The Saint of Killers is God's Angel of Death. He was tasked by angels to find and retrieve a dangerous creature named Genesis, who had possessed a man named Jesse Custer.
History
Early Life
An unnamed man, later known as the "Saint of Killers", fought in the Civil War, and was known as one of the most violent, bloodthirsty soldiers on the battlefield. After the war, he went back to Texas, staying away from others, and made money by completing bounties on Indians.
During a raid on a group of Apaches, he came across a young girl who had been their captive. He gave her a ride back to her home in Laredo, Texas. When he got her back to her family, her brother was shocked that she had not only been saved by one of the most dangerous soldiers of the war, but that she wanted to go back with him. She saw the potential of a good man beneath his cold, cynical skin. She wanted to take a man who had given up all hope of humanity and show him that there was some good in life after all.
The two ended up together for a decade, and had a baby daughter. They lived in the wild, living off the land. For the first time, he knew that there was more to his life than killing. He had a family and future
Search for Medicine
Eventually, his wife and daughter grew sick. One of the myriad fevers that travel west got into them. They were bedridden with a fever, and the only medicine was a week away by horse. It pained him to leave his family behind, but his he was told by his to go and that if he didn't make it or anything should happen before he got back, he was not to blame himself. He promised to retrieve the medicine in time.
When he arrived home, the crows had already started picking at the flesh of his wife and daughter. He buried his family, and then took his guns and his sword and headed back towards Ratwater to slay the men who had delayed him.
He killed all of the men, and aimed a gun at their leader, Gumbo McCready, who grabbed an innocent and used her as a shield. He counted on the gunman being a basically good man. He was wrong. A bullet went straight through her head, missing him, and at that moment, his gun jammed.
McCready took the opportunity to knock the gunman down, and jammed the blade of a shovel through his chest. The man died, and his soul went to the only place it could possibly go - Hell.
Hell
When a soul gets to Hell, all love, fear and hate evaporates in the heat of the inferno. Nothing human survives the approach to the Gates. When the man arrived, his hate and desire for revenge was undiminished. His heart was cold enough to freeze over the fires of Hell. The Devil himself came out to find out what was going on. The Devil and the Angel Of Death found the source of their problem - the soul of the dead gunman. The Devil tried to beat the hate out of him, but he didn't give it up. His hate remained.
The Devil begged him to give it up, and asked what why he hated so much. The man said that the only good thing he had in a bad, bad life had been taken from him, and all that remained was the desire for revenge and to kill.
The Angel of Death, unhappy with his job, offered his position. The man would take his place, bringing death at God's will. He would carry guns made from the Angel's sword, that would never misfire or run out. Every shot would hit, every hit would kill. He could have his revenge and much more. The man agreed. The dead gunman was given new clothes and a new title: The Saint of Killers. His first victim was ended up being none other than the Devil himself.
Saint of Killers
The Saint returned to Ratwater, and killed McCready and the corrupt preacher who traveled with him. He didn't stop there. He killed every man, woman and child in town. Ratwater died under his guns that night. Innocent or guilty made no difference. He was the bringer of death, and he didn't care whose.
When his job was done, he went to wait under Boot Hill, to be called out, many times, to bring about the death and destruction that God wanted. The final time, however, was for something special. The Saint of Killers was told about Genesis, the offspring of a demon and angel, whose power was almost on par with God's. Genesis had escaped and possessed a preacher in a small Texas town, Jesse Custer. The angels were terrified of what Custer might do with such power, and sent the Saint to track him down and kill him.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Divine Empowerment: After gaining the title of the Angel of Death, the Saint of Killers gained various mystical powers and abilities.
- Dimensional Travel: The Saint has the ability to enter and leave Heaven at will. It is not known as to whether he can do the same with Hell.
- Immortality: As the Angel of Death, the Saint is unable to be killed any any ordinary means.
- Invulnerability: The Saint is virtually invulnerable to all harm. Bullets bounce off him, a direct hit from a tank didn't affect him, and being hit in the chest with a nuclear missile caused no damage to him or his clothes.
- Superhuman Strength: The Saint possesses a degree of superhuman strength. He is strong enough to easily fling a grown man several feet like a rag doll.
- Superhuman Speed: The Saint is able to draw and shoot his guns at incredible speeds, faster than any man can perceive.
Abilities
Paraphernalia
Weapons
- Divine Colt Walker Revolvers: The Saint of Killers' Colt Walkers were forged by the Angel of Death himself, using his own sword as the material. They never misfire, never jam, never run out of ammo, always hit their target and their shots are always fatal.
Related
- 27 Appearances of Saint of Killers (Preacher)
- 9 Images featuring Saint of Killers (Preacher)
- 2 Quotations by or about Saint of Killers (Preacher)
- Character Gallery: Saint of Killers (Preacher)
Footnotes
This character exists under the Vertigo Imprint which is intended for Mature Readers.Their continuity takes place within the context of Vertigo titles although they may cross over into regular DC continuity.