(Demon III #1, 2) - Asteroth brooded and raged to Lurgo about how unfair his defeat at the hands of Merlin and Etrigan was. Lurgo informed him that the bull-beast Morax of Stygia heard of Asteroth's failure, and realizing his resources were spent, raised an army of demons and attacked his castle to wrest control of his dukedom. Asteroth screamed at Lurgo, refusing to accept his defeat or acknowledge the danger he was in. He vowed to never forget Etrigan and Merlin's "treachery," and vowed revenge. Morax demanded Asteroth face him in open combat, and Lurgo begged him to distract Morax so they could flee the castle. Asteroth tossed Lurgo from his castle window, telling him to confront Morax himself. Lurgo pleaded with Morax, asking if he needed a henchman, but Morax simply crushed him with his mallet.

(Demon III #30) - Morax again challenged Asteroth to single combat, and as Asteroth cast a spell that would let him vanish he was caught up in a summoning spell cast by amateur necromancers in Gotham City. Asteroth’s earthly manifestation proved to be too much for the necromancers, killing them. Asteroth made a vow to turn his back on evil, and work on being good in hopes of one day entering Heaven. He lived on the streets until he got a job at Joe’s Garage because the owner, Joe, saw someone he could exploit. Asteroth was treated horribly by both the customers and Joe, but dared not break his vow. He often reflected on how far he’d fallen from being an archduke of Hell, and finally found his breaking point when he was attacked by the biker gang the Street Rats behind Joe’s Garage. Asteroth exploded in a burst of hellfire, incinerating both the bikers and the garage. Joe survived and promised Asteroth he’d never work in Gotham again, so Asteroth drove a stake through his heart, and thought it felt amazing to flex his power and be evil again.

(Demon III #31-33) - Asteroth met Tweedledee and Tweedledum on the streets of Gotham, and recounted his fall from being an archduke of Hell to being homeless in the city. He said he was going to eat them, but the brothers said he’d be making a big mistake, because before they lived on the street they were crimelords, and could help Asteroth make a name for himself in Gotham with their insider knowledge of the underworld. They further buttered him up by shocking a homeless man with their electric canes and offering him up to Asteroth as lunch. Asteroth agreed to partner with them, and they said the first thing they’d need was loyal unquestioning henchmen. Asteroth raised a zombie from a nearby graveyard, suggesting they make a gang of the undead. Tweedledee and Tweedledum said zombies would attract too much attention to them, and rotting corpses couldn’t shoot tommyguns. They told Asteroth they knew where to find henchmen, and Asteroth used his magic to dress them all up in fancy gangster suits to command respect for their criminal enterprise startup. Theodore Pezkin was an up-and-coming crimelord in Gotham City who ran drugs and owned the Devil-Spawn Club. Asteroth and Tweedledee and Tweedledum came to the Devil-Spawn Club to tell Pezkin they were taking over, and he made the mistake of not taking them seriously. Asteroth wrapped him in mystic energy that crushed Pezkin into nothingness as he begged for his life. One member of Pezkin’s gang tried to sneak away, so Asteroth incinerated him, and the rest of the gang happily pledged their loyalty to Asteroth. Asteroth settled in, but soon started drinking and moping. Tweedledee and Tweedledum thought Asteroth would appreciate the hellish motifs of the Devil-Spawn Club, but Asteroth was unimpressed. He was also less than enthused about earning a fortune from the club or running Gotham in time because he was focused on getting revenge on Etrigan. Asteroth, now thoroughly drunk, spotted hellfire in the distance and investigated, finding Etrigan, who was searching for the Eternity Book in Gotham City. Etrigan was fighting a man named Adrian Grout over possession of the Eternity Book. He filled Grout with eldritch energy, causing him to explode. Asteroth spotted the Eternity Book, grabbed it, and, taking advantage of Etrigan’s weakened state, blasted him with magic bolts and spilled corrosive chemicals from a nearby tanker truck on him. Lobo arrived on Earth, looking to fight the demon, and attacked Asteroth, not wanting anyone to take his kill away from him. They fought fiercely until Etrigan recovered and ignited the tanker truck’s chemicals, causing a huge explosion. Asteroth limped away and Etrigan retrieved the Eternity Book. Asteroth told his gang to set up crucifixes around the Devil-Spawn Club and sprinkle salt and garlic around the perimeter. His henchmen balked until Asteroth threatened them with bodily harm. Tweedledee and Tweedledum asked him what was wrong, and Asteroth replied that he’d be laying low for a while because a demon was on his tail.

(Demon III #42-45) - Asteroth set himself up as a Gotham crimeboss, and Etrigan, still fuming over the past injuries Asteroth had caused him, wanted to destroy him. Jason Blood didn't want Etrigan fighting an Archfiend in Gotham, fearing civilian casualties, and Etrigan promised that although he didn't care about civilians he'd keep innocents from dying if Jason let him out. Asteroth was already notorious for his brutality, beheading and impaling rivals, and disappearing anyone who dared stand up to him. Asteroth was prepared for Etrigan, having given a large donation to the Church of the Blessed Televangelist and procuring the services of the Choirboy Commandos, a religious strike force armed with holy water and sharpened crucifixes. The choirboys sang hymns and severely injured Etrigan, the holy water they used against him causing his flesh to slough off, and he fled before they could finish him off. Angels Duma and Remiel offered the injured Demon a job as Hell's hitman to deal with the infernal beings that had been unleashed on Earth. He eagerly agreed, loving the idea of the carnage he could cause supported by the will of Heaven, and knowing the angels authority would keep Jason from interfering with him. Jason, seeing his chance of being free of Etrigan dashed, said his goodbyes to Harry, Rama and Glenda, taking solace in the fact that Etrigan agreed to let him do so and promised not to hurt them. Asteroth performed ritual sacrifices to perform the Lodestar Daemonique and summon the Gothodaemon, Gotham City's very own demon, and looked forward to the streets running red with blood. Asteroth told Reverend Frukker he'd need the services of the Choirboy Commandoes for a bit longer, and Frukker had no problem with this as long as he kept up his donations. Demon learned of his plan, and hired Hitman to help him kill Asteroth. Etrigan sowed discord among Asteroth's troops by telling Frukker that Asteroth was a demon. Asteroth prepared St. Jack's Cemetery for the final sacrifice, and was protected by the Choirboy Commandoes, forcing Hitman and Etrigan, who were on the scene, to lay low. Frukker confronted Asteroth, who snapped his neck, making him the final sacrifice to raise the Gothodaemon. The risen Gothodaemon spread his madness across Gotham, turning people into homicidal or suicidal maniacs. Hitman noted that the Gothodaemon resembled Batman, and Etrigan replied that such things were not to be discussed. Asteroth was weakened by the ritual, and Etrigan and Hitman used the opportunity to slaughter the Choirboy Commandoes with hellfire and gunfire. Etrigan cornered the weakened Asteroth, mutilating his face and ripping out his tusks while mockingly acting reverent towards an archfiend of Hell. Tweedledee and Tweedledum relished the chaos, cheering on the brutality. The Gothodaemon absorbed Etrigan, planning on feeding off his pain, but the demon was a mere 500 years old, while Etrigan had over 1000,00 years of experience, and after chiding the stripling burned the Gothodaemon alive from the inside out. Etrigan returned to Asteroth and spent hours torturing him before sending him back to Hell. Hitman left St. Jack's when the GCPD arrived, and Tweedledee and Tweedledum were arrested. In Hell Duma and Remiel demoted Asteroth, making him a lowly janitor of Hell.

Asteroth had a cameo in Demon III #0

All characters mentioned or pictured are ™  and © DC Comics, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Please visit The Official DC Comics Site at: http://www.batman.com