He was a character who shouldn't have gotten off the drawing board. After the success of GHOST RIDER, a man cursed by Satan, the next step was to feature the offspring of the Devil. He could have only been created in the 1970s with Marvel's more lax editorial style and still it was changed from The Mark of Satan (which would have starred Satan) to Son of Satan (with Satan as the antagonist).
Damien Hellstrom, who was supposed to be the Devil's only surviving child, was torn between the mortal world and the Pit. He opposed evil whenever he found it but was the heir of Hell. He could exorcise demons yet was potentially worse than any of them. He wanted love despite his blasphemous existence.
But all that, I liked the guy. He wanted to be more than the circumstances of his birth; to move beyond his destiny and forge his own path. He was abrasive, haughty and anti-social but you felt sorry for him. It seemed to me that he was fighting a losing battle. Every victory was minor in the Grand Scheme as Satan never wanted him dead. Ol' Lucifer was letting Damien sow his "good" oats until he would one day admit to his heritage and join him in Hell. He really had no other place to go.
In these corporate days, the Son of Satan is persona non grata at Disney/Marvel. No movies, no action figures, no video games, no animated appearances even though Marvel's other Horror heroes have been featured. They tried to make him a super-hero (Hellstorm) and outright evil (Prince of Lies) but to me, he'll always be humanity's defender against the Inferno and the penitent trying to be forgiven for the sin of being the Son of Satan.
Replies
Why not do a Re-Read thread, Philip? I'll be the first to confess I kinda lost track of the character around the time Warren Ellis was writing him, or maybe sooner!
Who would have been the hero if they'd made The Mark of Satan? And it wouldn't have lasted long with a villain as the star. The Joker's comic only ran nine issues.
This is one character that will probably have to get a new name before they can do much with him. They'd have to just call him Damien in any cartoons. Can't have people constantly saying Satan or Hell when talking about him in a cartoon. Unless Marvel tried for the Simpsons market. And then it would end up a comedy.
I still have to continue my Legion re-read!
Besides, all I could really go through is Damien's Bronze Age tales as I can only have a few recent Damien appearances.
Captain Comics said:
I have enough trouble getting my Avengers Re-Read to #15, or I'd do it.
How long was he in the Defenders? That might double his appearances from those of his own titles!
He appeared in Giant-Size Defenders #2, Defenders #22-25 and #62-64. He really was part of the Non-Team from #92 to 125.
I don't even have all of the Defenders issues.