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In the larger-than-life Batman storyKnightfall , Bane broke the Dark Knight ’s back , and vigilanteAzraeltook on the role of protecting Gotham . Azrael turned on his masters in the Order of Saint Dumas and allied himself with Batman , ultimately going too far in his coming to Gotham ’s crook . Azrael ’s tenure was controversial but now Batman ’s one - time replacement has rule a new and better foreign mission . In the first part of “ Dark Knight of the Soul , ” appearing inBatman : Urban Legends # 8,Azrael returns , eager to dispensejustice and atone for his past . The issue is on sale now in print and digital .
Azrael first appeared in 1992’sBatman : Sword of Azrael # 1 , created by Denny O’Neil and Joe Quesada . His real name is Jean - Paul Valley , who from birthing had been conditioned to be an assassin for the Order of Saint Dumas , a fanatical religious sect . Realizing he had been manipulated by the Order , Azrael break rank , ultimately joining Batman ’s side . Several months later , in 1993’sBatman # 497 , Bane snap the Dark Knight ’s back , after subjecting him to a gauntlet of his unfit villains . Azrael stepped into the roleof Batman while Bruce recovered , and after Bruce ’s return , Valley struck out on his own again , receiving his own title of respect that ran for 100 payoff . After journeying to space inJustice League Odyssey , Azrael come back in a brand - new story write by Dan Watters , with fine art by Nikola Cizmesija , vividness by Ivan Plascencia and letter of the alphabet by Ariana Maher .
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After his stint in outer space , Azrael has return to Gotham , on the trail of the criminal Bullet - Tooth ; as Jean Paul Valley is working in a hospice , offering solacement and comfort to the dying . Batman , concerned that Azrael may once again be going too far , makes sure that Jean - Paul is n’t fall back into honest-to-god habit . Azrael then tells Batmanthat , after an acute bust of soulfulness searching , he has been able-bodied to embrace religion while remaining at betting odds with the Order of Saint Dumas , feel he ’s now on a path actuate by a more personal , uplifting form of faith . Sadly , that ’s not where the taradiddle end .
Azrael would have Batman trust that he has change , and in many way , he has . He has resolve his onetime masters in theOrder of Saint Dumas were in the legal injury , particularly on matters of theology . unhappily , Azrael is still just as much of a zealot as ever before , particularly once he witnesses heater - Tooth salary increase from the dead , feeding his belief that,“we’re on the verge of the destruction . “All that has modify is where his loyalties dwell ; nowhere is this more apparent than at the end when he pledges himself to be"the Avenging Angel,“helping God bring about the"world to come . “While it ’s possible that Jean - Paul is merely vowing to take a more fell attitude to punishing sinner , the narrative sure seems to suggest he ’s accepting a new role as a"horseman of the apocalypse,“seeking to bring about the end of the world .
Azrael ’s new codification is one of his own devising , one that has cut out the mediator that were the Order of Saint Dumas . Without the fixed code they impart on him , Azrael is gratis to be more merciful , to exercise greater judgement in how he dispenses justice , but also to take things even further than ever before . It is remove the fanaticism imparted on him by the Order is still there , and if he truly wants to be a hero , and do justly by others , he must completely shed it and commence to see the world as more thanblack and white . Sadly , that does n’t seem to beAzrael ’s newfangled path , and while Batman allow Jean - Paul to work in Gotham , the Dark Knight may soon come to repent not shut down this novel quest when he had the chance .
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