Affiliations: Vera Gemini, Agents of Fortune; his demon-spawn (an army of demons serving him)

Enemies: Devil-Slayer, Defenders (Dr. Strange, Hellcat, Hulk, Nighthawk, Valkyrie)

Known Relatives: A multitude of demon-spawn

Aliases: Balthazar, Lord of the Demons, unnamed US Air Force general

Base of Operations: Extradimensional realm

First Appearance: Defenders I#59 (May, 1978)

Powers: Belathauzer is a demon of great, reputed power, although the majority of his abilities are unseen. He can possess and control the form of a human host. He led a race of demon minions of varying abilities. He could most likely spew flame from his mouth and hands. His two heads symbolizes the duality of...something.

History: Belathauzer is a demon, allegedly one of the Elder Gods who dwelled on Earth in the distant past. The means by which he left Earth are unknown, but it may have been in flight of Demogorge, who slew and chased off many of the Elder Gods.

(Defenders I#59-60) - Belathauzer was summoned to Earth by the spells of Vera Gemini, as part of her plan for Xenogenesis: the rebirth of a demon race on Earth. As part of that plot, Vera had taken people all over the world captive, planning for them to serve as hosts to Belathauzer and his race, who would then infiltrate humanity. The plan was to instill fear and generate violence in humanity to weaken them for the assault by the demon race which would retake control of Earth. Belathauzer possessed the form a commander of a US Air Force base.

The Defenders, who had joined forces with Devil-Slayer to stop Xenogenesis, made their way down to Gemini's base in Mexico. However, Belathauzer used his form to cause the members of his air force base to believe that their jet carried spies, and shoot it down. The Defenders escaped the plane in time, and continued their journey into Mexico unmolested. Vera Gemini outwitted the other demon lords and usurped their right to rule Earth, but Hellcat used a Shadow Cloak stolen from one of Gemini's Agents of Fortune to banish Vera extra-dimensionally, while Dr. Strange and Nighthawk shut down the portal to the demon realm. This caused all of the demons, presumably including Belathauzer to be pulled back into their own realm...or so it would seem.

(Marvel Comics Presents#37/4) - Belathauzer, on Earth, infiltrated an entire bar with demons, and set it as a trap for Eric Simon Payne, Devil-Slayer. Still in the form of the air force base commander, he asked Payne to meet him at the bar, and drugged his drink to nullify Payne's psychic powers for one hour. The horde of demons then revealed themselves and attacked Payne, who retaliated, using the sword Dragonfang, which he pulled from his Shadow Cloak. He brought the demons into a pocket realm using the Cloak, but Belathauzer snatched the Cloak from him. He attempted to activate it, but, seemingly of its own will, it pulled them all to the Borders of the Land of the Dead, where the inert forms of the Defenders stood following their deaths in battle against the Dragon of the Moon. Devil-Slayer continued to fight the demons, until Belathauzer blinded him with a handful of sand. However, Dragonfang (or Belathauzer's voice) guided Payne, and he thrust the sword into Belathauzer, apparently killing him. The rest of the demons fled, and Devil-Slayer left the skeleton of Belathauzer in that border realm, feeling that the Valkyrie had been the force that drew him there and helped him against Belathauzer.

(Marvel Comics Presents#46/2) - Belathauzer taunted Devil-Slayer with premonitions of his upcoming struggle against the Ghost of the Flying Dutchman...or it may just have been Payne's madness. He's had lots of problems with that.

Comments: Created by David Anthony Kraft and Ed Hannigan.

I don't know that Belathauzer has any connection to the N'Garai, but there were apparently lots of demon races that dwelled on Earth in the past, just as there have been dozens or more of races of men that existed before humanity. Forty years of continuity does that to ya.

Belathauzer was the name used when he was first introduced, as well as in the OHotMU, so I'm sticking with it (despite the fact that most other appearances call him Balthazar...I'm stubborn).

Any more appearances of Belathauzer/Balthazar/Billy-Bob Thornton out there? I feel like I missed another one in MarComPres, but I couldn't find it.
Me neither!
--Markus Raymond

You can get the rest of the story on Xenogenesis by checking out Vera Gemini.

Thanks to Greg O'Driscoll for reminding me that "Like most of the concepts in the Defenders#59+60, Belathauzer comes from the band Blue Oyster Cult. The reference is from the song ETI...'Alllll praise! He's found the awful truth! Balthazar!' "

Not that anyone in comics stays dead, but demons? They can come back any time.

Thanks to Uncle Pyko, for reminding me that Belathauzer is credited as one of the Elder Gods.

Clarifications: Belathauser/Balthazar is not to be confused with:

• Balthazar, an extra-terrestrial who ran a used goods emporium on Cygnus Prime, @ X-Factor#111.

First Posted: 10/04/2001
Last updated: 10/21/2011

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