Underworld Unleashed
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Underworld Unleashed was a crossover by DC Comics in 1995. The main plot involved the new ruler of Hell, a demon called Neron, offering nearly every single villain of the DCU an "upgrade" in exchange for their soul. Most of them took his offer, allowing DC to revitalize and power up many of their villains.
The entire 3-issue Underworld Unleashed limited series and Underworld Unleashed: Abyss - Hell's Sentinel # 1 was collected as a trade paperback (ISBN 1-56389-447-5) in 1998.
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[edit] Publication history
This was one of the very major crossovers that did not involve Superman: at the time of this event, Superman was off the planet (during The Trial of Superman arc).
Neron duped five villains in the Flash's Rogues Gallery--he promised them a chance to go down in history as five of the greatest villains ever. He did not tell them it would cost them their lives and unleash him onto the Earth. Neron wasted no time in sending magical candles to many villains. When these were all lit, they transported the various villains to Neron's realm (which is never actually named Hell, but is clearly implied to be that place).
Many villains accepted his offer, some did not. The newly empowered villains were sent back to Earth to wreak havoc while Neron turned his attention to the heroes. Along the way, the Trickster had come to Neron, but not yet made a deal with him. Instead, he helped Neron betray his five lieutenants.
However, when the heroes came to Neron's realm looking to defeat him, but were one by one corrupted by the influences of that realm, it was the Trickster who worked out how Neron could be stopped. He instructed Captain Marvel to beat Neron at his own game by offering the demon his soul for purely selfless reasons. Unable to even touch it, Neron was turned back - breaking that one deal also broke all his others.
[edit] Heroes who accepted Neron's offer
- Blue Devil - sold his soul for fame and fortune, which came following the death of his agent, Marla Bloomberg.
- Guy Gardner - offered the restoration of his loved ones in exchange for killing John Stewart; reneged on the deal.
- Hawkman - one of his "hawk-avatar" spirits sold their soul to gain ascendance over the other avatars also resident in his body.
- Kid Devil - found one of Neron's candles many years after Underworld Unleashed event - gained demonic form and powers in exchange that if his trust in mentor Blue Devil were broken, his soul would become Neron's. When Kid Devil learned Blue Devil was responsible for his aunt Marla's death, he lost faith. Neron will come to collect his soul in three years time.
- Madame Xanadu - Xanadu was immortal and Neron offered her power in exchange for her soul. Assuming he would not have her soul until she died (which she cannot do) she accepted, but Neron did not deliver what he promised.
- The Ray - convinced Neron was a beautiful woman with a business deal; did not fulfill the terms of his deal and so did not lose his soul or gain from it.
- The Spectre - agreed not to oppose Neron in order to be free of its then host, Jim Corrigan.
- Triumph - sold his soul for fame and glory.
- Vril Dox II - sold the soul of one of his as-yet-unborn descendants to regain control of L.E.G.I.O.N..
NOTE: Oracle was approached by Neron, but not in the way the other heroes were. For her, she would regain use of her legs if she would become his librarian. Her soul was hers to keep. In either case, she declined.
[edit] Villains who accepted Neron's offer
- Abra Kadabra - Neron's lieutenant of sorts, given real magic powers instead of technomage based ones
- Atomic Skull - greater power
- Blackguard - enhanced intelligence, strength, and equipment
- Black Manta - gained superhuman manta-like body; actually seen shortly before the crossover actually started
- Blaze and Satanus - became lieutenants of Neron; assigned to keep DC's mystical heroes busy
- Blockbuster - restored and enhanced intelligence
- Bolt - got a chance to carry out his "dream" assassination, the murder of a well-protected computer expert
- Brimstone - techno-seed and Brimstone personality possessed a STAR Labs scientist who dealt with Neron for power
- Cheetah - wished for her servant to be restored to life; initially seemed to have gotten a more bestial form and temperament as an indirect result of losing her soul
- Chiller - got a chance to carry out his "dream" assassination, the murder of a well-protected pop star
- Chronos - time-travel, time manipulation, and phasing powers, fueled by accelerated aging; devised a glove that allowed him to age others instead
- Circe - greater power
- Copperhead - became a snake-man hybrid, with enhanced reflexes and agility, venomous fangs, a forked tongue, venomous claws, and a prehensile tail
- Deadline - got a chance to carry out his "dream" assassination, the murder of a Texas District Attorney
- Deadshot - got a chance to carry out his "dream" assassination, the destruction of an entire kindergarten
- Dr. Phosphorus - greater power and control.
- Doctor Polaris - He sold his soul to be rid of his benevolent alternate personality.
- Earthworm - great superhuman powers, including humanoid worm-like physiology, stretching powers, vibrational "drill" power, and psionic control of vermin
- The Enforcer ("Joe Gardner," a Tormockian clone of Guy Gardner) - enhanced equipment; superhuman strength, durability, and flight powers
- Evil Star - able to create dozens of his "Starling" spawn, though they were no longer indestructible as were the original five "Starlings"
- Gorilla Grodd - restored his intelligence and psionic powers
- Harlequin - restored youth; soul won back and deal undone by Alan Scott
- Hellgrammite - "drone" offspring can no longer be converted back to human.
- The Ice Man - enhanced strength
- The Joker - sold his soul for a box of cigars.
- Killer Frost - greater power
- Killer Moth - transformed into an actual moth monster (Charaxes)
- Knight of St. Dumas - rescued from death by Abra Kadabra; given the Azrael-Batman costume
- Lex Luthor - a near vegetable at the time; was restored completely to health
- Major Disaster - given the magical ability to perceive probability and locate weak points in objects and people
- Merlyn - got a chance to carry out his "dream" assassination, the murder of Batman
- Metallo - gained the ability to morph his body into any mechanical shape he could imagine (turning his hands into guns or "growing" a jet-pack from his back) and project his consciousness into any technological or metallic device.
- The Mist - returned to sanity
- Mr. Freeze - cryokinesis (but was reverted back)
- The New Gods of Apokolips - gained information about each others' schemes from Neron to perpetuate their civil war
- Ocean Master - was given a staff that granted him magical powers, but causes him excruciating pain when separated from it
- Psycho-Pirate - gained more power, and restored sanity by merging with his Medusa Mask
- Purgatory - a legless man given temporary legs by Green Lantern; gained permanent legs and green flame power from Neron
- Ragdoll - restored to health and youth; more agile than ever
- Shadow Thief - a more powerful costume possessing the ability to bring shadows to life
- Shrapnel - enhanced power
- Louis Snipes, the informer who helped kill Jim Corrigan - soul freed from Hell; Neron did this by using to animate the Spectre with a spirit too weak to control the being's wrath
- Sledge - enhanced strength
- Spellbinder (Fay Moffit) - visually-based illusion powers
- Star Sapphire (or, rather, Carol Ferris) - was offered a normal life, without Sapphire's spirit, or her child.
- Tezcatlipoca - turned into a feral jaguar-man
[edit] Villains known to have rejected Neron's offer
- Knockout
- Mongul - who was killed by Neron after attacking him.
- Poison Ivy
- Prankster
- The Riddler
- The Scarecrow - claimed to have dealt with Neron while battling Hawkman, but privately revealed he was bluffing
- Spellbinder (Delbert Billings) - refused Neron's deal; killed by his girlfriend, who took the deal and became the new Spellbinder
- The Shade - refused Neon's deal and said he was no longer a villain, even going so far to tell Neon to "go peddle his wares elsewhere." Wanting revenge on Shade, he subsequently helped in indirectly aiding in the large attack on Opal City and wanted the Shade's arch-enemy, Culp, to defeat Shade.
- Valerie Beaudry, the second Silver Swan. Strangely enough, Valerie was among the villains assembled by Neron in the first issue, but by this time, she was no longer a villain, but an active superhero.
[edit] Villains "duped" by Neron
- Captain Boomerang - also received cybernetic hands to offset crippling injuries suffered in Superboy v.1 #21
- Captain Cold
- Heat Wave
- Mirror Master
- Weather Wizard
