Sadhu

SADHU

Real Name: Sadhu

Class: Human magic-user

Occupation: Sadhu

Group Affiliation: None

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Mumbai, India, 1700s to present

First Appearance: Hellblazer I #261 (January, 2010)

Powers: The Sadhu could see through reality, banish evil and enter the dreams of others.

History: (Hellblazer I #261, 262) - The Sadhu grew up in Colonial India, and resented the outside rule. He learned subtle magic at the Western Ghat in Kerala. In the 1870s Colonel Burke assaulted a young Indian woman, and the Sadhu would not see him go unpunished; sending him to a dark dimension. While there he transformed into a demon resembling a Hindu god. Bollywood director Vikram Dhawan summoned him by preparing him British tea, and used him to eliminate enemies and ensure the success of his movies. Burke began to stalk the streets of Mumbai, savaging and cutting up women who reminded him of his first victim. Magician John Constantine went to India to find spiritual purity, not realizing that the Sadhu had summoned him because he was too old to deal with Burke by himself. John threatened to expose the secrets of guru Charles Pankurst-Hawke, who was a friend of Dhawan. Dhawan sicced Burke on John, but the Sadhu managed to banish him. He knew John sought purity to be reunited with his dead love Phoebe, and promised to help him reunite with his love if he could permanently take care of Burke.

(Hellblazer I #263, 264) - The Sadhu sent a dream to John's friend Epiphany to draw her to India. John told the Sadhu he wanted Phoebe, not Epiphany, and the Sadhu replied that a wise man still did not always realize who his true love was. The Sadhu stated the Age of Kali Yuga was approaching, and would plunge the world into darkness. John was skeptical, but continued trying to draw out Burke. Burke had murdered the Bollywood starlet Meeta, and John discovered her body. The police were trailing him, suspecting the foreigner of being their serial killer, and arrested him. His pleas of innocence were ignored, and the inspector worked him over. Epiphany called the police station with vague threats about what a powerful man John was, but that did no good for John's case. Burke's influence spread as a harbinger of Kali Yuga, and Mumbai was beset by violence and women giving birth to Kali statues. The Sadhu visited the scene of a massacre at a movie theatre, and convinced the inspector that he could cleanse his sins by trusting John to save Mumbai from the wave of violence. Epiphany and John confronted Burke, who threatened to destroy them, but Epiphany learned that Burke deserted his regiment during a battle with the Sepoys, and feared his cowardice being known. John taunted him about being a failure as an Englishman, and taunted him with a white feather like the one he got as a commendation after the battle even though he should have been court marshaled. Burke could not stand the truth about him being exposed, and imploded. To fulfill his promise to John the Sadhu channeled Phoebe's spirit through Epiphany, and she begged John to forget about her, because his mad quest to resurrect her was keeping her soul from moving on to its proper reward.

(Hellblazer I #282) - John was in Belmarsh prison to fight the demon Julian, who had the run of the place. He used a psychic protection spell on himself, taught to him by the Sadhu, who appeared to him in a dream, and warned him that the spell had not worked.

Comments: Created by Peter Milligan & Giuseppe Camuncoli.