Within the fourth situation of The Sandman, Dream of the Infinite makes his perilous journey to the depths of Hell to retrieve his helm. When he arrives, there appears to be sort of loads happening. Lucifer Morningstar speaks of a latest energy wrestle, the realm seems to be dominated by a triumvirate of Lucifer himself and two highly effective demons, and someway Etrigan appears to be concerned.
If you happen to solely know this a part of the story from the fourth episode of The Sandman adaptation on Netflix, you then may not know what we’re speaking about. That’s by design. The present simplifies all of the affairs of Hell so that you could admire Morpheus’s story with out additional context. However when this situation was first printed in 1989, Gaiman and firm weren’t simply telling a narrative set in Hell—they had been telling a narrative set in Hell throughout the DC Universe. And Hell was a spot that many writers earlier than Gaiman had taken their characters to earlier than, and which many extra have visited since.
Wish to know extra? Properly, permit us to play Virgil to your Dante and discover what precisely what happening in Hell earlier than Dream set foot in Lucifer’s kingdom, and what led to the peculiar circumstances which might finally outcome within the world-changing occasions of The Sandman’s fourth quantity, Season of Mists.
Early Appearances
The very first look of Hell within the DC Universe was 1940’s Extra Enjoyable Comics #56, the second look of Physician Destiny. Though solely referred to right here as “The Area of Lifeless Souls,” the imagery of Destiny’s journey is kind of clear as he ventures into the underworld to find out if his nemesis Wotan actually perished of their earlier encounter.
Within the following years, with the rise of DC’s horror titles, Hell was a well-liked setting for tales advised in comics resembling Home of Thriller and Home of Secrets and techniques, although these tales had been not often linked with any ongoing narrative of the DC Universe. The primary creator to really convey the horrors of Hell into the DC Universe was Jack Kirby in his 1972 collection The Demon. The story begins when the wizard Merlin, in a determined try to guard Camelot, binds the soul of Jason Blood to the demon Etrigan. In The Demon #14, Jason experiences his first style of Hell as their enemy Klarion the Witch-Boy enchants him to see the horrible realm by Etrigan’s eyes.
The Phantom Stranger’s most persistent enemy, Tala, is the mistress of her personal fiefdom in Hell, and tempts males to ensnare their souls for her dominion. Demons like Nebiros, who first appeared in Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson’s Swamp Factor and went on to make Daniel Cassidy into the Blue Satan, and C.W. Saturn, tempter of Superman within the novel Miracle Monday, have related motivations. In DC’s Hell, a demon is barely as highly effective and prestigious because the souls they handle to ensnare. Even early within the Bronze Age, we see that the barter and possession of mortal souls is the one foreign money that issues to the demons below Lucifer’s command.
Superman did as soon as oppose the satan himself in Superman #419, although he stopped simply wanting figuring out himself as Devil or Lucifer. It was one among Superman’s ultimate battles earlier than Disaster on Infinite Earths, and one worthy of the righteousness of Superman.
The Para-Demons
Whereas we’re as regards to demonology, it’s value noting right here that many so-called “demons” of the DC Universe aren’t particularly concerned within the hierarchy of Hell. Raven’s father Trigon, as an illustration, as envisioned by creators Marv Wolfman and George Perez, was the ruler of a hellish alternate airplane of existence, however particularly not the theological Hell we all know of. The Demons Three, persistent enemies of the Justice League of America, are from a far-away galaxy. And simply as Darkseid bears little relation as a New God to the monotheistic God, Darkseid’s Parademons are too demons in title solely.
The Triumvirate
All proper, concentrate, as a result of that is the vital half. Most of what we find out about Hell earlier than The Sandman comes from Alan Moore’s Swamp Factor tenure, which takes Swamp Factor on a journey to Hell and again to retrieve Abigail Arcane’s unjustly damned soul, and the spinoff Hellblazer collection, which offers closely within the soul economic system of Hell when it’s not too busy taking the piss out of Margaret Thatcher. A run of Deadman and Etrigan tales in Motion Comics #606-608 and #638-641 additionally performs a job right here, the place Etrigan maneuvers by Hell’s hierarchy and declares himself its new ruler. However as Lucifer explains in The Sandman, simply because a demon says they’re the king of Hell doesn’t make it so.
The actual schism of energy happens in Swamp Factor #49-50, the fruits of a narrative arc which started with the introduction of John Constantine into Swamp Factor’s life. It’s right here that the metaphysical forces of the DC Universe collect to battle the Nice Darkness, an existential risk which is barely now presenting itself once more in Darkish Disaster. With Hell divided on easy methods to cope with this risk to existence, Lucifer’s dominion of Hell is credibly challenged for the primary time, leading to an association the place three rulers would share energy over the realm. These three are, at first, the demon Azazel, the demon Beelzebub, and Lucifer himself…or, relying on whether or not you’re studying The Sandman or Hellblazer on the time, an entity solely known as “The First of the Fallen.”
The First of the Fallen is a personality created particularly in order that Hellblazer and The Sandman may inform their very own tales about Devil with out having to fret about what the opposite was doing. Each characters are fairly totally different, however are supposed to stand in for the basic satan as we perceive him in theology. Within the DC Universe itself, the First of the Fallen is alleged to be God’s first creation, predating even the angels, who fell from grace untold ages earlier than Lucifer Morningstar’s rebel. What the 2 entities make of one another is a matter left unaddressed. In spite of everything, it might defeat the aim of getting two of them.
Over time, the Triumverate’s lineup would change considerably because of the occasions of Season of Mists, and demons resembling Belial—Etrigan’s father—would declare their place within the triumvirate for a spell, in addition to such entities because the fallen angel Abaddon and even Etrigan himself.
The Additionally-Rans
After the occasions of The Sandman, it appeared like the paranormal corners of the DC Universe had been immediately flooded with gods, demigods, demons and different supernatural creatures who all laid declare to the throne of Hell, just a few of whom would show to be important. Chief amongst these maybe is Neron, antagonist of the Underworld Unleashed occasion within the ‘90s. Neron will not be the satan, however a personified incarnation of Hell itself, a lot as Dream is to the Dreaming. And whereas Lucifer finds himself above the buying and selling of souls, it’s a recreation which Neron thrives in, dominating the soul market past all others.
The demonic siblings Woman Blaze and Satanus, youngsters of the Wizard Shazam, have been energy gamers in Hell too since launched by Jerry Ordway within the Nineties. They had been Neron’s chief opponents for dominion of Hell within the underworld warfare of 2008’s Reign in Hell occasion.
The 2016 quantity of Pink Hood and the Outlaws ends with Bizarro killing Trigon to imagine the throne of Hell, however as we mentioned earlier, Trigon doesn’t even have something to do with Hell. He was most likely simply confused. You understand how Bizarro is.
However hopefully, after studying all this, you’re considerably much less confused relating to Hell within the DC Universe. And if you happen to nonetheless have questions, don’t fear. The Sandman on Netflix already tells you every little thing it’s essential know. Mainly that it’s a spot you don’t need to be.
The Sandman, starring Tom Sturridge as Morpheus, is now streaming on Netflix. For extra goals, fables and recollections, go to our official Sandman TV web page.
Alex Jaffe is the creator of our month-to-month “Ask the Query” column and writes about TV, motion pictures, comics and superhero historical past for DCComics.com. Observe him on Twitter at @AlexJaffe and discover him within the DC Neighborhood as HubCityQuestion.
