History: (Hitman #1-3) - Five Nazi soldiers were hung by the Russians for their atrocities, but were resurrected as a single demon named Mawzir by the Arkannone. The Mawzir served them loyally in Hell for half a century. The Arkannone had their eyes on Hitman Tommy Monaghan, a metahuman hitman, believing he would fit in well with their ranks. The only problem was he had a moral code that forbade him from killing the innocent, but the Arkannone were convinced they could shift his morals a bit. They dispatched Mawzir to bring Hitman to them, saying he’d forever be honored by being at their side in their hallowed halls that reeked of gunpowder and cordite. They also suggested Mawzir would dearly regret it if he failed them. Mawzir observed Hitman at work, and was worried the Arkannone were considering him as Mawzir’s replacement, but his lords told him he worried too much. Hitman accepted a contract on joker, who was currently locked away in Arkham Asylum. Hitman made it past the GCPD and Batman to joker’s cell, shooting him between the eyes. “Joker” revealed himself to be Mawzir in disguise, and he gunned Hitman down. Mawzir revealed that he’d placed the hit on Joker to lure hitman in. The Arkannone appeared and told hitman they wanted him to kill in their name, promising him untold power. Hitman said no one was the boss of him and shot Mawzir in the face. Mawzir and Hitman fought throughout the asylum, with Batman joining the battle. Detective Tiegel ordered her men to follow Batman, but they were all too scared, so she went in by herself. Hitman found joker tied up in a side office and shot him in the chest. Batman begrudgingly gave joker emergency medical treatment, and Joker vowed to kill hitman painfully. Mawzir riddled Hitman full of bullets, and he was about to pass out, but tiegel slapped him and demanded he tell her how she could defeat Mawzir. Hitman used his telepathy and realized Mawzir could be injured with his own weapons. Tiegel shot one of Mawzir’s guns from his hand and hitman used it to gravely injure him. The Arkannone demanded he fight to the death, but he yielded, disgusting his masters. The Arkannone told Hitman to reconsider, saying the superhuman community would turn against him, because he’d introduced bloodshed into their world of brightly colored suits and black and white morality. Hitman told them to buzz off and they returned to Hell. Hitman put his gun to Mawzir’s head and made him say the Arkannoine suck, which pushed the Lords of the gun too far, and they dragged Mawzir to Hell, ripping him to pieces with chains and hooks. The Arkannone vowed to remake and rebuilt Mawzir better than before and set him loose to destroy hitman.

(Hitman #15-17) - The Arkannone rebuilt Mawzir and sent him after Hitman. Mawzir ambushed Hitman and his friend Natt the Hat at a Gotham waterfront warehouse where they were stealing military armaments. Mawzir threatened to drag them to Hell, and Hitman blew up the warehouse before escaping in Natt’s car. Mawzir was unharmed, but the Arkannone were worried he was already attracting too much attention to himself, reminding him that it was forbidden for demons to directly assault mortals. They warned him to keep a lower profile lest the angels of Heaven take notice of what he was doing. Mawzir killed mobster Markie Mategna in the head and pressed his gang into his service, telling them to fan out throughout Gotham and call him if they spotted Hitman. Hitman and Natt laid low at the Hotel Remington, and Hitman wanted to get a hold of Catwoman since he’d seen her in Mawzir’s thoughts when he read his mind earlier. Catwoman showed up, although she wasn’t thrilled with the way she’d been summoned. After talking she realized that the man who hired her to steal the Ace of Winchesters from the Gotham Museum and then vanished in a puff of brimstone was Mawzir in disguise. She agreed to help Hitman and Natt take down the demon because she didn’t work with bad guys and she didn’t like being used. Hitman figured they could use Jason Blood’s help, and told Catwoman to call him posing as a nun whose convent was haunted. When Catwoman left Hitman and Natt cooed over her, having both been smitten with her looks. Blood believed Catwoman’s story, and when he arrived in Gotham he was met by Hitman, who reminded him that he owed him two million dollars or at the very least a big favor. Sean Noonan allowed the group to use Noonan’s after hours to discuss strategy. Blood explained that the Ace was forged by an occultist and former Texas Ranger. The prairies of his time had become infested with demons, drawn to the sites of evil perpetrated by colonization, and the Ace of Winchesters was capable of killing them. Blood surmised that Mawzir wanted to keep the gun out of Hitman’s hands. Deborah Tiegel showed up, telling Hitman they had to talk about her admitting to her feelings the night before. Mawzir’s men spotted Hitman’s group and phones their boss. Mawzir and his gang attacked Noonan’s, and Hitman and company fled in Natt’s car. They drove to St. Joe’s cathedral, knowing Mawzir couldn’t enter sacred ground. Mawzir sent his men in and Hitman and company engaged them in a firefight. Hitman said he needed the Ace, and Jason suggested it was in Hell with Mawzir’s masters. Hitman asked Jason to change into Etrigan the Demon to retrieve it, and the thought horrified Jason, who said he had as little to do with Etrigan as possible. One of Mawzir’s gang pleaded that they were being slaughtered, and Mawzir replied that they were cannon fodder and he was happy to sacrifice them all. Jason reluctantly demanded Demon retrieve the Ace from the Arkannone, threatening him if he didn’t comply. The GCPD sent squad cars to St. Joe’s and Mawzir ordered his men to raze the church so it would no longer be sacred ground. Mawzir slaughtered the GCPD officers in a hail of bullets. In Hell Etrigan was greeted by Kakk, who wondered why he no longer rhymed. Etrigan revealed that his heart was gone, so he felt little pleasure in anything, let alone rhyming. Etrigan asked after Baytor, and Kakk was saddened to report that the Crown of Horns had only made his insanity worse, and he was incapable of ruling Hell in any meaningful way. Kakk accompanied Etrigan to Baytor’s castle, where Baytor unleashed his acid spew, disintegrating Kakk. Etrigan wrested the Crown away from Baytor, who was happy to be his normal level of insane again. Mawzir’s men started ramming the church with their cars, breaking down the walls. Sixpack showed up, offering his help and brandishing a broken beer bottle. He narrowly avoided being gunned down by Mawzir’s help, and Hitman begged him to leave and get to safety. Sixpack said he’d be back, because he was putting his old team Section 8 back together.

(Hitman #18-20) - Etrigan, with Baytor tagging along, confronted the Arkannone and demanded the Ace of Winchesters. The Arkannone responded by summoning a giant gun and shooting Etrigan, leaving him a smoldering pile of bones. Etrigan was healed by the Crown of Horns and forced the Arkannone into a confrontation. The Arkannone realized they were outmatched and contacted Mawzir, demanding he return to Hell and protect them. Mawzir told them no because all he cared about was vengeance on Hitman, and that he was tired of being their pawn anyway. Etrigan ripped the Arkannone to pieces, threw down the Crown of horns, and claimed the Ace. Jason Blood told Hitman and company he’d need a few more hours to transport the Ace from Hell. Hitman said they didn’t have that much time and told him to summon Etrigan. Blood refused, so Hitman restrained him, and used the spell needed to turn Blood into Etrigan that he’d found while reading Jason’s mind. Jason was furious, but events had gone beyond his control. Etrigan seemed pleased to see Hitman, who was already regretting his decision to summon him. Etrigan threatened Hitman, who reminded him they were on sacred ground. Etrigan scoffed, saying he had no fear of bringing the wrath of angels down, and breathed fire, starting a fire in St. Joe’s. Etrigan told Hitman he’d give him the Ace in exchange for his heart, which Jason Blood kept in a box, but neither trusted the other to make the first transaction. The demonfire desecrated the church, enabling Mawzir and his men to storm it, so Tommy and his friends fled to the church’s crypt. Mawzir was surprised to see Etrigan, who promised him he wasn’t there to interfere because he hated Hitman too. Mawzir was well aware Etrigan had destroyed his masters and said he knew what every demon in Hell knew, that Etrigan was never to be trusted. Sixpack reassembled his old superhero team, Section Eight, who made the scene, and despite their outward ridiculousness they held their own against the mobsters, brutalizing them in different ways. Etrigan realized Baytor had escaped Hell by stowing away in his cape and let the demon know he didn’t appreciate him messing with the possessions in his cowl. Mawzir got tired of the situation and detonated an explosive that blew up the church. Catwoman was injured and Mawzir took Deborah Tiegel hostage. Hitman, seeing no other choice, handed over Etrigan’s heart to the demon. Hitman aimed the Ace of Winchesters at Mawzir, who was terrified, but an empty click let him know the gun was unloaded. Mawzir started battering Hitman, promising to take him to Hell and torture him for eternity. Demon, with his hear6t back in his chest, was pleased that he was whole again and had betrayed someone he had a grudge against. Baytor had made off with the Ace’s ammunition and refused to give it back to Etrigan, hissing at him. Catwoman posed seductively, convincing Baytor to give her the ammo, which she tossed to Hitman. Hitman shot Mawzir with the Ace, and he was once again the group of damned Nazi soldier souls. The Nazis pleaded that they were only following orders, and Hitman executed every one of them with a handgun.

Comments: Created by Garth Ennis & John McCrea

Mawzir received a profile in DCU Villains Secret Files #1.

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