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Azrael

Azrael I (Jean-Paul Valley)

Named after the Angel of Death, Jean-Paul Valley was an agent of the Sacred Order of Saint Dumas. Jean-Paul becomes a more independent crime fighter after acting as Batman for a time.

'90s Anti-Hero: Jean-Paul is a deconstruction of this trope, albeit a sympathetic one. The Knightfall arc shows how the brutal upbringing that creates a vicious antihero would leave someone with severe mental health issues and his arc is about growing out of the dangerous mindset instilled in him by the Order of St. Dumas.
Adaptational Heroism: While still threatening, willing to kill and on the dogmatic side, Jean-Paul is much nicer in Batman: The Adventures Continue than he was in the mainstream comics. He's also old friends with Bruce Wayne, both having attended the Order of St. Dumas (Bruce only stayed for training and JP was always disappointed Bruce slept in during sermons).
Adaptational Villainy: In the same breath, in Batman: Curse of the White Knight, due to dying of cancer and learning an ancient secret about Gotham's origins and how it connects to him, Batman, and the Joker corrupting him by claiming to deliver a mission from God (the secret being Jean-Paul is in fact the true heir to the Wayne Family, as Bruce's true ancestor, Bakkar murdered Edmund Wayne and stole his identity, helping building Gotham City. However, Wayne had a family left behind, and eventually Jean-Paul was born unto them, and by modern day, he is the true heir to the Wayne Family and fortune, not Bruce. This drives him to becoming an murderous imposter of Batman, murdering the entire Rogues Gallery in Arkham Asylum and even James Gordon himself, and rampaging across Gotham to provoke Bruce into facing him, and that by killing one or the other could they lay claim to the mantle of Batman.
Age Lift: In his original debut, Jean-Paul is a college student, a little younger than Dick. The Adventures Continue makes him the same age as Bruce.
Alternate Company Equivalent:
- Besides the obvious differences, he has a lot in common with Daredevil.
- AzBats was deliberately designed to be a Straw version of Marvel's Punisher and other ultra-violent heroes. The comparison is especially noticeable in a Batman/Punisher crossover published during his tenure.
Anti-Hero Substitute: Jean-Paul was created specifically to be one for Batman, to demonstrate why a Darker and Edgier, more violent Batman would not be a good thing.
Archangel Azrael: Is named after the Archangel of Death, tying into his religious views and his noncompliance with the superhero community's Thou Shalt Not Kill rule. Though ironically, Jean-Paul Valley is tied to a Christian organization, and Azrael is not in Christian scripture.
Archenemy: Jean-Paul Valley had two; Carleton Lehah and Nicholas Scratch. Averted for Michael Lane, who hasn't been active nearly long enough in order to get a real archenemy, though the Crusader came real close.
Artistic License – Religion: The Order of Saint Dumas decided to name him after Archangel Azrael, the Angel of Death. The Artistic License here is that the Order is an extremist Catholic organization, having splintered off from the Knights Templar, and Azrael is not from Christian doctrine, but from Judaism and Islam, the latter of whom the Knights waged a brutal war against.
The Atoner: Jean-Paul Valley after the events of Knightfall.
Ax-Crazy: Jean-Paul Valley's original Azrael could get pretty Ax-Crazy, though he wasn't as nearly as crazy as Michael Lane, who makes a habit of killing people deemed as "sinners".
Badass Boast: Most of the Azraels have a penchant for this, combined with a mild case of Large Ham. Take, for example, this one give by Jean-Paul Valley to Huntress:
Azrael: We fought once tonight. You lost. If we fight again, you'll lose again. This time, you might not get up. If you raise your weapon, I'll break your arm before you can trigger it.
Badass Bookworm: Jean-Paul has martial arts training and an enhanced physiology. He also has a degree in computer science and became proficient in medicine while worked under Leslie Thompkins.
Beard of Sorrow: Jean-Paul sported one of these following the Losses arc, though he soon shaved it after a pep talk from Batman.
Big Brother Instinct: Jean-Paul Valley has this towards Batgirl (Cassandra Cain). Though he did say that he "liked her."
Blade Below the Shoulder: Jean-Paul has two. See Dual Wielding and Flaming Sword entries below, as well as top-most trope picture.
Brainwashed and Crazy:
- This happens to Jean-Paul when he's under the influence of The System.
- It's also how he's first presented following his post-Flashpoint reintroduction.
Canon Discontinuity: Jean-Paul Valley stated at the end of the Batman: Sword of Azrael mini-series that he and his father shared the same name. However, according to Azrael: Year One, his father's name was Ludovic Valley. This could be explained as simply Jean-Paul being mistaken, considering his somewhat strained relationship with his father...
Character Development:
- After his stint as an Ax-Crazy Batman, Jean-Paul Valley went through a lot to redeem himself and become a more mentally stable person, and reached a point where Batman would consider him equally trustworthy as most members of the Bat-family.
Chest Insignia: Jean-Paul Valley's first costume had the fleur-di-lis on it, and his second costume had a red bat-symbol.
Clear My Name: Jean-Paul Valley had to do this at least three times, and it got more and more stale every time it happened.
Cloak of Defense: Azrael's cape can protect him from small-arms fire.
Clueless Chick-Magnet: Jean-Paul, you dork. Oracle has a stuffed doll of you next to her computer (Check issue 82 of his series if you don't believe me). Huntress considers your team-ups dates. And you have the balls to wonder why you can't get a girlfriend. But then again, seeing as how he has a tense relationship with Nightwing, maybe he just doesn't want to tick him off even more by going out with his either of his [Nightwing's] exes. The Knightfall novelization explains that he would really, really like to talk to girls, but he didn't exactly have a normal childhood. Anyone who wasn't part of the Order of Saint Dumas was considered unclean by his father, and as himself, Jean-Paul has a crippling lack of social confidence, even after learning the truth.
Cool Car: Averted for Jean-Paul Valley. Apparently, nothing says "angel" or "agent of the bat" like a navy blue sports car with some slight modifications. According to the "Az you like it" column in the back of Azrael: Agent of the Bat 81, the authors turned down the suggestion that he be given wings (Get it? Wings? Angel?) with the excuse "What? And get rid of his car?"
Costume Porn: Jean-Paul Valley's first costume
Deadpan Snarker: Jean-Paul Valley has his moments...
Designer Babies: Jean-Paul's strength, speed and toughness was genetically enhanced by the Order of St. Dumas.
Dual Wielding: Jean-Paul Valley had two flaming Katar-like blades on his wrists, and Michael Lane carried two flaming swords.
Expy: During the aftermath of Knightfall while Jean-Paul is filling in for Bruce as Batman, his Darker and Edgier (and crazy) version of The Dark Knight starts off as a commentary on comics of the time, but slowly he explicitly becomes Frank Miller's Dark Knight, cemented when he makes himself gauntlets with metal claws.
Flaming Sword: Most of the Azraels had at least one, or a variation thereof.
Forgotten Fallen Friend: Did this guy even have a memorial in the Batcave? From his death through to Flashpoint's Cosmic Retcon, the poor guy only made one page cameos in Blackest Night and Neil Gaiman's Continuity Porn (but out of continuity) Whatever Happened to The Caped Crusader? story.
Freudian Excuse: And a pretty darn good one at that. Extensive Sleep Learning combined with "the System" and becoming a "Well Done, Son" Guy like Jean-Paul did would mess most people up pretty bad. See entries for Sleep Learning, Deprogram, and "Well Done, Son" Guy for more information.
The Glasses Come Off: Jean-Paul used to wear glasses prior to becoming Azrael, and still did occasionally afterwards. It was mentioned once that he wears contact lenses for the costume.
I Have Many Names: The Avenging Angel, The Dark Knight of God, Batman, the Punishing Angel, Agent of the Bat, and Death's Dark Knight.
Killed Off for Real: Until Batman and Robin Eternal reintroduced him.
Limited Wardrobe: Jean-Paul Valley was infamous for only wearing jeans and T-Shirts in most of his civilian appearances.
Mad Libs Catchphrase: Jean-Paul has "Know that you are/men call you [something bad]"
- Borrowed Catchphrase: When the Joker takes his costume: "Know that the Joker is the one wearing the groovy threads now!"
Mass "Oh, Crap!": All of the Azrael's are very good at instigating these. Take this example found in Plus #1, were Azrael (Jean-Paul Valley) teams up with The Question:
Azrael: Know that you are evil. Know that you are abominations. Know that you will be punished.
Terrorists: (Mass "Oh, Crap!" expressions)
(Curb-Stomp Battle ensues)
Mask of Power: After a fashion for Jean-Paul - only his Azrael persona (see Split Personality entry below) has his badass combat skills, and he can only activate this persona by putting on his Azrael mask.
Meaningful Name: Azra'il was the name of the Spirit of Death in ancient Tunisian mythology. Becoming Azrael has a tendency to make one somewhat Ax-Crazy.
Nerd Glasses: Jean-Paul is a computer expert who wears round glasses.
Ninja Angel Knight Vigilante: Frequently lampshaded in Jean-Paul Valley's early days. In the words of the Hitman:
Hitman: He about half thinks he's an angel... an angel with a Bullet Proof Vest.
No Social Skills: Jean-Paul Valley suffers from this.
Offscreen After Life: When Jean-Paul Valley dies in the final issue of his series, he says "It looks just like the earth." And he was sporting his famous smile, so that's a good thing. Averted for Michael Lane, who briefly went to someplace that was obviously meant to be purgatory.
Oh, Crap!: Not only are the Azraels good at instigating these, but it occasionally happens to them too. For instance, Jean-Paul is going about in a run-down part of town as Azrael in issue 32 of his series. He's just been fixed up by this old woman, when he realises that he left his car unattended. His sudden realization and reaction to this are priceless.
Our Angels Are Different: Apparently, the residents of the DC Universe's idea of an angel is either someone dressed up in crusader armor or someone dressed up, well, like in the picture at the top of this page.
Overshadowed by Awesome: Jean-Paul Valley, thanks to "the System," is an incredible fighter, but he lacks the experience and finesse of Batman, making him inferior to him. However, the Caped Crusader has acknowledged that if Jean-Paul could just get his head screwed on straight, he would have the potential to become an even better fighter than him.
Powered Armor: The final version of the Azbatsuit was this. Can't say much for Jean-Paul's taste in color schemes though. Also, Michael Lane wears a suit of crusader armor called the Suit of Sorrows, which is made from the fragments of the armor of 100 crusaders slain in battle. It gives him enhanced speed, strength, and stamina. The only drawback is that it will eventually drive him insane, as has happened to all of the people who wore the suit before him.
Red Baron: "Azrael, Agent of the Bat!"
Red Eyes, Take Warning: The masks Jean-Paul wore as Batman in Knightfall once he switched to the armors sported red eyes instead of the classic white (or Depending on the Artist once he donned the helmet, a red visor).
Retcon: The Sword of Azrael miniseries makes it very clear Jean-Paul's father was firmly upholding The Masquerade towards his son, who had no idea about Azrael or the Order of St. Dumas. Come Azrael's own ongoing series, Jean-Paul several times mentions his father raising him according to the traditions of the Order.
Scary Impractical Armor: Jean-Paul Valley's final Azbatsuit was very much this.
Sleep Learning: How "the System" works. Or, to be accurate, Subliminal Messages Played While You Are Sleeping Throughout Your Childhood Learning.
Sociopathic Hero: Sometimes with Jean-Paul.
Split Personality: Jean-Paul Valley again. His Azrael persona is significantly different from his civilian identity of Jean-Paul Valley. As the sect that trained him was a largely medieval organization, he would often take a course of action that could have been more easily accomplished using modern technology. For example, during the Contagion arc, when a deadly plague was spreading through Gotham City, Azrael had to get the recipe for a cure to the hospitals. His solution to this was a mad rush across military lines, and though he succeeded, he discovered upon arriving at his destination that his allies had already sent the cure recipe to the hospitals by email. This is contradictory to the mindset of Jean-Paul Valley, who, being a student of programing, would be completely aware of such a solution. A third though less developed personality is Batman. This personality manifested during Jean-Paul's stint at the Caped Crusader, and remanifested near the end of his series. It combined the intellect of Jean-Paul Valley and the bloodlust of Azrael, but lacked the compassion of Jean-Paul. Later over the course of his own series Jean-Paul gradually manages to subsume the Azrael identity to be a part of himself, as helping him be a more efficient fighter without losing his humanity.
- This is taken even further in his DC Rebirth characterization. Here his Azrael persona is nearing Enemy Within levels. Jean-Paul is frequently struggling to keep Azrael from surfacing as it is kicking and screaming inside his head to be let out, especially in situations where he faces violence.
Stealth Hi/Bye: Jean-Paul's inability to pull this off during his stint as Batman was Commissioner Gordon's first clue that there was a new Batman in town.
Gordon: [...] Blame him... My God.
Azbats: Something wrong, Commissioner?
Gordon: You're still here.
Azbats: So?
Gordon: Usually I turn and you're gone.
Azbats: I wasn't certain we were finished talking.
Gordon: That never stopped you before.
Azbats: I'll be going then.
Sucksessor: Jean-Paul Valley to Batman during the Knightfall arc. The whole reason it ever happened was to show fans why Bruce Wayne's Batman wasn't a brutal Anti-Hero like The Punisher.
Super-Strength: The Order messing with Jean-Paul's biology before he was even born seems to have instilled some degree or superhuman strength and agility. At the end of his own series he was experiencing further developments for unclear reasons, which raised his strength to "twist steel rebar into a pretzel with your bare hands" levels.
Take Up My Sword: Jean-Paul Valley when Batman (Bruce Wayne) appoints him as his Sucksessor after Bane broke Bruce's back.
Temporary Scrappy: When Batman gets his back broken in The '90s, he is temporarily replaced by him. This iteration of Batman is an Ax-Crazy Darker and Edgier '90s Anti-Hero that sent most fans into a rage. His entire purpose is to show why the real Batman isn't an Ax-Crazy vigilante. Ironically enough, this storyline is a response to fans complaining about Batman not being "hardcore" enough for the grimdark 90s because he doesn't kill or brutalize his enemies. So DC called the readers' bluff by giving them exactly what they wanted. As the writers expected, fans hated it. The storyline ended with the real Batman beating down his replacement and taking back the mantle, something that was planned from the start.^note Interestingly, Valley was still popular enough to have his own series, and the character still has fans. He's undergone some Character Development, so he isn't so obnoxiously hardcore anymore.
Tomato in the Mirror: This happened to Jean-Paul Valley a few times, what with "the System" and all.
Tragic Dream: After an exhausting day being Batman, Jean Paul Valley reflected that after working for the Order of St. Dumas, which wanted to re-conquer Jerusalem for Christianity, and then being a Temporary Substitute for Batman, who wants to stop crime in Gotham City, he found the fanatical, obsessive Dumas to be the wiser man: sure, Jerusalem was never conquered again, but it was a tangible goal, one that eventually could be achieved by someone... stopping crime in Gotham is a madman’s dream.
Tragic Hero: Jean-Paul Valley (a little) near the end of his series, though Michael Lane is this full force.
Tricked-Out Gloves: The golden gauntlets.
Tyke-Bomb: Apparently, Jean-Paul was subjected to subliminal messages and other mental conditioning since he was a little kid.
Vitriolic Best Buds: Jean-Paul Valley with Nightwing.
Voice with an Internet Connection: Ora cle to Jean-Paul.
Weak, but Skilled: Jean-Paul Valley started out at this back in Batman: Sword of Azrael. He had all the training thanks to the system, but his body was described by Nomoz as "soft and flabby." The remedy for this? A month or two of constant mountain climbing.
"Well Done, Son" Guy: Played straight. Jean-Paul had terrible issues with both his real father, Ludovic Valley, and his adoptive father figure, Bruce Wayne. The elder Valley had always been distant from Jean-Paul, and rarely even saw him, let alone had extended interactions with him. Even in Jean-Paul's "system" induced dreams and visions, Ludovic is condescending and unsatisfied with Jean-Paul's actions. But then again, it was revealed in Azrael: Year One that Ludovic was actually trying to get him to safety, away from the Order of St. Dumas when he mentioned the instructions, so maybe he wasn't such a bad father. And then there's Batman. Imagine if your father was Batman. (Maybe Jean-Paul could identify with Damian.) Indeed, their relationship has been compared to a very athletic father looking down on an intelligent but physically lacking son. On the other hand, Jean-Paul's father issues led him to identify with a lot of the villains he fought.
With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: "The System" gave Jean-Paul Valley badass fighting skills, but also made him go insane during the Knightfall saga.
Wolverine Publicity: Why do you think they renamed Jean-Paul's series "Azrael: Agent of the Bat" at issue 47?

Azrael II (Michael Lane)

"I am the Dark Knight of God! I am Azrael."

—Azrael (Michael Lane)

Michael Lane was once a GCPD officer who volunteered to be part of an experiment that would make him and two others into the next Batman should Bruce ever be unable to fulfill his duties. In actuality, the experiment was run by Dr. Simon Hurt, who implanted subliminal messages into the three replacement Batmen. Eventually, Lane was "activated" and became a murderous, flamethrower-wielding Batman and fought the real Batman. He was defeated, and after a failed plan to kill Batman alongside Dr. Hurt, disappeared.

However, he was later chosen by the Sacred Order of St. Dumas splinter group the Order of Purity to become the new Azrael. Donning the Suit of Sorrows, he was eventually allowed to operate in Gotham.

Anti-Hero Substitute: Michael Lane tried to be this during the Battle for the Cowl event where he was first introduced (Batman: Battle For the Cowl: Azrael: Death's Dark Knight. Dark Knight?). It didn't work out.
Artistic License – Religion: The second series is filled with this.
The Atoner: Michael is currently working as Azrael to atone for both his work with the Black Glove and his actions during Judgement On Gotham.
Ax-Crazy: Micheal Lane slowly got more and more Ax-Crazy as his series wound down to a close. He got better (slightly) after he came back from the dead.
Big Bad Friend: Michael Lane's assistant, Adrian Paratino, actually works for Ra's al Ghul.
Chest Insignia: Michael Lane's Suit of Sorrows has a Christian cross on it, though before he took the suit, the cross was modeled after the bat-symbol, indicating the previous owner of the suit.
Christianity is Catholic: Same bad case of this as with Jean-Paul Valley's series, but shown more prominently.
Deus Angst Machina / Death by Origin Story: This happened to Michael Lane in a degree that rivals Tim Drake's Deus Angst Machina. His son was hit by a car and died at age three. His wife committed suicide within a year. Only six months after her death, Michael's two siblings (his last living relatives) were murdered by an apparent Satanic cult.
Does This Remind You of Anything??: A lot of people have noted that Michael Lane's costume looks like something out of Assassin's Creed.
Doing In the Wizard: Completely averted in Michael Lane's series, where the Suit of Sorrows is only described as "cursed" or "magic."
Dual Wielding: Michael Lane carries two flaming swords; one red and one blue.
Flaming Sword: Ditto. As stated before, Michael Lane has two.
Friend on the Force: Pete Farrelli, probably Mikey's only real friend in the world, since Father Day is using him to accomplish the ends of the Order of Purity, and Adrian Paratino is actually working for Ra's al Ghul.
Idiot Ball: Batman continuously showed bizarrely poor judgment in allowing Michael Lane to operate as Azrael. Lane was mentally unstable to begin with after enduring Doctor Hurt's experiments. On top of that, Batman allowed him to keep the Suit of Sorrows, an enchanted suit of armor which gives its wearer superhuman strength and endurance, but slowly drives them insane. Lane's ever-stronger association with a distinctly cult-like religious order also somehow does not alarm Batman. Predictably this all ends in disaster.
Legacy Character: Michael is only one incarnation of a line of Azraels who work for Sacred Order of St. Dumas splinter group the Order of Purity. All they need is the Suit of Sorrows and a volunteer. All of the people who wore the Suit of Sorrows were eventually driven insane by it. It only took 6 weeks to do the trick for Michael Lane's predessor.
Knight Templar: He's not nearly as bad as the previous Azraels but can still act pretty extreme, forcing the rest of the Batfamily to hold him back a bit.
Mission from God: Michael Lane is convinced that he's on one of these, though considering how around the bend he is, thanks to the Suit of Sorrows...
Mook–Face Turn: Michael Lane once worked for Dr. Hurt of the Black Glove, and accepted an offer to become Azrael partly as his way of atoning for his perceived role in the demise of Batman.
Offscreen Afterlife: Averted. Michael Lane briefly went to someplace that was obviously meant to be purgatory.
Our Angels Are Different: Darn well they are. See Jean-Paul Valley's entry on this.
Powered Armor: Michael Lane wears a suit of crusader armor called the Suit of Sorrows, which is made from the fragments of the armor of 100 crusaders slain in battle. It gives him enhanced speed, strength, and stamina. The only drawback is that it will eventually drive him insane, as has happened to all of the people who wore the suit before him.
Religion is Magic: The Suit of Sorrows and the Sword of Sin and the Sword of Salvation? Natch.
Scary Impractical Armor: Michael Lane's Suit of Sorrows. Although it gives the wearer enhanced strength, speed, and agility, and protects the wearer from all harm, it will eventually drive the wearer insane. Not only that, but in Real Life, mail armor would be ineffective against bullets, which would make any shots taken worse.
Servile Snarker: Adrian Paratino, Michael Lane's assistant, is very snarky.
Theme Serial Killer: The Crusader murdered several members of the Order of Purity in manners based on the martyrdoms of various Christian saints.
Tomato in the Mirror: Has happened to poor Mikey a few times, him being crazy and all.
Tragic Hero: Played Straight, then Double Subverted, though possibly justified, making this Zig-Zagged. Explanation; Michael has many flaws and is willing to kill people when he deems it necessary, which gets him trouble with Batman when he was Bat-Devil. However, he himself is aware of these flaws (when not wearing the Suit of Sorrows), but can't seem to be able to do anything about it, or for some reason doesn't want to. On the other hand, the factors that led to him to becoming so messed up, which are exacerbated by extensive use of the Suit of Sorrows, make it pretty hard to blame him for what he's done. See Freudian Excuse entry above for more information.
Will They or Won't They?: Michael Lane had this with his sister-in-law, Jenny Lane.
With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: The Suit of Sorrows is said to have driven all of its wearers insane. It only took 6 weeks to take this effect on Michael Lane's predesessor.

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