Asmodel

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Asmodel
Panel to JLA American Dreams. Art by Howard Porter (pencils) and Oscar Jimenez (inks).
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	JLA #7 1997
Created by	Grant Morrison
In story information
Abilities	Flight, Immortality, Invulnerablity, Super Strength, Super Speed, Devastating Cry, Acidic Blood, Heat Vision, Light of Heaven, Expert Military Strategist, Flaming Staff

Asmodel is a DC Comics supervillain, first appearing in JLA #7, although his coming is heralded in #6. He would return in JLA: Paradise Lost. His bull-like appearance is inspired by the astrological Asmodel, the Guardian Angel of people born in the sign of Taurus and the angel of May.

[edit] Fictional Character Biography

Asmodel was a King Angel of the Bull Host of Heaven (the other three being Human, Eagle and Lion), and a General in the army of the Presence (i.e.God). Hoping to succeed where Lucifer failed, he planned to overthrow the Presence, and claim the title of the Ruler over the Heavens. However, guardian angel Zauriel accidentally found out about Asmodel's plans. Zauriel, who had fallen in love with the woman he was tasked to protect, pleaded to be sent to Earth as a mortal, hoping to evade Asmodel as well as contacting his beloved. ^[1]

Asmodel sent a group of Bull Angels clad in material bodies after him. They were dispelled by Zauriel and the Justice League. Zauriel dispelled one of the angels with a sonic scream. Finally, Asmodel entered the mortal plane himself. He brought with him a mighty angelic chariot lowering itself over the city of San Francisco. The tops of many buildings were demolished, but the chariot itself was stopped by members of the Justice League. Meanwhile, Neron, a demon-king, had his agents slowly drag the moon towards the earth itself. Asmodel confronted the League proper, searching for Zauriel. During all this, he claimed that his forces had caused an event on the other side of creation so as to distract the attention of the Presence.

Superman eventually reversed the descent of the moon and came to aid the League, but even he was barely able to hold off Asmodel. The Flash and Green Lantern, remembering Zauriel's sonic-banishment of one angel, conjured up a sound generator, which vaporized all angelic bodies in the area, including Asmodel's.

In Hell, Asmodel and his angels joined forces with Neron. Asmodel managed to return to earth in the body of a small male child. He killed the Martian Manhunter in the attack. Zauriel confronted Asmodel and destroyed the fleshy body.

Asmodel and Neron soon led an attack on heaven itself. Despite the assistance of the Martian Manhunter's spirit, Asmodel managed to make his way into the throne room. Finding it empty, he learned the Presence was everywhere and everything and thus, unconquerable.

Finally realizing that there was no true way he could ever succeed where Lucifer failed, Asmodel turned to Neron for help, but the demon abandoned the former King-Angel. Sentenced to Hell yet again, Asmodel became Neron's prisoner. The Martian Manhunter returned to Earth when the Flash, along with much of the Justice League, revived him.

Asmodel would later become involved with Neron again. Etrigan the Demon used an angelic feather to bond Asmodel to the Spectre itself, a heavenly force of power. Asmodel helped bring forth the armies of hell to Earth itself. He personally killed an entire church full of scared, hiding humans. He and his forces were soon defeated by Earth's heroes.^[2]

[edit] Powers and abilities

In his angelic form, Asmodel is practically indestructible, has powerful reality-warping powers that could change the face of the world by force of will, can manipulate psionic energy, possesses unlimited telepathy and telekinesis, has total mental control over anyone or thing he wishes, has contol over the weather or the elements, and can command and transform energy and matter. He is able to recover from injury practically instantaneously, and he has demonstrated physical strength rivaling, if not exceeding that of the Martian Manhunter and Superman (in his Blue energy form). Asmodel also demonstrates several angelic abilities in this form:

• He uses a different form of Zauriel's sonic flash, identified as a sub-sonic attack with enormous power; Asmodel himself claims that his was the voice that shattered the walls of Jericho,
• a form of Laser vision that was able to damage the Martian Manhunter
• the Light of Heaven projected directly from his eyes, driving all but the purest souls insane.^[3]
• According to the Ultimate Guide to the Justice League of America a beat of Asmodel's heart was as thunderous as a thousand atomic bombs.
• According to the DC Comics Encyclopedia Asmodel also possessed immortality, wielded a flaming staff, possessed super speed (and obviously flight), incredible military leadership skills (having few rivals), and acidic blood (according to the Ultimate Guide to the Justice League of America his blood is the universal solvent).
• he can create mortal bodies for himself to inhabit or transform into his angelic form at will.

He retains his power in his mortal body; he was able to breathe on the surface of the moon and demonstrated enough strength to kill the Manhunter ^[4]

[edit] References