Daemonites

Gallery

**Daemonites** are a reptilian alien race from the planet Daemon, who are capable of possessing host bodies.

## History

Millennia ago, the Daemonites discovered interstellar travel and started to conquer the universe. Their ability to possess other species gave them a distinct advantage over most species, allowing infiltration and survival in almost any environment. Their rise to power was unopposed until they encountered the Kherubim. The Kherubim were a noble race of nearly immortal warriors. Despite the Daemonites ability to possess the Kherubim, the Kherubim's technology allowed them to detect possessed individuals. The war raged for millennia.

A Daemonite vessel fought a Kherubim vessel near Earth, thousands of years ago. Both spaceships were damaged and crash landed on Earth. The Daemonites decided to conquer this world and use its population as host bodies, while the Kherubim wanted to defend humanity. The Daemonite-Kherubim War inspired many tales of gods, demons, angels and monsters. Most of the Daemonites organized themselves as The Cabal and focused on the goal of Daemonite Reunification: a return to Daemon. They were opposed by multiple heroes, such as Axel Brass and his team and much later, the WildC.A.T.s.

In space, the battle between Daemon and Khera was decided. The Kherubim won and imposed heavy war reparations on Daemon. Daemonite society went bankrupt while trying to pay and many Daemonites migrated to prosperous Khera, but once there they were confined to ghettos.

When the Daemonites on Earth found out, many of them ceased their quest for Reunification. Some settled down, others became mercenaries and others again, like Lord Helspont, now focused on increasing their own power and wealth.

Recently, the Daemonite Lord Helspont found a Kheran World Shaper Engine on Earth and looked into its databanks. There he discovered that the Kherans were like cuckoos, sending Shaper Engines across the universe to land on planets and turn them into ideal habitats for Kherubim. He also discovered that one such engine had landed on Daemon and had formed the Daemonites from the local population as a servitor race to the Kherans as their slaves. The Daemonites eventually rebelled and destroyed their 'Kheran' lords.

In the wake of World's End, the Daemonites had taken advantage of post-Armageddon Earth in which the Daemonite High Council planned on invading the planet. However, Daemonite High Lord Defile stands against this as he claimed Earth as his rightful domain in which he prepared to sought a strategy against this invasion; in which he acknowledged that it would be more devastating than any other alien invasions that the planet has ever endured.

## The New 52

After the events of Flashpoint that merged the DC, Wildstorm and Vertigo universes together, the Daemonites' history is somewhat different from what it was in the Wildstorm Universe.

The Daemonites are a race from another galaxy who sometimes call themselves "The Daem". They possess great powers - shapeshifting and a racial hivemind. With these powers their race has been able to conquer, as they can infiltrate their targets, study them intimately, then overpower them in a co-ordinated campaign, and afterwards hybridize the conquests biologically, binding them in. They have been a spacefaring empire for millenia.

Despite their power, the Daemonites had a prophecy, that to evolve into something better, they would first have to be destroyed. Several thinkers have proposed interpretations of this, while some Daemonites would rather their species never evolve.

Millenia ago, the Daemonite's empire was badly devastated by the Chrszy-RR.

Four thousand years ago, Artus, a renowned general who used the name "Helspont", put forward the case that by hybridizing their species with other alien species, they were creating a wave of auto-immune disorders and birth defects that would doom their race. He vowed to only conquer using power and argument. In the course of his campaign, he found the humans, who he discovered would develop a "metagene" - potentially the saving of his race - and, on the moon of Europa, a temple containing a blue flame. Experimenting with both, Helspont was able to grant himself and some followers amazing strength, but his success frightened the Daemonite War Council, because of the prophecy, and he was imprisoned on the Eye of the Storm, a Daemonite space station orbiting Earth.

The Daemonites have a policy that, every time a human kingdom calling itself "Camelot" rises to prosperity, they will descend upon it and destroy it from without and within. Many of these successive kingdoms were home to Merlin, who referred to these invaders as "the demon knights."

As a result of this policy, the Daemonites found a recurring foe in Stormwatch, a secret order of superhumans founded, with some assistance from Merlin, in the 10th century CE. One of Stormwatch's victories resulted in the capture of the Eye of the Storm, which they used as a base (though due to chronal meddling, this may no longer be the case).

With the public advent on Earth of super heroes, the Daemonites tried to create a set of human-Daemonite hybrids to learn about the superhumans. The project met with mostly failure, though one resulting agent, Voodoo, stayed on-mission.

### The Present Day

The Daemonite invasion plan has been beset with problems. Their effort to pressgang Cole Cash, a former Special Forces soldier, resulted in giving him powers and radicalising him against them. Helspont was freed from the Eye of the Storm and subsequently undermined their plans with his own. Voodoo, returning to the fold, faced pronounced racism but was still one the best candidates to lead the invasion, before she too chose to follow her own schemes. They also made an enemy of Shadow-Thief.

The Daemonites remains a viable threat to human civilization.

## The Wild Storm

In this continuity, the Daemonites are a shadowy group, observing humans as they interact with the world, each other, and other species. They have been observed operating in the Bleed. They are known to Lucy Blaze, a member of Skywatch Ground Division, and Priscilla Kitaen, a pop singer and conspiracy theorist, though it is as yet unclear how.

## Powers and Abilities

### Powers

* **Daemonite Physiology**: The following represents the potential alien abilities available to the average Daemonite while operating on Earth. Even if demonstration of such abilities has not been explicitly shown in a canonical resource. The higher the status of the Daemonite the stronger their abilities are. Training and practice of their abilities allow them to break the cap of their abilities. Variations of these powers may apply depending upon the wielder in question.
	+ **Accelerated Healing**: If a Daemonite is ever harmed it can heal indefinitely while it's brain still survives. Daemonites have been seen losing their limbs, internal organs and portions of their brains while still surviving. It also seems that Daemonites heal more quickly while resting within a host body.
	+ **Chronokinesis** Most Daemonites possess a degree of time manipulation however the exact limits of this ability are unknown.
	+ **Claws**: Daemonites have long, dangerous claws on each hand and foot which they use within combat and to help break the mental barrier of their host bodies. They can also expose these claws while within their host body to allow for stronger attacks.
	+ **Fangs**: Daemonites have long, dangerous fangs in their mouths which they use to rend and tear at targets. Their fangs can help them breach the mental barriers of their hosts. Some Daemonites use long tendrils instead of fangs for the same effects.
	+ **Immortality**: Daemonites have survived for countless years within and without a host body. It is assumed by scientists and enemies of the Daemonites that they are immortal; however, this may only be the case in mental form. As such Daemonites can in fact live forever if only while within a host body. Without a body it can still survive at least a million years.
	+ **Metamorphosis**: Only the strongest of Daemonites can shape-shift. Only the strongest of those Daemonites can change into inorganic material. A Daemonite can shape-shift even while possessing a host body but they'll normally revert quite quickly. Only one Daemonite has been seen shifting his body parts into inorganic material but the possibility remains for all Daemonites.
	+ **Phasing**: Daemonites have a degree of intangibility allowing them to phase through solid objects as they do when they take possession of a host body. They can continue to phase even while within their host body. Their phasing isn't automatic and they must concentrate to hold their form.
	+ **Possession**: Daemonites are parasitic beings that not only take complete control over another being's body but inhabits their mind as well. They feed on the nutrients and physiology of the host body until the body is destroyed or the Daemonite abandons it. Normally, possession causes no harm to the physical body but the process changes frequently. The stronger the Daemonite the easier the transition. Occasionally, the Daemonite can leave the host body violently and destroy the body.
	+ **Superhuman Durability**: A Daemonite's body is more durable than that of a human while on Earth. While some Daemonites cannot survive a bullet to the head which removes their brain functions others can take multiple bullets to their body without harm. Physical training can increase a Daemonite's durability.
	+ **Superhuman Speed**: A Daemonite's body is faster than that of a human while on Earth. Either while within a human host or not they exhibit incredible amounts of speed which can carry them to speeds that match that of most street cars while their physical capabilities of speed while in combat also increase past human levels.
	This also confers:
		- **Superhuman Agility**
		- **Superhuman Reflexes**
	+ **Superhuman Strength**: A Daemonite's body is stronger than that of a human while on Earth. When a Daemonite must they will resort to physical combat and exhibit their strength enough to roll over cars or rip off a door to a plane. A Daemonite's strength is determined by their physical capability and some Daemonites may not be as strong as others.
	+ **Telepathy**: Daemonites are not only physical beings that take possession of host bodies but they manipulate the mental effects of the beings as well. Not limited to only understanding the thoughts of each other or their hosts they can extend this ability to a wide range and even track targets by their mental signature. Most Daemonites are connected by a central mind which they do not need to focus to maintain.

### Weaknesses

* **Environmental Incompatibility**: Incompatible with environments unlike that of Daemon, they have a matter of minutes to survive in these environments before they succumb to death.***(Formerly)***

## Miscellaneous

### Level of Technology:

Daemonites prefer to use their own natural abilities in battle, but their technology is very advanced. They have spaceships capable of interstellar flight. Nanotechnology allows them to create highly advanced weaponry in a short period of time. Mister Majestic discovered a Daemonite-built portal into the Bleed, allowing them to enter alternate dimensions.

Daemonites on Earth often wear special stealth-suits, hiding them from most forms of detection. Others wear flash-suits, which are armoured and possess built-in weaponry.

In the *New 52* reboot, Daemonite technology used by Helspont is advanced enough to build him an entire fortress base with vast amounts of advanced technology behind it; chief among them are Biotechnological Droids, which are a fusion of science and mysticism, and sport enhanced Kyrptonian-level strength and invulnerability, plus the capacity for long range teleportation.

### Cultural Traits:

Little is known about Daemonite culture. The Daemonites on Earth are ruled by three Lords, but they are all ex-military and most of them are fanatics, so they could simply be following the chain of command. Most Daemonites on Earth are aggressive and completely devoted to the cause of Reunification. On Khera, the WildC.A.T.s encountered Daemonite civilians whose behavior was very much like human behavior. The Daemonites on Khera seemed to have a more tribal structure, but this could be a result of being confined to low-tech ghettos. After encountering peaceful Daemonites on Khera, the WildC.A.T.s have encountered several peaceful Daemonites on Earth as well.

The Daemonites on Khera showed WildC.A.Ts-member Voodoo, part Daemonite herself, rituals where Daemonites possessed other Daemonites. This ritual transferred memories, emotions and knowledge between Daemonites and forged a strong bond between Daemonites.

### Representatives:

Helspont, Defile, Hightower, Mr. White, B'lial, Olympia Atreides, S'Yrn, Slyxx

## Trivia

* The Daemonites have appeared in the following non-WildStorm Image publications: *Troll #1*.

## See Also

* Appearances of Daemonites
* Race Gallery: Daemonites

## Links and References

1. ↑ *Majestic* (Volume 2) #11
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 *Stormwatch* (Volume 3) #8
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 *Voodoo* (Volume 2) #1
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 *Voodoo* (Volume 2) #12
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 *Superman Annual* (Volume 3) #1
6. ↑ *Voodoo* (Volume 2) #9
7. ↑ *Demon Knights* #8
8. ↑ *Demon Knights* #4
9. ↑ *Stormwatch* (Volume 3) #1
10. ↑ *Stormwatch* (Volume 3) #19
11. ↑ *Stormwatch* (Volume 3) #30
12. ↑ *Voodoo* (Volume 2) #0
13. ↑ *Grifter* (Volume 3) #1
14. ↑ *Stormwatch* (Volume 3) #7
15. ↑ *Voodoo* (Volume 2) #2
16. ↑ *Justice League of America* (Volume 3) #7.3: Shadow Thief
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 *The Wild Storm* #5
18. ↑ *The Wild Storm* #8