Tenth Circle

TENTH CIRCLE

Membership: Crucifer, Grunt, Nudge, Vortex, Wormhole, others unnamed

Base of Operations: Tenth circle of Hell, formerly ancient Greece

First Appearance: JLA #94 (May, 2004)

History: (JLA #95, 99 (fb) - <thousands of years ago> When Greece was young it was infiltrated by the Tenth Circle, vampire cultists that fed off newcomers they drew into the cult. When they expanded their feeding range Queen Hippolyta and the Amazons confronted them. After a pitched battle they were banished to the tenth circle of Hell. Centuries later one of their number, Crucifer, escaped and plotted ways to return his fellows to Earth. He intended to use humans as vessels for the souls of his vampire lords, but his attempts incinerated the human hosts. He studied superhumans, and decided they would make more suitable hosts. Crucifer contacted a side-door dimension and ruled them through fear, leaving his heart in an artifact there, rendering himself unkillable, and gaining use of the dimension as transport.

(JLA #94-96) - Crucifer abducted or persuaded with promises of power a cult of superhumans to bring his masters back. Chief of the Doom Patrol was aware of his old enemy's movements and sent DP members Nudge and Grunt as bait, but Crucifer kidnapped them and brought them under his control. JLAer Manitou Raven was aware of Crucifer as well, so he sent a swarm of bats after him. The JLA was now on the case, and when Nudge encountered Superman she used her mental powers to bring him under her control. Crucifer bit him, further enslaving him. He had Superman abduct JLAer Faith, and burn Wonder Woman’s Amazon archives that detailed the Tenth Circle’s war with the Amazons and how they were defeated. Superman brought Wonder Woman to Crucifer and he stabbed her with a sword, badly injuring her. He dumped her on the highway with the Tenth Circle calling card, issuing a challenge to the JLA. Crucifer went to Barnes, Saskatchewan with his metahumans and turned vampires, dominated the minds of the townsfolk, fed off them and awaited the proper convergence that would allow his lords to return. The JLA and Doom Patrol interrupted the ceremony, destroying most of the vampires, and forcing Crucifer to flee. Atom discovered the side-door dimension, leaving Crucifer vulnerable, and Superman, now free of Crucifer, destroyed the vampire.

Comments: Created by Chris Claremont & John Byrne