Neron (DC Comics)
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Neron is a
supervillain A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero. Supervillains are oft ...
appearing in various
American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...
stories 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 ...
. He first appeared in ''
Underworld Unleashed ''Underworld Unleashed'' was a multi-title American comic book crossover event released by DC Comics in 1995. The main theme of ''Underworld Unleashed'' involved the new ruler of Hell, a demon-lord named Neron, offering first many of the DC U ...
'' #1 (November 1995) and was created by
Mark Waid Mark Waid (; born March 21, 1962) is an American comic book writer best known for his work on DC Comics titles ''The Flash'', '' Kingdom Come'' and '' Superman: Birthright'' as well as his work on ''Captain America'', ''Fantastic Four'' and '' Dar ...
and Howard Porter. Neron made his first live appearance in the CW TV series ''
Legends of Tomorrow ''DC's Legends of Tomorrow'', or simply ''Legends of Tomorrow'', is an American Time travel in fiction, time travel superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klem ...
'', serving as the main antagonist of
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and being portrayed by
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and
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.


Publication history

Neron is a demon-lord of
Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...
and was first featured as the major antagonist in the DC Comics multi-title American comic book crossover event ''
Underworld Unleashed ''Underworld Unleashed'' was a multi-title American comic book crossover event released by DC Comics in 1995. The main theme of ''Underworld Unleashed'' involved the new ruler of Hell, a demon-lord named Neron, offering first many of the DC U ...
'' released by DC Comics in 1995. After this introduction, he was next used in several storylines simultaneously: ''The Flash'' (vol. 2) #125–129 (May–September 1997), by Mark Waid and
Brian Augustyn Brian Augustyn (November 2, 1954 – February 1, 2022) was an American comic book editor and writer. He often worked as editor or co-writer with writer Mark Waid, such as on ''The Flash'' in the 1990s. He wrote ''Gotham by Gaslight –'' which i ...
, ''Wonder Woman'' (vol. 2) #123–127 (July–November 1997) by John Byrne and a two-part story in '' JLA'' #6–7 (June–July 1997) by
Grant Morrison Grant Morrison, MBE (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, w ...
, with art by Neron's co-creator Howard Porter. The last storyline was concluded in the three-issue miniseries '' JLA: Paradise Lost'' (January–March 1998). Neron next appeared in ''New Year's Evil: The Rogues'' #1 (February 1998), a part of the DC Comics storyline "New Year's Evil" that ran in eight one-shot issues, followed by "Infernal Villains: Etrigan Meets Neron", a two-page vignette featuring the first meeting of Neron and
Etrigan the Demon Etrigan the Demon is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, Etrigan is a demon from Hell who, despite his violent tendencies, usually finds himself allied with the forces of good, mainly bec ...
in the one-shot
anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...
issue ''DCU Villains
Secret Files and Origins ''Secret Files and Origins'' (abbreviated ''SF&O'') is a series of One-shot (comics), one-shot comic books and Limited series (comics), miniseries produced by DC Comics during the late 1990s and 2000s. Publication history The books are a combina ...
'' #1 (April 1999) and ended the year with a part in the five-issue weekly series ''Day of Judgement'' (November 1999) and a stand-alone tale by J.M. DeMatteis, "Heart of Hell" in '' Superman: The Man of Tomorrow'' #15 (fall 1999), the last issue of that series, which is part of the ''Day of Judgement'' crossover storyline and the first of two issues published after the storyline was over that concludes it. His next appearances were in the five-issue weekly series ''
Deadman Deadman or Deadman's may refer to: * "Deadman" or "dead man", are alternative terms for a dead man's switch * "Deadman's foot" is another name for a Salamander in metallurgy * "Deadman anchor" is a buried object (log, concrete, block, etc.) used ...
: Dead Again'' (October 2001) written by Steve Vance, a humorous
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
story called "Merry Christmas, Justice League – Now Die!" in ''JLA'' #60 (January 2002) and a brief encounter in "On Duty In Hell" in ''
Human Defense Corps The Human Defense Corps are a comic book military organization published by DC Comics. They first appeared in ''Human Defense Corps'' #1 (July 2003), and were created by writer Ty Templeton and artist Clément Sauvé. Publication history ''Hum ...
'' #6 (December 2003), the last issue of the six-issue miniseries. Two years later, he was featured in the last four parts of the six-part storyline "Out of the Past" in ''Richard Dragon'' #7–12 (January–June 2005), then during the DC crossover event '' 52'', Neron was involved in Week 25 (October 25, 2006) and Week 42 (February 21, 2007), followed by "Devil May Care" in ''Teen Titans'' (vol. 3) #42 (February 2007).
Keith Giffen Keith Ian Giffen (born November 30, 1952) is an American comics artist and writer. He is known for his work for DC Comics on their ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' and ''Justice League'' titles as well as for being the co-creator of Lobo. Biography K ...
penned an eight-issue miniseries ''
Reign in Hell ''Reign in Hell'' is a 2008-2009 comic book Limited series (comics), miniseries written by Keith Giffen, pencilled by Thomas Derenick, inked by Bill Sienkiewicz and published by DC Comics. The title is a reference to a line spoken by Lucifer in Joh ...
'' (September 2008–April 2009, including ''DC Universe Special: Reign in Hell'' #1 (August 2008)) featuring an all-out war between Hell and
Purgatory Purgatory (, borrowed into English via Anglo-Norman and Old French) is, according to the belief of some Christian denominations (mostly Catholic), an intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification. The process of purgatory ...
. Since then, there have been three further appearances, a short joke involving
Ambush Bug Ambush Bug is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. His real name is supposedly Irwin Schwab, but he has mental problems that prevent him from truly understanding reality around him, so even his true identity might ...
(Irwin Schwab) in issue #3 of the six-issue miniseries '' Ambush Bug: Year None'' #1–5 and 7 (September 2008–January 2009 and December 2009), and two canonical appearances, the first in issues #8–13 of the 13-issue miniseries ''Constantine: The Hellblazer'' (August 2015–August 2016) and the second in issues #2–6 of the six-issue miniseries ''
Midnighter and Apollo ''Midnighter and Apollo'' is a six-issue American comic book limited series published by DC Comics. It is written by Steve Orlando and illustrated by Fernando Blanco, with covers by ACO. The series debuted in October 2016 and finished in March ...
'' (December 2016–May 2017).


Fictional character history

Neron is one of the major demon-lords of Hell, a "Wishweaver",''Teen Titans'' (vol. 3) #42 (February 2007) the "King of Hate" and the "Lord of Lies".''Superman, The Man of Tomorrow'' #15 (fall 1999) It is not known how old he is, but he has claimed "I brought the very first couple together" and he has told
Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
"I am among the first that walked abroad in this universe, and my influence has been known since humanity's first fall from grace". Although he is unknown to Earth's superheroes and supervillains until the events of ''Underworld Unleashed'', the ancient supervillain
Vandal Savage Vandar Adg of the Blood Tribe, more widely known as Vandal Savage, is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is said to be a Cro-Magnon warrior who gained immortality and advanced healing abilities after encount ...
(Vandar Adg II) is long since acquainted with him.''The Ray'' (vol. 2) #18 (November 1995) He specializes in making deals with people for their souls in exchange for fulfilling their greatest desires. As Vandal Savage says to him: "Deals are your passion, Neron. You grant us the desires of our hearts – in exchange for our immortal souls". These deals are classic
Faustian Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroa ...
arrangements made only to further his own twisted ends; half-truths and treachery which lead to either misfortune for the dealmakers or their deaths, the latter either as a result of their own actions or by Neron claiming their souls when the deal is up or when they fail to keep their side of the deal. In other cases, he achieves his aims by offering similarly treacherous information or by fulfilling a person's greatest desire in exchange for the completion of a task for him – usually with similar results. To approach a victim, he will either appear before them directly with a deal for their soul or send them a carved black
candle A candle is an ignitable wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. A person who makes candles i ...
(a "demon stick" forged in demon's blood) which, when lit, either summons him to them directly to make a deal or brings them to Hell, where they then meet him and are offered a deal. Neron appears to be unable to resist a chance to make a deal; he is attracted to deal-making to corrupt and gain souls. He is also attracted to purity and wishes to corrupt and destroy it wherever he finds it. Both of these attractions have led to his defeat many times.


''Underworld Unleashed''

Neron's first appearance to Earth's
supervillain A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero. Supervillains are oft ...
s and
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
es occurs during the ''Underworld Unleashed'' crossover event, when he plots to take over Earth by fulfilling the greatest desires of dozens of supervillains and superheroes in exchange for their souls. When attempting to tempt
Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
V (
Kyle Rayner Kyle Rayner (), one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character is depicted as being associated with the Green Lantern Corps, an extraterrestrial police force of ...
), he offers to bring back from the dead Rayner's girlfriend,
Alexandra deWitt Alexandra DeWitt is a fictional character in the . She is the girlfriend of Kyle Rayner before he receives the Green Lantern power ring from Ganthet. She is best known, however, as the murder victim whose manner of disposal led writer Gail Simon ...
; similarly he offers to bring
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II (Jason Peter Todd) back from the dead for the
Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
and to bring the
Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Barry Allen) ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Wally West, the first Kid ...
II (Bartholomew Henry "Barry" Allen) back from the dead for the
Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Barry Allen) ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Wally West, the first Kid ...
III (Wallace Rudolph "Wally" West II).''Underworld Unleashed'' #2 (early December 1995) He tricks five members of the
Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Barry Allen) ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Wally West, the first Kid ...
's
Rogues Gallery A rogues' gallery (or rogues gallery) is a police collection of mug shots or other images of criminal suspects kept for identification purposes. History In 1855, Allan Pinkerton, founder of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, established a ...
(
Captain Boomerang Captain Boomerang is the name of two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, who respectively serve as enemies to both the Barry Allen and Wally West versions of the Flash. Created by writer John Broome and arti ...
,
Captain Cold Captain Cold (Leonard Snart) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the leader of the Rogues, a loose criminal association, as well as the older brother of Golden Glider. An adversary of the various su ...
,
Heat Wave A heat wave, or heatwave, is a period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity, especially in oceanic climate countries. While definitions vary, a heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the ...
, the
Mirror Master Mirror Master is the name of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is a recurring foe of the Flash with considerable technical expertise and skills involving the use of mirrors. Three individuals hav ...
III (Evan McCulloch) and the
Weather Wizard Weather Wizard (Mark Mardon) is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Weather Wizard made his first live appearance in the television series ''The Flash'', played by actor Liam McIntyre, who played Mark Mardon. He appeare ...
) into causing a series of explosions in five separate places that kills all of them in green fire. When seen from the sky, the flames from the five explosions resemble the points of a pentagram and the symbol, combined with the deaths of the five Rogues Gallery members, creates a gateway which enables Neron to travel to Earth and to corrupt humanity. Many supervillains and superheroes are either approached directly with deals for their souls or sent carved black candles which, when lit, either summon Neron to them directly for them to make a deal or bring them to Hell, where they then meet him and are offered a deal. About 50 supervillains have their greatest desires fulfilled as a result.''Underworld Unleashed'' #1 (November 1995) Ultimately, Neron is scheming to take over Earth and to obtain a "pure soul" that he can corrupt. Initially, everyone assumes that this refers to
Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
's soul, but he actually seeks the soul of Captain Marvel. In the end, he is defeated by the
Trickster In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story (god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherwi ...
(Giovanni Giuseppe a.k.a. James Montgomery Jesse) and the most powerful members of
Justice League America Justice League International (JLI) is a fictional DC comics superhero team that succeeded the original Justice League from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. The team enjoyed several comic books runs, the first being written by Keith Giffen and ...
, including Captain Marvel, though not before causing mass chaos and worldwide destruction, killing the alien tyrant
Mongul Mongul () is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Writer Len Wein and artist Jim Starlin created the first version of the character, who debuted in ''DC Comics Presents'' #27 (November 1980). Jerry Ordway created the sec ...
I with his bare hands and sending away unharmed a large number of supervillains who had rejected his offer. Captain Marvel makes a deal with Neron to release Earth and all of his fellow superheroes in exchange for his soul and nothing else. Neron accepts and tries to take Captain Marvel's soul, but as the deal was made for purely selfless reasons, the soul is too pure for him to touch; Neron, however, still had to honor his side of the deal by his very nature, and rejecting the deal led to the undoing of most of his other deals (although a few villains would retain their enhanced powers and details such as the death of Blue Devil's friend Marla remained despite the deals ending).


"Hell to Pay" and afterward

Two years later, the five Rogues Gallery members that were previously killed by Neron's treachery are resurrected from the dead as soulless killers to cause havoc in
Keystone City This page list the locations in the DC Universe, the shared universe setting of DC Comics. Sites * the Arrowcave – The former base of operations of the Green Arrow and Speedy. * Avernus Cemetery – A burial ground located in Central City for ...
(along with
Major Disaster Major Disaster is a former DC Comics supervillain and reluctant amoral superhero. Publication history Major Disaster debuted in ''Green Lantern'' (volume 2) #43 and was created by Gardner Fox and Gil Kane. Fictional character biography Paul Booke ...
, who has become Neron's latest lieutenant), causing the Flash III to challenge Neron for their souls after gaining an audience in Hell by using a candle that former Rogues Gallery member the
Pied Piper The Pied Piper of Hamelin (german: der Rattenfänger von Hameln, also known as the Pan Piper or the Rat-Catcher of Hamelin) is the title character of a legend from the town of Hamelin (Hameln), Lower Saxony, Germany. The legend dates back to ...
had kept but never lit, all of which Neron had supposedly planned. Neron offers the Flash III a deal for the Rogues Gallery members' souls, but he refuses and is allowed to leave Hell with the original Flash (Jay Garrick), whom Neron had captured earlier. Knowing that the now almost-immortal Rogues Gallery members will soon be too powerful for anyone to fight, Neron's plan is that the Flash III will be forced to make a deal with him to save Keystone City. Neron refuses the offer for the Flash III's soul and asks for his love for news reporter Linda Park instead because of its purity. He gets it, and Linda's soul also, which she had made a deal for earlier in exchange for Neron not going after the Flash III's soul. Neron had planned all of this to use the
Speed Force A Speedster is a character, primarily in superhero comics, whose powers primarily relate to superhuman speed (also known as superspeed). Primary abilities shared by all speedsters include running at speeds far in excess of human capability (to var ...
to both enter into, and to rule, Heaven, but the plan backfires and the essence of the Flash III and Linda's love corrupts him, causing him to feel pity and compassion for the damned souls in his realm for the first time in his existence without understanding why and forcing him in utter desperation to frantically offer the couple another deal to take their love back. The Flash III accepts the deal, in return asking Neron to truly bring the Rogues Gallery members back from the dead and return their souls to their bodies – which Neron does, afterwards vowing revenge on the Flash III for defeating him before disappearing. Immediately after this, he captures Wonder Woman and
Artemis of Bana-Mighdall Artemis of Bana-Mighdall is a fictional Amazon superheroine, a comic book character published by DC Comics. Publication history Artemis of Bana-Mighdall debuted in ''Wonder Woman'' vol. 2 #90 (September 1994) and was created by writer William ...
in Hell as part of a plan to bring about the defeat of his enemy, Etrigan the Demon. After being seriously hurt by Artemis in the ensuing battle, he kills Wonder Woman, although she is later restored to life by the
Olympian Gods upright=1.8, Fragment of a relief (1st century BC1st century AD) depicting the twelve Olympians carrying their attributes in procession; from left to right: Hestia (scepter), Hermes (winged cap and staff), Aphrodite (veiled), Ares (helmet and s ...
.


''JLA: Paradise Lost'' and afterward

Next, Neron's ambitions to conquer Heaven are furthered when he notices chaos and "strife between the orders of angels" when
Asmodel Abel Abin Sur Abra Kadabra (character) Abby Holland Ace the Bat-Hound Acrata Acrata (Andrea Rojas) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics who was created as part of the ''Planet DC'' annuals event. Sh ...
, a renegade King-Angel of the Bull Host who has waited 1,000,000 years to rebel against Heaven, and
Zauriel Zauriel is a fictional superhero in the DC Universe. Originally a guardian angel who served Heaven for millions of years, he willingly falls to Earth to serve humanity as their champion and joins the Justice League. Publication history Zauriel f ...
, an angel who knows his secret, use Earth as their battlefield. Asmodel makes a deal with Neron to have him help him in his plans to take over Heaven, but at the last moment of the assault on Heaven, Neron abandons his support for unknown reasons and returns to Hell without any explanation as to why. Immediately after this, he is once again defeated by the Trickster with the help of the five Rogues Gallery members whom he had been involved with twice before, the Pied Piper and Billy Hong, a 12-year-old boy who is also the Majee, a special agent of the Saravistran god Mestra sent to observe and weigh humanity's progress. As part of the deal that he makes with the demon, the Trickster orders Neron to forever forget all about the five Rogues Gallery members altogether, with the only thing that he asks for in exchange is to be always remembered as the one mortal who beat Neron at his own game...twice. The enraged Neron informs the Trickster in no uncertain terms that he will remember this moment before disappearing and all five of the Rogues Gallery members are, as a result, grudgingly grateful to the Trickster for being freed from Neron's revenge forever. Minutes later, the Trickster is flabbergasted to be told that Billy Hong is his son through his relationship with his then-girlfriend Mindy Hong.


''Day of Judgment'' and afterward

Etrigan the Demon (who is trying to cause chaos on Earth and defeat his enemy, Neron) causes trouble in Neron's realm by bonding Asmodel (who is bound in Hell and being tortured by Neron) to the Spectre-Force (which is awaiting a new host after its previous host James Brendan "Jim" Corrigan's death and ascension into Heaven) with the ashes of an angel's wing feather. Asmodel, who is trying to destroy both Heaven and Hell, uses the Spectre's powers to extinguish the hellfire font, causing Hell to freeze over. In the chaos caused by the inhabitants of all of Hell's realms invading Earth, Neron uses Superman's body as a gateway to Earth and once again tries to claim the Spectre-Force for himself. He is defeated when the Spectre-Force chooses Harold "Hal" Jordan (the former
Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
II) as its new host instead over both him and Asmodel (thus making Hal Jordan into the Spectre for a time) and then he is punished by his fellow demon-lords for using Hell's power for his own pleasure. His royal status is stripped from him and he is demoted to the position of a Rhyming Demon – which had been Etrigan the Demon's plan all along. Later, it is revealed that Superman was not just used as a gateway to Earth, but was actually replaced by Neron in disguise while Superman's soul was battling for Lois Joanne Lane's soul in Hell. To win back his position in Hell and regain his full powers, Neron next travels back into the past three times to collect three previously-dead superheroes' souls at the time of their deaths: Barry Allen (who had died in the
Crisis A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...
),
Jason Todd Jason Peter Todd is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in '' Batman'' #357 in March 1983, Todd was created to succeed Dick Grayson as Robin, the superhero Batman's vigilante partn ...
(who had been killed by the Joker) and Superman (who had been killed by
Doomsday Doomsday may refer to: * Eschatology, a time period described in the eschatological writings in Abrahamic religions and in doomsday scenarios of non-Abrahamic religions. * Global catastrophic risk, a hypothetical event explored in science and fict ...
). However, he only gains the first two souls, even though he ultimately needs three souls to accomplish his goal. Unable to enter Superman's body himself because of its purity, he discovers that his human surrogate, Darius Caldera, is rejected by Superman's body also, so he makes a deal with Caldera and uses his soul as the third of the three souls that he requires. He then turns his attention to Green Lantern II, tricking Deadman into saving Hal Jordan from death in the past during his battle with Mongul, ensuring that Neron will have the chance to tempt Jordan later in his history (after he has become
Parallax Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between those two lines. Due to foreshortening, nearby objects ...
II) and thus succeed in winning back his position in Hell and regaining his full powers. Neron erases Deadman's memory of him so that he cannot prevent this from happening, but is finally defeated when the Spectre (the Spectre-Force being still bonded to Hal Jordan at this time) restores Deadman's memory and Deadman changes the future by ensuring that Caldera dies before Neron can even offer him a deal. Despite this setback, Neron regains his full powers, after which the demon Calcabrina offers Neron the souls of 66 members of the Human Defense Corps in an attempt to deflect both the Corps and other Earthly forces from a war with him. Two years after this, he tries to make a deal with
Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter Richard Dragon (or simply Dragon) is the alias of two fictional, comic book characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Although both incarnation differ in alignment, they're portrayed as extremely accomplished martial arti ...
, but fails to do so.


''52'' and afterward

Under thrall to Neron,
Felix Faust Felix Faust is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''Justice League of America #10'' (1962), created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky. He is depicted as an mystic sorcerer obse ...
plots to deliver him the
Elongated Man Elongated Man (Randolph "Ralph" Dibny) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared in ''Flash (comics), The Flash'' #112 (February 25, 1960). The character made his live-action debut in the The Fl ...
's (Randolph William "Ralph" Dibny) soul at the moment of its greatest despair. Pretending to be
Doctor Fate Doctor Fate (also known as Fate) is the name of multiple superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original version of the character was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, debuting in ''More F ...
, Faust attempts to convince the Elongated Man that he can resurrect his wife, Susan Dearbon "Sue" Dibny, from the dead and teaches him magical skills so that he can do so, but is tricked by the Elongated Man, who has known for some time that he is not Doctor Fate and that Neron is responsible for the whole plot. When Neron appears, he is goaded by the Elongated Man into killing him, but then discovers too late that the Elongated Man has tricked him and has established a circle of binding around Doctor Fate's home, the Tower of Nabu, which can only be undone by the person who originally created it. Neron is thus trapped in the tower with Faust. The binding does not last; Neron escapes from the tower and makes a deal with
Kid Devil Edward Bloomberg (currently known as Red Devil) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Alan Kupperberg, Dan Mishkin, and Gary Cohn, the character first appeared in Fury of Firestorm #2 (June, 1984). The ...
, granting him the superpowers that he has always dreamed of having by turning him into Red Devil in exchange for his soul when he reaches 20 years of age, and if his trust in his idol, Blue Devil, is broken. He then reveals that Blue Devil was responsible for the death of Red Devil's aunt, filmmaker Marla Bloom, and had hidden the truth from him. When Red Devil confronts Blue Devil, he finds out that everything that Neron had said was the truth and he becomes estranged from Blue Devil for a time, believing, at that moment, that his soul now belongs to Neron.


''Reign in Hell''

Neron is next opposed by the demon siblings
Blaze and Satanus Blaze and Satanus are fictional human/demon siblings appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They are the children of Shazam (wizard), Shazam. Blaze debuted in ''Action Comics'' #655 (July 1990) and she was created by Roger Stern ...
, the rulers of Purgatory, who attempt to take control of Hell while he is imprisoned in the Tower of Nabu. The hordes of Purgatory invade Hell under their command and influence Hell's demons against Neron by offering "hope to the hopeless" and redemption for the damned, which had never happened before. To defeat the legions of the damned, Neron has Lilith the Mother of Monsters recall all of her monstrous children to Hell to fight on his side. Despite all of this and just when Neron seems to be victorious, he is killed by Satanus, who had used the war as a cover to infect Hell with a modified airborne viral variation of DMN, a magical drug that normally changes humans into monsters but, in this variation, changes demons into soulless humans when combined with the speaking of the magic word " Shazam". For Neron, the drug turns him into a soulless human as well and causes all of the demonic entities that he had consumed over the millennia to be cast out of him. No longer a match for Satanus, he is beheaded by his former enemy, after which Satanus claims the throne of Hell for himself. Blaze, Satanus' sister, soon usurps her brother's position and claims the throne for herself, thus winning the war.


''Ambush Bug: Year None''

Ambush Bug goes to Hell and asks Neron to nullify his marriage to the Dumb Bunny, one of the members of the
Inferior Five The Inferior Five (or I5) are a parody superhero team appearing in books by the American publisher DC Comics. Created by writer E. Nelson Bridwell and artist Joe Orlando, the team premiered in the DC Comics title ''Showcase (comic book), Showcase ...
(whom he married in
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
while he was drunk) – one of several alternate realities that he visits to find a way to get out of the marriage.


''The New 52''

In 2011, DC relaunched all of its titles in an initiative called ''
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 ...
''. Neron's first appearance in ''The New 52'' version of the DC Universe (as part of the DC YOU line) was in ''Constantine: The Hellblazer'' #8–13 (March–August 2016). In this story, Neron is retconned as originally having been a minor demon who, through various unscrupulous means, became the demon-lord that he is today in the 1980s. The ''Underworld Unleashed'' crossover event is also revealed in this story as being canon in this version of the DC Universe and is said to have occurred in the 1990s. Here, he becomes an enemy of John Constantine the Hellblazer. He is also drawn in this story as a satirical caricature of
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
.


''DC Rebirth''

In 2016, DC's titles were relaunched again in another initiative called ''
DC Rebirth DC Rebirth is a 2016 relaunch by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. Using the end of The New 52 initiative in May 2016 as its launching point, DC Rebirth restored the D ...
''. Neron's first appearance in the ''DC Rebirth'' version of the DC Universe was in ''
Midnighter and Apollo ''Midnighter and Apollo'' is a six-issue American comic book limited series published by DC Comics. It is written by Steve Orlando and illustrated by Fernando Blanco, with covers by ACO. The series debuted in October 2016 and finished in March ...
'' #2–6 (January–May 2017). In this story, Neron is keeping Apollo (one half of the superhero team
Midnighter Midnighter is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books first published by WildStorm and later DC Comics once it absorbed the former. The character was created by writer Warren Ellis and artist Bryan Hitch. The character made his ...
and
Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
) as a prisoner in Hell and Midnighter tries to free him from Neron's clutches, ultimately succeeding in doing so, but not without a fierce struggle on both sides of the battle.


Powers and abilities

Neron is normally portrayed as being one of the most powerful magical beings in the DC Universe; almost invulnerable and able to do many incredible feats such as warping reality and resurrecting mortal beings from the dead. However, despite manifesting great strength and immense magical power on occasion, he normally relies on a deal to obtain human souls and only claims them when the deal is up or when his victims fail to keep their side of the deal. He is able to give superheroes and supervillains magic-based powers, he can greatly enhance a superhero or supervillain's existing powers, and he has the ability to assume a human-like appearance. He possesses immense physical strength, killing Mongul with his bare hands. He is also adept at creating items of power, for example, the
Ocean Master Ocean Master is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy, and debuted in ''Aquaman'' #29 (September 1966). Ocean Master is the alter ego of Orm Marius, the hal ...
's trident, or more common items such as the
Secret Six The so-called Secret Six, or the Secret Committee of Six, were a group of men who secretly funded the 1859 raid on Harper's Ferry by abolitionist John Brown. Sometimes described as "wealthy," this was true of only two. The other four were in pos ...
III's Get Out of Hell Free card or a box of
Cuban cigars Cuban cigars are cigars manufactured in Cuba from tobacco grown within that island nation. Historically regarded as among the world's “finest”, they are synonymous with the island's culture and contribute nearly one quarter of the value of al ...
for the Joker. If he is killed, he returns to his own realm.


In other media


Television

Neron made his live action debut in
season 4 Season 4 may refer to: * "Season 4" (''30 Rock'' episode), an episode of ''30 Rock'' See also * * Season One (disambiguation) Season One may refer to: Albums * ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004 * ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughte ...
of the CW TV series ''
Legends of Tomorrow ''DC's Legends of Tomorrow'', or simply ''Legends of Tomorrow'', is an American Time travel in fiction, time travel superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klem ...
'', portrayed by
Christian Keyes Christian Keyes (born July 24, 1975) is an American actor and model. Born in Detroit, MI but raised in Flint, MI, Christian got his start in the entertainment industry by appearing in stage plays having since graduated to television and film. Sin ...
in the body of Desmond and by
Brandon Routh Brandon James Routh (; born October 9, 1979) is an American actor. He portrayed Superman in the 2006 film ''Superman Returns'', which garnered him international fame. In 2011, he played the titular character of the film '' Dylan Dog: Dead of Ni ...
in the body of
Ray Palmer Ray Palmer may refer to: * Raymond A. Palmer, science-fiction writer and editor * Raymond F. Palmer, medical professor * Ray Palmer (pastor), American pastor and author of hymns * Ray Palmer (Arrowverse), a TV show character based on his comic boo ...
.
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 ...
revealed that Neron approached him with the deed to his soul, looking for help in taking over Hell. However, when Constantine refused, Neron made a deal with his lover Desmond, who agreed to bind his soul to Neron's to protect Constantine. When Constantine sent Neron back to Hell, he was also forced to damn his lover to it. Inhabiting Desmond's body, Neron caused trouble for the Legends through his partnership with Time Bureau funder Hank Heywood. When Hank had a change of heart about their plan and tried to back out of it, Neron killed him and eventually took Legends member Ray Palmer as his new host. Palmer surrendered his body when Neron promised not to kill his teammate Nate Heywood. Forcing Constantine to help him, Neron opened a portal to Hell and brought his lover
Tabitha Tabitha () is an English feminine given name, originating with (or made popular through) Saint Tabitha, mentioned in the New Testament. In the Bible Tabitha or Dorcas is a woman mentioned in the New Testament. The English name is derived from ...
the
Fairy Godmother In fairy tales, a fairy godmother () is a fairy with magical powers who acts as a mentor or parent to someone, in the role that an actual godparent was expected to play in many societies. In Perrault's ''Cinderella'', he concludes the tale with ...
to Earth, with the two looking to open a larger portal that would unleash all of Hell on Earth. Constantine and Nate tricked Neron into breaking his word by killing Nate, which ejected him out of Ray's body. Neron in his shadow-form was finally killed by Constantine, though the team resurrected Nate shortly thereafter.Season 4, episode 16: "Hey, World!"; premiered on The CW on Monday, May 20, 2019


References


External links


DCU Guide: Neron
{{Superman characters Characters created by Mark Waid Comics characters introduced in 1995 DC Comics characters who are shapeshifters DC Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds DC Comics characters who use magic DC Comics characters with superhuman strength DC Comics demons DC Comics male supervillains DC Comics characters who have mental powers DC Comics telekinetics DC Comics telepaths Fictional characters who can manipulate reality Fictional characters with death or rebirth abilities Fictional mass murderers Fictional soul collectors