BLAZE
Real Name: Blaze
Class: Demon
Occupation: Ruler
Group Affiliation: Hell's Hierarchy
Known Relatives: Satanus (brother), Shazam (father, deceased), Three Faces of Evil (half-brothers), unnamed mother
Aliases: Lady Blaze
Base of Operations: The Netherworld, Hell
First Appearance: (cameo) Superman II #34 (August, 1989), (Angelica Blaze) Adventures of Superman #469 (August, 1990), (Blaze) Action Comics I #656 (August, 1990)
Powers: Like all demons Blaze was virtually immortal and indestructible, and possessed superhuman strength. Blaze was a powerful sorceress, and her powers were unsurpassed when in her own realm of the Netherworld. She was a shapeshifter who had control over fire and lava, and she could mind control those she defeated.History: (Power of Shazam II #10 (fb)) - <millenia ago> Shazam was the champion of the gods of Canaan, but his power made him careless, and he was seduced by a demoness. She bore him the children Satanus and Blaze, and revealed her true form to him. The gods banished the demoness and her spawn, but punished Shazam for his hubris, reminding him that although he had the power of gods he still had the failings of a mortal.
(Power of Shazam II #10 (fb)) - <1000 B.C.> The aged Shazam traveled to Egypt during the reign of Rameses II to find a successor. He chose the pharaoh's son Teth-Adam, impressed by his strength and decency. Shazam gave him his powers, but unbeknownst to him, his daughter Blaze conspired with the Egyptian deity Set, and Adam’s powers were stolen from the Egyptian pantheon. Despite Blaze’s interference, Mighty Adam turned out to be a worthy champion and successor. Shazam left Egypt, secure in his choice. Many years later Blaze seduced Adam, convincing him to take over as pharaoh. Shazam realized that his protégé had become corrupted, and confronted him. He drained the power of the Egyptian gods into a scarab, and the depowered Adam died due to accelerated natural aging. Shazam buried Adam and the scarab at Abu Simbel.
(Spectre III #25) - <150 AD> Lucifer assembled the lords of Hell, including Blaze, showing them the work of Spectre, the Wrath of God, and said his mission of bloody vengeance was nudging humans to stay on the straight and narrow out of fear. He told the lords they'd each get a chance to destroy Specter, with whoever succeeded being elevated in Hell's hierarchy.
(Power of Shazam II #12 (fb)) - <winter, 1940> Shazam moved to America, and Blaze followed him, hoping to negate any good he did, as she'd been trying to do for millennia. She posed as a human criminal, and rose up in the ranks of the underworld. Shazam vowed to fight back by brining back Ibis from the grave to combat her.
(Power of Shazam II #12 (fb, BTS)) - <1955> Blaze unleashed the Seven Deadly Sins on Fawcett. Shazam combated them with his heroes Spy Smasher, Minute Man, Mr. Scarlet, Bulletman and Bulletgirl. Shazam used a spell of containment to trap the Sins inside ridiculous statues, and he kept them for safekeeping at the Rock of Eternity. Ibis cast a spell of protection over Fawcett City to keep all demonic influence out.
Blaze was an up-and-comer in Hell, asserting her absolute dominance of the Netherworld, and ignoring the presence of other royal members of Hell's Hierarchy. She was the self-proclaimed "ultimate deceiver," and enjoyed nothing more than manipulating and corrupting mortals, sometimes giving them dark gifts, but always claiming their souls when they died.
(Power of Shazam II #1) - Sinclair Batson came to Fawcett City to rebuild the skyline, and Blaze could not let that happen. In her human guise she hired Ibac to blow up his new WayneTech facility. Ibac succeeded, but she was disappointed because an officer died in the blast, and she’d told him no one was supposed to die. Ibac tried to hit on her, and she reminded him that he was taking liberties with his better.
(Power of Shazam II #2) - Blaze sent Captain Marvel a vision herself in full demonic glory, and all of all the people he’d failed to save. Billy had long agonized over his fear that as a child he wasn’t ready for the manly job of superhero.
(Power of Shazam II #5) - Miss Sarah Primm, the nanny of Mary Marvel, died, and was sent to Blaze’s netherworld. Blaze expected her to beg for mercy, but Sarah said the bad she’d done outweighed the good, and she accepted her punishment, which Blaze found refreshing. Blaze set some winged demons upon her, and schemed of a way to use Primm to get her brother Black Adam into her schemes.
(Power of Shazam II #6) - In her human persona Blaze met with “Muscles” McGinnis, the new leader of Fawcett’s underworld. He was actually an undercover agent, and he was excited but somewhat frightened at getting to meet someone as high up as Blaze, and his fear increased when he caught a glimpse of her in her office mirror, and for a moment saw her true form. She showed him a picture of Sinclair Batson, who was building a casino in Fawcett, and told “Muscles” that if he killed Batson she’d make his wildest dreams come true.
(Power of Shazam II #8) - Theo Adam broke out of prison, and Blaze approached him, twelling him she could restore his voice, and thus his ability to transform into Black Adam, for a price.
(Power of Shazam II #9) - After Blaze restored Black Adam’s powers, she took him to the Rock of Eternity, having retraced Shazam’s route when he visited her brother Satanus. Blaze and Adam easily defeated the wizard. Blaze wanted to destroy Shazam’s beloved Fawcett City, so she freed the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man that Shazam trapped decades ago, allowing them to once again roam the world. As Blaze dragged Shazam to her realm he tried to cast a spell, and she mocked him for his feeble state.
(Power of Shazam II #10) - Blaze tortured Shazam, and mocked him for giving the wisdom of Solomon to Billy Batson. He knew that Shazam was in Hades, and when he heard Earth’s superheroes were battling Neron he joined them, assuming Neron was Shazam’s abductor. She had only hatred for her father, his human blood kept her from the upper echelon of Hell, but she wanted the Rock of Eternity for its dimensional access, and she planned to free the Three Faces of Evil. Blaze soon grew tired of hurting Shazam, and left to tend to other affairs
(Power of Shazam II #10-12) - Blaze tortured Shazam, and mocked him for giving the wisdom of Solomon to Billy Batson. He knew that Shazam was in Hades, and when he heard Earth’s superheroes were battling Neron he joined them, assuming Neron was Shazam’s abductor. She had only hatred for her father, his human blood kept her from the uper echelon of Hell, but she wanted the Rock of Eternity for its dimensional access, and she planned to free the Three Faces of Evil. Blaze soon grew tired of hurting Shazam, and left to tend to other affairs. The Marvel Family resurrected Ibis the Invincible to help Shazam, and together they empoisoned the Seven Deadly Sins. Meanwhile Blaze was blasting away at the Rock of Eternity in an attempt to free her kindred, the Three Faces of Evil. Ibis, already tiring of being awake, made a plan to end Blaze’s villainy. He sent Captain Marvel and Mary to Hades to free Shazam, and sent Cap Jr. and Bulletman outside the Rock of Eternity to delay her from freeing the Three Faces. He warned Cap and Mary not to trust anything they saw in Hades, as it was full of lying demons. Cap found himself in school taking a history test, but realized it was an illusion cast by demons. Mary was greeted by her deceased parents, but this too was a trap. After battling the demonic forces Cap freed Shazam. Blaze and Black Adam defeated Cap Jr. and Bulletman. Dudley and Tawny joined the fight, but were soon overwhelmed. Mary found Sarah Primm in Hades, and freed her with the help of Satanus, sending her to Heaven. Satanus chided Blaze for bringing goodness to Hades, and told her he would return to their realm to restore order. Black Adam no longer had a reason to be loyal to Blaze, and told Mary he owed her one. Shazam and Ibis cleaved the Rock, freeing the Three Faces, and at Shazam’s command Black Adam battled it. The Marvel Family forced the Rock back together, trapping Blaze alongside the Three Faces and Adam. Ibis took pity on Adam, and sent him to a distant star.
Comments: Created by Roger Stern & Boc McLeod.
Blaze received a profile in Who's Who In The DC Universe #4. She received a profile in Who's Who In The DC Universe #11 under the Hell's Hierarchy entry.
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