''Underworld Unleashed'' was a multi-title

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 ...

crossover event released 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 ...

in 1995. The main theme of ''Underworld Unleashed'' involved the new ruler of

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...

, a demon-lord named Neron, offering first many of the DC Universe

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 then a number of the DC Universe

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 various deals in exchange for their souls.''Underworld Unleashed'' trade paperback (DC Comics, March 1998 () and hardcover ''25th Anniversary Edition'' (DC Comics, November 2020 ())

Plot

Neron dupes five of the Rogues who typically battle the Flash:

Captain Boomerang Captain Boomerang is the name of two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, who respectively serve as enemies to both the Barry Allen and Wally West versions of the Flash (DC Comics character), Flash. Created by wr ...

Captain Cold Captain Cold (Leonard Snart) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, the character first appeared in '' Showcase'' #8 (June 1957). In his comic book appearances, ...

Heat Wave A heat wave or heatwave, sometimes described as extreme heat, is a period of abnormally hot weather generally considered to be at least ''five consecutive days''. A heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the area and ...

I, the Mirror Master II, and the

Weather Wizard Weather Wizard (Mark Mardon) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Weather Wizard made his first live-action appearance in the television specials '' Legends of the Superheroes'' (1979), played by Jeff Altma ...

. He promises them a chance to go down in history as five of the greatest villains if they each engage in a specific destructive act. He does not tell them that it will cost them their lives and unleash him onto the Earth.

Lex Luthor Alexander "Lex" Joseph Luthor () is a supervillain in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the character first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (published on February 22, 1940, with a cover d ...

, the Joker,

Circe In Greek mythology, Circe (; ) is an enchantress, sometimes considered a goddess or a nymph. In most accounts, Circe is described as the daughter of the sun god Helios and the Oceanid Perse (mythology), Perse. Circe was renowned for her vast kn ...

Doctor Polaris Doctor Polaris is an alias used by two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first and most prominent is Neal Emerson, a scientist who can manipulate magnetism. Publication history Created by John Broome (wri ...

I and Abra Kadabra become his Inner Council. Neron sends magical candles to many supervillains. When they are all lit, they transport the villains to Neron's underworld realm. Many villains accept his offer, but some do not. The newly empowered villains are sent back to Earth to wreak havoc while Neron turns his attention to the superheroes. Along the way, 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 comes to Neron, but does not make a deal with him. Instead, he helps Neron betray his Inner Council. When the heroes come to Neron's realm looking to defeat him, they are corrupted by the influences of that realm. Trickster works out how Neron can be stopped, and instructs Captain Marvel to beat Neron at his own game by offering the demon his soul for purely selfless reasons. Unable to even touch the offer, Neron's work is reversed: breaking that one deal also broke all his others.

Collected editions

* The three-issue miniseries ''Underworld Unleashed'', together with the one-shot issue ''Underworld Unleashed: Abyss - Hell's Sentinel'' #1, was collected as a trade paperback called ''Underworld Unleashed'' (DC Comics, March 1998, 158 pages, ). * In 2020, a new hardcover

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

, ''Underworld Unleashed: The 25th Anniversary Edition'', was published, containing the three-issue miniseries plus the four one-shot issues ''Underworld Unleashed: Abyss - Hell's Sentinel'' #1, ''Underworld Unleashed: Apokolips - Dark Uprising'' #1, ''Underworld Unleashed: Batman - Devil's Asylum'' #1 and ''Underworld Unleashed: Patterns of Fear'' #1 (DC Comics, November 2020, 304 pp., )).

References

External links

Underworld Unleashed
at DC Wiki
Underworld Unleashed
at DCU Guide {{DC events 1995 comics debuts DC Comics limited series DC Comics titles Comics by Mark Waid