Beelzebub

**Beelzebub** is a character in comic books published by the American company DC Comics. He first appeared in *Captain Marvel, Jr.* #4 (February 1943), but his first appearance in *Swamp Thing* comics was in *Swamp Thing* Vol. 2, #96 (June 1990).

## History

When the universe was created by God, everything was perfect, immortal, flourishing. When Adam and Eve sinned, they broke the original alliance, and the creation cast a shadow: death, imperfection, limit. Beelzebub was born along with death itself, and since his birth he shared the deepest of bonds with Death of the Endless, virtually his "mother".

One of the most ancient demons around, he became the patron of decay and decomposition, with his name literally meaning Lord of the Flies. Taking this title as a medal, he usually showed himself in the form of a gigantic fly, and with the authority of old age he submitted many younger demons and created a wide domain for himself in Hell.

Under the rule of the first Triumvirate, Beelzebub was one of the most respected devils who ever plagued creation, and some Semitic populations even worshiped him as a god, something that only increased his personal prestige. When the First of the Fallen and his Triumvirate were challenged and defeated by Lucifer, another fallen angel, Beelzebub immediately stepped out to provide useful advises to the new king and to try and gain as much power from the new situation as he could. When Lucifer eventually decided to form a Triumvirate of his own, he included in his rule Azazel, a fellow fallen angel, and the demon with greatest power and influence: Beelzebub, who had finally gained the throne he had been aiming at since the beginning of time.

As part of the new Triumvirate of Hell, Beelzebub expanded his authority and dominion over the entire plane, and shared the fallen angels' monarchy, the only demon allowed to do so... until Azazel was captured, and he was replaced by Belial the Lord of Lies, another powerful demon who instantly became his bitter rival. While Hell was in turmoil following Lucifer's "resignation", Beelzebub also kept operating on Earth, trying to corrupt as many mortals as he could, targeting especially the purest souls to gain even more power. This course of action often put him against some of Earth's protectors, the so-called superheroes, and one of them, Kid Eternity, proved to be a worthy prey for Beelzebub (who appeared in humanoid form just for the occasion): he nearly trapped him and his friend Chelsea, but the entire plot was eventually thwarted by the combined power and virtue of Kid Eternity and Supergirl.

One time, he was even summoned by The Joker to be used against Batman, but even that incursion didn't end too well for him because of the involvement of the Demon, the combination of human Jason Blood and Etrigan, son of Belial. Etrigan didn’t limit himself to meddling with his plans on Earth: even in Hell, the rebellious demon led an army against Beelzebub’s fortress, forcing the demon lord to abandon his position in the Triumvirate and surrender in chains. He had chosen quite a high throne for himself, and it became more and more difficult not to fall from it...

Beelzebub is a cunning, sadistic and highly malevolent entity, a demon born from death and thriving on decay. As the Lord of the Flies, he’s an immortal devil with the ability to travel through dimensions, to fly, to lend part of his power to mortals and to make bargains for souls; he possesses vast magic powers, that put him above most of the other demons of Hell. The master of decay, the lord of rotting flesh, Beelzebub spreads his dominion over life and death, ambitious and traitorous like all demons, but patient enough to play the long game to obtain what he wants.

## Powers and Abilities

### Powers

* **Demon Physiology**
	+ **Immortality:** Like most demons, Beelzebub is immortal and cannot be killed by conventional means.
	+ **Power Distribution**
	+ **Dimensional Travel**
	+ **Shape-Shifting**
	+ **Magic:** Beelzebub can generate swarms of flies powerful enough to devour a powerhouse like Bizarro Supergirl.

## Notes

* He is based on Beelzebub, a demon of Christianism.

## In other media

* Beelzebub appeared in the *DC's Legends of Tomorrow* episode "Terms of Service", portrayed by Bill Croft.