Lucifer

LUCIFER

Real Name: Samael

Class: Demon, former angel

Occupation: Lightbringer, former owner of Lux, lounge pianist, ruler of Hell

Group Affiliation: None

Known Relatives: Michael Demiurgos (brother)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Los Angeles, CA, formerly Perth, Australia, Hell, Heaven

First Appearance: Sandman II #4 (April, 1989)

Powers: Lucifer possessed nearly limitless power; he was also immortal and immune to most conventional forms of damage. Lucifer had genius level intelligence, and was a masterful manipulator.

History: (Lucifer #50) - The Creator made the angel Samael to shape the suns and the cosmos of Creation. Ibriel and Samael were sent by Gabriel to warn Lillith to stop giving birth to Lillim. She refused, and soon seduced Ibriel and began having long talks with Samael on the nature of free will. Lucifer began questioning divine authority since the Creator had not spoken to the host of Heaven since finishing Creation, and it was only Gabriel who gave orders. Lillith gave the host of Heaven her Lillim’s service in the construction of the Silver City, but her children Mazikeen and Briadach murdered Ibriel when he spurned Lillith. Gabriel was ready to slay them, but Samael stayed his hand. Samael renounced his birthright and proclaimed that from then on he would be known only as Lucifer. He recruited a great number of angels that agreed to rebel against the Creator in the name of free will.

(Sandman II #23) - <10 billion years ago> Lucifer and his comrades in arms waged war against Heaven. They were repulsed and cast down into Hell.

(Spectre III #25) - <150 AD> Lucifer assembled the lords of Hell, 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. Lucifer knew there would always be a Spectre, but wanted to occupy the lords, giving them less time to plot against him.

(Demon III #19 (fb)) - Belial met with Lucifer to discuss demonic plans, and Belial brought his infant son Etrigan along. Etrigan stole the Crown of Horns, who was the symbol of power of the rulership of Hell, but his young body could not handle the power. Lucifer removed the Crown from him, and told Belial that Etrigan seemed very promising, but he needed to learn harsh discipline, because even in Hell there were rules.

(Demon III #0 (fb), 50 (fb)) - <1656> Jason Blood, thoroughly debauched thanks to his bond with the demon Etrigan, was invited to Hell by Lucifer himself. Lucifer was fascinated by a man whose soul was bound to a demon, especially one so popular in Lucifer's court, and offered him a deal. In exchange for claiming the overdue soul of William Scumm Jason would be granted knowledge from Lucifer. Jason approached Captain Scumm, scourge of the seven seas, and his crew, and they threatened him with violence, but agreed to listen when he told them he needed a mad bloodthirsty crew to attain unimaginable riches. He wove a tale about a tower in the South Sea built millennia ago by magician, and claimed it contained the riche of every shipwreck that ever was. They set sail, and the crew feared something demonic about Jason, but Scumm dismissed him as a fop and said they'd kill him once they had the riches he promised since he failed to show Scumm the respect and fear he demanded. After months at sea the pirates were in the Antarctic, and Jason performed a spell, ostensibly to make the tower appear, but actually revealing a gate to Hell. Scumm's crew fought the demons of Lucifer' tower, climbing ever upward until only Scumm and Jason remained alive. Scumm found only an empty room at top, and knew he'd been betrayed. Lucifer appeared, reminding Scumm of their bargain, his soul in exchange for invincibility, and told him his contract had expired a decade before. Scumm's soul was bound to Hell, and Etrigan, Jason and Lucifer cut him open and drank hi blood from goblets in celebration of a job well done. As an immortal Jason craved new experiences, and asked Lucifer where he could go to reap the rewards of the future and engage in novel evils. Lucifer told him to go to the Americas, and in a few years Jason was settled in New Amsterdam.

(Sandman II #4) - Following the Shadow Creature's assault on Heaven there was civil war in Hell. Lucifer ended it by sharing his rule of Hell with Beelzebub and Azazel. Dream came to Hell to reclaim his lost helm, and a passing remark he made about the power of dreams rankled Lucifer. Lucifer vowed to one day destroy Dream.

(Demon III #5-7) - Etrigan was loose in Hell, and raised an army with the demons exiled to Masak Madvil, the abyss, to break the triumvirate of Lucifer, Beelzebub and Belial. Belial pledged to help his son, but held back to see how his forces would do on their own. Merlin tried to warn Lucifer, who said he was being tedious and that he didn't reject the idea of more changes in Hell's hierarchy. Merlin then pleaded with Beelzebub to act, but the demon lord felt Etrigan and his plans were of no consequence. Etrigan and his army defeated Beelzebub and took control of his domain, then marched toward Dis. Lucifer opened the gates to them and surrendered. Etrigan was suspicious, but Lucifer told him he was ceded rule of Hell because he was curious about how it would turn out for him. Etrigan prepared for his coronation at Masak Madvil, chaining up Beelzebub, Lucifer and Merlin. He was given the Crown of Horns, signifying his rule. He promised his subjects Hell would shatter Earth and then lay siege to Heaven. Etrigan then ripped off Beelzebub's wings and cast him into the pit of Hell. Lucifer refused to throw himself into the pit, saying he was severely disappointed in Etrigan. His end goal of making war with Heaven was a fool's errand, and he'd expected better, but knew Etrigan was a youth as far as immortals went, and lacked true wisdom. Etrigan tried to attack him, but Lucifer broke his shackles and glided off.

(Sandman II #22) - Dream sent Cain as an envoy to Lucifer to announce his impending visit to Hell.

(Sandman II #23) - Lucifer, tired of his role of the adversary, resigned as ruler of Hell. He cast out every last demon, never-born and damned soul from his realm, including his lover Mazikeen. At Lucifer's request Dream cut off his wings. Lucifer fulfilled his promise to destroy Dream by handing him the key to Hell, thus making Dream its' rightful ruler.

(Sandman II #28) - Perth, Australia; Lucifer enjoyed his retirement by lazing on beaches all day and admiring sunsets.

(Sandman II #57) - Lucifer opened up the nightclub Lux. He started his career as a lounge pianist, and employed Mazikeen as a waitress.

(Sandman II #60) - The angel Remiel asked Lucifer to relieve him of the rulership of Hell. Lucifer laughed in his face.

(Sandman II #64) - Lucifer felt compelled to move on from his current role of pianist and nightclub owner.

(Sandman II #68) - Delirium asked Lucifer to save Dream from the Furies. Lucifer told her that her brother was beyond help.

(Sandman II #69) - Lucifer wondered what the end of the universe would be like, and decided he didn't want to be in this universe when it ended.

(Sandman II #72) - The Dreaming, Lucifer and Mazikeen attended the wake for Dream.

(Spectre III #57) - Lucifer was lounging on the beach when Sp[ectre approached him with news of God's disappearance from Heaven, and blamed Lucifer. Lucifer said that he was not just innocent, he completely didn't care about the news. He said his fall from grace was ancient history, and he just wanted to enjoy his retirement without being interrupted

(Sandman Presents: Lucifer #1-3) - On behalf of the creator, the angel Amenadiel asked for Lucifer’s help in stopping a Velleity, a powerful magic that granted wishes. Lucifer accepted the task in exchange for a Letter of Passage. Lucifer found that the Voiceless Gods were behind the Velleity, but to approach them in the First World he would need a Navajo guide. He enlisted Rachel Begai, a girl who wanted revenge on the Gods because her rash wish that her brother would die came true thanks to the Velleity. Lucifer and Rachel entered the First World, Rachel wished for the Velleity to disappear and it was forced to comply.

(Lucifer #1-3) - Hamburg, Germany; Lucifer wanted to use the Letter of Passage to build a new Creation outside of God’s universe. He ordered the earthbound angel Meleos to give him a reading from the Basanos to determine the validity of the Letter. Meleos stalled, and rather than give in to Lucifer’s demands he tried to destroy the Basanos, but unwittingly set them free. As a punishment for disobeying him Lucifer destroyed Meleos’ life’s’ work, a library containing humanity’s every written word. Lucifer tracked down the Basanos, who had taken possession of Jill Presto, and forced them to give him a reading. Among other things, Lucifer learned that the Letter of Passage would open only once, and then close forever. Lucifer still had lots of work to do if he wanted his own Creation. He used the Letter to open a doorway to new Creation inside Lux, and then wrote one of God’s names on the door, ensuring that if the door closed, God’s own Creation would be destroyed.

(Luciofer #5 (fb)) - Lucifer left Mazikeen as guardian of the doorway to his Creation, telling her that although it couldn’t be destroyed others would surely try to possess it.

(Lucifer #4) - Following up on the Basanos’ reading, Lucifer saved the life of Elaine Belloc, and allowed her into the mind of teacher Mr. Waddington to learn why he killed her best friend Mona Doyle. Lucifer told her she owed him, and that he always collected what he was owed.

(Lucifer #5-8) - On another follow-up of the reading, Lucifer set out to reclaim his lost wings, which were in the possession of Izanami, the ruling deity of the House of Windowless Rooms. Izanami’s children Susano-o-Mikoto, Kagutsuchiu, Tsuki-Yomi and Yama-no-Kami let Lucifer stay in the House and acted cordial toward him, but in truth they plotted his murder, a feat only possible because Lucifer was mortal in Izanami’s realm. Susano-o-Mikoto summoned the demon Musubi and sent her to kill Lucifer, but Lucifer convinced her to join his cause. As a psychopomp Lucifer could choose her soul’s destination if he killed her, so Musubi allowed it to free herself from Izanami’s service. Later at a banquet Kagutsuchiu provoked Lucifer. Lucifer killed Kagutsuchiu, but not before Kagutsuchiu accidentally killed Tsuki-Yomo. Rather than lose any more family members Izanami returned Lucifer’s wings, but unbeknownst to Lucifer she imparted part of her essence to form two pinfeathers and rooted them into his wings. With his wings Lucifer could be able to travel the void of his Creation, and the only thing he needed to complete his Creation was a spark of life. He returned to Lux to find that Jill Presto and the Basanos, for their own purposes, saved Lucifer’s doorway to Creation from being usurped by the Jin en Mok. Lucifer told Jill and the Basanos to stay out of his affairs.

(Lucifer #9) - Erishad tried to sneak into Lucifer’s doorway, hoping the void of new Creation would let her end her miserable immortal existence. Lucifer chased her off, told her to talk to the gods that cursed her, and told her to bargain from a position of strength against them. Some time later Erishad killed the gods that cursed her after finding a way to breathe a semblance of life into her four thousand year old unborn child. Lucifer offered her death if she gave him possession of the unborn creature, and she agreed.

(Lucifer #10-13) - Lucifer set up Erishad’s child as the guardian of the void of his new Creation. Lucifer brought an unnamed man to Lux and told him that Elaine Belloc was his daughter and set him off to find her. Mazikeen was upset because when Jill Presto healed her wounds from the battle against the Jin en Mok she altered Mazikeen’s face so it resembled that of a normal human. Lucifer couldn’t undo the Basnos’ work, so Mazikeen left him. He still needed a guardian of the doorway, so he resurrected Musubi to watch over it. Elaine’s father led Lucifer to Sandolphon and Elaine’s divine father Michael. Sandolphin used Michael to create Elaine, and planned to use Elaine to create a new race of angels. Lucifer told him he needed Elaine and Michael for his own reasons and drove Sandolphin off. When Lucifer returned to Lux with Michael he found that the host of Heaven had seized control of the doorway, though they suffered heavy losses from a battle against Musubi and Erishad’s child. Lucifer had promised Michael the release of death, and because of Michael’s demiurgic power his death would undue God’s Creation unless Lucifer ended his life in the new Creation, so the host relinquished control of the doorway. Lucifer entered his new Creation and slew Michael, who was immediately reborn in a new form. As a result of Michael’s death Lucifer’s Creation was sparked to life and was finally finished.

(Lucifer #14-16) - Lucifer created a cosmos in his Creation, forming every aspect of the new universe. e created is on garden of paradise and his own version of Adam and Eve and told them the one rule of new Creation, they must never worship a higher power, not even Lucifer. The angel Amenadiel entered Lucifer’s Creation, took the form of a snake and tempted “Adam” to worship Lucifer. Lucifer destroyed his creation, and his “Eve” was so devastated by the loss of her partner that she asked Lucifer to unmake her as well. Lucifer was pleased with Amenadiel; he wanted to test his creations before he populated his universe with them. Lucifer returned to Lux and found Mazikeen back at his side.

(Lucifer #18, 19) - Hell; Lucifer and Mazikeen were invited to Effrul by Seviram to attend a ball. Seviram revolted against the house of his master Arux, claiming that he wanted to amass an army for Lucifer so he could resume is war on Heaven. Arux put down the revolt, and Lucifer made it clear he disliked being mixed up in Seviram’s political intrigues and that he was not planning to attack Heaven. Lucifer handed Seviram over to a group of demons for torture.

(Lucifer #20) - Emissaries from Faerie, Hell and other realms pleaded with Lucifer to find a place for them in his Creation. Lucifer turned down the Lillim’s offer to be his army, so Mazikeen left him once again. Michael delivered a message from the Creator, asking Lucifer to go no further with his Creation. In defiance Lucifer opened up doorways to his Creation throughout the universe and accompanying dimensions. Lucifer announced that anyone unhappy with the Creator’s universe was welcome into Lucifer’s Creation.

(Lucifer #21-24) - Lucifer watched on as those dissatisfied with the world entered his Creation to take as their new home. He welcomed the pilgrims, and reminded them of Creation’s one rule…no worship. At great personal cost to herself the centaur Esa-Kira from Lucifer’s Creation traveled to Lux to warn him his doom was close at hand. Mazikeen told Lucifer the Lillim had made a formal declaration of war against him. He still refused to let the Lillim enter his Creation, although he offered Mazikeen a place at his side, which she refused. The Basanos entered Lucifer’s Creation and set themselves up as gods. Lucifer responded, and just then the magic Izanami put in his wings consumed him, and Lucifer’s charred body fell from the sky.

(Lucifer #25-27) - Meleos found Lucifer and hid his body knowing that if he died his death would be on his head since he was the creator of the Basanos. Death visited Lucifer, even though she had no claim on his life or death she knew big things were happening and wanted to be kept in the loop. Elaine Belloc healed Lucifer at the cost of her own life but most of his power had been drained away into the two feathers Izanami created, which were currently in the possession of Susano-o-Mikoto. The Lillim held off the Basanos while Lucifer found Jill Presto. He couldn’t harm her in his weakened state, but with Jill’s cooperation he bluffed that he would kill her unless the Basanos unmade themselves. Since she was carrying the child of the Basanos they had no choice but to destroy themselves. Lucifer agreed to give Mazikeen and the Lillim safe haven in his Creation.

(Lucifer #29-32) - Lucifer had agreed to fight a duel in Effrul against Amenadiel. Remiel felt his rule of Hell would be undermined if the old boss defeated an angel on his watch so he conspired with Lord Arux to make sure Lucifer would lose if the duel happened at all. Christopher Rudd hosted Lucifer in Effrul, and Lady Lys warned them of Arux’s treachery in hopes she would succeed her father as a ruler of Hell. Lucifer killed Braid, an assassin sent by Arux, thanks to wards Rudd placed on Lucifer. But Remiel sent Virtus, an insane cherub, after him, and it entered Lucifer, sapping away his willpower. Duma, in defiance of Remiel, helped Lucifer remove the cherub and made sure Lucifer arrived at the duel on time. The rules of the duel were that it wouldn’t end until the winner had taken out the loser’s heart. Lucifer had removed his own heart and placed Braid’s inside his body. When Amenadiel removed it, it poisoned him, allowing Lucifer an easy victory. Arux was taken into custody for attempting to subvert the duel, and at that moment Mazikeen destroyed the pinfeathers that held Lucifer’s power. Their destruction returned Lucifer to his full glory. As a reward for their aid, Lucifer named Lys a lord of Hell and took Rudd under his patronage.

(Lucifer #34, 35) - Lucifer visited Loki in the center of the world, destroyed the snake Odin set in place to torment Loki, and got Loki to agree to lend him the ship Naglfar so Lucifer’s crew could travel to the Mansions of Silence. To get possession of the ship, Lucifer traveled to Jotunheim and outwitted Loki’s half-brother Bergelmir.

(Lucifer #36-40) - Lucifer sent off his crew of Mazikeen, Cal, Bergelmir, Gaudium, Spera, David Easterman and Jill Presto off on Naglfar to reclaim the soul of Elaine Belloc from the Mansions of Silence. He told them to succeed or he would kill them. He considered the crew “unfinished business” and didn’t want them in his way while he tried to convince Michael to side with him. When Michael refused, Lucifer offered to show him Yahweh’s thoughts in a portal the Lillim Scoria had drilled into the Creator’s mind.

Inside the portal the Creator spoke to them, and told them He was leaving Heaven forever and left them as his successors. Lucifer realized the rules of engagement had been changed, and rushed to the Mansions of Silence, destroyed it’s creator Tsuki-Yomi, and rescued his crew and Elaine Belloc. Lucifer’s brief visit destroyed the Mansions and the untold number of souls that dwelled there, an action he couldn’t risk while the Creator was in Heaven.

(Lucifer #41) - Lucifer offered to either give the spirits of Elaine and her friend Mona their corporal forms back or give them a shot at rebirth. They couldn’t decide and asked to be returned to Earth and have their bodies back for a trial period. Lucifer was getting annoyed with them, but agreed. They came back unsatisfied and asked to be made guardian spirits of Lucifer’s Creation, and he complied.

(Lucifer #42-44) - The Titans Garamas and Gyges tried to take the vacant spot in Heaven so Lucifer stood beside Michael in defense of Heaven’s throne, knowing that the Titans would eventually want to destroy him and Michael as the Creator’s successors The Titans created a Duinum, a negative image of Lucifer that would consume him, conjured from the thoughts of Beatrice Wechsler, a former waitress at Lux. The Titans used her as a conduit for their power, so Lucifer used her back. He had Mazikeen impale her on a sword, this didn’t harm Beatrice, it destroyed the Titans and the Duinum using the Titans’ own power.

(Lucifer #45) - Unagor organized a meeting of Hell’s denizens to discuss business in the newly altered Creation, and he chose the body of John Baxter Sewell for them to possess and hold their conference in. Lucifer arrived at the meeting and told them that reality was hanging by threads since the Creator left and he didn’t need them adding to the chaos. Lucifer left the meeting, and left the hellspawn to perish when Sewell died.

(Lucifer #46) - Lucifer told Elaine Belloc he wanted every immortal in his new Creation gone. He didn’t care how they ended up gone, so Elaine took up the task, hoping to keep the body count to a minimum.

(Lucifer #49, 51 (fb)) - The gateways to Lucifer’s Creation began to crumble, and he realized it was because of the Creator’s absence. The Creator’s name was written on the universe and kept it together, and the original Creation was in danger of slowly unraveling, although Lucifer’s Creation would be untouched. Lucifer called on the host of Heaven and warned them about the danger to Creation, and told them he would keep the doorway to his Creation open as long as possible. He would not admit immortals into his Creation, so the angels would find no refuge there.

(Lucifer #51-54) - Destiny invited Lucifer, Elaine Belloc and Michael into his garden, and during the course of their conversation Lucifer and Destiny got into an argument over predestination. Lucifer lost his temper and burned one of the pages of Destiny’s Cosmic Log. In the ashes Lucifer read a warning about Fenris destroying Yggdrasil. Lucifer was willing to sit out the end of Creation, but this new development coukld affect his Creation, so he decided to intervene. The journey to Yggdrasil left Lucifer, Michael and Elaine badly wounded, and Fernris took advantage of the situation, tricking Lucifer into drinking some of his blood. Fenris’ blood made Lucifer take leave of his senses and he attacked Michael. The battle spilled family blood on Yggdrasil and left Michael near death, which would have accelerated the destruction of Creation if Elaine hadn’t absorbed Michael’s demiurgic power.

Comments: Created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth & Mike Dringenberg.

Lucifer received a profile in Who’s Who in the DC Universe #11 under the Hell’s Hierarchy entry

There was a pin-up of Lucifer in Sandman: A Gallery of Dreams #1.

Lucifer had a cameo in Demon III #2, 29.

Lucifer was pictured on the covers of Lucifer #17, 47 and 48 but was not in the actual stories.

Lucifer #28 had a flashback of Lucifer leading his revolt against Heaven.