Daniel Cassidy (New Earth)

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Blue Devil

Gallery

Real Name

Daniel Patrick Cassidy

Current Alias

Blue Devil

Identity

Secret

Alignment

Good

Affiliation

Shadowpact, formerly Justice League of America, Sentinels of Magic, The Creeper and his Spirit Squad

Relatives

Jack Cassidy (Jack of Fire) (alleged brother), Mary Frances ("Frankie") Cassidy (sister), Margaret Maeve (grandmother), Seamus Cassidy (great-uncle, deceased); Jack of Fire (demon brother)

Universe

New Earth

Base Of Operations

Currently operating from a backroom in the Oblivion Bar with the rest of Shadowpact. Formerly, Metropolis; Los Angeles, CA; Malibu, CA; and the House of Weirdness.

Characteristics

Gender

Height

Weight

Eyes

Hair

Unusual Features

Blue skin; Yellow eyes w/o irises and pupils, Horns; three scars on the left side of his face.

Status

Citizenship

American

Marital Status

Single

Occupation

Adventurer, formal Special Effects Wizard and Stuntman

Origin

Once a stuntman-turned-superhero through the accidental fusion of magic and technology, Dan Cassidy is now a true demon, and uses his powers to fight other demons and mystical threats as an honest-to-goodness Blue Devil.

Creators

Dan Mishkin, Gary Cohn, Paris Cullins

First appearance

Fury of Firestorm #24

History

Reluctant Hero

Dan Cassidy was a special effects wizard and stuntman whose credits had included The Battle of the Las Vegas Showgirls and Space Ninja when he was hired by his friend, film director Marla Bloom, to create and play the title character in the Verner Bros. monster movie Blue Devil. Cassidy's specialty was somewhat unusual- rather than create optical effects that would later be applied in post-production, Cassidy specialized in "in camera" mechanical and cybernetic effects. To that end, Cassidy created a full-body costume for Blue Devil, complete with a powered exoskeleton and built-in pyrotechnic devices. Cassidy also created a rocket-powered prop trident which was, among other things, capable of flying.

During location filming on the mysterious Ile Du Diable, Wayne Tarrant, the "hero" of the film, and his co-star (and Dan Cassidy's girlfriend) Sharon Scott, accidentally freed a demon named Nebiros. Though Cassidy faced incredible odds and a near-death experience, he was able to effectively use the devices built into his costume to drive the demon back to its home dimension. Unfortunately, he was blasted with demonic energy in the process. After the fight, Cassidy found that the blast had permanently grafted the Blue Devil costume to his body. Cassidy, a devout Roman Catholic, was stuck in the "skin" of an unholy Blue Devil.

While trying to find ways of escaping his costume (enlisting the help of S.T.A.R. Labs and Dr. Jenet Klyburn in the process), the newly-named Blue Devil soon found himself involved in conflicts with supervillains such as Metallo and The Trickster (who eventually became an ally and friend). Nebiros, who now had an affinity for his "little brother," would return time and time again to harass the Blue Devil, and just as often Cassidy would banish him to his own dimension (often with the help of magical allies like Madame Xanadu and Zatanna). Cassidy's friend Norm Paxton, a cinematographer, theorized that the blast that had made Cassidy a Blue Devil had also turned him into a sort of "weirdness magnet." Though he initially insisted that he was no super hero, it took him little time to adapt to the realities of his existence. While he continued to seek a way to regain a normal life, Cassidy became more comfortable in the role of hero over time, and even gained an unwanted sidekick in the form of Kid Devil- actually Eddie Bloomberg, Marla Bloom's nephew.

Blue Devil - Weirdness Magnet

Blue Devil would spend the next few years working with superheroes as diverse as The Creeper, Black Orchid, the Omega Men, and Superman. Later, he would also encounter Cain and Abel, who would go on to rent Blue Devil a room in the other-dimensional House of Weirdness, sister structure to the House of Mystery and House of Secrets. That house contained mystical doorways into a Malibu beach house, a house outside of Metropolis, and several other places.

Retirement and Comeback

After joining the rest of the heroic community in fighting the Anti-Monitor during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Blue Devil found that he was attracting less and less weirdness to him and his friends, and went into semi-retirement as a hero. Though his younger sister Frankie was later revealed to have been a sleeper agent of the Manhunters, Blue Devil did not publicly participate in the Millennium affair or any of the subsequent major events during which the super-hero community banded together.

After a several-year period during which Cassidy's and Marla Bloom's careers suffered a downturn, Blue Devil resolved to help both himself and his good friend. Sensing an opportunity when the Justice League instituted an open-door membership policy (effectively granting membership to every superhero on Earth), and sponsored by the mysterious organization known as the Arcana, Blue Devil came out of retirement and joined the team in order to make a "comeback" as a celebrity. Though he was only barely tolerated by some of the more serious members of the team, Cassidy's heart was in the right place, and he embarked on a quest to increase both his powers and his fortune.

Shortly after Blue Devil joined the team, the demon Neron took control of Hell and began seeking souls on Earth. Recognizing Cassidy's sense of thwarted ambition, Neron approached him with the chance to be a movie star, which the latter eagerly accepted. Cassidy had no way of knowing, however, that the true cost of his bargain would be the death of his close friend Marla Bloom. After performing the seemingly innocuous task of destroying an automatic electrical substation far in the desert, a chain of events was set in motion that would result in Bloom and her pilot dying in a helicopter accident. Blue Devil got his wish- sympathetic movie offers began to pour in- but the price was too high.

Guilt-ridden, Cassidy made the ultimate heroic sacrifice: he cheated Neron of his soul but died in the process. Soon after, he was reincarnated as an actual demon, with an increase in power.

Demonic Existence

After the JLA disbanded and reformed again, this time with an invitation-only membership, Cassidy found himself without a team. Having long before lost the companionship of his movie-studio friends, he joined a new "Justice League of France" consisting of himself, Firestorm, the second Amazing Man, the surviving Crimson Fox, and a woman who claimed to be Icemaiden. Unfortunately, the latter was in fact the villainous Nash in disguise, and she killed nearly all of her erstwhile teammates. Again, the Blue Devil was destroyed (reduced to ashes and bone by concentrated holy water), and again, he was restored to life, this time by the magician Faust, who used the Devil's bones to reanimate him. Facing Nebiros for the last time, Cassidy was granted the demon's Trident of Satan. Controlled by Faust, Blue Devil joined the Sentinels of Magic, where he worked alongside Ragman and Enchantress among other supernaturally powered beings. He was finally freed from his obligation to the team when Faust restored his last bone to him- however, Blue Devil soon lost his life a third time while fighting Hermes Trismegistus.

The Shadowpact

The Blue Devil did not remain dead long, however, and was soon seen roaming the Earth and banishing demons back to Hell. Cassidy began working as a bouncer at the Oblivion Bar, working for Nightmaster. There he joined with Ragman and Enchantress once again, as well as Nightshade and Detective Chimp, in battle against the Spectre, who had declared war on all magic. He soon became the strong-man of the newly-dubbed Shadowpact, able even to wound Eclipso, and has since decided to stay with the team. He now helps his new teammates to contain the wild magic set free by the Spectre's actions.

Shortly after the Infinite Crisis, Blue Devil and his teammates were trapped inside a "blood shield" that grew over the town of Riverrock, Wyoming. While inside the town, Cassidy met a member of magic-based villain group called the Pentacle named Jack of Fire. Jack, who wore a bandana over his mouth and wielded pyrokinetic abilities, claimed that he was Cassidy's brother, and that Cassidy's deal with Neron had cursed the entire Cassidy family to Hell. In addition to becoming demonic himself, Jack claimed that Blue Devil's late parents had been pulled out of Heaven, and that his "sisters" Mary and Frances were also cursed. The veracity of these claims is questionable- though Cassidy does have a sister, Mary Frances, he had never before mentioned a brother or another sister. Oddly, Blue Devil claimed to have no recollection of having any siblings at all- a mystery that has yet to be solved.

One day Blue Devil's former sidekick Eddie Brock, now a true demon himself, came to Cassidy inquiring about his aunt Marla's death. Blue Devil admitted that he had not been honest with Eddie regarding the circumstances of her demise, and the teen responded hastily in shock. Before he could explain the truth to Eddie, Cassidy was told by his former sidekick to stay far away.

Recently, Cassidy found himself under threat by the former Justice League member Zauriel. Because of Blue Devil's popularity as a demon, he had unknowingly given hell and demons a better image, prompting others to make their own deals with demons. As a result, Zauriel was tasked with killing Blue Devil and doing away with his bad influence on the populace. However, when Zauriel realized that Blue Devil wanted nothing more than to combat hell, Zauriel agreed to give him some time to repair his mistakes. Blue Devil is currently in hell bargaining for his soul with a lawyer.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Demon Physiology

Superhuman Strength
Superhuman Durability
Superhuman Vision
Superhuman Hearing
Healing Factor: In his original superhero form, Blue Devil's abilities were largely the result of the technological devices built into his costume. However, after being grafted to Cassidy's body the costume became organic and gained the ability to self-repair at an extremely fast rate. As the costume had now become Cassidy's "skin," this ability effectively gave Blue Devil a healing factor.

Abilities

Even before his demonic transformation, Cassidy was a:

Expert Martial Artist: highly trained martial artist

Expert Acrobat

Expert Stunt Man

Expert Inventor/Engineer: Cassidy's greatest technical achievement was building the original Blue Devil suit: as Dan has not been seen in a workshop for some time, it is possible his technical skills have diminished from lack of practice.

Strength level

Blue Devil is strong enough to lift at least 25 tons.

Paraphernalia

Equipment:

Blue Devil Costume: Before his reincarnation as a true demon, the Blue Devil's powers came from a combination of the devices built into his suit and the mystical energy that had altered them. His costume included Kevlar body armor, visual and auditory enhancements (enabling Cassidy to see in the infra-red specrtum), scuba apparatus, voice modulators, radio gear, and servo-motors which multiplied Cassidy's natural strength at least twentyfold and gave Cassidy enhanced agility and the ability to make extraordinary leaps. Blue Devil uses no special equipment in his current form.

Transportation:

In his original superheroic form, Blue Devil relied on the rocket-powered trident he had created to fly into action. It was built to support the weight of at least wo people and traveled at approximately 60 mph. He also occasionally used the "Devilmobile," which was designed by Jack Edison, the original designer of the Batmobile. The Devilmobile was built on the body of a Jeep and included among its equipment an oil slick; a mist bomb; an anti-gravity disk; an ejector seat; booster rockets; an pyrotechnic and explosive features. It also had a "makeout function" complete with Johnny Mathis music and reclining seats. Blue Devil no longer uses any special form of transportation.

Weapons:

Trident of Lucifer: allows him to find demons on Earth and banish them to Hell.

Trident (formerly): Blue Devil's original, technologically-based trident could shoot flames and had a built in electrical disrupter- it was also linked to the Blue Devil costume by remote control.

Notes

Blue Devil was originally created by writers Dan Mishkin and Gary Cohn, and artist Paris Cullins.

Trivia

Blue Devil's body gives off the aroma of brimstone.

Links and References

Footnotes