Blue Devil
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Blue Devil is a superhero featured in material published by DC Comics. He first appeared in a preview story published in Fury of Firestorm #24, cover dated June 1984. That story lead directly into Blue Devil #1, also cover dated June 1984.
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[edit] Fictional character biography
Daniel Patrick Cassidy was a special effects wizard and stuntman hired to create and play the title character in the movie Blue Devil. To that end Cassidy created a full-body costume with a hidden powered exoskeleton and built-in special-effects devices. When two of his co-stars accidentally freed a demon named Nebiros, Cassidy used his costume to drive the demon back, but not before being blasted with mystical energy. After the fight, Cassidy found that the blast had permanently grafted the Blue Devil costume to his body. Ironically, Cassidy is a devout Catholic.
Cassidy quickly found himself embroiled in repeated adventures and conflicts with supervillains. Apparently, the blast that fused him with his costume had also turned him into a sort of "weirdness magnet". Although he continued to seek a way to regain a normal life, Cassidy became more comfortable as a superhero over time and eventually joined the Justice League of America. In his series, Cassidy was occasionally assisted by his personal fanboy and fellow powersuit user, Kid Devil (Eddie Bloomberg).
[edit] Blue demon and later alliances
When the demon Neron took control of Hell and began seeking souls on Earth, Blue Devil was one of those he approached. Neron offered him a chance to be a movie star, but neglected to mention that the bargain would also result in the death of one of Cassidy's closest friends. Cassidy accepted the deal, his price, destroying an automatic electrical substation far in the desert. When his reporter friend investigated, an accident occurred, killing her and her pilot. In sympathy for Cassidy's loss, movie offers poured in.
In the end, Cassidy cheated Neron of his prize but died in the process. Cassidy was soon reincarnated as an actual demon. Now, instead of a man in a costume, he was an actual Blue Devil.
Cassidy rejoined the Justice League and remained with them until his second death, this time at the hands of the villainous Mist. His bones were secretly recovered by the magician Sebastian Faust, who eventually restored Blue Devil. Cassidy destroyed Nebiros, the only demon in hell at that time, and took -his- trident. Cassidy then joined the Sentinels of Magic and partnered with Faust, though this friendship was not all Cassidy's will. He was soon let free because Faust did not want to see Cassidy get hurt. He did though, eventually giving his life a third time fighting Hermes Trismegistus. He did not remain dead long, however, and roamed the Earth for a time banishing demons back to Hell.
[edit] One Year Later
Cassidy currently works as a bouncer at the Oblivion Bar, and was present when Ragman, Enchantress and the Detective Chimp called for allies in the battle against the Spectre in Day of Vengeance. He soon became the strong-man of the Shadowpact, able to even wound Eclipso, and has since decided to stay with the team. He is now helping his new teammates to contain the wild magic set free by the Spectre's actions.
In the ongoing Shadowpact series, Cassidy and his teammates were trapped inside a blood shield that grew over the town of Riverrock, Wyoming. In issue #2, while inside the town, Cassidy met a member of magic-based villain group called the Pentacle named Jack of Fire. Jack looks like a cross between Cassidy and Hellboy, wears a bandana over his mouth, and wields pyrokinetic abilities. Jack claims that he is Cassidy's brother, and that he got this way because of Cassidy's deal with Neron had expanded to his whole family. His parents were pulled out of Heaven and apparently, Cassidy has a younger sister named Mary, and an elder sister named Frances (or "Frankie" as he referred to her in the original title series). It is currently unknown if Jack of Fire's claims are true or if he is even Cassidy's brother.
One day Eddie, now a real child demon himself, came to Cassidy inquiring about his aunt Marla's death. Blue Devil admitted that he had not been honest with Eddie, and the teen responded hastily in shock. Before he could explain the truth to Eddie, Cassidy was told by his former sidekick to stay far away.
[edit] Powers
Even before he became Blue Devil, Dan Cassidy was a highly trained martial artist and acrobat. His costume included Kevlar body armor, visual and auditory amplifiers, radio gear, and servo-motors which increased his strength at least twentyfold. After being grafted to Cassidy's body the costume became organic and gained the ability to self-repair at an extremely fast rate (effectively a healing factor). Cassidy's abilities seem to have been changed little by his transformation into an actual demon.
In his current incarnation, Blue Devil still possesses some degree of superhuman strength, capable of going toe-to-toe with beings like Eclipso, and knocking out a power-drunk Enchantress in one punch. He is also remarkably resistant to physical damage, evidenced when Eclipso threw him a distance of approximately 500 feet upwards, he didn't even require time to recover before getting up and heading back into the fight.
Originally, Blue Devil wielded a trident of his own design which included, among other things, rocket engines capable of carrying two people at high speeds. He now carries the Trident of Lucifer, which allows him to find demons on Earth and banish them to Hell. During a recent battle with Eclipso and the Spectre the Trident was thrown into the ocean; it was recovered shortly after by Aquaman who returned it to Cassidy.
[edit] Other Versions
In Kingdom Come, there is a background character named Blue Devil II.
In the comic book adaptation of Justice League Unlimited, Blue Devil is the featured character of issue number 25.
Blue Devil has appeared in a few episodes of Justice League Unlimited, including "Dark Heart" and "Destroyer" (in which he had a brief speaking role).
[edit] External links
- Cosmic Teams entry
- Blue Devil interview/preview on THE PULSE
- Justin's Honest-to-Goodness Blue Devil Page
- The Grand Comics Database Project - Index access for Blue Devil and Blue Devil Annual
