Shathan

SHATHAN

Real Name: Shathan

Class: Demon

Occupation: Demon

Group Affiliation: None

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Shaitan

Base of Operations: Dis, Hell

First Appearance: Showcase #61 (April, 1966)

Powers: As a demon Shathan could grow to enormous size, and possessed vast superhuman strength and durability. In his home of Hell he could manipulate souls and bend reality.

History: (Spectre III #25) - <150 AD> Spectre carried out his mission for over a century. 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. Belial took the direct route, serving as the court wizard of the despot Chadhandra, and fighting the Spectre when he came to kill the sultan. Spectre was victorious, and Belial returned to Hell. Shaitan sent his demon Sekuba to tempt Spectre. She showed him the bones of Brahma, and said his gods were dead, but the Spectre thought her a liar. She showed him a leper being stoned, a leper who was the reincarnation of his wife Devi. Her soul was meant to find his and reach Nirvana, but this never came to pass because Caraka became the Spectre. His son Bankim had been reincarnated as the child of an abusive household, and grew up to be a murderous thief. Spectre killed his son, and said that if the gods were not dead they surely no longer cared. He planned to raze the entire world, purifying it of evil, but was confronted by Archangel Michael in his guise of Kali. He stripped Caraka of his power, and sent the Spectre-Force to find a new host. As the price of his rebellion he merged Caraka's soul with that of Sekuba so they could torment each other, and named the new cursed being Azmodus.

(Spectre III #54 (fb)) - Shaitan empowered the Spirit King in exchange for his help in claiming the Spectre. Spirit King killed JSAer Mr. Terrific, and imprisoned the rest of the heroes in Fate's Tower. Spectre arrived, and Spirit King opened up a gate to Hell, where Shaitan waited for his prize. Mr. Terrific's spirit appeared, and helped Spectre send Spirit King to Hell, closing the gate.

(Spectre III #5) - Shathan reconstituted his form, albeit a new weakened and even more demonic body, after his encounter with the Spectre. Spectre came to Hell for the soul of Eddie Vega, a kidnapper who'd buried a boy in a graveyard, and the only soul who knew where the boy was. Shathan was still furious over his loss to Spectre, and placed Eddie in his chest, saying he had use for his soul. They clashed, and Shathan inflicted the punishments Spectre had dealt to his quarry on him, but Spectre rallied, and dismantled the demon. Shathan said there was legend of a prince of Hell who renounced his ways and served God, and wondered if that was who Spectre really was. Spectre said he had no interest in listening to the lies of a demon.

(Spectre III #8) - Shathan was bound and tortured, with parasites eating his insides, for losing his battle in Hell with the Spectre. The torturer bragged that Azmodus had escaped Hell alongside the Spectre, and would be the one to destroy the wrath of God. Shathan said that those who rose also fell, and that the demons on top easily forgot that he was once a lord of Hell, and would rise again.

(Spectre III #31) - Spectre confronted Shaitan, and told him he had no claim on Clarissa Marchbak's soul since Azmodus tossed her to Hell. Shaitan said she deserved her spot, and showed him Clarissa's soul crucified on a cross, with Sekuba reminding her of all her sins. Spectre saw he had not buried Sekuba deep enough in Hell, so he turned her into a worm. Clarissa thought she deserved her fate, but Spectre reminded her that Azmodus had corrupted her, and that Clarice wanted her to live. Clarissa found the strength to step away from her own punishment, but said she didn't want to go back to the person she was, so Spectre suggested reincarnation like her grandmother. Shaitan said he overstepped his own mission, so Spectre went to the gates of Heaven, and Michael approved of his actions.

Comments: Created by Gardner Fox & Murphy Anderson.

Shathan had a cameo in Spectre III #6.