Occupation: God of war and death, Patron god of the Assyrian Empire

Legal Status: Exiled Citizen of Celestial Dilmun

Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of the existence of Nergal except as a mythological character.

Other Aliases: Erakal (Babylonian name), Assur (Assyrian names), Dur (Kassite name), Chemosh/Kamos (Moabite name)

Place of Birth: Unrevealed, possibly Erech (now part of modern Iraq)

Marital Status: Married

Known Relatives: Anu (father), Mami (mother), Asherah (step-mother), Kinyras, Girru, Nusku (brothers), Ningal, Zarpandit (sisters), Enlil, Hadad, Ninurta, Martu (half-brothers), Ninlil, Gatumdug (half-sisters), Eriskegal (wife), Ea (uncle), Damkina (aunt), Marduk (cousin) 

Group Affiliations: The Gods of Mesopotamia, Leader of the Sebettu,

Base of Operations: Allatum

First Appearance: (name only) Conan The Barbarian I #73, (actual) "Pantheons of the Megaverse" by C. J. Carella

History: Nergal is the eldest son of Anu, the ruler of an extra-dimensional race of beings known as the Annunaki, who were worshipped as gods by the various empires and tribes of Ancient Mesopotamia, and his wife, Mami, goddess of motherhood. The Anunnaki were first worshipped during the late Hyborian Age, but gained prominence after the Great Cataclysm which ended the Hyborian Age. They had a great impact on the rise of the Sumerian Empire, one of the first great human civilizations to rise from the ashes of the Hyborian Age, during which they were at their height of worship. The Anunnaki are therefore counted among the oldest gods known on Earth with the possible exception of the Ogdoad, ancestors of the Gods of Egypt. 

As Meshlamtea, Nergal was god of war to the Sumerian Empire as they conquered and subjugated their enemies, but as a god, he tried to conquer the underworld of Allatum, the realm of the dead, ruled by Eriskegal and became a darker more malevolent deity known as Nergal. Rather than cede control of the underworld to Nergal, Eriskegal took him to her bed and shared her power with him as her husband. Nergal rarely stayed bound to the underworld and instead spawned war and blood thirst on earth leading mortals and gods against their enemies. A group of seven gods known as the Sebettu, known to the Babylonians as the Isirru, often followed Nergal into battle to spread famine, drought and pestilence through their enemies to prevent survivors.

Nergal played no partiality against his brothers, Enlil and Hadad, in their wars against each other to become king of the gods and instead supported both brothers in their wars, preferring the bloodshed of battle over everything else. Nergal was called Assur as the patron god of the later Assyrian Empire, possibly usurping the worship of Anshar, a much older deity. Most of the Mesopotamian Gods later retreated to the other dimensional realm of Celestial Dilmun created by Anu since his exile from earth centuries before, but after the fall of the Assyrian Empire, he instead retreated to Allatum rather than be counted among the gods accepted by Anu into Celestial Dilmun. Following the fall of the Assyrian Empire, most of Mesopotamia either fell under control of the Greeks and later the Romans and adopted their gods or were converted into Judaism, Islam and later Christianity.

Despite bound to Allatum, Nergal has often joined the Anunnaki in war, especially against the Olympian Gods worshipped by the Greeks and Romans invading the lands that was once Ancient Sumeria, and against the Yazatas, the gods worshipped by the Persians of Ancient Iran. Ares, the Olympian god of war, tried to turn Nergal into an ally against his hated brother, Hercules, but was overwhelmed by him as well and begrudgingly had to work with Hercules to exile Nergal back to Allatum.

Nergal's modern activities are unknown, but he is a very impatient and violent deity given to psychopathic rages. He cries out for war and enjoys to hear the screams of his victims. Having no tolerance as a god of the underworld, he lives for war and will sow the seeds of violence and bloodshed when he is unleashed.

Height: 6' 5"
Weight: 525 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Bald, Black in his youth

Strength Level: Nergal possesses superhuman strength enabling him to lift (press) 80 tons under optimal conditions.

Known Superhuman Powers: Nergal possesses the conventional physical attributes of the Anunnaki (Mesopotamian Gods). Like all of the Anunnaki, he is extremely long lived, but he is not immortal like the Olympian gods. He has not aged since reaching adulthood and cannot die by any conventional means. He is immune to all Earthly diseases and is resistant to conventional injury. If he were somehow wounded, his godly life force would enable him to recover with superhuman speed. It would take an injury of such magnitude that it dispersed a major portion of his bodily molecules to cause him a physical death. Even then, it might be possible for a god of significant power, such as Anu, Ea or for a number of Mesopotamian gods of equal power working together to revive him. Nergal also possesses superhuman strength and his Anunnaki metabolism provides him with far greater than human endurance in all physical activities. (Anunnaki flesh and bone is about three times as dense as similar human tissue, contributing to the superhuman strength and weight of the Mesopotamian gods.)

Nergal has greater than normal stamina, endurance and resistance to injury than any other Mesopotamian god, except for Dagon, Hadad, Ninurta and perhaps Anu. He is virtually tireless, capable of resisting virtually any opponent in battle.

Abilities: Nergal is trained in all forms of combat, but he is also capable of extreme cruelty and vicious sadistic means in order to defy any opponent.

Weapons: Nergal is proficient with all implements of war including a sword, dagger, club and a bow and arrow. 

Comments: This bio includes Nergal's appearances in the Marvel Universe and Rift's World continuity; he has also appeared in the DC Universe (Arak #43) where the Mesopotamian gods are actually identified as extra-terrestrials.

Celestial Dilmun is named after Dilmun (modern Bahrain), the final destination of Utnapishtim, alternately used as a name of heaven.

Clarifications: Nergal is not to be confused with: