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Five of the Rogues undertake a strange mission under the urging of fellow Rogue Abra Kadabra. Given little explanation, they agree to strike at five specific though seemingly unremarkable locations across the United States. Each attack is committed

Underworld Unleashed was a three-issue miniseries published on a bi-weekly shipping schedule from November to December of 1995. All three issues were collected as a trade paperback in 1998. The series was written by Mark Waid, with illustrations by Howard Porter, and inked by Dan Green and Dennis Janke. Editorial credits include Ruben Diaz, Alisande Morales (assistants) and Brian Augustyn. Accompanying the miniseries were several tie-in issues and four one-shot specials, which featured various DCU characters and expanded upon events taking place within the main miniseries.

History

Book One

Five of the Rogues undertake a strange mission under the urging of fellow Rogue Abra Kadabra. Given little explanation, they agree to strike at five specific though seemingly unremarkable locations across the United States. Each attack is committed simultaneously, yielding explosive results far beyond their expectations. Each one of the five Rogues is consumed by raging green fire as their respective target sites go up in flames.

The incident does not go unnoticed by the super-hero community. In the Justice League Satellite, the members of Justice League America take note of the attacks and spring into action. The Flash III orders Blue Devil to call for back-up as they leave him on the satellite. Blue Devil is the only one to realize the strategic pattern of the five random locations. By tracing a line between each site, Blue Devil draws a perfect pentagram. He knows that something has been set free.

In Keystone City, the Trickster is frustrated with the pedestrian pranks that he has been reduced to doing just to make ends meet. When he reads about the tragic fates of the five Rogues he grows depressed, knowing that his fellow villains never rated higher than petty crooks. The Trickster decides that he wants to go for the "big score".

At Belle Reve Penitentiary, a convict named Lou goes to the office of the prison's chaplain. He complains that a guard named Finney swiped his Betty Grable calendar, and the man behind the desk agrees to help Lou out. He provides Lou with a riot shotgun and tells him that Finney will be in the turbine room at precisely midnight. Lou doesn't trust the "chaplain", but he accepts the weapon and agrees to carry out his vengeance at midnight. After Lou leaves, the man withdraws the missing Betty Grable calendar from behind his desk.

At midnight, Lou ventures down to the turbine room. He finds Finney and viciously guns him down. The gunfire sets off sparks that damage the turbines. Engineers races about to correct the situation, but there is nothing they can do. The power shuts down and the doors to the prison cells unlock. Dozens of super-powered criminals escape out into the night.

Back in Keystone City, the Trickster allies himself with another fellow Rogue – the Rainbow Raider. The Raider shows the Trickster a tapered green candle with intricate carvings on its sides. He also tells the Trickster that someone had delivered it to him, but he has no idea who or why. Before the evening ends, the Trickster surreptitiously pockets the candle and replaces it with a rubber chicken.

When he lights the candle, he finds himself instantly transported to an unknown location. The Trickster gapes in surprise as he finds himself in the company of dozens of super-villains, many of whom are likewise in possession of a lit green candle.

A demon-lord known as Neron steps out and introduces himself. He takes credit for staging the Belle Reve breakout and for providing the villains with their respective green candles. In exchange for their souls, Neron promises each of them their greatest desires. Many of the villains are only too happy to accept Neron's offer. Some even feel that their soul belongs to him already. Others, such as the Joker, are present just for the sheer fun of it. Some, however, have little desire to play second fiddle to Neron. Mongul I, for one, refuses to acknowledge Neron's power and attempts to strike him. Neron effortlessly punches Mongul to the floor, stomps on him with his boot, and then takes his soul. The Trickster debates the value of accepting Neron's offer. He then remembers that he wanted to "take the next big score" and thinks, "It doesn't come bigger than this".

There is one more guest who arrives after receiving a special invitation – Blue Devil. Blue Devil steps out from a spiraling green haze of smoke and addresses Neron.

Book Two

Blue Devil agrees to accept a mission on behalf of Neron. He knows that making a deal with the devil is a poor decision, but Neron only asks him to destroy an abandoned power station. Blue Devil scopes out the territory and makes certain that no innocents will be harmed by his actions. He strikes his trident upon the ground, and a rippling wave of energy emerges, consuming the power station.

Meanwhile in Hell, Neron sets a welcome table for five of the villains who agreed to serve him; namely Abra Kadabra, Lex Luthor, Doctor Polaris, Circe and the Joker. Neron finds the Trickster scurrying about behind the others and pulls him out into the open. The Trickster really has no idea why he is even bothering to listen to the arch-demon. Neron leaves, and the other five villains have fun tormenting the Trickster, especially the Joker. Convinced that he knows the source of Neron's power, they interrogate him further, until the Trickster reveals that Neron's power is contained within his Soul Jar. The villains begin conspiring to steal Neron's power for themselves.

Meanwhile, in St. Louis, the Flash III races about the city putting out fires. Neron appears before him and makes him an offer. In exchange for his soul, he will grant his fondest desire – the return of his mentor Barry Allen. An image of Barry flickers in front of the Flash III's eyes, but the hero knows better than to make deals with demons. He refuses the offer and runs off.

Later, Neron appears inside the Batcave. He addresses Batman and makes a similar offer. The visage of Batman's deceased former protégé, Jason Todd, walks up to greet him. Batman is haunted by the image, but staunchly turns down Neron's offer.

Neron appears next in Honolulu, Hawaii where he approaches Superboy. He offers Superboy the chance to become what he's always dreamed of – Superman. Like the others, Superboy turns down the offer.

There are some heroes, however, who actually accept the demon's offer. Hawkman, the Ray II, Triumph and the Spectre are among those who agree to sell their souls in exchange for their greatest desires.

In California, film producer Marla Bloom flies across a remote bluff in a helicopter in the hopes of capturing some ideal stock footage. Her location brings her close to the power plant that Blue Devil only recently destroyed. Unable to see because of the loss of power, their helicopter collides with a power transformer and explodes, killing all aboard. Blue Devil soon hears the news and falls into a state of shock.

In New York, Neron appears and finds Green Lantern V averting a crisis in Central Park. He makes the same offer that he made to the others, in this case, to resurrect Alexandra Dewitt, but Kyle reacts violently and the two begin battling each other across Central Park. Neron gains the upper hand, but also mentions that the soul he covets most is one of purity and innocence.

Back in Hell, Luthor and the Joker come up with a plan to pierce through Neron's Soul Jar. Circe, Polaris and Kadabra pool their magical and scientific resources together and succeed in rupturing the container. As the jar is breached, a swirl of green smoke reaches outward and spirits Circe, Polaris and Kadabra away. Luthor and the Joker are not at all shocked by the spectacle; in fact, everything went exactly as they had planned. Now there is no one else to challenge their bid for power. The Trickster keeps a safe distance from them, and wanders off to come up with his own plan.

At the Justice League satellite, the Flash III and Green Lantern V call in the reserve members and tell them about their respective experiences with Neron. Kyle mentions Neron's quest for a pure soul, and the other heroes believe that he intends on capturing Superman. The Man of Steel is not present at this meeting and no one knows where he is.

Book Three

As Neron's power continues to grow, the effects of his influence have taken hold of Earth. The entire world appears to be erupting in waves of violence and panic.

The full might of Justice League America pierces the barrier to the Underworld and confronts Neron's demonic army. Convinced that Neron has captured Superman, they navigate through the circles of Hell to find him. Neron, meanwhile, sits atop his throne with Satanus kneeling before him. Satanus acknowledges Neron's power, and offers up his own sister Blaze in exchange for lenience. Blaze is outraged, citing that they have no chance of overcoming Neron if their power is divided. In a moment of brief defiance, Satanus remarks that there is a single word that would give even Neron pause. Neron destroys Satanus before he has the chance to say the word, but the Trickster, having stayed hidden behind Neron's throne, now realizes that there is in fact a way to beat the devil.

Back on Earth, the JLA reserve members conduct damage control in various cities swept up in a grip of violence. Triumph, Gypsy and Mystek fight demonic gargoyles in Paris. The Blue Beetle II and Booster Gold try to help crowds of people consumed by a mystical hunger. In Montana, Damage, the Green Arrow II and the Black Condor II protect a National Guard armory from civilian raids. In San Francisco, the Sentinels of Magic fight off hordes of cultists and demonic agents. In Gotham City, Major Disaster causes a massive traffic jam, which gives Gorilla Grodd, Metallo and the Blockbuster II the chance to hijack a truck carrying nuclear weapons. Fortunately, Batman, Robin III, the Black Canary II and the Huntress arrive just in time to stop them.

Back in Hell, the heroes continue their advance against Neron's minions. Blue Devil is the first to reach him, and threatens to gain his "pound of flesh" for the inadvertent death of Marla Bloom. Neron turns Blue Devil's trident against him and the resulting energy surge appears to destroy him.

Soon after, the heroes discover that Superman is not trapped in the Underworld at all. The Trickster begins to realize that Superman was never the "pure soul" that Neron sought at all: his true target was Captain Marvel. The evil influence of Hell begins to overwhelm the other heroes and they fall prey to their darkest, most base instincts. Neron manipulates them into attacking Captain Marvel who, thus far, seems unaffected by the corruptive reach of Hell. Captain Marvel tries to talk to the heroes, but they keep coming after him.

Unexpectedly, Blue Devil rises from the dead – now a true devil rather than a man in a devil costume. As Blue Devil busies himself with Neron, the Trickster sneaks out and approaches Captain Marvel. He tells him that Neron fears a magic word, and Marvel immediately knows what to do. He speaks the magic word "Shazam", and a powerful mystic lightning bolt erupts in Hell, freeing the other heroes from Neron's dark influence. While the heroes attack Neron, the Trickster pulls Captain Marvel aside and tells him his plan. Captain Marvel offers his soul willingly in exchange for Neron freeing Earth and all of the heroes with no other demands. Neron greedily takes Marvel's soul and makes the deal, only to discover that a pure soulthat was offered altruistically couldn't be kept by him, as the Trickster knew would be the case, thus all of the heroes and Earth are freed, with Captain Marvel keeping his soul.

Crossovers

Underworld Unleashed crossed over into nearly every DC Comics title published at the time. Each crossover pitted the respective series' title character against a different foe.

At What Price, A Soul?

The following is a list of characters who accepted and/or refused Neron's offer, and includes what the ones who accepted or refused the offer were promised in return.

Heroes and villains who accepted

  • Abra Kadabra — Given true magical powers which replaced his futuristic science-based ones; became one of Neron's lieutenants.
  • the Atomic Skull II — Given greater power so that he could impress the love of his life, "Zelda Wentworth".
  • Black Manta — Transformed into a human/manta ray hybrid creature with superhuman powers; chronologically the first story in the crossover event, taking place before it even got started.[1]
  • Blackguard — Given enhanced strength, intelligence and equipment.
  • Blaze — Became one of Neron's lieutenants.
  • the Blockbuster II — Wanted to be smart instead of stupid; given a genius-level intellect.
  • Blue Devil — Given a chance at fame and fortune.
  • Bolt — Got a chance to carry out his "dream" assassination: the murder of a well-protected computer expert.
  • Brimstone — Given greater power.
  • the Buggmeister — Given an insectoid appearance and powers based on insects. Eaten alive by a giant stag beetle.
  • Captain Boomerang — Manipulated by Abra Kadabra with the promise of greater glory for the Rogues.
  • Captain Cold — Manipulated by Abra Kadabra with the promise of greater glory for the Rogues and also given cybernetic hands to replace his real ones, which had been previously shot off and thus severed by Deadshot during an earlier mission with the Suicide Squad.
  • the Cheetah — Sold her soul in exchange for resurrecting a friend named Chuma from the dead; transformed into a human/cheetah hybrid creature with the mind of a savage beast and able to grow more savage the angrier she became.
  • Chiller — Got a chance to carry out his "dream" assassination: the murder of a well-protected pop star.
  • Circe — Given greater magical power.
  • Chronos — Time travel, time manipulation and phasing powers, which caused accelerated aging that was partially averted by his creating a power glove which enabled him to transfer it to others.
  • the Copperhead — Sold his soul in exchange for no longer being cosidered a joke; transformed into a human/venomous snake hybrid creature which was, however, vulnerable to cold temperatures as a real snake would be.
  • Deadline — Got a chance to carry out his "dream" assassination: the murder of a Texas district attorney.
  • Deadshot — Got a chance to carry out his "dream" assassination: the murder of an entire kindergarten class.
  • Doctor Phosphorus — Given greater burning power and personal temperature control which allowed him to wear clothes without having them burn off of his body.
  • Doctor Polaris — Restored sanity and the removal of his Neal Emerson persona.
  • the Earthworm — Given superhuman powers, including a humanoid worm-like physiology, stretching powers, a vibrational drill power, and psionic control of sewer vermin.
  • the Enforcer III — Given a yellow power glove that was similar to Sinestro's yellow power ring, enhanced superhuman strength, enhanced durability and flight powers.
  • Evil Star II — He became able to create dozens of his "Starling" spawn which were now more savage and vicious than his original four "Starlings;" however, they were no longer indestructible as said original four "Starlings" were.
  • the Faux-Azrael — Wished to survive his fall from the Ice Cathedral[2] and then be given another chance to kill Azrael; however, he accepted a counter-offer to be given the opportunity to kill Batman instead.
  • Gorilla Grodd — The return of his psionic powers, genius-level intellect, and speech.
  • the Harlequin – Restored youth and the power to create nightmares; her soul was won back and the deal undone by her husband Alan Scott at the cost of his own soul (see below).
  • Hawkman – Given control of his Hawk avatars.
  • Heat Wave – Manipulated by Abra Kadabra with the promise of greater glory for the Rogues.
  • the Hellgrammite – Given enhanced power and his "Drone" offspring could no longer be converted back into humans by exposure to X-rays.
  • the Ice Man – Given a completely new set of non-ice based weapons and enhanced strength. Killed by Neron as part of a later deal with Vril Dox II (see below).
  • the Joker – Given a box of Cuban cigars and seemed to have accepted the offer simply for the sheer fun of it.
  • Killer Frost II – Given greater cold power.
  • Killer Moth – Sold his soul in exchange for being feared instead of being considered a joke; transformed into a carnivorous human/moth hybrid creature and called himself Charaxes (this name is based on an actual butterfly genus).
  • Lex Luthor – Restored health and vitality.
  • Lobo – Rid himself of a miniature radio that had been implanted into his brain by having it transferred into Neron's brain instead.
  • Madame Xanadu — Given the power to command and control three demons named Bathopet, Maw and Atopeh in exchange for her soul when she died, thereby tricking Neron because she was immortal and, therefore, could not die. Neron, however, in a cruel twist, told her that he had only made the deal with her in order to prove that he could tempt those with "gray souls" as well as evil ones.
  • Major Disaster — Sold his soul in exchange for no longer being considered a joke; given the magical ability to perceive probabilities and to locate the weak points in people and objects (but now also able to see only the worst in life) in exchange for killing Aquaman; kills Thanatos instead after mistakenly believing that he was Aquaman.
  • Malcolm Merlyn the Dark Archer — Got a chance to carry out his "dream" assassination: the murder of Batman.
  • Metallo — Given the power to morph his body into any mechanical shape that he could imagine, project his consciousness into any technological or metallic device and absorb any machinery he came into contact with in order to enhance his body.
  • the Mirror Master III — Manipulated by Abra Kadabra with the promise of greater glory for the Rogues.
  • the Mist — Restored sanity and the curing of his senility.
  • Mister Freeze — Given natural cryokinetic powers and the ability to survive in warm climates without even having to wear his cryo-suit (but was then reverted back to what he was before he accepted the offer, thus possibly undoing the deal).
  • the New Gods of ApokolipsGranny Goodness and Virman Vundabar were both given information about each others' schemes (so as to perpetuate their civil war with each other) and Doctor Bedlam made an unknown offer designed to cause chaos and death on New Apokolips, although Targa, a Hunger Dog, refused to make a deal even after Neron told him that he was destined to rule New Apokolips (however, in this case he may have been lying as usual). In exchange for all of this, Neron caused war and chaos on New Apokolips just for the sake of doing so.
  • the Ocean Master — Given a trident that gave him magical powers, but also caused him excruciating pain and hideously scarred his face when he was not actually, physically holding it.
  • the Psycho-Pirate II — Restored sanity and being merged with his Medusa Mask, becoming a psychic vampire as a result of this who fed on the life force of others after his mask had fed on their emotions.
  • Purgatory — A man who lost his legs and was given temporary legs by Green Lantern V; given real legs and a green flame power by Neron in exchange for killing Green Lantern V. Taken to Hell by Neron while he was still alive after he failed to do so after two attempts.
  • the Ragdoll — Restored youth and health and enhanced flexibility.
  • the Ray II — Convinced that Neron was a beautiful woman, mainly Circe, with a business deal. Did not fulfill the terms of his deal and so did not lose his soul nor benefit from the deal.
  • Satanus — Leniency from Neron (in exchange for his sister Blaze); became one of Neron's lieutenants.
  • Sentinel – A chance to save the soul of his wife Molly Mayne-Scott and undo her deal with Neron after she had already accepted his offer (see above).
  • the Shadow Thief — Given a more powerful costume that possessed the ability to bring shadows to life and change other people and objects into evil shadows that were under his control.
  • Shrapnel — Given greater power.
  • Sledge — Given enhanced strength.
  • the Spectre Force — Separation from Jim Corrigan, his human host at the time.
  • the Spellbinder III — Given the power to create actual, physical illusions that her victims would believe were real; however, this power only worked if her eyes were uncovered.
  • Star Sapphire II — Carol Ferris was offered a normal life without both Star Sapphire II's spirit and her child (the latter of whom was actually the child of both Star Sapphire II and the Predator (who were the two aspects (female and male, respectively) of Carol's own personality)); separated from both Star Sapphire II and the Predator, after which both of them were killed by Neron, who then quietly took the child away in his arms (the exact reason why Neron wanted the child in the first place was never revealed and the incident was never referred to or even mentioned again; later, the DC crossover event Infinite Crisis erased it from history).
  • Tezcatlipoca — Transformed into a human/jaguar hybrid.
  • the Trickster — The chance to become an A-list villain (although he never actually accepted the offer).
  • Vril Dox II — Offered up the soul of his son, Lyrl Dox, in exchange for control of L.E.G.I.O.N. Later had the Ice Man killed (see above) (actually, he asked for him to "no longer be a problem," but was happy with the result).
  • the Warrior — Offered the restoration of both Coast City and his loved ones in exchange for killing John Stewart. Reneged on the deal and thus saved his soul.
  • the Weather Wizard — Manipulated by Abra Kadabra with the promise of greater glory for the Rogues.

Heroes who refused

  • Batman — The resurrection of Jason Todd.
  • Captain Atom — Unknown offer.
  • Damage — Unknown offer.
  • the Flash III — The resurrection of Barry Allen.
  • Green Lantern V — The resurrection of Alexandra DeWitt.
  • Max Mercury — Unknown offer.
  • Mystek — Unknown offer.
  • the Oracle — Was approached by Neron, but not in the same way as the other heroes were. For her, she would regain the use of her legs and be given super-powers that woulld rival even those of Superman if she would become his librarian. Her soul, however, was hers to keep. She refused, knowing that she would lose her soul anyway no matter what Neron had promised her.
  • the Silver Swan II — Among the villains assembled in Hell by Neron in issue #1, but this was a continuity error as by this time she was no longer a villain, but had reformed and become an active hero in the earlier DC crossover event War of the Gods.
  • Superboy — Offered the chance to become Superman.
  • Triumph — Was offered his lost 10 years back, and thus the opportunity to become a major super-hero and lead Justice League America, if he simply opened a box containing one of Neron's candles.

Villains who refused

  • Airstryke — Unknown offer.
  • the Fiddler — The only one of the villains assembled in Hell who recognized Neron as the devil himself right from the beginning.
  • Knockout — Offered "power, prestige, anything you could dream of".
  • Mongul I — Killed by Neron after refusing his offer and then attacking him because he thought that Neron had insulted him by saying that all of the villains assembled in Hell - including him - were all failures before Neron had come into their lives.
  • Poison Ivy — Unknown offer.
  • the Prankster — Unknown offer.
  • the Riddler — Unknown offer.
  • the Scarecrow — Claimed to have dealt with Neron while battling Hawkman, but privately revealed he was bluffing and hadn't accepted the offer after all.
  • the Spellbinder — Refused Neron's offer, then was immediately after this shot and killed by his girlfriend Fay Moffit, who then took the deal for herself and became the Spellbinder III as a result.
  • the Shade — Claimed to have reformed and to no longer be a villain, even going so far to tell Neron right to his face when the demon told him that he was forming an army of villains, "Go peddle your wares with them", as he was already immortal, had great wealth that he saw no need to increase and saw no way that his powers could be effectively enhanced. Furious at this refusal and vowing revenge on the Shade for said refusal, Neron subsequently indirectly organized a later large attack on Opal City and used the Shade's arch-enemy, Simon Culp, to try to harm him.
  • Terra-Man — Unknown offer.
  • Vandal Savage — Offered his soul willingly and without being asked if he even wanted to make a deal, but this time Neron himself refused it as Savage's soul was, in Neron's own words, "black and tasteless" instead of innocent. Because of this, Neron did not want it at all under any circumstances.

Issues

Issues in event have not yet been added.

Notes

  • It was, at first, believed by the heroes involved that Superman was Neron's true target, but it later turned out to actually be Captain Marvel instead. Superman did not take part in the "Underworld Unleashed" crossover event, as he was off-planet and involved in the multi-part storyline "The Trial of Superman!".
  • The nature of Marla Bloom's death is expanded upon in Teen Titans (Volume 3) #42.

Trivia

  • Batman was wise to refuse Neron's offer, as Jason Todd returned to life anyway in the pages of Batman Annual #25.
  • Ironically, Superboy would have risked nothing by accepting Neron's offer, as he did not actually have a soul with which to sell. Superboy did not develop a true "soul" until Teen Titans Annual (Volume 3) #1.

Recommended Reading

Links and References

Underworld Unleashed TP
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Underworld Unleashed
The events from this issue or series are related to the Underworld Unleashed crossover, in which the demon Neron bargained power with the Heroes and Villains of Earth in exchange for their souls. This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the Underworld Unleashed Crossover category.


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