It's a long story... actually, it's not. A secret religious order asked me to serve as God's sword of justice. They gave me a Brownstone. They gave me an ancient suit of armor and two swords -- one to make the guilty face their sins, the other to make them long for salvation.
„
~ Azrael.
Michael Washington Lane, also known as Azrael, is a fictional character from DC comics, appearing as an antagonist turned supporting character in the Batman comics and the titular protagonist in the Azrael comics.
A military veteran turned cop, Lane was a test subject of Dr. Simon Hurt's experiment to create a replacement if anything happened to Batman. Suffering from personal tragedies and PTSD, Michael went insane and become a member of the Three Ghosts of Batman to fight against the Dark Knight. Confessing that he "killed" Batman, Lane was inducted into the Order of Purity, being chosen to become the new Azrael.
He was created by Grant Morrison and Tony S. Daniel, and first appeared in Batman #665 in June of 2007.
Michael Washington Lane was born around the 1970s in Gotham City's East End to Mitchell and Barbara Lane, and is the brother to Marion and Gwendolyn Lane. Graduating from East End High, Michael attended Gotham University on a football scholarship, but lost it after beating his coach to near death. He then enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, serving two tours in Iraq before returning home to join the Gotham City Police Department, where he befriended fellow cop Peter Farrelli. Around the 1990s, Mitchell would pass away as Barbara was brought to a care home where Michael would visit whenever he needed advice.
At an unknown point in time following his military service, Lane participated as a subject of Dr. Hurt's experiment to create a person capable of replacing Batman. Wanting a new Dark Knight in case the original would die, Hurt programmed Michael and fellow policemen Josef Muller and Branca alongside enhancing their conditions. Following his programming, Michael married a woman named Chanté Coles, whom gave birth to his son Henry Mitchell Lane.
Bat-Devil[]
Lane was dealt with countless tragedies in his life, as his son died during a car accident when he was three years, resulting in Chanté taking her own life. Alongside the mental effects of Hurt's experiments and losing his siblings to a satanist cult, Michael went insane and blamed Batman for what happened to him. Joining with the subjects of Hurt's experiments, Bat-Cop and Bat-Bane, Lane became Bat-Devil, forming the Three Ghosts of Batman. The group would be defeated by the Dark Knight during their encounters, but Michael joined Hurt in helping the Black Glove's attempt to kill the vigilante. Surviving the helicopter he was piloting around Hurt's attempt to escape from Arkham Asylum, Lane believed that he killed the Dark Knight.
Becoming Azrael[]
After his survival, Lane became guilt-ridden for supposedly causing Batman's death, and was greeted by the Order of Purity to be selected as the new Azrael. Wanting to atone for his past sins, Michael agreed to take the mantle and was forced to fight off Talia al Ghul and the Seven Men of Death. During the battle, Talia stabbed him with the sword of salvation and informed him that the suit of sorrows was cursed, leading Lane to confront the order. Seeing his predecessor's mental state, Michael spoke with his mother before battling Nightwing. The fight ended with Azrael being knocked unconscious, and Grayson decided to allow Lane keep the suit to act as one of the many protectors of Gotham.
While serving the order, Michael was contacted by Grayson in help him stop Amon and the cult La Saligia, as they kidnapped his sidekick Damian Wayne. Helping the boy, Azrael fought alongside the new Robin against the cult as Grayson and the Question II to free those who were brainwashed. The vigilante then started to hunt down a serial killer that was attacking clergymen, but let him go upon learning that the killer was attacking since they were covering their crimes against children. During his tenure, Azrael becomes a pawn of Ra's al Ghul's plot, sending in the White Ghost to challenge him. Later on, Lane became the host of the eight deadly sin of faith by the La Saligia, but was freed by the Ghost and eliminated the cult.
Ra's plans come to fruition when he has the suit of sorrows repaired, making the voices in Azrael's head amplified to the point he suffers a breakdown. Lane goes on a rampage in the city that ends with him stabbing Grayson, causing him to take his own life with the help of Farelli. In purgatory, Michael encounters Father Euan Grieve before returning to his body, as the suit would resurrect its wearer. Bruce Wayne returns and regains his mantle, and fearing that Lane could turn into Bat-Devil, invites him to join Batman Inc.
Portrayals[]
Video Games[]
In the Batman: Arkham series, he was voiced by Khary Payton, who also played Ezekiel in The Walking Dead, and voiced Cyborg in numerous media, and Knox in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.
