''Justice League of America'' #10 (March 1962) *
Echidna Echidnas (), sometimes known as spiny anteaters, are quill-covered monotremes (egg-laying mammals) belonging to the Family (biology), family Tachyglossidae , living in Australia and New Guinea. The four Extant taxon, extant species of echidnas ...
- the Mother of Monsters in Greek mythology, to whom Power Girl promises to return once a year for instruction. * Lobo - an intergalactic bounty hunter and a former prisoner in the Labyrinth, Lobo was briefly tormented by Neron when he was "Lord of the Hosts of Hell, First Seated of the Entire Infernal Dominion". His suffering in Hell alone was enough to power Neron's entire palace. * Mawzir - the 10-armed and gun-wielding Nazi hit man of Hell.


Lesser damned

* Barbariccia - a demonic astral guard.First seen in ''Human Defense Corps'' #4 (October 2003). * Calcabrina - a demon from Scarmaglione's clan who was captured by the Human Defense Corps. * The Master Baytor - the former Lord of the Criminally Insane in Hell and a sometimes ally of Etrigan the Demon, who later escaped from Hell and became a bartender at Noonan's Bar in the Cauldron, a section of
Gotham City Gotham City ( ), or simply Gotham, is a fictional city in the Northeastern United States that serves as the primary city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his List ...
. * Scarmaglione - a minor demon-lord from the ''Human Defense Corps'' six-issue miniseries. * Sergeant Montgomery Kelly - a member of the Human Defense Corps; he killed the minor demon-lord Scarmaglione, assumed his powers and succeeded him as ruler of his clan, claiming it for the United States of America. His status as a minor ruler of Hell was confirmed by no less an authority than Neron himself. * Spot (a.k.a. The Beast With No Name and Stanley's Monster) - a minor demon who was banished from Hell to Earth by Lucifer for being "too nice" for Hell and has befriended a human named Stanley Dover Junior. Hell has tried to reclaim this demon many times without ''any'' success.


Notable half-demons

* Black Alice - a young woman whose infernally-made powers allow her to steal magical energy. * Blue Devil - a former stuntman turned superhero. * The Creeper II (Jack Ryder) - a superhero who is a human that has somehow been bonded to a demon. *
Felix Faust Felix Faust is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''Justice League of America'' #10 (1962), created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky. He is depicted as a mystic sorcerer, obse ...
- a damned sorcerer. * Linda Danvers - a fallen angel summoned to Hell by Lilith the Mother of Monsters, but mysteriously released shortly afterward. * Lord Satanis - a warlock (real name unknown) from the distant future who sold his soul to a demon-lord (name unknown) in exchange for power while living in 14th century
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
. *
Raven A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigne ...
VI (Rachel Roth) - the hybrid daughter of the Archfiend Trigon (see above) and a human woman named Arella. * Sabbac - a cursed human able to take on demonic power by saying the magic word "Sabbac". * Sebastian Faust - the son of Felix Faust, who is also a sorcerer and damned like his father, but is a superhero (while his father is a supervillain). * The White Magician - a powerful human warlock who is able to summon a demonic aspect of himself after selling his soul to one of Hell's demons. * Witchfire - a
homunculus A homunculus ( , , ; "little person", : homunculi , , ) is a small human being. Popularized in 16th-century alchemy and 19th-century fiction, it has historically referred to the creation of a miniature, fully formed human. The concept has root ...
sorceress.


Infernal artifacts

* The Ace of Winchesters - a powerful demon-forged
Winchester rifle Winchester rifle is a comprehensive term describing a series of lever action repeating rifles manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Developed from the 1860 Henry rifle, Winchester rifles were among the earliest repeaters. Th ...
that is capable of killing any mortal or immortal being, no matter who - or what - that being might be. * The Crown of Horns - a powerful magical artifact that is supposedly worn by some of the rulers of Hell. * The Trident of Lucifer - a powerful magical weapon with the ability to return exiled demons to Hell; it is currently in the possession of Blue Devil.


Other versions

According to the six-issue miniseries ''Artemis: Requiem'' (June–November 1996) by
William Messner-Loebs William Francis Messner-Loebs (; born William Francis Loebs Jr., February 19, 1949) is an Americans, American comics artist and writer from Michigan, also known as Bill Loebs and Bill Messner-Loebs. His hyphenated surname is a combination of his a ...
and
Ed Benes José Edilbenes Bezerra (born November 20, 1972), better known by his professional name Ed Benes, is a Brazilian comic book artist, known for his work for DC Comics, on such titles as ''Birds of Prey (comics), Birds of Prey'', ''Supergirl (comic b ...
and the second story in ''
Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...
Annual'' (vol. 2) #6 (1997) by Joan Weis and
Ed Benes José Edilbenes Bezerra (born November 20, 1972), better known by his professional name Ed Benes, is a Brazilian comic book artist, known for his work for DC Comics, on such titles as ''Birds of Prey (comics), Birds of Prey'', ''Supergirl (comic b ...
(which do ''not'' take place in mainstream DC Universe canon), there are 13 princely thrones in Hell, each selected to oversee 13 different realms of it. It is then assumed that these demon princes ultimately answer to the crowned head of Hell. The demoness Belyllioth is Princess of 1/13th of Hell's realms in these stories. She supposedly replaced the previous ruler, Dalkriig-Hath, once he was destroyed by his bride
Artemis of Bana-Mighdall Artemis of Bana-Mighdall is a fictional Amazons, Amazon superheroine, a comic book character published by DC Comics. The character was created by William Messner-Loebs and Mike Deodato, and debuted in ''Wonder Woman'' (vol. 2) #90 (September 1994 ...
. Artemis was, by right, next in line to rule her former husband's realm, but instead she had the other 12 Princes of Hell grant Belyllioth her station instead. Notable in this depiction were the
Myrmidons In Greek mythology, the Myrmidons (or Myrmidones; , singular: , ) were an ancient Thessaly, Thessalian tribe. In Homer's ''Iliad'', the Myrmidons are the soldiers commanded by Achilles. Their :wikt:eponym, eponymous ancestor was Myrmidon (hero) ...
, a race of savage ant-like demons that were faithful to Belyllioth.


Vertigo


Description

The
Vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...
imprint of DC Comics also has its own version of Hell, with its own very specific infernal sovereignty formerly ruled by Lucifer Samael Morningstar.


Fictional history

Contrary to popular belief, the term Satan (a Hebrew word meaning "adversary") represents a title within the legions of Hell and is ''not'' an actual name. The most well-known Satan is Lucifer Samael Morningstar, whose rule supplanted both that of the First of the Fallen and the First Triumvirate and Etrigan the Demon and the Second Triumvirate. Lucifer was the fourth fallen angel and yet ''not'' the first ruler of Hell, though he later became the ruler of Hell for many centuries. When the Great Evil Beast threatened all of existence by making an attack on Creation during the ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'', a civil war erupted in Hell as a result and the regency was split into the Second Triumvirate, which consisted of Etrigan the Demon, his mother Rann Va Dath of the Pit and Abaddon the Destroyer. This was only an interim triumvirate, however, and was soon replaced by the Third Triumvirate.First seen in ''The Sandman'' (vol. 2) #4 (April 1989). Eventually, Lucifer grew bored with his position, abdicated the throne of Hell and retired to Earth with his mistress, the lilim known as Mazikeen.This incident occurred in ''The Sandman'' (vol. 2) #21–28 (January–July 1991).


Geography

The realms of the Vertigo version of Hell are not as defined as the ones in the DC Comics version after the ''Reign in Hell'' miniseries, but specific areas have been mentioned in various stories: *
Dis Dis, DIS or variants may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Dis (album), ''Dis'' (album), by Jan Garbarek, 1976 * ''Dís'', a soundtrack album by Jóhann Jóhannsson, 2004 * "Dis", a song by The Gazette from the 2003 album ''Hankou Seimeib ...
- a Hellcity, home to the palace of Lucifer Samael Morningstar. * Effrul - the home Province of Lord Arux, an Arch-Duke of Hell. * Mashkan-Shapir - a Hellcity formerly ruled by Nergal, an Arch-Duke of Hell.


Infernal sovereignty

The hierarchy of the Vertigo version of Hell has changed several times over the millennia, the ruler of which has always assumed the title of Satan. There are also ranks among the demons, including Kings, Queens, Princes, Lords, Arch-Dukes, Dukes and several others as well. Eventually, Lucifer grew bored with his position, abandoned Hell entirely, forced every being within it out of it, closed its gates behind him, locked them and gave its key to
Dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensation (psychology), sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around ...
of the Endless, who eventually gave it to two angels, Remiel and
Duma A duma () is a Russian assembly with advisory or legislative functions. The term ''boyar duma'' is used to refer to advisory councils in Russia from the 10th to 17th centuries. Starting in the 18th century, city dumas were formed across Russia ...
, who then transformed Hell into a place of spiritual rehabilitation rather than eternal punishment. In the interim, Lucifer was shown as the ruler of Hell in the mainstream DC Comics series '' The Spectre'' (vol. 2) #1–31 (April 1987–November 1989, plus one ''Annual'' (1988)) and '' The Demon'' (vol. 3) #1–58 (July 1990–May 1995, plus two ''Annual''s (1992 and 1993) and one #0 issue (October 1994)) and the mainstream DC Comics miniseries '' Stanley and His Monster'' (vol. 2) #1–4 (February–May 1993).


The Triumvirs of Hell (both DC Comics (Second) and Vertigo (First and Third))


The First Triumvirate

* The First of the Fallen - the first being created and the first to be banished to Hell. * The Second of the Fallen - the second being created and the second to be banished to Hell. Killed by the First of the Fallen after the First discovered that the Second was not ''truly'' one of the Fallen after all, but was merely a demon. * The Third of the Fallen - the third being created and the third to be banished to Hell. Killed by the First of the Fallen for the same reason that the Second was killed.


The Second Triumvirate

* Lucifer Samael Morningstar - the fourth being created and the fourth to be banished to Hell. * Azazel the Abomination - a former
djinn Jinn or djinn (), alternatively genies, are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabian religion and Islam. Their existence is generally defined as parallel to humans, as they have free will, are accountable for their deeds, and can be either ...
("genie") who ascended to Lucifer's triumvirate. * Beelzebub the Lord of the Flies - a prominent Arch-Duke of Hell who was later promoted to Lucifer's triumvirate alongside Lucifer and Azazel.


The Third Triumvirate

* Etrigan the Demon - a prominent Rhyming Demon, he established this interim triumvirate at a time when he had - or when he ''thought'' that he had - conquered the power of Hell. * Rann Va Dath of the Pit - the Serpent Queen and the Spirit of Deceit; also, a former mate of Belial (Etrigan the Demon's father) and the mother of Etrigan the Demon. * Abaddon the Destroyer - the guardian and oracle of Masak Mavdil, the lowest place in Hell.


Lesser demons


Arch-Dukes of Hell

* Adramalech - an ally of Timothy Hunter.First seen in ''The Books of Magic'' (vol. 2) #5 (September 1994). * Lord Arux - the ruler of the Province of Effrul and the father of Brosag and Lady Lys, the latter of whom succeeds him as ruler. * Mazikeen - the lilim mistress of Lucifer. *
Nergal Nergal ( Sumerian: d''KIŠ.UNU'' or ; ; Aramaic: ܢܸܪܓܲܠ; ) was a Mesopotamian god worshiped through all periods of Mesopotamian history, from Early Dynastic to Neo-Babylonian times, with a few attestations indicating that his cult surv ...
- the former ruler of the Hellcity of Mashkan-Shapir and the Arch-Duke of Mendacity; he was demoted from his rule by the First of the Fallen. He may be the same being as DC Comics' Black Nergal. In his appearance in ''Constantine the Hellblazer'' #8–13, Neron is mentioned as now being an Arch-Duke of Hell (a far cry from the ruler of Hell that he had once been) by no less an authority than John Constantine the Hellblazer himself.


Dukes of Hell

* Agares - a minor Duke of Hell and a possible future servant of Timothy Hunter. * Asmodeus - a minor Duke of Hell who is believed to be the hybrid son of the
Phantom Stranger The Phantom Stranger is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, of unspecified paranormal origins, who battles mysterious and occult forces, sometimes under their Vertigo (DC Comics), Vertigo imprint. The character ...
and a human woman named Naamah, who was apparently damned to Hell for daring to love an angel (this angel is later strongly hinted to have become the Phantom Stranger himself sometime after the incident).


Minor gentry

* Braid the Assassin - Braid was sent by Remiel and Lord Arux to kill Lucifer but failed in his mission and died. *
Cerberus In Greek mythology, Cerberus ( or ; ''Kérberos'' ), often referred to as the hound of Hades, is a polycephaly, multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Greek underworld, underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. He was the offspring o ...
the Hellhound I - the three-headed watchdog of the gates of Hell; he allowed the souls of the dead to enter into Hell - if they had paid Charon the Ferryman his fare of a gold coin - but none to leave and also prevented the living from entering - or leaving if they ''did'' somehow manage to enter - as well. He especially devoured all those who tried to leave Hell without permission.First seen in ''Arak, Son of Thunder'' #12 (August 1982). * Charon the Ferryman - the blind ferryman of the river
Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; ; lit. "Shuddering"), also called the River Styx, is a goddess and one of the rivers of the Greek Underworld. Her parents were the Titans Oceanus and Tethys, and she was the wife of the Titan Pallas and the moth ...
; he transported the souls of the dead across this river in his boat- for a fare of a gold coin - to the gates of Hell.


Notable half-demons

* John Constantine the Hellblazer - a dilettante con man, thief, exorcist and minor wizard.


Infernal artifacts

* The Knife of the Fallen - a two-bladed knife created by the First of the Fallen from the dead bodies of the Second of the Fallen and the Third of the Fallen.


In other media


Television

Hell exists in the CW's
Arrowverse The Arrowverse is an American Superhero fiction, superhero media franchise and shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series based on DC Comics superhero characters, primarily airing on The CW as well as web series ...
. It was first mentioned in season 4 of ''
Arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...
'', where
Oliver Queen Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' No. 73 on September 19, 1941 (cover dated November 1941), th ...
stated that he could not call for John Constantine's help, because he was literally in Hell. Hell was then depicted in season 4 of ''
Legends of Tomorrow ''DC's Legends of Tomorrow'', or simply ''Legends of Tomorrow'', is an American Time travel in fiction, time travel superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klemmer, ...
'', where Constantine and Nora Darhk traveled there to rescue Ray Palmer's soul. The Arrowverse's version of the Triumvirate of Hell was made up of the demons Beelzebub, Belial and Satan, who were engaged in a power struggle against another demon, Neron.Season 4, episode 15: "Terms of Service"; premiered on The CW on Monday, May 13, 2019


Film

Hell exists in the
DC Extended Universe The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on characters that appear in American comic books published by DC Comic ...
film '' Black Adam''. The place was composed of the demons
Satan Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...
, Aym,
Belial Belial (; , ''Bəlīyyaʿal'') is a term occurring in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament which later became personified as the devilSee the reference to "Beliar" in ''The Ascension of Isaiah'', at EarlyChristianWritings.com', specifically at 1:8 ...
,
Beelzebub Ba'al Zabub , Ba'al Zvuv or Beelzebub ( ; ''Baʿal-zəḇūḇ''), also spelled Beelzebul or Belzebuth, and occasionally known as the Lord of the Flies, is a name derived from a Philistine god, formerly worshipped in Ekron, and later adopted ...
, Asmodeus and Crateris at the Rock of Finality to have Ishmael Gregor's spirit as his champion and where he receives the power of the six demons to turn him into the demon Sabbac to take the throne of Kahndaq in unleashing Hell on Earth.


References


External links


DCU Guide: Hell

DCU Guide: Demons

DCU Guide: Etrigan the Demon

DCU Guide: Neron

DCU Guide: Blaze

DCU Guide: Satanus

DCU Guide: The Triumvirate of Hell

DCU Guide: The First of the Fallen

DCU Guide: The Second of the Fallen

DCU Guide: The Third of the Fallen

DCU Guide: Lucifer Morningstar

DCU Guide: Azazel

DCU Guide: Beelzebub
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hell (Dc Comics) Fictional elements introduced in 1985 The Sandman (comic book) The Books of Magic DC Comics demons Hell in popular culture Mythology in DC Comics