Dr. LOUIS CHILDS

Real Name: Dr. Louis Childs

Identity/Class: Human magic-user

Occupation: Physician, psychiatrist

Group Membership: An unidentified coven (Miles, 12 others)

Affiliations: Lucifer; Formerly Pazuzu and 13 other demons;
    formerly Barney Franks, Sandra Manning, Christine Palmer

Enemies: Barney Franks, Nightcrawler, Pazuzu, Shadowcat, Seth Walker, 13 unidentified children

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Currently unrevealed (possibly a realm of Hell);
    formerly the Dakota Building, New York City
        Metropolitan General Hospital, New York City

First Appearance: Nightcrawler III#1 (November, 2004)

Powers/Abilities: In addition to his presumptive expertise in psychiatry, Childs had an unspecified degree of magical knowledge and power. It is unclear whether he possessed any such abilities before summoning the demons on drawing on their abilities. After the summoning, he could--apparently with the support of other members of the Coven--cause someone to spontaneously combust with mystic flames that could not be put out by conventional means. He could dispel illusions with effort, and he could send the demons under his control to perform menial tasks, though his control over them was limited at best. Had the ritual been successfully completed, he would have had a demon fully at his service for 14 years.

History:
(Nightcrawler III#12 (fb) - BTS) - Influenced by an unidentified entity (presumably Lucifer) Childs entered a Barnes & Noble bookstore where he found a book describing a ritual to free Lucifer's Inner Circle from Hell.

(Nightcrawler III#4 (fb) - BTS) - Dr. Louis Childs learned about Lucifer's fourteen lieutenants from a book he purchased in Barnes & Noble's occult section. The book also described the ritual to free the demons, a ceremony requiring fourteen victims and fourteen sponsors (who would control the demons once they'd been loosed upon the world. Childs made a pact with Lucifer, who promised Pazuzu would serve Childs. Childs then recruited 13 of his wealthy friends and neighbors, all residents of the Dakota building, convincing them each to sacrifice the life of a child in order to each have a demon at their service for 14 years. Childs took over the children's psychiatric ward at Metropolitan General Hospital, after which the participants (all of whom were wealthy New Yorkers, doctors, attorneys, diplomats, heads of foundations, etc.) each sponsored an orphan at Metro's psych ward admitted subsequent to Childs' takeover.

(Nightcrawler III#1 (fb) - BTS / Nightcrawler III#2 (fb) - BTS / Nightcrawler III#4 (fb) - BTS) - Childs paid Barney Franks, the security guard of the 15th floor psych ward, to leave his post for four minutes.

(Nightcrawler III#2 (fb) - BTS / Nightcrawler III#4 (fb) - BTS) - The spell was performed and the demons entered the children. One of the children, ten year old Seth Walker, who had an affinity for magic, felt hot and felt something growing in his stomach, so he intuitively tied a knot in a piece of rope, forming a magical locking spell that bound Pazuzu within him. However, the other 13 infernal demons burst through the other 13 children and passed through the ceiling

(Nightcrawler III#1 (fb) - BTS) - When Franks returned to check on the war, thirteen of the children had been torn to pieces, while the fourteenth child, Seth Walker, sat there unharmed, clutching a knotted rope. The security tape of the room showed the children playing, then four minutes of static, then the scene to which Franks returned. The tapes of the hallway showed four minutes of empty hallway, with no one either entering or leaving he hallway. The windows to the room were locked and unbroken.

(Nightcrawler III#1 (fb) - BTS) - The thirteen escaping demons left hoofprints burned into the roof at Metro, continuing from one building to the next, continuing on to the Dakota building.

(Nightcrawler III#4 (fb) - BTS) - Thirteen of the demons were captured by Childs' coven and placed within a mystical circle, but Seth's knot kept Pazuzu trapped within him. Without the 14th demon free, the coven was extremely limited in the magic they could perform, such as the odd menial task.

(Nightcrawler III#1 (fb) - BTS / Nightcrawler III#2 - BTS) - Seth Walker made three clay figurines, and used his knot/locking spell to prevent himself from talking because Dr. Childs kept asking him questions.

(Nightcrawler III#1 - BTS) - At the request of nurse Christine Palmer, Storm sent Nightcrawler to investigate the slaughter at Metro, but his appearance frightened Seth, so he left him. Nightcrawler discovered the hoofprints and followed them to the Dakota building. There he observed the guilt-ridden Franks standing outside the building, cursing and accusing Childs. Disappointed in Franks' betrayal, Childs called upon the magical power to cause Franks to spontaneously combust.

(Nightcrawler III#2 - BTS) - Despite Nightcrawler's efforts, the mystical flame incinerated Franks. Upon advice from Magik (Amanda Sefton/Jimaine Szardos), Nightcrawler met with Seth (using an image inducer to appear human), untying one of the knots and allowing him to speak again.

(Nightcrawler III#2 (fb) - BTS) - The bodies of the of the thirteen dead children were somehow incinerated while they lay locked within their airtight cabinets, and they didn't even set off a smoke alarm.

(Nightcrawler III#3 (fb) - BTS) - Louis Childs found Sandra Manning at a shelter, fed her, took her to his hotel, cleaned her up, and bought her new clothes. He then put the 13 demons inside of her to control her and make her pretend to be "Meredith Walker," who was supposed to be Seth's aunt.

(Nightcrawler III#2 - BTS) - Seth told Nightcrawler about the knot that had saved him and the one that had kept him from talking, but then Childs appeared with "Meredith Walker," Seth's alleged aunt, who said she would take care of Seth (though Nightcrawler briefly gained a glimpse of a demonic figure in her stead).

(Nightcrawler III#3 (fb) - BTS) - Seth continued to make clay figurines; with twelve made, he only needed two more.

(Nightcrawler III#3 - BTS) - Seth told Nightcrawler that the figurines were jars for each of his dead friends and one for himself when he died, but then revealed that the jars were intended to hold the devil.

(Nightcrawler III#3 (fb) - BTS) - The demons proved too powerful to be fully contained/controlled within "Meredith Walker," and they almost broke free. They attacked Childs, who trapped them within a mystic circle.

(Nightcrawler III#3 - BTS) - As Nightcrawler and Seth talked, nurse Palmer rushed in, telling them how "Seth's aunt" was attacking Childs on the streets outside and that no one could get to them. "Ms. Walker" strangled Childs, commanding him to undo the circle, after which "we'll free our brother, the last of the fourteen." Nightcrawler could not penetrate the circle Childs had formed, but he instead teleported within it. He then grabbed "Ms. Walker" and teleported her into a church. The holy power of the church expelled the demons from "Walker" and back into the circle.
    Upon recovering, "Ms. Walker" revealed her name to be Sandra Manning, who had no memory of her adventures as Meredith Walker. With the aid of Magik's memory spell, she shared what had happened, and Magik deduced that the 14 demons were the lieutenants of Lucifer.
    Meanwhile Childs took Seth from the hospital, promising that whatever he was keeping inside of him would be cut free once and for all.

(Nightcrawler III#4 - BTS) - With Magik's aid, Nightcrawler and Shadowcat entered the Dakota building, replacing and impersonating two of the coven members.

(Nightcrawler III#4 - BTS) - Childs brought Seth to his coven in the Dakota building, where the other thirteen demons were trapped within their circle.

(Nightcrawler III#4 - BTS) - Childs placed a spell around the dimension through which Nightcrawler teleported, temporarily preventing him from accessing it. Childs also sealed the Dakota building with a protective circle that would shred his body to ribbons if he tried to enter by any other means.

(Nightcrawler III#4 - BTS) - When Coven member Miles moved to protect Seth, Childs mystically disrupted his image inducer and revealed Nightcrawler's presence. Childs then cut the last knot from Seth's rope, and Pazuzu began to grow within Seth's body. Kitty then revealed her presence and turned Seth intangible, allowing Pazuzu to escape to the Earthly plane without tearing through him.
    The rest of the Coven fled from Pazuzu (who was not trapped within a mystic circle) but were captured by the awaiting X-Men (Beast, Cyclops, Emma Frost, Storm, Wolverine). Pazuzu instructed Childs to free his brethren, but Childs refused, telling him that the freeing of the 14th demon placed them all in the coven's service. However, the demons revealed that the pact had not been fulfilled since the 14th child had not been sacrificed, and Pazuzu tore Childs to pieces. The containment circle around the demons began to dissolve, but Magik then arrived with nurse Palmer, who carried Seth's fourteen clay statues/jars, within which she bound the fourteen demons. Magik then took the clay statues to Limbo/Otherplace for safekeeping.

Comments: Created by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Darick Robertson, and Wayne Faucher.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
No KNOWN connections to:

Childs coven

Composed of Dr. Louis Childs, Miles, and 12 others unidentified. All were wealthy New Yorkers, doctors, attorneys, diplomats, heads of foundations, and all were residents of the Dakota building. Childs convinced them each to sacrifice the life of a child in order to each have a demon at their service for 14 years. Childs took over the children's psychiatric ward at Metropolitan General Hospital, after which the participants each sponsored an orphan at Metro's psych ward admitted subsequent to Childs' takeover. They performed the spell as intended, but one of the children they intended to sacrifice was  Seth Walker, who had an affinity for magic and who intuitively tied a knot in a piece of rope, forming a magical locking spell that bound Pazuzu within him. Without the 14th demon being freed, the power gained by the coven was highly limited.
    Coven members joined their efforts with Childs in summoning a magical flame to incinerate Barney Franks when he denounced Childs, and they gathered again to sacrifice Seth Walker to release the final demon, Pazuzu. However, the plot was thwarted when Nightcrawler and Shadowcat secretly infiltrated the coven, replacing two members--Miles and one other--via image inducers. Shadowcat phased Seth so that Pazuzu could pass out of his body without killing him, meaning that the ritual remained incomplete. Pazuzu slew Childs, and the remaining 11 coven members fled, running into the X-Men, who were waiting for them. All 13 surviving coven members were sent to prison.

Miles (actually Nightcrawler using an image inducer to appear as Miles) is shown in the foreground on the right (with the glasses).

--Nightcrawler#1, 4 ([4 (fb)], 1, 4

images: (without ads)
Nightcrawler III#1, p12, panel 1 (face)
    #4, p5, panel 2 (full body)
        p8, panel 2 (Childs' allies)

Other Appearances:
Nightcrawler III#1-2 (November-December, 2004) - by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (writer), Darick Robertson (penciler), Wayne Faucher (inker), Mike Marts (editor)
Nightcrawler III#3-4 (January-February, 2005) - by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (writer), Darick Robertson (penciler), Wayne Faucher (inker), Mike Marts (editor)
Nightcrawler III#12 (January, 2006) - Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (writer), Darick Robertson (penciler), Rodney Ramos (inker), Mike Marts (editor)

Last updated: 12/15/16

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™  and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!

Back to Characters