Who Is Azazel And Why Is He Important In The DCU

Aug 12

With the recent release of Netflix’s The Sandman, there is no better time to visit some of the characters the comic book series brought us. The comic series was written and created by Neil Gaiman for DC comics and introduced many characters, one of which was Azazel. Here are some things you should know about the character of Azazel.

Azazel was originally a character in Bible stories. He was first introduced to the world of DC comics in The Sandman #4. Created in a new light for the DC universe, Neil Gaiman used Azazel as one of the fallen angels that joined Satan in his army.

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As an angel-turned-demon, Azazel became an extremely powerful member of the Satanic Triumvirate, which was a system within Hell to avoid chaos in the abyss. As a member of the Triumvirate, Azazel helped bring order into the much-divided place that was Hell.

After Satan abandoned his seat on the throne as the King of Hell, Azazel took over as leader of the Daemons but was without the key to Hell. Entering negotiations for the key, which was held by Dream (Morpheus) at the time, Azazel captured the soul of Dream’s former lover (Nada) for leverage. He threatened to torture her until his demands were met and the key handed over so Azazel could become King of Hell. When Dream refused, Azazel fought him. However, Dream overpowered Azazel and placed him in a bottle for the rest of time. God then placed two other angels in charge of Hell and disregarded Azazel.

Dream traps Azazel in a bottle for the rest of time

Azazel’s importance to the DC universe comes from its inception. The character has been around since the beginning of time. He is a very powerful immortal Daemon who spends his time locked away. If he were to ever break free, he would cause chaos amongst the realm of Hell and who knows what else. His level of power is up there with Lucifer and Beezlebub, and his list of abilities are vast.

Could we see Azazel play a big role in the next season of The Sandman? It seems very possible!