Janus is a fictional character appearing in

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 ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

Fictional character biography

The Golden Angel was a possessing spirit who claimed to be an angel, a messenger and warrior of God. This angel was revealed to have appeared to

Dracula ''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...

and thwarted his will in the past. As an angel, he battled Dracula and predicted his death, although he was then slain by Dracula. Dracula and his wife Domini later conceived through mystical means via a spell of Anton Lupeski. An infant was born to them in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, and they named this baby Janus. Dracula sired this child as part of a plan to use the Church of Satan to fulfill his plans for world domination. The baby was accidentally shot and killed by Lupeski during an attack by Quincy Harker,

Rachel van Helsing Vagabond Vagabond (Priscilla Lyons) is the former partner and girlfriend of Jack Monroe (character), Nomad (Jack Monroe). She prevented Black Racer's assassination attempt on Sidewinder (character), Sidewinder. She thwarted and captured Dr. Karl ...

, Frank Drake, and Harold H. Harold on Dracula. Domini resurrected Janus by merging him with the same seeming Golden Angel Dracula had encountered years earlier, returning Janus to life as an adult. Janus became Dracula's opponent however, and battled Dracula to prevent his victims from becoming vampires. Alongside Dracula, Frank Drake, and Topaz, Janus also battled a demonic creature. During the "Star Waaugh" incident, Janus teamed with Lectronn and Crimebuster (Moore) to deal with mystical debris related to the incident. When Quincy Harker had temporarily destroyed Dracula, the possessing Golden Angel abandoned Janus' body. Janus immediately returned to Domini in human form, as a living baby. Years later, Janus was kidnapped at the order of the vampire lord

Varnae Varnae is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Perry (author), Steve Perry and Steve Bissette, the character first appeared in ''Bizarre Adventures'' #33 (December 1982). Varnae is a v ...

. During the " Curse of the Mutants" storyline, Janus is betrayed by the Claw Sect and handed over to his brother Xarus (who has usurped his father Dracula's title of Lord of the Vampires). The Siren Sect leader Alyssa secretly hands him a light-deflecting pendant when he escapes.''Death of Dracula'' #1

Powers and abilities

As an angel sent by the forces of Heaven to Earth, Janus possessed superhuman strength, weather-controlling powers and immunity to

's vampiric hypnotic powers, as well as being able to break his hypnotic hold over others. Janus could fire beams of concussive force from his eyes and to absorb and repel energies hurled against him, radiate blinding light, place people in temporal stasis, teleport himself and others at least thousands of miles across the face of the Earth, create illusory images, and transform into a golden eagle, retaining wings in humanoid form if desired. Janus could cause Dracula pain with a mere glance; he appeared able to survive physical death in astral form before incarnating in a new body. What special attributes the infant Janus might possess as a result of his vampire parentage remain unrevealed.

References

External links

Janus
at Marvel Wiki {{Dracula Fictional characters from Boston Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength