Azrael Takes On Shocking New Form As Gotham’s Old Testament Angel | Pretty Reel

Besides being beautifully terrifying, this new angelic form signals the start of a new era for Jean-Paul Valley and Azrael the Avenging Angel.

Finally, Azrael has revealed his true form as Jean-Paul Valley finally accepts his role as Gotham’s avenging angel. Throughout his history, Jean-Paul resisted Azrael’s conditioning, believing himself to be separate from the personality of the Angel. All that has changed, and readers finally see the terrifying combined form of Azrael and Jean-Paul Valley.

Despite a competitive realm, Azrael is truly one of Gotham’s weirdest characters. Created in the 1990s as a temporary replacement for Batman, Azrael is the alternative and violent personality of the peaceful Jean-Paul Valley. Azrael, who believes himself to be an avenging angel of the Christian God, is a product of the religious conditioning perpetrated by the fictional Order of St. Dumas. The Order specializes in creating a long line of Azraels (and other “angel” personalities) throughout history. In recent issues of Sword of Azrael, not only has Azrael encountered more of these conditioned angels, but he also discovered that his origins may be a product of Apokoliptan technology rather than religion.

Long before this Darkseid-related revelation, Jean-Paul struggled with his relationship with Azrael, still believing himself to be separate from the angel and his violence. All of that changes when Jean-Paul accepts that he and Azrael are one in Sword of Azrael #5 by Dan Watters, Pablo M. Collar, Nikola Cizmesija, Marissa Louise, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. When he admits that as Jean-Paul Valley he has “always” been Azrael, readers see his true angelic form in a glowing cover page. Many red wings spring from Jean-Paul’s back. His skin is practically golden and human eyes bloom on his body, including a large blue eye bulging out of his chest. Despite all this, he is (mostly) in the form of a man: Jean-Paul meets Azraël the angel.

Azrael’s new form is the start of a new era for Jean-Paul

Besides being beautifully terrifying, this new angelic form signals the start of a new era for Jean-Paul Valley and Azrael. By accepting that he and Azrael’s personality are, in fact, one being, Jean-Paul has claimed Azrael’s actions – in all their violence – as his own. Jean-Paul’s confidence could have terrifying consequences for his enemies. His clear mind, combined with Azrael’s zeal and violence, is a danger to anyone who gets in the way of this unique being. Now that they’ve truly merged, nothing can stop Azrael.

As this Sword of Azrael miniseries draws to a close, Azrael’s newfound clarity will certainly spell triumph over his current foes, all of whom are tied to his own origins through the Order of St. Dumas and the Templars. What this new status quo for Jean-Paul and Azrael will mean for Gotham and the Batman family of characters remains to be seen, but the violence and death that follows Azrael, especially with his newfound confidence, will likely not be welcome in Batman. town.

Check out Sword of Azrael #5, available now from DC Comics!