MALEDRIL

Real Name: Maledril

Identity/Class: Demon

Occupation: Servant of Satan (Marduk Kurios)

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Satan (Marduk Kurios), other demons

Enemies: Daimon Hellstrom

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed; presumably the pits, Satan's realm;
                                  formerly the Arizona desert;
                                  formerly Satan's Hell realm

First Appearance: Defenders I#105 (March,1982)

Powers/Abilities: Maledril possesses all the powers and traits common to demons under Satan's command. His strength, speed, stamina and reflexes are all well above human levels. Though usually appearing as a short, blue furred humanoid with a wild beard, claws, cloven feet and an exaggerated,large nose, he can easily assume other forms. Maledril has been known to mimic a human infant so convincingly, he fooled even Daimon Hellstrom's mystically enhanced senses. Brass and dismissive, Maledril loathes weakness in his opponents and doesn't hesitate to taunt and mock them.

Height: 4'8" (by approximation)
Weight: 180 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Solid white
Hair: Blue

History:

(Defenders I#105 (fb) - BTS) - Maledril was one of Satan's servants who accompanied his master to Earth as part of a complicated scheme to bind his son Daimon Hellstrom to his will. Maledril was ordered to assume the form of a seemingly helpless infant that Daimon had to slay to let his demonic Darksoul consume his humanity completely.

(Defenders I#105 - BTS) - Satan and Maledril waited in the wings while Daimon was meditating in the Arizona desert, surrounded by a number of Satan's demons. All through the night they were preparing him with chants and rituals for the final confrontation with his father which would include the proposed purging of the final remnants of Daimon's humanity.

(Defenders I#105) - After the appropriate rituals had been conducted, at 2.16 in the morning, Satan appeared before Daimon holding the dangling, crying infant that Maledril had transformed himself into. Satan gave the baby to his servants who helped spread the child's arms and legs while Satan handed his son a nearby piece of rock. He told Daimon the time had come to see if he was ready to rid himself of his human soul. Holding the rock and looking the helpless babe in the eyes, Daimon instinctively knew what was required of him: he had to kill this symbol of purity and innocence. Struggling with his conscience even as he raised the rock over his head to strike, Hellstrom decided at the last moment to crush the boulder rather than take a newborn life.  Even though he begged his father's forgiveness, Maledril was so disgusted he shifted into his real form. This surprise turn of events shocked Daimon who had little time to prepare for Maledril's attack. Hitting the son of Satan with his hooves, Maledril stomped Daimon to the ground. He then jumped on Daimon, landing on his belly to knock the wind out of his opponent. Maledril assured Daimon he'd never ascend to his father's throne because he was "a stinking human through and through".

(Defenders I#105 - BTS) - Satan had briefly allowed Maledril to strike, but in the end figured he had to step in. With a single spell, he banished his shapeshifting servant back to the pits, announcing he'd see to his child in his own way. A little while later, Satan made another attempt to rid Daimon of his human side by offering to crucify him on a cross of demon flesh in order for Daimon to be reborn three days later as a thrall of Satan. In the end, Daimon resisted all these attempts, leading his father to "banish" him back to the mortal world and the Defenders.

Comments: Created by J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Don Perlin (pencils), Joe Sinnott & Al Milgrom (inks)

It goes without saying that Satan having his son and would-be follower Daimon kill a baby mirrors the Old Testament's tale of God ordering Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac as a test of faith. Just as Daimon carrying the demon-cross up the hill for his own crucifixion parallels the suffering of Jesus who was forced to schlepp his own crucifix up to mount Golgotha.

J.M. DeMatteis sure covered some heavy stuff in those early 1980s Defenders issues. Yours truly first read the Dutch version of this issue when he was around 8 or 9. The metaphysical implications and the deeper lying Bible references went right over my head, but those scenes between Daimon and his daemon daddy never quite left me. And to think it was all Comics Code approved!

Some of the other demons he could've at some point met while serving Satan were: Agathon, Allatou, Baphomet, Basilisk, Belial, Dame Aramanthe, Dansker, Nicholis Eblis, Exiter, Dryminextes, Hellstrom imposter, Inanna, Kthara, Marglar, Nergal, Nightbeast, Pazuzu, Sammael, Somnambulist, Zahgurim, Zannarth