DEMON RIDERDEMON RIDER
Real Name: Kushala
Identity/Class: Human (Old West native, active in the modern era) mutate/magic user
Occupation: Sorcerer Supreme
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: The
Avengers (Captain
America/Sam Wilson, Hercules/Heracles, Spider-Man/Peter Parker,
Thor/Jane Foster, Vision/"Victor Shade," Wasp/Nadia), Baron Mordo (Karl
Mordo), "black
woman with white hair sorceress," Brother Voodoo (Jericho Drumm),
Luke Cage, Clea,
Doc Magus (of Earth-982), Dr.
Strange (Stephen Strange), "floating
eyeball sorcerer," "four-armed
man sorcerer," "glowing eye
man in red sorcerer," Howard the
Duck, Joao, Krugarr
(of Earth-691), "man in
Galactus hat sorcerer," Margali of the Winding Way, Merlin, Mindful One,
"Moloid
sorcerer" (of Earth-13729), Nina the
Conjuror, Night Nurse,
"pink
flying creature sorcerer," Professor
Imam (of Earth-712), "purple-robed
man in Hela hat sorcerer," "rocky
monster sorcerer," Zelma Stanton, Strange (of Earth-928), "two-headed
man in blue sorcerer," Wiccan (Billy Kaplan of Earth-13729), "woman in red
cape sorceress," Wong, Yao, Zhered-Na;
formerly Sir Isaac Newton
Enemies: The Author of the Word of
God, "beast
men of the Forgotten," Doctor
Doom (Valeria of Earth-13927), the
Forgotten, the Knights of Never, Mindless Ones, Sir Isaac Newton, the
Spirits of the Unholy, wandering spirits
Known Relatives: Unidentified mother
and father
(deceased)
Aliases: "Young Lady" (called by Dr. Strange)
Base of Operations: Dr. Strange's Sanctum
Sanctorum, New York City, New York, USA
First Appearance: Doctor Strange & the
Sorcerers Supreme I#1 (December, 2016)
Powers/Abilities: Demon Rider was an extremely knowledgeable mystic, capable of casting spells from all sorts of regions including Nordic magic. Some of her spells cast have included holding back immensely powerful mystic creatures, charging weapons with mystic energy, busting down doors with mystic force and using the Constellation Lasso spell to retrieve others from dimensional banishment. Kushala's body also housed a Spirit of Vengeance, which would periodically transform her into a fiery, skeletal being in which form she could control and manipulate hellfire and rode atop a flaming, skeletal horse.
Kushala also used various Native American weapons
including a tomahawk and bow and arrows.
Height: (as Kushala): 5'4" (by approximation);
(as Demon Rider): 6'1" (by approximation)
Weight: (as Kushala): 123 lbs. (by approximation); (as Demon
Rider): 165 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: (as Kushala): Yellow; (as Demon Rider): None, but her skeletal eye sockets burn with yellow fire
Hair: (as Kushala): Black; (as Demon Rider): None, but flames whip around her skull to resemble hair
History: (Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers
Supreme I#3 (fb) - BTS) - Kushala was born at night to wise and strong
mother and a father who was a great hunter.
(Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#3 (fb))
- Kushala grew up to inherit her father's bow-hunting skills but soon
became caught up in the fight against colonial American settlers.
During one such battle against settlers, Kushala's mother was killed
and Kushala called out to her creator for help. Her prayers for help
were answered by some unidentified (possibly demonic) force and Kushala
was bonded to a Spirit of Vengeance. Killing everyone around her in
crazed vengeance, Kushala became the Demon Rider and the spirits of
those she killed haunted her, never leaving her side despite her
attempts to shake them via travel. The spirits remained connected to
her as Kushala intensely began studying magic in an attempt to free
herself of the spirits.
(Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#3 (fb))
- Time-traveling Camelot sorcerer Merlin appeared before Kushala and
sought to recruit her against the mystic Forgotten. Explaining that she
only wished to be free, Kushala was assured by Merlin that if she
helped him against the Forgotten, he would personally pull the Spirit
of Vengeance from her body and leave her free of her burden.
(Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers
Supreme I#1 (fb) - BTS) - After having agreed to join Merlin, Kushala
participated in several battles as the Forgotten grew near.
(Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#1) -
Kushala and Merlin's other recruits battled beast men serving the
Forgotten and Merlin soon traveled through time to recruit the
present-day Dr. Stephen Strange, emerging seconds before he had
left with Strange. Kushala continued fighting as Strange joined the
battle. During the fight, Dr. Strange bantered with Sir Isaac Newton
before asking who Kushala was, prompting Kushala to warn Strange not to
patronize her. Gruffly introducing herself, Kushala announced that she
was not a young lady, as Strange had called her, then transformed into
her Demon Rider persona, exclaiming that she was a Sorcerer Supreme.
Revealing that all of his recruits were Sorcerers Supreme, Merlin
reminded all of the sorcerers to stay focused, as the Forgotten were
coming. Following the battle, Kushala felt something within the Earth
and Merlin remarked on how the Living Earth spell was working for her.
She admitted that she had indeed requested powerful magic, which was
delivered, but when Kushala felt the ground, Merlin informed her that
she was sensing the Forgotten. A giant gestalt Forgotten then erupted
from the ground, knocking Kushala and Merlin back, and proceeded to
seemingly kill Merlin. Upon Merlin's death, Kushala assumed her Demon
Rider form and attacked the Forgotten with the other Sorcerers Supreme,
only to be knocked aside by the Forgotten's tail.
(Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#2) -
Demon Rider fought back against the Forgotten using her magic skills
alongside the other Sorcerers Supreme and when she found herself back
to back with Nina the Conjuror, Kushala noticed Nina wearing the Bindings of the Demon
K'hur. Commending Kushala on her
knowledge of magic, Nina was told by Kushala that Kushala knew all magic.
Kushala then used her mystic powers to charge Nina's gunblades and Nina
flew at the Forgotten, blasting it in its collective head. When Yao's
arm was broken by the Forgotten, Kushala blasted the Forgotten and held
it off until Earth-13729's Wiccan enveloped Kushala and the other
Sorcerers Supreme within his cape and used it to teleport them to the
beaches near Merlin's castle. Upon arrival, however, Kushala and the
others tripped a trap set by Merlin that sunk them all into the sand,
where they were besieged by the Spirits of the Unholy. Recognizing the
Spirits of the Unholy, Kushala held the Spirits at bay when the Mindful
One, who was not trapped due to its lack of a soul, rescued them from
the sand. Upon hearing Newton claim the Mindful One possessed no soul,
Kushala assured the Mindful One, claiming that she could feel its soul
and that she was grateful it was there, to which the Mindful One told
Kushala she was nice. Shortly after, Kushala accompanied the other
Sorcerers Supreme in venturing towards Merlin's castle to retrieve his
magic tomes for use against the Forgotten.
(Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#3) -
Kushala used Nordic magic to bust down the door to Merlin's castle,
assuming that Merlin, being partial to Nordic binding spells, would use
a Nordic binding spell on the door to keep it shut. Inside, the
Sorcerers Supreme found numerous downed Camelot residents and Kushala
confirmed that they were still alive, only missing their souls. When
Yao suggested they not worry about the civilians and find the weapons
they came there to obtain, prompting Nina the Conjuror to question a
comment Merlin had previously made about Yao becoming the world's
greatest Sorcerer Supreme, Kushala remarked that Merlin's lies were
more powerful than his magics. As the Sorcerers Supreme ventured
further into Merlin's castle, Dr. Strange remarked on how magic had
been rendered nearly inaccessible in his time and Kushala mentioned
that even as Strange's weak point, he should have noticed the spirits
that were secretly following the Sorcerers Supreme. When Strange asked
if the spirits were friendly, Kushala replied that they were for the
moment but she sensed they would soon turn. The Sorcerers Supreme soon
came to the door to Merlin's study, where the Mindful One produced a
key, prompting Kushala to commend the Mindful One for being full of
tricks before they all entered the study. Once inside, Kushala found a
box, hoping to find something inside, only to find it empty. Cursing
Merlin, Kushala regrouped with the others as Dr. Strange learned that
Merlin had locked away several magic practitioners of his era and
Kushala suggested that perhaps the Forgotten was one of the ones locked
up. The Sorcerers were soon interrupted when the aforementioned spirits
turned and attacked the group. After confirming the spirits had turned,
Kushala warned against attacking the spirits directly, as they were
innocent and must be returned to their bodies. When the Forgotten,
having tracked Sir Isaac Newton's magical defenses against the spirits,
arrived and attacked the Sorcerers, it used the Light of Darkness
artifact to eradicate many of the spirits, much to Kushala's dismay.
Distraught, Kushala uncontrollably transformed into her fiery Demon
Rider form and attacked the Forgotten directly, hitting it in the face
with hellfire. When the Forgotten's face was split into the various
personalities that made up its form by the Light of Darkness and it was
forced to flee, Kushala returned to her normal form and helped revive
the fallen Camelot residents by restoring the non-destroyed spirits to
their bodies.
(Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#4) -
Kushala accompanied the Sorcerers Supreme as they ventured into the
Forgotten's former prison, the Hollow Out of Time, where the Mindful One asked if Kushala was
afraid. Kushala asked Mindful One not to be foolish and Mindful
responded by saying it was afraid for the Sorcerers and itself,
prompting Kushala to promise to protect Mindful as long as it stayed
close. After Mindful commented that Kushala was kind, the Forgotten
attacked the Sorcerers and cast a spell that allowed them to see its
origins. With the Forgotten distracted explaining its origins, Kushala
attempted to attack the Forgotten with her tomahawk but her attacked
was dodged with the Forgotten splits its combination form into two
heads. Sir Isaac Newton soon managed to split the Forgotten into its
combination beings but quickly attempted to usurp the Forgotten's power
for himself using the Word of God book, forcing Kushala to transform
into the Demon Rider in an attempt to stop Newton. Unfortunately for
Kushala, Newton used an item stored within the Mindful One to absorb
Kushala's Spirit of Vengeance into himself, leaving Kushala unable to
transform into her fiery alter-ego. Newton then sealed Kushala and the
other Sorcerers in the Forgotten's prison.
(Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#5) -
Severely weakened from the loss of her Spirit of Vengeance, Kushala lay
on the ground of the Forgotten's prison, where Nina the Conjuror
checked on her. Kushala admitted that she had always wished to rid
herself of her Spirit of Vengeance but now, without it, she felt empty
inside. Nina's brother Joao soon freed the Sorcerers but the young
sorcerer Yao immediately stepped onto a magic trap, sending Kushala and
the other Sorcerers Supreme into other dimensions.
(Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#6) - After failing to rescue the banished Sorcerers using the Lost Bones of Eh-Yuh artifact, Dr. Strange instead rescued himself then Yao, who used the Crystal of Woi to assist in rescuing Kushala, who felt that she was nothing without her Spirit of Vengeance. Strange then had Kushala cast the Constellation Lasso spell, which helped in retrieving Earth-13729's Wiccan from his dimensional exile. Kushala then accompanied Strange, Yao and Wiccan in rescuing Nina the Conjuror, who used her Eye of True North artifact to guide the Sorcerers Supreme back home. As Nina reunited with her brother Joao, Kushala cast a spell that located Sir Isaac Newton in the modern era, where magic was at its weakest. Knowing that the era was in his own time period, Dr. Strange then led Kushala and the others Sorcerers in confronting Newton, who was battling the present-day Avengers.
(Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#7) -
Despite hearing Dr. Strange's warnings that magic was weaker in the
present day, Kushala asked what the Sorcerers were waiting for before
they all jumped into battle against Sir Isaac Newton and his Mindless
Ones. Kushala was almost immediately punched by a Mindless One and when
she witnessed Yao disintegrating one of the Mindless Ones, Kushala
warned Yao to be careful, as one of the Mindless Ones could be their
ally Mindful One. When Yao asked who cared, Kushala grimly replied that
she cared and soon after, Kushala attempted to use magic against Newton
in an effort to determine what Newton had done to the Mindful One but
her spell failed due to the present day's weak magic. Newton prepared
to kill Kushala in retaliation but the Mindful One intervened,
explaining that it was forced to hurt others but would never hurt
Kushala. Kushala then asked Mindful what Newton was seeking and Mindful
could only explain that it was something underground, which Kushala
told to Dr. Strange, who flew off to stop Newton. When Strange's spell
failed, Kushala backed up his magic with her own and teleported him
into his Sanctum Sanctorum before remarking on how much she hated the
modern era. As the battle progressed, however, the Author of the Word
of God tome emerged from under the ground, snapping loudly and freezing
all combatants in place by the deafening sounds.
(Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#8) -
Ordered to protect the Word of God tome at all costs, the Mindful One
gathered up Kushala and several of the fallen Sorcerers and Avengers
then used a device a project an energy shield to protect them.
Regaining consciousness, Kushala asked Mindful what it was doing and
Mindful explained that it was keeping them all safe, admitting that it
was particularly happy that Kushala was still alive. When Nina the
Conjuror, her brother Joao, Yao, Luke Cage and Howard the Duck rejoined
the fight against the Author of the Word of God, a recovered Kushala
kneeled atop the Mindful One and cast spells as Mindful blocked
incoming attacks. Sir Isaac Newton soon became possessed by the
Forgotten and destroyed Mindful to reacquire the Word of God tome and
return it to the Author, angering Kushala, who had grown to care for
Mindful. Despite rushing to attack the possessed Newton, Kushala was
quickly grabbed in a chokehold from Newton but before the Author could
use the Word of God, Earth-13729's Wiccan utilized his Mark of Sorrow
to teleport all present with magical abilities, Kushala included, to
the Author's home dimension.
(Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#9) - Banished within the Word of God tome itself, Kushala helped the other Sorcerers Supreme (and Howard the Duck) traverse the book's pages, fighting off seemingly sentient letters in the process. Upon finding a page with fire on it, Kushala wished for her Spirit of Vengeance, thinking that perhaps she could burn the entire book if that were the case, but Dr. Strange suggested they all focus on what they could do. Kushala helped defend Howard the Duck and fend off the letters while Dr. Strange ultimately tore a portion of the book and folded it into a paper crane that Kushala and the others used to escape the book and confront the Author of the Word of God. Tricking the Author into burning the book himself by creating the illusion that their paper crane was a dragon, Kushala and the Sorcerers teleported behind the Author, who soon captured Kushala, Yao and Howard the Duck. When Earth-13729's Wiccan managed to destroy the Author using his Mark of Sorrow, Kushala and the others were freed and Sir Isaac Newton, restored to his proper mind, used the last remnants of the burning Word of God to teleport everyone back to Earth. Back on Earth, Wiccan used his magic to restore the destroyed Mindful One and Kushala hugged Mindful, happy to see it alive. Mindful remarked that regardless of whether it was truly alive, it was also happy to see Kushala again. Kushala then confronted Sir Isaac Newton and reminded him that he still had something of hers but moments later, Kushala witnessed Wiccan collapse after sending Nina the Conjuror and her brother Joao back to their own time period.
(Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#10) - Kushala watched as Dr. Strange tended to the collapsed Wiccan and, after Dr. Strange determined that Wiccan's Mark of Sorrow was the result of a deal he had made with his era's Dr. Doom, Kushala accompanied Dr. Strange and the other Sorcerers Supreme to Wiccan's Earth-13729.
(Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#11) -
After finding themselves in Dr. Doom's Hell realm on Earth-13729,
Kushala and the other Sorcerers Supreme were tortured and subjected to
nightmarish Hells within their minds. Kushala found herself confronted
by her own Spirit of Vengeance and the Mindful One checked on it as she
grimaced in anguish. Following Dr. Doom's defeat and Wiccan being freed
of the Mark of Sorrow, Kushala and the others prepared to return to
their own reality and time periods using Doom's Time Platform but
before they left, Kushala reabsorbed her Spirit of Vengeance, feeling
that she must handle the burden in order to protect the world. Mindful
One reminded Kushala that she need not weather the burden alone and
soon, Kushala and the other Sorcerers waved goodbye to Wiccan as they
departed Wiccan's home reality. After dropping Sir Isaac Newton back
into prison in his own time period, Kushala and the remaining Sorcerers
Supreme arrived in Yao's time period, where they were confronted by a
seemingly revived Merlin.
(Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#12) - Demon Rider listened as Merlin explained that their ultimate mission was to assure Yao fulfilled his destiny to become the Ancient One and the grouping of sorcerers soon noticed Yao had went missing. Tracking Yao into the nearby woods, Demon Rider, Dr. Strange and the Mindful One assisted Yao in completing his Trials of the Worthy but then stopped when they came across a seemingly impenetrable mystic shield blocking Yao from entering a cave. Merlin returned soon after, bringing with his numerous mystics from various time periods and realities, one of which was a now-aged Nina the Conjuror, who admitted it was good to see Demon Rider again. The mystics then combined their magic to destroy the mystic shield blocking Yao's access and after Yao entered the cave to fulfill his destiny, Merlin began returning the assembled sorcerers to their proper time periods and realities. When Demon Rider suggested that she too needed to be among the sorcerers returning home, Merlin revealed that her destiny and that of the Mindful One had not yet ended and suggested she live wisely before he returned Demon Rider, Mindful One and Dr. Strange to the present day. Arriving in front of Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum, the sorcerers soon parted ways when Dr. Strange was called away to stop an inter-dimensional psycho pomp, promising to return shortly and give Demon Rider and Mindful One a proper tour and suggesting they stay as long as they like.
(Doctor Strange III#381/2) - Demon Rider joined
Mindful One, Zelma Stanton and Wong in battling a tentacled creature as
Dr. Strange levitated in the air.
Comments: Created by Robbie Thompson, Javier
Rodriguez and Alvaro Lopez.
Profile by Proto-Man.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Demon Rider has no known connections to:
images: (without ads)
Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#3, p14, pan3 (Kushala
transforming into Demon Rider as Yao watches, main image)
Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#4, p3, pan1 (Kushala
headshot)
Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#3, p3, pan2 (Kushala,
immediately following her first transformation)
Robbie Thompson's Demon Rider character sketch (Kushala,
fullbody image holding weapon that also shows different sides of her
costume)
Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#2, p4, pan1 (Demon Rider
using magic)
Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#3, front cover (Demon
Rider with tarot cards)
Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#4, p7-8, pan12 (Kushala
attacking with her tomahawk)
Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#4, p17, pan1 (Sir Isaac
Newton absorbing Kushala's Spirit of Vengeance)
Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#6, p18-19, pan1 (Kushala,
without her Spirit of Vengeance, casting a location spell)
Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#11, p16, pan4 (Kushala
reabsorbing her Spirit of Vengeance)
Appearances:
Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers
Supreme I#1 (December, 2016) - Robbie Thompson (writer), Javier
Rodriguez (pencils), Alvaro Lopez (inks), Nick Lowe (editor)
Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#2
(January, 2017) - Robbie Thompson (writer), Javier Rodriguez (pencils),
Alvaro Lopez (inks), Nick Lowe (editor)
Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#3
(February, 2017) - Robbie Thompson (writer), Javier Rodriguez
(pencils), Alvaro Lopez (inks), Nick Lowe (editor)
Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#4
(March, 2017) - Robbie Thompson (writer), Javier Rodriguez (pencils),
Alvaro Lopez (inks), Nick Lowe (editor)
Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#5
(April, 2017) - Robbie Thompson (writer), Nathan Stockman (art), Nick
Lowe (editor)
Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#6
(May, 2017) - Robbie Thompson (writer), Javier Rodriguez (pencils),
Alvaro Lopez (inks), Nick Lowe (editor)
Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#7
(June, 2017) - Robbie Thompson (writer), Javier Rodriguez (pencils),
Alvaro Lopez, Guillermo Ortego (inks), Darren Shan (editor)
Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#8
(July, 2017) - Robbie Thompson (writer), Javier Rodriguez (pencils),
Alvaro Lopez (inks), Darren Shan (editor)
Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#9
(August, 2017) - Robbie Thompson (writer), Javier Rodriguez (pencils),
Alvaro Lopez (inks), Darren Shan (editor)
Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#10
(September, 2017) - Robbie Thompson (writer), Nathan Stockman (art),
Darren Shan (editor)
Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#11
(October, 2017) - Robbie Thompson (writer), Nathan Stockman (art),
Darren Shan (editor)
Doctor Strange & the Sorcerers Supreme I#12
(November, 2017) - Robbie Thompson (writer), Nathan Stockman (art),
Darren Shan (editor)
Doctor Strange III#381 (January, 2018) - "Doctor Strange" story -
Robbie Thompson (writer), Niko Henrichon (art), Darren Shan (editor)
First Posted: 10/31/2018
Last updated: 10/31/2018
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
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