Azazel in popular culture

Azazel, a demon from Jewish mythology, has been developed into characters in popular culture.^[1][2][3]

One of the best known is the body-switching demon fighting against a police officer in the film Fallen with Denzel Washington.

In the fifth book of the novel series, "The Mortal Instruments," Azazel, a Greater demon who once was an angel but fell, is raised by a warlock, Magnus Bane, for help in a search for Jace Lightwood, a shadowhunter.

In the CW TV series Supernatural, a demon named Azazel is the main antagonist in seasons one and two, whom the main characters begin hunting to seek revenge for the death of their mother. However, the name is not mentioned until season three, after his death, and prior to this he was usually called the Yellow-Eyed Demon. Later revelations show that Azazel's plan involved releasing Lucifer from his cage and creating a demonic army. Like all other demons in the show, Azazel was once human, but had likely forgotten it due to his time in Hell. Unlike any other demon in the show Azazel is immune to holy water and devil's traps, his yellow eyes are also a uniqueness shared by no other demon in the show.

In the 9th episode of the 9th season of Supernatural it is revealed that the Angel possessing Sam Winchester is Gadreel, another name for the biblical Azazel. Gadreel is in no way linked to the Yellow-Eyed Demon that appeared earlier in the series. Gadreel seems to be more akin to the biblical Azazel as it is revealed that Gadreel was punished as a scapegoat for allowing the snake (Lucifer) to enter the Garden of Eden.

Azazel is a leader of the fallen angels in the light novel series High School DxD. He becomes a teacher and club advisor at their school.

Azazel appears as a supporting character in The Book of Creation, the first novel in The Watchers Chronicle, by Evan Braun and Clint Byars.

Robertson Davies introduces Azazel and Samahazai as rebel angels in the first book of his Cornish Trilogy, The Rebel Angels. They are said to have "betrayed the secrets of Heaven to King Solomon", so that "God threw them out of Heaven", and on earth "they taught tongues, and healing and laws and hygiene".

In The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology by Rosemary Ellen Guiley supposes that the meaning of Azazel is that of "who God strengthens".^[4]

Azazello is a character in Mikhail Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita.^[5]

Two comic characters are named Azazel. One is a demon created by Neil Gaiman and Sam Kieth that appears in Gaiman's Sandman comics, published by DC Comics. The other is a mutant created by writer Chuck Austen who appears in the X-Men books.

In 2011 action video game El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron. Azazel is one of the strongest Grigori who controls the human evolutions also the angelic and mortal technologies. Azazel is the right-man of the fallen angel Semyaza. In the near-end game, Azazel transforms into a Locust-like monster.

Azazel is the name of the final boss in Namco's Tekken 6. He is a huge, demonic, crystalline, dragon-like creature, and he is fought inside an ancient, torch-lit temple in the Middle East.

Azazel was the name of a fictional firearm weapon in the first person shooter game Combat Arms, developed by Nexon, released on July 2011.

In Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, Azazel is the Sphere Corporation's Chief of Security and helps release the Executioneers by orders from Luther Lansfield. His name was changed to Azazer in the English version.

In The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, Azazel is a playable character. He begins the game with demonic powers and has the appearance of a demon, with black skin and wings.

Azazel appears in the Warhammer Fantasy world as a champion of the chaos god Slaanesh.

Villains named Azazel

References