El Diablo is a name shared by several fictional characters published by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

: Lazarus Lane, Rafael Sandoval, Chato Santana. The Chato Santana version of El Diablo appeared in the 2016 ''

Suicide Squad The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...

'' film set in the

DC Extended Universe The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films and television series produced by DC Studios and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on characters that ...

Publication history

The original version (Lazarus Lane) debuted in ''

All-Star Western ''All-Star Western'' was the name of three American comic book series published by DC Comics, each a Western fiction omnibus featuring both continuing characters and anthological stories. The first ran from 1951 to 1961, the second from 1970 to 1 ...

'' #2 (October 1970), and was created by

Robert Kanigher Robert "Bob" Kanigher (; June 18, 1915 – May 7, 2002)Social Security Death Index, social security #116-07-5117. was an American comic book writer and editor whose career spanned five decades. He was involved with the Wonder Woman franchise for ...

and

Gray Morrow Dwight Graydon "Gray" Morrow (March 7, 1934 – November 6, 2001).e., the Gilberton Company, publisher of the ''Classics Illustrated'' comic-book series of literary adaptations], and I was given a script. One thing led to another and I was soo ...

. The character starred in a four issue mini-series published by DC Comics through their Vertigo Comics, Vertigo imprint as a mature readers title; ''El Diablo'' #1 (March 2001) was written by

Brian Azzarello Brian Azzarello (born August 11, 1962 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American comic book writer and screenwriter who first came to prominence with the hardboiled crime series ''100 Bullets'', published by DC Comics' mature-audience imprint Vertigo. ...

and drawn by Danijel Zezelj. The second version (Rafael Sandoval) first appeared in ''El Diablo'' #1 (August 1989), and was created by

Gerard Jones Gerard Jones (born July 10, 1957) is an American writer, known primarily for his non-fiction work about American entertainment media, and his comic book scripting, which includes co-creating the superhero Prime for Malibu Comics, and writing for ...

and Mike Parobeck. The third version (Chato Santana) first appeared in ''El Diablo'' #1 (September 2008) and was created by Jai Nitz, Phil Hester and

Ande Parks Ande Parks (born October 1, 1964) is an American professional comic book artist, known for his work as an inker and writer in the industry. His best known work has come from his stint with fellow artist Phil Hester on DC Comics' Green Arrow serie ...

Fictional character biography

Lazarus Lane

Lazarus Lane is the original iteration of El Diablo, operating in the later half of the 19th century in the American Old West. Lane was originally a

bank teller A bank teller (often abbreviated to simply teller) is an employee of a bank whose responsibilities include the handling of customer cash and negotiable instruments. In some places, this employee is known as a cashier or customer representative. ...

who is nearly killed by a gang of thieves and put in a coma after being struck by

lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of an avera ...

. After being revived by Native American

shaman Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spir ...

"Wise Owl", Lane becomes the vigilante El Diablo. The name El Diablo means "the devil" in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

. According to ''

Jonah Hex Jonah Woodson Hex is a fictional antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is scarred on the r ...

'' vol. 2 #11 (November 2006) and #24 (December 2007), Lazarus Lane is cursed to be the host of a minor demon which acts as a Spirit of Vengeance. Lane's body slumbers in a coma while "El Diablo" roams the Earth. His fate is similar to that of the current

Crimson Avenger The Crimson Avenger is the name of three separate fictional characters, superheroes and supervillains who exist in the DC Comics Universe. The character debuted in 1938 and is notable as the first masked hero in DC Comics. The first Crimson ...

. In ''Swamp Thing'' vol. 2 #85 (April 1989), Wise Owl is shown in a more villainous light, with Lane/El Diablo his unwilling servant. In that story, set in 1872, a number of DC's western heroes (including the aforementioned Hex,

Bat Lash Bartholomew "Bat" Aloysius Lash is a fictional Western (genre), Western superhero character in the DC Universe. A self-professed pacifist, self-professed ladies' man, and gambler, Bat Lash's adventures have been published by DC Comics since 19 ...

, Johnny Thunder (John Tane), and Madame .44) were employed by Otto Von Hammer and Jason Blood to defeat Wise Owl and recover from him an object of great power, which turned out to be a crystal containing the spirit of

Swamp Thing The Swamp Thing is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. A humanoid/plant elemental creature, created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several humanoid or monster incarnations in v ...

, who had become lost in time. When the group killed Wise Owl, Lane's comatose body woke up, and El Diablo apparently vanished forever. In ''

The New 52 The New 52 is the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC canceled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new serie ...

'' (a 2011 reboot of the DC Comics universe), Lazarus Lane appeared in a backup feature in ''

''. In this iteration, he was once again cursed by Wise Owl to become the host of a demon. Rather than being in a coma, Lazarus remains awake. However, El Diablo arises from his body whenever he is unconscious.

Rafael Sandoval

Rafael Sandoval was the second iteration created in 1989 by writer

and artist Mike Parobeck as a title set in the modern DC Universe. This title lasted 16 months. As created by Jones and Parobeck, Sandoval is a rookie member of the city council of Dos Rios, Texas, who creates his version of El Diablo (from a festival costume and an old boxing persona and local legends surrounding the Devil) after being stymied by officials while trying to pursue the case of a serial arsonist. Subsequent efforts involved battles with illicit drug smugglers using maquiladora covers for their activities, a hunt for a serial killer, conflicts with human-smuggling operations, and with Sandoval's own conscience over how best to serve the people of Dos Rios. Rafael Sandoval's character has subsequently made guest appearances in one of the ''

Justice League The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived b ...

'' titles, in which he is possessed by the spirit of an

Aztec The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl ...

god-emperor and takes on an appearance reminiscent of the Lazarus Lane Diablo. He also appears in the '' Villains United Special'' when he is pulled out of retirement by Oracle to serve in her ''de facto'' Justice League, whereupon he is attacked by a member of the

Royal Flush Gang The Royal Flush Gang is a group of supervillains appearing in DC Comics. The group, which debuted in ''Justice League of America'' #43 (March 1966), use a playing card theme. Their code names are based on the cards needed to form a royal flush in ...

during a battle at the Enclave M prison in the Sonora Valley,

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. He is wounded in the battle, but saved from death by the warden of the facility.

Chato Santana

The current iteration of El Diablo is Chato Santana, an ex-criminal who after being hospitalized, meets a still living comatose Lazarus Lane. It is written by Jai Nitz, pencilled by Phil Hester, with inks by

. In

reboot of DC's continuity, Santana's El Diablo is a member of the

. He is later recruited into Checkmate under the leadership of Uncle Sam, until he realizes that he is being lied to and abandons them in search of the truth.

In other media

Television

* The Lazarus Lane version of El Diablo appears in ''

Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is a 2004–2006 American superhero animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe ...

'', voiced by

Nestor Carbonell Nestor may refer to: * Nestor (mythology), King of Pylos in Greek mythology Arts and entertainment * "Nestor" (''Ulysses'' episode) an episode in James Joyce's novel ''Ulysses'' * Nestor Studios, first-ever motion picture studio in Hollywood, ...

. While designed after his comic appearance, elements from Zorro's appearance were added in. Seen in the episode "

The Once and Future Thing ''Justice League Unlimited'' is an American superhero animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically bas ...

", he appears alongside Pow Wow Smith,

, and

. * In the TV series ''

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I *Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given name ...

'', in the episode "The Saint of Last Resorts: Part Two",

John Constantine John Constantine () is a fictional character who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Constantine first appeared in ''Swamp Thing'' #37 (June 1985), and was created by Alan Moore, Stephen R. Bissette, Rick Veitch, and John Tot ...

gains the name "El Diablo" among the gangsters of Mexico City. * The Chato Santana version of El Diablo appears in the ''

Teen Titans Go! ''Teen Titans Go!'' is an American animated television series developed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic for Cartoon Network. It premiered on April 23, 2013 and is based on the DC Comics fictional superhero team. The series was announce ...

'' episode "TV Knight 2", with a costume similar to the movie ''Suicide Squad''.

Film

Jay Hernandez Javier Manuel Hernandez Jr. (born February 20, 1978), known professionally as Jay Hernandez, is an American actor and fashion model. After making his television debut in NBC's '' Hang Time'', Hernandez made his film debut opposite Kirsten Dunst ...

played Chato Santana / El Diablo in the live-action 2016 film ''

''. Unlike most of his

teammates, he is not a ruthless villain, having used his powers to establish himself as a gang leader before accidentally destroying his family home in a moment of anger, killing his wife and two children. He mourns his actions, and despite being forcibly recruited to the Suicide Squad refuses to use his powers until goaded into doing so by

Deadshot Deadshot (Floyd Lawton) is a supervillain and antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by David Vern Reed, Lew Schwartz and Bob Kane, the character made his first appearance in '' Batman'' #59 (June–July 1950). ...

in order to defend the Squad from Enchantress' Eyes of the Adversary. When the Squad confronts Enchantress, El Diablo helps them resist Enchantress's illusions of what they want most if they surrender. He sacrifices himself to defeat Enchantress' brother Incubus, turning into his

fire demon form to overpower and hold Incubus in the blast radius of a bomb.

Video games

* The Chato Santana incarnation of El Diablo appears in '' Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham''. He is part of "The Squad" downloadable content. * The Chato Santana incarnation of El Diablo appears as a playable character in ''Suicide Squad: Special Ops''. * The Chato Santana incarnation of El Diablo is mentioned in ''

Injustice 2 ''Injustice 2'' is a 2017 fighting video game it is the sequel to 2013's '' Injustice: Gods Among Us'' and is the second installment in the ''Injustice'' franchise based upon the DC Universe. It is developed by NetherRealm Studios and publishe ...

'' during dialog between Deadshot and Atrocitus.

Web series

The Chato Santana version appears as a background student in '' DC Superhero Girls''.

References

External links

Newsarama: El Diablo Returns at DC in 2008 – Interview with Jai Nitz
(November 17, 2007)
DCU Guide: El Diablo 1

DCU Guide: El Diablo 2

''EL Diablo'' #1 & #2: Review of the Vertigo mini-series
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diablo, El Articles about multiple fictional characters 1989 comics debuts Characters created by Phil Hester Characters created by Robert Kanigher Comics characters introduced in 1970 Comics characters introduced in 1989 Comics characters introduced in 2008 DC Comics male superheroes DC Comics martial artists DC Comics superheroes DC Comics titles Fictional characters with fire or heat abilities Fictional Hispanic and Latino American people Fictional boxers Fictional characters from Texas Fictional filicides Fictional gangsters Fictional murderers Mexican superheroes Suicide Squad members Western (genre) comics Vigilante characters in comics