Michael Lane (character)

Michael Lane
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	As Bat-Devil: Batman #665 (June 2007) As Azrael: Azrael: Death's Dark Knight #1 (May 2009)
Created by	Grant Morrison (writer) Tony S. Daniel (artist)
In-story information
Team affiliations	The Order of St. Dumas
Notable aliases	Bat-Devil, Azrael
Abilities	Master strategist and tactician Rigorous military and police training Peak physical conditioning Skilled hand-to-hand combatant and martial artist Artificially enhanced physiology, intelligence, combat skills, and metabolism given to him through genetic splicing with animals in order to create the perfect weapon by The Sacred Order of Saint Dumas Suit of Sorrows Sword of Sin forces the person struck with it to remember every sin over the course of their life which they must atone for. Sword of Salvation forces the person struck with it to remember every past tragedy over the course of their life all at one time.

Michael Washington Lane is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He debuted in Batman #665 (June 2007) as the supervillain Bat-Devil, before later taking on the identity of Azrael, being the second character to do so, after Jean-Paul Valley. As Azrael, he is a member of a group of assassins created by the Order of St. Dumas to bring justice in Gotham City, and has been both an adversary and ally of the superhero Batman.

The character appeared in the Batman: Arkham series of video games, where he was voiced by Khary Payton.

Publication history[]

Michael Lane was introduced as Azrael as part of the Battle for the Cowl, a storyline told in a three-issue miniseries format written by Fabian Nicieza.^[1][2]

Fictional character biography[]

In 2009, a miniseries titled Azrael: Death's Dark Knight^[3] was produced as a tie-in to the Battle for the Cowl crossover event, with a later regular series.

The new Azrael is the Third "Ghost of Batman" to undergo Doctor Hurt's experiments, an ex-cop named Michael Washington Lane. He is approached by the Order of Purity to reclaim the mantle of Azrael after the Order's latest Azrael went mad and killed an undercover police officer. On his first night as Azrael, Lane fights Talia al Ghul (and her team of mercenaries led by Merlyn) and later encounters Nightwing.^[4] After convincing Nightwing that he was not responsible for the murder of the police officer, Nightwing persuades Talia to allow Michael to keep the Suit of Sorrows. In Batman and the Outsiders (vol. 2) #14, the character is displayed as a charming man who undergoes various purification rituals overseen by the Order of Purity.^[5]

Ra's al Ghul later attempts to manipulate Lane into destroying Gotham by having him commit suicide and be subsequently resurrected by the Suit, which had been dipped in a Lazarus Pit. Lane worked with metahuman Crusader to 'judge' Batman, Catwoman, and Red Robin for their past 'sins' to determine if Gotham should be saved. These included the insane obsession of Selina's sister that Selina is 'possessed', Robin not showing due reverence when he destroyed a church window to save hostages, and a childhood incident where Dick let another circus performer get assaulted because he was jealous. Although Lane is manipulated into perceiving the Bat-Family as having failed his tests, Batman convinces Lane to use his swords to test himself, revealing Ra's' plan in time for Lane to stop the planned destruction of new metahuman Fireball. Ra's intended for Azrael to detonate Fireball and make it appear as though Gotham had been destroyed by terrorists, inciting a wave of violence that would cleanse Earth and allow Ra's to take control.

Michael Lane has also appeared in The New 52. He was originally featured in Batwoman issue #2 as a cameo, which was written before the relaunch but published after; the art was however edited in order to remove him.^[6]

In other media[]

Video games[]

• The Michael Lane version of Azrael appears as a playable character in the handheld versions of Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes.
• The Michael Lane version of Azrael appears in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.

Batman: Arkham[]

The Michael Lane incarnation of Azrael appears in the Batman Arkham series, voiced by Khary Payton.

• Azrael first appears in Batman: Arkham City, as the focus of the "Watcher in the Wings" side mission. After certain events in the game's main storyline, he can be seen on the rooftops of various buildings in Arkham City, watching over Batman. When approached, Azrael will disappear in a cloud of smoke, leaving a symbol for Batman to scan. After scanning all the symbols and combining them to reveal a location, Batman meets Azrael, who tells him about the Order of St. Dumas and warns him of their prophecy of future events and the Dark Knight's end. Though Batman doubts this, Azrael tells him that, regardless of his belief, there are parts of it that are becoming true and they will meet again, before disappearing into a cloud of smoke.
• Azrael returns in Batman: Arkham Knight as the focus of the Most Wanted mission, "Heir to the Cowl", during which he is briefly playable. The character was later made fully playable in the game's challenge maps through an update. During Scarecrow's takeover of Gotham, Azrael contacts Batman to become his successor. Batman puts Azrael through several trails to test his abilities, during which he is unknowingly monitored by Alfred Pennyworth. After all the trials are completed, Alfred reveals that Azrael's fighting style is identical to Batman's, implying that he has been observing the Dark Knight for years. After discovering Azrael's true identity and that the Order of St. Dumas have implanted a microchip in his brain, Batman goes to the clock tower hideout to analyze the chip. The analysis reveals that the Order have been subtly controlling Azrael's actions, and that their ultimate plan for him is to kill Batman, whose moral code prevents criminals from facing "true justice", and become Gotham's sole protector. Azrael then appears behind Batman, revealing that he had been listening to Batman and Alfred's conversation. Now aware that the Order have manipulated him all along, he is torn between completing his mission to eliminate Batman, or regaining his free will.
  • If the player chooses to have Azrael attempt to kill Batman, he is quickly subdued by the Dark Knight and subsequently incarcerated at the GCPD Headquarters, where Lane vows to escape and complete his mission one day.
  • If the player chooses to have Azrael leave the clock tower or destroy his sword, he breaks free of the Order's brainwashing and vows to exact revenge on them for what they have done to him.

References[]

External links[]

• World of Black Heroes: Azrael Michael Washington Lane Biography
• Azrael (Michael Lane) at the DC Database Project