Jason Blood

**Jason Blood** is a fictional character and hero in comic books published by the American company DC Comics. He first appeared in *Demon* #1 (September 1972), but his first appearance in *Swamp Thing* comics was *Swamp Thing* Vol. 2, #25 (June 1984). He was created by Jack Kirby.

## History

### Origins

His origins have been ambiguous — even to himself — after centuries of Etrigan tampering with his mind. Under meditation he believed he had once been a high priest in the Cult of Gaia who practised human sacrifice. It wasn't until Blood forced Merlin to unlock his real memories long forgotten that he learned the horrific truth. Jason was a simple peasant with a wife and two children until the fateful night he was chosen by Merlin to bind Etrigan for eternity. The strain of two minds and souls instantaneously forced together manifested in temporary insanity. Jason woke the next day covered in the blood of his murdered family. Discovered by his brother-in-law, an angry mob soon swarmed him. The imminent threat of death awakened the demon inside for the first time, and the ensuing massacre earned him the name Jason-of-the-blood.

### The Forgotten Past

An insane or uncooperative mind was no use to Etrigan, so he tweaked the will of his new host, making him malleable to his malevolent will. For over a millennium they lived a symbiotic relationship, the demon's need for violence and chaos amassed riches and power for his mortal counterpart. They fought in the Crusades, led Viking raids, betrayed every king in Europe and damned countless souls to the Inferno.

In 1221, Jason was taken captive by the Frankish army under the command of Bishop Reynald de la Montaigne who had somehow obtained the Eternity Book. The Bishop summoned the Demon to help him defeat the Muslim fortress of Al Salah, which he did... For a price. Feeling cheated by Etrigan's victory, the Bishop also played dirty, reverting the Demon back to Jason. The plan backfired, and Jason killed Reynald, inheriting the vast wealth of the fortress as well as Merlin's sacred tome.

In 1656, the two were requested to meet Lord Lucifer himself. A bargain was struck to claim the overdue soul of the mad pirate Captain Scumm. In return, Blood could ask for anything in return. In 1660 he claimed his reward asking, "Where would a man place himself, if he wanted to rape the future?" The King of Hell simply replied, "West."

Starting in New Amsterdam, Blood journeyed across the violent new frontier, displacing and spreading disease to the Native Americans and revelling in the Civil War. At the start of the 20th Century, he made Gotham City his home.

### World War I

Captain Blood was a military anomaly. Where he went, victory followed. On August 1, 1917 at Ypres, Blood summoned forth Etrigan to wipe out the German forces, but he did not come alone. When Jason Blood took form again, he was held down by a host of Hell's minions and made to watch as his own forces charged into an onslaught. The carnage would have driven him mad had Etrigan not quickly blocked the images from his mind. However, at that point the Demon was not adept at magic and could only cast a generic blanket spell. Every memory up to that point vanished. Not until 1994 would Blood learn the shocking truth after nearly 80 years of thinking he was a good man.

### Reawakening the Demon

Near the end of the 20th Century, with no recollection of his history, Blood was still drawn to becoming a professional demonologist. His closest friends, Harry and Randu, soon learned just how bizarre his occupation was the night Jason was introduced to Glenda Mark. Their party was interrupted when an animated statue came knocking at his door, summoning him to Castle Branek, the secret location of Merlin's tomb. It was there he discovered a spell that would once more release Etrigan. Unfortunately, he was followed by the Morgaine le Fey who lusted for the secrets of the Eternity Book, and managed to restore her youth. Morgaine soon returned to try and claim the Philosopher's Stone, managing to brand Etrigan with her mark allowing her control over Jason also. Warly turned on his mistress and Jason managed to erase any evidence of the evil sorceress' lair.

At the mercy of Merlin's command of Etrigan, Jason found himself waking up in strange places after the Demon's tasks had been completed. Thanks to Randu's abilities, he was the first to discover the incantations that initiated the transformations between the two individuals.[6][8] After Etrigan destroyed the Cult of the Master-Eye and the Kamara, Jason met Merlin in the flesh for the first time in the dungeons of the Iron Duke. It was in the same Transylvanian duchy that he first encountered the Howler.

When man announcing himself as the Judge appeared on the balcony looking for a fugitive, Jason almost died from the poison of the draaga that accompanied him. He was saved by Klarion and Teekl who claimed to be seeking refuge from their people in the Beyond Country. After seeing the sorcery the witchboy was capable of, Jason thought it best not to upset the child. When the Judge returned and captured Klarion, the witchboy remotely summoned Etrigan who turned the witch-folk's magic against them. Upon his release, Klarion revealed his true nature, that he intended Etrigan to be his servant, but the Demon tricked the arrogant whelp and banished him to another dimension. Klarion managed to return to Blood's apartment to exact his revenge. The young warlock created a doppelgänger of Jason which he sent to murder Jason's three closest friends. Jason summoned the Demon who rescued Harry, Randu, and Glenda, but began to fade from existence the longer the false Blood remained. The power of the Philosopher's Stone managed to restore Etrigan's physical form, and he banished his enemies to the Beyond Region.

After a scare with the witchboy almost revealing Jason's other half at a social gathering, he decided to rid himself of Etrigan so he could lead a normal life. Using the power of the Philosopher's Stone, Jason enveloped himself in an eldritch cold that snuffed out the Demon's life force within. His freedom came at an inopportune time as Glenda was soon abducted by the Phantom of the Sewers and in desperation to recover her, he used the stone to reigniting the demon-flame in his soul.

Jason himself was abducted after Glenda's ordeal by the ruthless occult-scientist, Baron von Rakenstein. Dubbed "Evilstein" for his cruel experiments, the surgeon tried to transplant Jason's head onto the body of his own monster to create an unstoppable force to do his bidding. Jason was saved by the Philosopher's Stone which transformed him into Etrigan, and Evilstein into a vulture.

### Breaking the Bond

With Etrigan still in Merlin's service, Jason travelled to the ruins of Tintagel looking for solace. He treated Glenda rather coldly when she persistently followed him uninvited with the Philosoper's Stone. At first, Jason dismissed her insistence to not lose hope of being free of Etrigan, until she showed him an image of Belial which could lead to answers. A blanket spell cast over his mind by Merlin made sure Jason could not make the connection, but he drew a binding circle to protect Glenda and summoned Etrigan for her to question. When Jason was restored, Glenda relayed the information and the pair travelled to Daganbrack Tower in Ireland to find the Book of Belial which was regrettably destroyed. The last remaining copy was hidden in the British Museum, and when the curator wouldn't allow him access to their stacks, Jason broke in alone under cover of night. He managed to temporarily remove the magic that hid the book with his blood and translated the Germanic writing to Glenda over hours in their hotel. They attempted to only partially summon Etrigan, holding him back with the stone, but it failed. When Jason recovered he saw a message scratched into the mirror telling him Glenda had been dragged to Hell.

Jason returned to Gotham and asked Harry to assist him in saving Glenda. They hired a vacant warehouse and Jason spent eighty-seven hours painting a very large and precise binding circle to contain a demon as powerful as Belial. With a stock of live pigeons and the circle complete, Jason suggested Harry leave for his safety, but Harry refused to abandon his friend. Jason summoned the Archduke and offered him pigeons as blood sacrifice in return for answers. Though Belial was the Prince of Deceit, he revealed that both Etrigan and Merlin were his children. With the knowledge he was after, Jason demanded the return of Glenda, but Belial could not be commanded, nor was there enough pigeons left to sacrifice. Jason became momentarily distracted when Harry gave him encouragement, but that was all Belial needed to find a weakness in the circle, and the Archduke took Harry in place of Glenda.

Once more Jason and Glenda returned to Tintagel, this time with a plan to break Merlin's hold over Etrigan. While Glenda hid in the bushes with a radio, Jason sneaked into the ruins and found the secret passage that led to Merlin's sanctuary. The ancient sorcerer was woken from his sleep cycle early and confronted by a belligerent Blood who expected his freedom. The wizard would not allow his malevolent half-brother to roam unchecked and refused Jason's wish, telling him to instead make peace with his role as Etrigan's jailer. With no options left to him, Jason turned on his radio which emitted a musical scale that put Merlin into a deep trance. Jason led Merlin outside until the wizard touched a hawthorn bush and disappeared. Jason stood confused before he cried out in pain as Etrigan separated himself from his mortal cage. Finally free of Merlin's influence, Etrigan held Jason's life in his hands, but seeing as Jason was broken and defeated, the Demon allowed him to live in misery.

### Cosmic Odyssey

Separated from Etrigan, Jason was no longer gifted with immortality and started to age at an accelerated rate. He had made peace with death and was content to die with a clean soul. However, the old man was mysteriously summoned to the White House by Superman along with an assortment of superheroes. They were summoned to New Genesis under the pretence of acting as ambassadors, but soon learned that the fate of the universe was at risk. While heroes paired off and were sent to protect planets in the Milky Way Galaxy, Blood inquired what purpose he served. Darkseid unveiled the captured Etrigan, also withered and weakened like his former host. Highfather regretfully informed Blood that they required Etrigan's full mystic powers to combat the Anti-Life Entity, and asked Jason to willingly merge with the Demon once more to save the universe. At first Blood refused, but with Highfather's compassionate insistence, Blood embraced his ancient burden once more, restoring Etrigan to his former glory.

### Hell

Once more cursed with the weight of the Demon and with nothing but contempt for the occult, Jason turned his back on his career as a demonologist until Glenda persuaded him to help a woman who was desperate to save her son from possession. Though he managed to exorcise the demon, Malefik, he did not banish it and he summoned Etrigan to save himself. Only the lesser of two evils, Etrigan tried to eat the boy until Jason threatened to take his own life to end both of them. Fortunately, Etrigan left and Jason returned home where Glenda informed him that the Philosopher's Stone—thought inactive—showed her a coven of witches trying to resurrect the statue of Morgain le Fey. Though incredulous, Jason flew to England to investigate where he was attacked by a Hellion warrior at Silbury Hill. Etrigan was called forth again to rescue Jason, and dispatched the demonic horseman, though more curious about coexisting on Earth with his host without Merlin's influence.

Jason hitched a ride to Tintagel and waited for the cover of darkness to summon Etrigan who observed the ritual to restore le Fey. He watched from behind the ruins as an unusually powerful Morgaine subdued Etrigan, forcing Jason to intervene, throwing her own severed hand at her. But Etrigan was not overpowered at all, and broke free when her back was turned and breathed demon-flame directly into her face, killing her. The Demon informed Jason that Asteroth was behind her revival, and that he had already captured Glenda and Randu. With Harry's death weighing heavy on his conscience, Jason couldn't risk condemning his friends if it wasn't a deception from Etrigan and hitched a ride to Glastonbury Tor where he opened a portal to Hell. Upon his arrival, Jason was soon intercepted by Asteroth. Etrigan was summoned but defeated by the Archduke who had been stealing Merlin's power for years. With all the pieces in place, Asteroth attempted his five-way blood sacrifice which would give him the power to rule all of Hell, but his plan was thwarted by Merlin who channelled the last remnants of his magic through Randu, Glenda and Jason into Etrigan who broke free and escaped with Jason.

When Jason regained consciousness with amnesia, he found himself wandering the wastelands of Hell alone and confused. Whenever he fell asleep, Etrigan was free to roam away from his mortal host. Jason escaped the torment of Lady Crone, only to be captured by the forces of Belial and taken to the Archduke's chambers where he found Harry, now a cushion, who helped Blood restore his memories. The pair eavesdropped on Belial's plans regarding Etrigan's coup and escaped to find Merlin, who sensed Jason's mind reaching out to him, and transported him to his sanctum where he began concocting a potion to keep Jason awake in order to keep Etrigan locked up. Etrigan had prepared for such a situation, and took control of Jason's body, forcing him to drink a sleeping draught instead. When he awoke, Jason found himself at the mercy of Etrigan who claimed Merlin had broken the ties between them, but secretly Merlin whispered that it was all a ruse, and he still had the ability to act as the Demon's jailer. Blood rose up and fought against Etrigan, even stealing the Crown of Horns from him. Eventually he spoke the familiar recitation which caged Etrigan inside and Merlin quickly transported him back to Gotham.

When Glenda became pregnant, Jason worried about her future. When Kathryn Mark was born, Jason decided to destroy the demon and hired hitman Tommy Monaghan for the job. After a battle against both Merlin and Etrigan, the baby is rescued and the heart is removed from Etrigan, giving Jason some control of the demon. After the battle, Jason left Glenda and Kathryn and before he left he told her, "Take care of our daughter, Glenda. I think it would be best if she never knew about her father." Jason did not pay Monaghan the two million dollars he was promised.

### Blackest Night

Jason Blood's body was possessed by Deadman, who invoked the spell to transform him into the Demon, using his flames to hold back the Black Lanterns.

## Powers and Abilities

### Powers

* **Immortality:** When Merlin bound Etrigan's being to Blood, his mortal form became eternal. He does not age, but he can be harmed, and even killed.
* **Magic:** Jason is knowledgeable in the field of magic, and is often called upon to act as an adviser or investigator in occult matters.
	+ **Energy Absorption:** Whether or not Blood was a priest of Gaia, he can tap into the Earth's piezoeletrical force to gain magical energy.
	+ **Eldritch Blast:** Blood has projected magical beams unconsciously, and intentionally.
	+ **Telekinesis:** Blood used magic to shoplift a pack of condoms from behind the counter.
	+ **Clairvoyance:** Jason was able to locate Merlin's Sanctuary in Hell through his mind's eye. Jason was able to know Glenda's exact actions in America from England, and once viewed her in real time via the medium of a mirror.
	+ **Summoning:** Jason conjured a small dragon to deliver a written message. Jason created a homunculus servant from an inanimate figure and his own blood.
	+ **Exorcism:** Jason exorcised the demon Malefik from a young boy.
	+ **Magic Wards:** Jason is skilled at casting defensive spells. He cast "masking wards" to stop Etrigan spying on his affairs. He once cast a spell that shielded his body, allowing him to pass through nether-flame.
	+ **Dimensional Travel:** Blood can open portals to Hell.
	+ **Advanced Magic:** Jason has demonstrated specific spells that defy scientific understanding.
		- **Razormagick:** By saying, "Lances!" Jason created a floor of spearheads as a defence.
	+ **Telepathy:** Later in life, Jason displayed intuitive knowledge that could be described as mentalism or minor telepathy, such as being able to tell when people are being truthful, or recognising occult secrets in others.
	+ **Mind Control:** Jason displayed some form of spell where he touched a guards ear, causing the man to freeze momentarily to slip past him before the guard resumed his duties mostly unaware. He also used some form of empathic reasoning to convey his intentions to someone from a language he did not speak.
	+ **Precognition:** Jason somehow knew of the resurgence of the Kamara in Louisiana, and the exact series of events that would lead up to him meeting Abby Cable.[48] This may have been a product of Merlin's influence.

### Abilities

* **Occultism:** For the majority of his life in America, Jason was a professional demonologist.
	+ **Pedagogy/Historiography:** During his time away from Gotham, Jason taught Occult Antiquities at Harvard University.
* **Meditation:** Through meditation, Jason was able to communicate with Etrigan when the demon is caged inside him. He also used it to recover lost memories.
* **Multilingualism:** Jason had been alive since the 6th Century. By his own account he had amassed many archaic and modern languages; including Latin, the Romance family, the Germanic and Pro-Germanic family, and the entire Celtic language lineage.
* **Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced):** Jason had defended himself many times in various ways against formidable opponents.
	+ **Wrestling:** Jason regularly sparred against his good friend Randu.
	+ **Swordsmanship:** Jason battled the Kamara with a sword and shield from his collection.
* **Equestrianism:** Jason had lived so long that horseback has been the most common form of transport within his lifetime.

### Weaknesses

* While Jason was immortal – in the sense that he didn't age – his mortal body could still be killed. If he were to die he would kill Etrigan, too, but his soul would have been condemned to Hell.

## Paraphernalia

### Equipment

* **Philosopher's Stone**
* **Eternity Book**

## In other media

*Main article: Jason Blood in other media*

## External Links

* Jason Blood on DC Wiki
* Jason Blood on Comic Vine