Demons Three

The **Demons Three** is a fictional name attributed to the demonic brothers, Abnegazar, Rath and Ghast in comic books published by the American company DC Comics. They first appeared in *Justice League of America* #10 (March 1962), but their first appearance in *Swamp Thing* comics was in *Swamp Thing* Vol. 2, #49 (June 1986). They were created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky.

## History

The Demons Three ruled the galaxy a billion years ago before being banished by beings known as the Timeless Ones. Through the efforts of a sorcerer named Felix Faust, the brothers have come to Earth time and again, but they are almost always foiled by the Justice League of America. The power of the demons is bound to three mystical artifacts: the Green Bell of Uthool, the Silver Wheel of Nyorlath and the Red Jar of Calythos.

### Modern Age

The Demons Three first encountered the JLA via Felix Faust: Sorcerer Felix Faust summons the demons Abnegazar, Ghast and Rath whom he wishes to unleash upon the world. However in order to do so he needs to collect the Red Jar of Calythos, the Green Bell of Uthool, and the Silver Wheel of Nyorlath in order to cast the spell that will free the demons. The Demons and Faust decide to use the Justice League of America to collect the items for them, and cast a spell which allows Faust to control each member with his fingers (which have taken on the image of a JLA member they represent.)

This happens at a time when the JLA is busy battling the Lord of Time who is invading the present, each member of the Justice League disappear one by one during the fight until they are all brought before Felix Faust. Putting the League under his control, Faust sends them to collect the three items he needs to summon the demons. This puts the JLA against the various guardians of the items, however using team work each pair of League members sent out manages to collect the item they seek. Taking the Jar, Bell and Wheel to Faust, however with the help of Martian Manhunter and Aquaman the group manages to defeat Faust and take the items into their possession.

Although he has been captured, Faust muses how the JLA may have saved their own time, but they will never be able to stop his masters when they return in 100 years.

After succeeding in defeating Felix Faust, the Justice League continue their fight to stop the Lord of Time from taking over their era. However, the Time Lord manages to escape to the distant future where he plans on getting an army of soldiers armed with super weapons to take over the present day.

The heroes follow the Lord of Time to the year 3786 where they stop him before he can collect the weapons he needs. Trying to take him back to the present to face justice, the League soon finds themselves trapped in the year 2062, the year which the Demons are freed from their curse. They have used their magical powers to bar the League from returning to their own era, and takes them prisoner trapping them in magic bottles while they prepare to cast a Doomsday spell.

Freed by the Green Lantern's power ring, the group realizes that the demons use spells with the individuals name in the incantation and come up with a solution to beat their foes: Using Green Lantern's power ring each member of the Justice League is made to appear as though they are another member. When they all attack the demons at their various locations to interrupt their spell, the spells don't work because they are being cast against the wrong Justice League members. Defeating all three demons, Green Lantern uses his power ring to trap them so that the only way they can be freed is through the Jar, Wheel and Bell.

The demons Abnegazar, Ghast and Rath have come up with a way to escape their prison: During their last battle against the Justice League, the costumes of Batman, Aquaman, the Flash, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman were all charged with mystical energy which once expended in the right way will make the Justice League their slaves, so that they can use the Jar, Bell and Wheel to free themselves.

Taking control of these costumes, they have them use a portion of their magic to bring costumes of Pied Piper, the Mask, Killer Moth, Dagon and Dr. Polaris to come alive and wreak havoc, bringing the attention of the Justice League. When Batman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman fight these duplicates of their foes, their spare costumes are ruined, however the foes are defeated and turned over to the authorities who are shocked to find that there are now two of each criminal in their possession.

When the JLA members return to their home grounds, they find their missing original costumes waiting for them. They change into these costumes when word of the duplicates villains getting free reaches them. This time as they are fighting, the bodies in the costumes suddenly disappear, forcing the JLA members to use some ingenuity to stop the possessed costumes.

However the battle leaves the group in an exhausted state, allowing the demons to take control of their bodies and use the Jar, Bell and Wheel to switch places with the demons. Deciding to gather at JLA headquarters, the demons run into Snapper who is shocked when the demons suddenly disappear and the captured JLA members appear in their place. Green Lantern explains that when they defeated the demons the first time, they realized the Jar, Bell and Wheel were indestructible, and so as a fail safe Green Lantern used his power rings to reverse any spell that might be used to free the demons.

### 25th Century

In the 25th century, Thomas Parker recounts to his son one of the Justice League's adventures, in explanation of an exhibit in their honor in the Space Museum. Unknown to the JLA, the demons Abnegazar, Rath, and Ghast had caused the mystic Jar, Bell, and Wheel used to imprison them to be left behind in the Souvenir Room of the original Secret Sanctuary when the Justice League moved to their satellite headquarters. Here, the artifacts were eventually discovered and used to free the demons from their crypts. The evil trio attacked the satellite during a meeting, and were repulsed, then battled the heroes a second time at Stonehenge. In this rematch, Zatanna's magic proved the key to their defeat by reactivating the imprisonment spell using the Jar, Bell, and Wheel.

### 30th Century

At one time, the Justice Society members are visiting the Justice League briefly, following their battle against the Psycho-Pirate, when a gigantic magical hand plucks five members from each team out of the satellite, and into the year 2977, where they become pawns of Mordru the Magician, arch-foe of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Mordru has recently captured five Legionnaires, he holds hostage until their comrades have secured for him the three mystic artifacts necessary to free the ancient demons, Abnegazar, Rath, and Ghost. The Legionnaires having failed to return from their missions, the sorcerer now enlists the JLA and JSA heroes to do his bidding, while adding Green Arrow and Black Canary to his group of hostages. Superman, Dr. Fate, and Hawkman of Earth-2 rescue Sun Boy and Wildfire, and secure the Silver Wheel: Batman and the two Green Lanterns aid Brainiac 5 and Princess Projects in attaining the Green Bell: and Power Girl and the Flash of Earth-2 use their super-speed to enter a limbo-like realm and regain the Red Jar. Mordru then uses the objects to awaken the three demons, but the evil trio turns on him, and overpowers him.

The victorious demons disagree regarding the ultimate fate of the Earth. Abnegazar wishes to leave the world as it is, Rath seeks to enslave the human race, and Ghast holds to their original plan of returning the planet to a primitive state. Since their own powers cancel each other out, the trio force the super-heroes to champion them in a three-way struggle for supremacy.

Abnegazar enslaves the Legion, Rath controls the Justice Society, and Ghast takes over the Justice League. Mordru seizes the opportunity to release Green Arrow and Black Canary from captivity, and Black Canary reasons that if the heroes seem to reach a stalemate in their battles, the demons will be forced to wage personal combat once more, and perhaps cause their own destruction.

With all three teams seemingly defeated, Abnegazar and Rath do indeed battle to their mutual obliteration, and the super-heroes are able to combine forces to overcome the surviving Ghast, who is imprisoned by Dr. Fate in the reconstructed JLA satellite.

## Paraphernalia

### Equipment

* **Green Bell of Uthool**
* **Red Jar of Calythos**
* **Silver Wheel of Nyorlath**