Devil-Slayer (Eric Simon Payne) is a
fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life perso ...
appearing in
American comic books published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
. The character exists in Marvel's main
shared universe
A shared universe or shared world is a fictional universe from a set of creative works where more than one writer (or other artist) independently contributes a work that can stand alone but fits into the joint development of the storyline, chara ...
, known as the
Marvel Universe.
Publication history
Devil-Slayer was created by
David Anthony Kraft
David Anthony Kraft (May 31, 1952 – May 19, 2021) was an American comic book writer, publisher, and critic. He was primarily known for his long-running journal of interviews and criticism, ''Comics Interview'', as well as for work for Marvel C ...
and
Rich Buckler
Rich may refer to:
Common uses
* Rich, an entity possessing wealth
* Rich, an intense flavor, color, sound, texture, or feeling
** Rich (wine), a descriptor in wine tasting
Places United States
* Rich, Mississippi, an unincorporated comm ...
. According to Kraft, Devil-Slayer was a tweaked version of a character he and Buckler had created in ''
Demon Hunter
Demon Hunter is an American Christian metal band from Seattle, Washington, started in 2000 by brothers Don Clark and Ryan Clark. Although the brothers created the band together, only Ryan remains, since Don left the band to take care of his ...
'' (1975) for
Atlas/Seaboard Comics
Atlas/Seaboard is the term comic book historians and collectors use to refer to the 1970s line of comics published as Atlas Comics by the American company Seaboard Periodicals, to differentiate from the 1950s' Atlas Comics, a predecessor of Marvel ...
. On his first day back in the Marvel Comics offices after the collapse of Atlas/Seaboard, Kraft bumped into Buckler in the hall and the two discussed bringing back Demon Hunter. Kraft recounted: "I changed his costume colors, Rich changed his costume design a little bit, we changed his name, of course - but if you look at his backstory it's a direct continuation from the Atlas issue".
The character first appeared in ''
Marvel Spotlight
''Marvel Spotlight'' is a comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics as a try-out book. It stood out from Marvel's other try-out books in that most of the featured characters made their first appearance in the series. The series origin ...
'' #33 (April 1977). Plans for Devil-Slayer to star in additional issues of ''Marvel Spotlight'' were halted by the series's cancellation, with Devil-Slayer's debut being the final
Shortly after he was added to the lineup of the
Defenders
Defender(s) or The Defender(s) may refer to:
*Defense (military)
*Defense (sports)
**Defender (association football)
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''The Defender'' (1989 film), a Canadian documentary
* ''The Defender'' (1994 f ...
.
In September
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, Marvel released a
limited series under their
MAX imprint titled ''
Dead of Night Featuring Devil-Slayer''. It starred a new Devil-Slayer named Danny Sylva, the great-nephew of the original Devil-Slayer. The series was written by horror novelist
Brian Keene
Brian Keene (born September 22, 1967) is an American author and podcaster, primarily known for his work in horror, dark fantasy, crime fiction, and comic books. He has won the 2014 World Horror Grandmaster Award and two Bram Stoker Awards. In a ...
and illustrated by
Chris Samnee
Chris Samnee is an American comic book artist. He received the 2011 Harvey Award for Most Promising Newcomer for his work on the '' Thor: The Mighty Avenger'', and won a 2013 Eisner Award for Best Penciller/Inker for his work on '' The Rocketeer: ...
.
Fictional character biography
Eric Payne was born in Queenstown, Illinois. He was a member of a demon cult called the Agents of Fortune, who helped him unlock the psionic potential of his brain and gave him a mystically created dimensional cloak. He later turned on the cult and, with the aid of the
Defenders
Defender(s) or The Defender(s) may refer to:
*Defense (military)
*Defense (sports)
**Defender (association football)
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''The Defender'' (1989 film), a Canadian documentary
* ''The Defender'' (1994 f ...
, he battled Vera Gemini and the Xenogesis and helped prevent the cult's mystical plans from being realized.
He assists the Defenders in confronting a cult leader named David. This man had been granted temporary mystical powers by a coalition of demons known as the ''
Six-Fingered Hand''. Despite the passing nature of his abilities, Eric's wife Cory chose to stay with the cult leader.
As the Defenders returned to
Doctor Strange's home after this confrontation, they were called into action again by the
Avengers. The town of
Citrusville
The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. There follows a list of those features.
Places
Certain places fe ...
, Florida had vanished, into a gigantic hole resembling a six-fingered hand. Eric and the rest of the group confronted a possessed
Man-Thing
The Man-Thing (Dr. Theodore "Ted" Sallis) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writers Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway and artist Gray Morrow, the character first appeared in ''S ...
and then traveled through dimensional realms in order to find the source of the problem.
During Eric's time with the Defenders, he helped confront a host of demons, including Balthazar, who had taken over the form of an Air Force commander. The Defenders almost died when Balthazar convinced innocent Air Force pilots that they were spies. Though his demon compatriots were eventually sucked back to their own realm, Balthazar somehow stayed on Earth.
Still in the form of the Air Force soldier, he targeted Devil-Slayer personally. Balthazar tricked Devil-Slayer into a bar full of disguised demons where Eric's drink was altered, thus removing his psychic powers. Despite this, Devil-Slayer held his own, using his magical accessories to battle the demons successfully. Balthazar and Eric were drawn into the ''Borders of the Land of the Dead'', where stood many of his Defender allies, now seemingly dead. It was here that Balthazar was seemingly slain again.
There are indications he has returned another time, but this might be Payne's mental instability.
Eric questions his tragic life, and reconciles with his wife, then turns himself in for his past crimes. He later helps war-torn Potega, but loses his shadow-cloak, and then rededicates himself as a hero.
Devil-Slayer was later remitted to an asylum, where he discovers a shard of the Nexus of Realities, and then becomes Payne with his partner Sorrow.
Nighthawk mentioned he had talked to Eric Payne and that he was willing to join a new team of Defenders. However, when Richmond suggested it to Initiative boss Tony Stark, he declined the offer. Shortly afterwards Eric is seen as a member of the Hawaiian
Initiative
In political science, an initiative (also known as a popular initiative or citizens' initiative) is a means by which a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters can force a government to choose either to enact a law or hold a ...
team, the
Point Men, serving the team as their "Monster Hunter". When the new
3-D Man arrives in Hawaii, Devil-Slayer informs him that he has sensed portents of doom all day. When 3-D Man identifies team member Magnitude as a
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Skrulls first appeared in ''Fantastic Four'' #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. They originated fro ...
impostor, the Skrull attacks and severely wounds the other Point Men, Star Sign and Paydirt. The Skrull is killed, and Devil-Slayer uses his Shadow Cloak to teleport Delroy to
Camp Hammond before taking Star Sign and Paydirt to a hospital. Devil-Slayer later appears in Utah with the cyborg
Jocasta to aid 3-D Man and the
Skrull Kill Krew
The Skrull Kill Krew are a fictional group appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They first appeared in their own miniseries published in 1995. They were created by Grant Morrison, Mark Millar and Steve Yeowell.
The gro ...
. He spends some time teleporting the Krew and their ever-increasing allies across the country to kill Skrulls who have infiltrated the Initiative teams. As forewarned, he runs out of power and faints, leaving the final few confrontations to the speedsters the Krew have recruited.
After Doctor Strange loses his position as Sorcerer Supreme, Devil-Slayer is one of the many magic users approached by the
Eye of Agamotto
The Eye of Agamotto () is a fictional, mystical item appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and other media, particularly in their Marvel Cinematic Universe films, with its first appearance in ''Doctor Strange''. The item ap ...
as a potential replacement.
Devil-Slayer (wearing a totally new costume) is recruited by
Wonder Man
Wonder Man (Simon Williams) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in '' The Avengers'' #9 (October 1964). The c ...
(whose ionic energy leaking powers were affecting his judgement) to join his
Revengers
The Revengers is the name of different fictional teams appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history
The Revengers is a fictional team of supervillains who were formed to fight A-Next in the MC2 series '' A- ...
. He and the Revengers were defeated by the three Avengers teams and remanded to the Raft. When he was interrogated, Devil-Slayer stated that he joined the Revengers in order to make a reality where the Avengers were held accountable for their actions.
Powers and abilities
Eric Simon Payne is a trained soldier and hit man, proficient in nearly all forms of hand-to-hand weaponry and an above-average marksman.
As Devil-Slayer, Payne uses a mystical device called a shadow cloak. The cloak can elongate itself and respond to his mental commands, forming whips and grappling opponents and objects. The inside of the cloak served as a portal to other dimensions. By wrapping himself and/or others in folds of the cloak, Payne can teleport to and from other dimensions and could even teleport limited distances on Earth by entering and exiting at different locations. Time also runs differently inside the cloak, allowing Payne to place injured people in a form of stasis if he so wills.
[''Avengers: The Initiative'' #14. Marvel Comics.]
Payne had also developed certain psychic abilities. He possesses a sixth sense that can detect mystical influence on people or creatures, useful for tracking and finding demons. He also had some degree of telekinesis and telepathy, the latter of which he typically used to mask his costume with an illusion of civilian clothes. The nature and extent of Payne's current powers remains unrevealed.
Payne could also reach into the folds of the cloak and draw out an endless supply of weapons from any time or place. He typically used melee weapons such as swords, axes or maces, but has also removed from it more modern weapons such as automatic rifles and even futuristic weapons such as a plasma rifle. On at least one occasion, he used a staff that conferred upon him a degree of invulnerability and generated energies that he could absorb to enhance his psychic abilities.
References
External links
Devil-Slayerat Marvel.com
*
{{Defenders
Characters created by David Anthony Kraft
Comics characters introduced in 1977
Fictional characters from Illinois
Fictional soldiers
Marvel Comics characters who can teleport
Marvel Comics characters who have mental powers
Marvel Comics characters who use magic
Marvel Comics superheroes
Marvel Comics telekinetics
Marvel Comics telepaths