The Red Judge

## Character

**The Red Judge**, usually shortened to **Judge**, is the Devil, ruler of all the Hells, and the antagonist of *Metal: Hellsinger*. She is cruel and brutal, often subjecting demons to various tortures and killing any who displease her. She is both physically and magically powerful, capable of performing spells that alter space-time and wielding a massive sword as the Worldbreaker aspect. The Judge is quick to anger and is described by Paz as a sore loser, becoming desperate as her plans begin to fail.

The Red Judge is voiced by Jennifer Hale.

## Appearance

The Red Judge is a tall, skeletal demon with bones that are tinted grayish-blue. Her horns are tall and branch out into a diamond-like shape. Her eyes are empty, though they can glow when she is focused or angry. She has various stray spikes that protrude from her body. She is covered in scraps of red cloth, with a large piece across her chest acting as a sash. She has large wings that are outstretched and usually curved upwards.

## Story

*Thing is, we really didn't know what we were up against.*
There are spoilers beyond this point. Watch out!

The Red Judge's introduction is after the Anger Aspect is defeated, which greatly displeases her. She calls the strongest demons to her throne to form what they called a Council of War. After using magic to observe the Unknown, she found that Malachi, a Cambion who was tasked with destroying the skull, lied about doing so. When finding out the skull was still intact, she smote Malachi, and rallied her armies to focus only on defeating the Unknown.

After another aspect is slain, the Red Judge calls upon the scholars of Hell to learn more about the Unknown. It is then that she is shown the prophecy, stating that '*the Hells will fall when an Archangel is slain at the Infernal Throne by a Hellsinger*.' Rattled by the strangely relevant omen, she asks if Yhelm's armies are prepared, and sets the Ritual of Spears in motion.

Judge watches as the Hierophants sacrifice a behemoth to perform the Ritual of Spears. As explained by Paz, the ritual is a practice meant to bind a spirit in perpetuity, though it does not work on the Unknown, angering her further instead. When the Unknown bursts through the portal, the Judge quickly closes it. Losing confidence, the Judge calls upon the All for help. In response, the All sends down lesser Seraphs. The angels ask the Judge if she fears the prophecy, to which she questions if it is Heaven that fears it. She feigns confidence as she subjects herself to Dissolution, a spell meant to tear apart space-time to trap the Unknown in Nihil. When the Angels leave, Judge falls back into her throne, weak from casting the Dissolution spell. Her face is twisted with worry, hoping the Dissolution is enough to stop the Unknown.

The Unknown escapes Nihil. Desperate to stop her, the Judge, with no other options, invokes the curse of Dispossession, despite the fact that it would weaken her greatly due to the strong bond between Paz and the Unknown. She acquires Paz and reads his memories. Paz is then given to the Wheel Aspect, who is defeated by the Unknown.

The Angels, sensing that the Judge would fall to Unknown, came to remove her from the throne and kill her. Judge uses her power to kill the angels instead, and realizes that Heaven sent their footsoldiers as an act of fear, not to aid Hell. She remembers that she, too, was an archangel like Pazelius, and was cast down eons ago. She then absorbs every soul in Hell to become the Worldbreaker Aspect, greatly increasing her power and growing in size, ready to take on the Unknown.

After being defeated by the Unknown, the Red Judge admits she only has part of the Hellsinger's voice, and that the rest is in the Heavens. She begs Unknown to spare her for a moment, explaining her past and reasons for the Unknown's torment. She tells Unknown that she was her protector, and that she and Pazelius conspired to trap her in Hell to hide their plans from the All, while also hiding the plans from themselves, as Hell stole their memory. Judge took the Unknown's voice and hid part of it in the Heavens as part of a plan to tear down existence, as the All was corrupt. As she dies, she tells the Unknown '*When you get to Heaven, don't forget to give them Hell*.'