History: (Azrael II #2 (fb), 5 (fb)) - <20 years ago> Michael watched his brother Marion and a gang of his friends send a message to a store owner by busting up his business with baseball bats to let them know they wanted Middle Easteners out of Gotham.

(Azrael: Death’s Dark Knight #1 (fb)) - Michael graduated from East End high school and went to G.U. on a football scholarship. His scholorship was revoked after he beat his coach unconscious.

(Azrael: Death’s Dark Knight #1 (fb), Azrael II #6 (fb)) - Michael enlisted in the marines, married Chante Coles, and had one son, Henry Mitchell. He served two tours in Iraq, and learned code breaking.

(Batman I #674 (fb), Azrael: Death’s Dark Knight #1-3 (fb)) - Michael joined the GCPD and underwent training in a secret GCPD program to replace Batman in the event of his death. The program’s organizer, Dr. Hurt, actually wanted to destroy Batman, and planned on using his recruits to bring down the Dark Knight. Hurt decided that because it was tragedy that defined Batman his recruits needed their own personal tragedies to fuel their quest for vengeance. Michael’s son died after being hit by a car, and his wife committed suicide. Hurt arranged to have recruit Michael’s siblings Marion and Gwendolyn brutally slaughtered in a staged Satanic ritual. Lane broke, and was dismissed from the GCPD with a full pension. Michael learned everything there was to know about Batman, and questioned Hurt about why he’d ever allow himself the distraction of a family. The GCPD shut down Hurt’s program, but Hurt left mental commands in Michael’s head so he could be activated as Bat-Devil whenever Hurt needed him.

(Batman I #672-674) - Michael Lane’s programming kicked in, and as Bat-Devil he stormed the GCPD station and demanded to see Commissioner Vane. When his request wasn’t immediately met he shot off his napalm gun, burning a number of police officers. Commissioner Gordon was on a call with the mayor to explain his relationship with Batman when he heard the commotion and responded. Bat-Devil screamed that he’d walked through Hell to share a secret about himself and Batman, and Gordon said he was commissioner now and Bat-Devil could talk to him. Bat-Devil grabbed officer Peter Farelli, who pleaded that they used to be friends. Bat-Devil demanded Gordon follow his orders, showing his GCPD badge to show Gordon he was one of his own. He took Gordon to the rooftop and lit the bat-signal. Gordon told Bat-Devil Batman had warned him another maniac cop in a batsuit would turn up, and Bat-Devil said he’d already released Bat-Bane and expected him to join them shortly. Gordon refused to answer the Bat-Devil when he asked if he believed in the devil, and he shoved his napalm gun down Gordon’s throat when Batman came swinging to the rescue. Batman and Bat-Devil fought furiously, with Batman realizing Bat-Devil was every bit as ferocious as the vision he’d had of him. Bat-Devil said he was a good cop before the city turned against him, and said Batman was responsible for everything that happened to him,. He shot Batman in the chest, and although his bulletproof costume protected himself somewhat he was badly injured and had a heart attack. Bat-Devil then shot Gordon. Batman’s backup personality as the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh began to emerge, and Bat-Mite appeared to him, possibly as a hallucination, telling Bruce he was really in trouble. Batman hallucinated, having memories of the present and past flash through his mind. He remembered the Thogal ritual he’d undertaken and when Dr. Hurt put him in sensory isolation for the purposes of researching space medicine. Batman woke up, and found himself restrained with Devil-Bat standing over him with implements of torture. Bat-Devil told Batman all about the secret GCPD program run by Dr. Hurt to replace Batman in the event of his death. Bat-Devil showed Batman the notebook that contained all the records of Dr. Hurt’s program, saying it had all the answers Batman needed, and then he burned it. Bat-Devil said the program broke him entirely, just as it broke his fellow recruits. Batman remembered fighting Bat-Cop and Bat-Bane, thinking it was a hallucination of the Batman he could have been. Bat-Devil told Batman in grisly detail about the murder of his family, and said he believed Dr. Hurt was the Devil. Batman broke his restraints and battered Bat-Devil, who activated a signal that summoned Bat-Bane. Commissioner Gordon and the GCPD arrived, and Peter Farelli, who’d known about Hurt’s program, shot Bat-Bane in the head, killing him. Farrelli wanted to see his fellow officer out of his misery, and blamed Batman for what happened. Batman fled, but was confronted by Bat-Devil, who said Dr. Hurt had reactivated his Three Ghosts of Batman because he knew Batman’s luck was running out. Bat-Devil disappeared and Batman contemplated the existence of an ultimate villain whose methods he couldn’t conceive of.

(Batman I #681) - Dr. Hurt and the Black Glove nearly broke Batman’s mind and forced him into a confrontation at Arkham Asylum. With the help of Nightwing Batman was able to defeat the villains. Hurt prepared to takeoff in a helicopter piloted by Bat-Devil, and claimed to be Thomas Wayne. Batman didn’t believe him, and Hurt said he’d staged photos that would paint his parents and Alfred as criminals and degenerates, threatening to release them unless Batman agreed to serve the Black Glove. Batman refused and jumped on the helicopter. Bat-Devil couldn’t control the flight and the helicopter plummeted into Gotham Harbor, exploding in a burst of flames. Nightwing dredged up Batman’s uniform, and Talia al Ghul, who came to Gotham as soon as she learned Batman was in trouble, promised to avenge the father of her child. In the coming months several members of the Black Glove turned up dead.

(Azrael: Death’s Dark Knight #1-3) - Michael went to confession and admitted his role in Batman’s death. The priest was a member of the Order of Purity, a sect seeking to bring god’s justice to Earth, and they asked Michael if he’d be their new avenging angel Azrael. Michael was a troubled soul, and accepted the Suit of Sorrows without question. The Suit always drove the wearer insane, but the Order chose not to share this information. The Suit once belonged to Talia al Ghul, and she sent her League of Assassins to reclaim it. He defeated them, but Talia convinced him of the truth that wearing the Suit would lead to his madness and death. He confronted the Order, and made them show him his predecessor, who’d been institutionalized. They lied and claimed another faction of the Order improperly trained him. Michael resolved that he would be their knight, even if it meant his death, because he needed to redeem himself for his sins. He visited his mother in a nursing home, and asked her why god wanted him to commit suicide. Azrael broke into the Batcave, and confronted Nightwing, who, along with the GCPD, blamed him for the death of police officer Jimmy Burrows. In truth, his predecessor killed Burrows after going mad, and when Nightwing saw his legitimate surprise he knew he was innocent. He administer a drug cocktail to Azrael that would make him forget his knowledge of Batman and the Batcave that he’d gained from Hurt, and carried him to his apartment. Nightwing left a note on the Suit, saying he was giving him a chance to be a hero, but if he screwed up he’d be taking it back. Michael’s sister-in-law Jenny came over to talk about the death of his brother and her husband, and they wound up making love. Ra’s al Ghul had his White Ghost follow Azrael’s every move, and decided to let him keep the suit. He wanted to see if he could overcome the Suit’s madness and become an ultimate weapon. Ra’s held control over the Order, and wanted Azrael to serve him if he proved worthy.

(Azrael II #1) -The Order had Azrael investigate attacks on the Marlowe Mission, and Azrael assaulted a GCPD police precinct to interview nuns from the mission and learned that an assassin was killing people complicit in protecting Father Walter Jankowski, who'd abused the assassin's clients when they were alter boys. Michael Lane sought Jenny's advice, but she wanted to talk about where their new relationship was headed. She eventually let it go for the time being, and when Michael asked her if it was okay to do bad things for a good reason she told him god always sorted it out. Azrael met the killer at Gotham's airport, and let him leave for Dublin because they were both dealing out righteous vengeance.

(Azrael II #2) - The Order had Adrian teach Azrael about their history. Azrael asked him where the helm of the Suit of Sorrows was, and Adrian only knew that it had been lost to the Order. Adrian told him overseas members of the Order were starting to accept him as the new Azrael. Azrael faced the White Ghost, who made him undergo a test of character to see if he was worthy of serving Ra's a Ghul A man and a woman were tied up and hanging from two Gotham buildings, with a flame burning through their rope. The woman had cheated on her minister husband, and the man fled for Beirut after being accused of an act of terrorism. Azrael told White Ghost he'd let him make the call, because if he served a higher power he wouldn't allow an innocent to die. White Ghost saved the man, allowing Azrael to save the woman, who he told to beg for her husband's forgiveness. The Ghost departed and Azrael warned him that false prophets would die.

(Azrael II #5) - Azrael confronted Israeli special forces who were risking an international incident in Gotham to apprehend Youssif Moussad, whose brother had planted a bomb in a day care center in Tel Aviv. Azrael returned home to ponder the issue, and talked with Jenny, telling her she was not responsible for the death of her husband. She looked at the Suit of Sorrows, and asked if he worked for the Order for the money, but he admitted that he enjoyed enacting vengeance because it was all he knew. Azrael went to Yousiff's apartment and confronted Ragman, who was also interested in Youssif. The dead in Ragman's suit saw lies that blinded Azrael, and forced him to confront the fact that his faith was based on anger, making him empty inside. Azrael was in dispair, but still wanted to know if he should kill Youssif, who knew where his brother was hiding. Ragman warned him about blind zealotry, which had led them to this mess in the first place.

(Azrael II #6) -Michael went through the history books of the Order of Purity, and became convinced it held secret messages, so he applied the codebreaking skills he learned in the military to the tomes. He found that every Azrael of the Order of Purity went mad and died, often at the hands of the Order. He determined that the Order were his enemies and out to kill him.

Comments: Created by Grant Morrison & Tony Daniel.

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