Presence (comics)
Encyclopedia
The Presence is a fiction
al representation of God
, and is a character in comic book
s published by DC Comics
. The character debuted in More Fun Comics
#52 (February 1940), and was created by Jerry Siegel
and Bernard Baily
.
#52 as The Voice, the disembodied "Voice of the Presence" who empowers Jim Corrigan as the Spectre
. It was created in this story by Jerry Siegel and Bernard Baily.
of the DC Universe
is complex with many pantheons of deities co-existing alongside each other. It involves elements from multiple religions, mythologies
, and modern created concepts such as the Endless
. It is not always clear how the Abrahamic God fits in to this — for example, one particular Wonder Woman
storyline by Eric Luke
featured the Greek Titans
fighting Judeo-Christian angel
s and Hindu
gods. According to writer Greg Rucka
in an interview about his Final Crisis: Revelations
miniseries, "The sort of unspoken rule in the DCU is that God sits above all others. And then below that you can have your New Gods and your Greek gods and whoever else you want."
DC's superhero comics have always drawn upon Judeo-Christian beliefs for plot elements — the first appearance of "The Voice" was in the 1940 origin of the Spectre — but they have traditionally used surrogate concepts and names rather than refer to the Judeo-Christian deity directly. The comics are published under the Comics Code
, a set of ethical guidelines drawn up in the 1950s in reaction to anti-comic book hysteria. The Code does not explicitly refer to God, but does say that "ridicule or attack on any religious or racial group is never permissible." Later revisions of the Code are phrased in terms of respecting religious beliefs and religious institutions, which may account for the comics' hesitancy when dealing with God.
The lack of a central doctrine means that multiple "aspects" of God have been introduced by different writers. Significant examples of God surrogates include:
Many references to similar beings appear to be obvious references to the Judeo-Christian sect's supreme deity, but they are sometimes revealed to be other entities in the DC Universe. Some events from Judeo-Christian mythology
are assumed to be a part of the fictional timeline of the DC Universe, but they often involve significant artistic license. For example, it was Eclipso
(the original agent of God's wrath) who caused the mythological Great Flood, and it was his replacement, the Spectre, who unleashed the ten plagues
on Egypt
and later parted the Red Sea
for Moses
. The DC Universe is repeatedly shown to have been created via a variation of the Big Bang
and human evolution
through natural selection
, yet paradoxically it also has a Garden of Eden
and a version of Lilith
, Adam
's first wife (e.g., Peter David
's Supergirl series). A hint to reconcile this occurs in a Sandman issue (reprinted in Fables and Reflections) in which Cain, Abel, and Eve tell a story to Daniel Hall
(grandson of Carter Hall) about their past, and Abel says, "Oh, this whuwasn't on Earth, thuh thu--" before being hushed.
Since the end of the series, the Presence has vacated his creation, and his granddaughter Elaine Belloc
has taken his place.
In another story, the fallen archangel Asmodel
invades the Silver City
with an army of Bull Host angels and Neron
's demons to claim the Throne of God, only to be told by Zauriel
that the Presence was not, in actuality, truly sitting upon a throne in the highest Heaven—he was part of everything and everyone, part of Heaven and Earth and perhaps even Hell itself, and thus could never be dethroned by any rebel, be they mortal or angel. Asmodel is stripped of his angelic powers and condemned to Hell by the Presence to burn for eternity for his treachery.
#64, it is said (but not confirmed) that Jesus
was conceived from the archangel Gabriel
's rape of a woman named Mary ("He'd committed rape behind a carpenter's in Nazareth, and a cycle of agony began that ended on a hill above Jerusalem...").
In Neil Gaiman
's Sandman mythos, the Presence's angelic servants are shown as residents of the Silver City
, a place that is styled upon the mythical paradise or "Heaven" of Judeo-Christian mythology, but is explicitly referred to as a separate place. Within the city there are two towers. At the top of the tallest tower, the Tower of Unendingly High, is the Primum Mobile, the Throne of Light, where God resides. Angels can only approach the Throne if they are summoned there. The second, shorter tower contains an audience chamber where the voice of God, the Logos, can be heard. Sandman's God is, again, never explicitly referred to by name, and is in fact rarely mentioned at all, save an exchange between an Egyptian deity and an angel in Season of Mists
: "On whose authority?" "Whose do you think?"
The Sandman series weaves an explanation for the many mythical deities apart from the Presence in the DC Universe. They are described as originating in Dream's realm, born out of people's wishes and fears. They take their power from prayers sent to them and die when they are no longer revered and ultimately forgotten.
A significant character in the Sandman series is the fallen angel Lucifer Morningstar
, who rules in Hell
. In Season of Mists, he renounces his throne and leaves Hell. His story, and the quasi-Biblical references surrounding him, is expanded upon in Mike Carey's Lucifer series. God, the Presence, in that series is referred to by name as Yahweh
. He is the father of Lucifer and Michael Demiurgos
. The Lucifer series depicts gods from religions other than the three monotheistic Abrahamic religions
, including formless gods dreamt up by the earliest humans before the advent of language, and even tiny, short-lived crustacean gods originating from the hopes and fears of shrimp. Since the end of the series, the Presence has vacated his creation, and his granddaughter Elaine Belloc
has taken his place. How this affects other aspects of the Presence has yet to be seen.
Meanwhile, the stand alone comic book series Preacher
, by Garth Ennis
and Steve Dillon
, likewise depicts the Judeo-Christian Pancreator known as "God" as having left his realm, but is otherwise unconnected to DC continuity. Preacher references the Christian God very explicitly, as he is the central MacGuffin
of the series. It is revealed that after the creation of Genesis, a being that was created by the illegal union of an angel and a demon, God departed Heaven following the demon's imprisonment, leaving his angels in charge of it and giving up his own invulnerability in the process. After Genesis escaped from his prison, he bonded with a Southern
preacher named Jesse Custer, who manifested supernatural abilities, and set out on a journey to find God in order to confront him as to why he deserted his post in Heaven.
episode "The Once and Future Thing, Part 2: Time Warped". It is seen toward the end of the episode when Batman
and Green Lantern chase Chronos to the beginning of time. Chronos hoped that by traveling there, he could become God.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al representation of God
God in Christianity
In Christianity, God is the eternal being that created and preserves the universe. God is believed by most Christians to be immanent , while others believe the plan of redemption show he will be immanent later...
, and is a character in comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. The character debuted in More Fun Comics
More Fun Comics
More Fun Comics, originally titled New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine a.k.a. New Fun Comics, was a 1935-1947 American comic book anthology that introduced several major superhero characters and was the first American comic-book series to feature solely original material rather than reprints of...
#52 (February 1940), and was created by Jerry Siegel
Jerry Siegel
Jerome "Jerry" Siegel , who also used pseudonyms including Joe Carter, Jerry Ess, and Herbert S...
and Bernard Baily
Bernard Baily
Bernard Baily was an American comic book artist best known as co-creator of the DC Comics characters the Spectre and Hourman, and a comics publisher, writer, and editor.-Early life and career:...
.
Publication history
The presence first appears in More Fun ComicsMore Fun Comics
More Fun Comics, originally titled New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine a.k.a. New Fun Comics, was a 1935-1947 American comic book anthology that introduced several major superhero characters and was the first American comic-book series to feature solely original material rather than reprints of...
#52 as The Voice, the disembodied "Voice of the Presence" who empowers Jim Corrigan as the Spectre
Spectre (comics)
The Spectre is a fictional character and superhero who has appeared in numerous comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a next issue ad in More Fun Comics #51 and received his first story the following month, #52...
. It was created in this story by Jerry Siegel and Bernard Baily.
DC Comics
The religious cosmologyReligious cosmology
A Religious cosmology is a way of explaining the origin, the history and the evolution of the universe based on the religious mythology of a specific tradition...
of the DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
is complex with many pantheons of deities co-existing alongside each other. It involves elements from multiple religions, mythologies
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
, and modern created concepts such as the Endless
Endless (comics)
The Endless are a group of beings who embody powerful forces or aspects of the universe in the DC comic book series The Sandman, by Neil Gaiman. They have existed since the dawn of time and are thought to be among the most powerful beings in the universe...
. It is not always clear how the Abrahamic God fits in to this — for example, one particular Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
storyline by Eric Luke
Eric Luke
-Film:Eric Luke began his career in film writing. Previous film work included: Explorers for Paramount Pictures, co-plotting the Gargoyles pilot five-parter for The Walt Disney Company, numerous screenplays for MGM and others, and also wrote and directed the latter two films in the Not Quite Human...
featured the Greek Titans
Titan (mythology)
In Greek mythology, the Titans were a race of powerful deities, descendants of Gaia and Uranus, that ruled during the legendary Golden Age....
fighting Judeo-Christian angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
s and Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
gods. According to writer Greg Rucka
Greg Rucka
Gregory "Greg" Rucka is an American comic book writer and novelist, known for his work on such comics as Action Comics, Batwoman: Detective Comics, and the miniseries Superman: World of New Krypton for DC Comics, and for novels such as his Queen & Country series.-Career:Rucka's writing career...
in an interview about his Final Crisis: Revelations
Final Crisis: Revelations
Final Crisis: Revelations is a five-issue comic book limited series written by Greg Rucka, with art by Philip Tan, Jeff De Los Santos, and Jonathan Glapion.-Outline:...
miniseries, "The sort of unspoken rule in the DCU is that God sits above all others. And then below that you can have your New Gods and your Greek gods and whoever else you want."
DC's superhero comics have always drawn upon Judeo-Christian beliefs for plot elements — the first appearance of "The Voice" was in the 1940 origin of the Spectre — but they have traditionally used surrogate concepts and names rather than refer to the Judeo-Christian deity directly. The comics are published under the Comics Code
Comics Code Authority
The Comics Code Authority was a body created as part of the Comics Magazine Association of America, as a tool for the comics-publishing industry to self-regulate the content of comic books in the United States. Member publishers submitted comic books to the CCA, which screened them for adherence to...
, a set of ethical guidelines drawn up in the 1950s in reaction to anti-comic book hysteria. The Code does not explicitly refer to God, but does say that "ridicule or attack on any religious or racial group is never permissible." Later revisions of the Code are phrased in terms of respecting religious beliefs and religious institutions, which may account for the comics' hesitancy when dealing with God.
The lack of a central doctrine means that multiple "aspects" of God have been introduced by different writers. Significant examples of God surrogates include:
- The Voice – The disembodied "Voice of the Presence" that spoke to and empowered Jim Corrigan as the SpectreSpectre (comics)The Spectre is a fictional character and superhero who has appeared in numerous comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a next issue ad in More Fun Comics #51 and received his first story the following month, #52...
in More Fun ComicsMore Fun ComicsMore Fun Comics, originally titled New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine a.k.a. New Fun Comics, was a 1935-1947 American comic book anthology that introduced several major superhero characters and was the first American comic-book series to feature solely original material rather than reprints of...
#52. This is the most "active" version of God seen in the comic books. At one point, it even answers the Spectre's prayers by resurrecting the murdered Justice Society of AmericaJustice Society of AmericaThe Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
. When the Voice uttered the first word, it created "The WordWord (comics)The Word is a fictional cosmic entity in DC Comics. It first appeared in Swamp Thing #147 , and was created by Mark Millar and Phil Hester....
", and it was already being tracked by DestinyDestiny (DC Comics)Destiny is a DC Comics character created by Marv Wolfman and Bernie Wrightson, first appearing in Weird Mystery Tales #1 , and was regular host of that series for the first fourteen issues, after which he hosted Secrets of Haunted House. He is one of the Endless in Neil Gaiman's comic book series,...
in his book. - The Hand – An image of a hand appearing out of a nebula has been referenced numerous times in different DC Comics as a metaphor for the creator or the mystery that exists at the moment of universal creation. It was first seen in Green LanternGreen LanternThe Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
vol. 2, #40. In Crisis on Infinite EarthsCrisis on Infinite EarthsCrisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
#10, the Hand was turned into a predestination paradoxPredestination paradoxA predestination paradox is a paradox of time travel that is often used as a convention in science fiction. It exists when a time traveller is caught in a loop of events that "predestines" or "predates" them to travel back in time...
as the hand of the villainous Anti-MonitorAnti-MonitorThe Anti-Monitor is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain and the antagonist of the 1985 DC Comics miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths. He first appeared in Crisis on Infinite Earths #2 , and was destroyed in Crisis on Infinite Earths #12, only to return after a long absence in Green...
, who tried to rearrange all existence at its starting point, but failed. - The SourceSource (comics)The Source was a metaphysical concept created by writer/artist Jack Kirby for his Fourth World series of comic books. It first appeared in New Gods #1, .-History:...
– The universal spirit from Jack KirbyJack KirbyJack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
's Fourth World cosmology. - The Presence – The unseen Judeo-Christian deity from Grant MorrisonGrant MorrisonGrant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
's fictional angel mythology. - Wally – A being claiming to a manifestation of God who appears in the form of a young boy wearing a baseball hat. He first appears in Peter DavidPeter DavidPeter Allen David , often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, movies and video games...
's Linda DanversLinda DanversLinda Danvers, formerly known as Supergirl, is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. She debuted in Supergirl #1 , and was created by Peter David and Gary Frank...
/Supergirl series. A similar character later appears in the same author's Fallen AngelFallen Angel (comics)Fallen Angel is an American fictional comic book heroine created and owned by writer Peter David and artist David Lopez, who appears in her self-titled monthly series. It was published by DC Comics from July 2003 until it was canceled with issue #20 in May 2005 because of low sales. It resumed...
series.
Many references to similar beings appear to be obvious references to the Judeo-Christian sect's supreme deity, but they are sometimes revealed to be other entities in the DC Universe. Some events from Judeo-Christian mythology
Christian mythology
Christian mythology is the body of myths associated with Christianity. In the study of mythology, the term "myth" refers to a traditional story, often one which is regarded as sacred and which explains how the world and its inhabitants came to have their present form.Classicist G.S. Kirk defines a...
are assumed to be a part of the fictional timeline of the DC Universe, but they often involve significant artistic license. For example, it was Eclipso
Eclipso
Eclipso is a fictional supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. The character is the incarnation of the Wrath of God and the Angel of Vengeance that turned evil and was replaced by the Spectre...
(the original agent of God's wrath) who caused the mythological Great Flood, and it was his replacement, the Spectre, who unleashed the ten plagues
Plagues of Egypt
The Plagues of Egypt , also called the Ten Plagues or the Biblical Plagues, were ten calamities that, according to the biblical Book of Exodus, Israel's God, Yahweh, inflicted upon Egypt to persuade Pharaoh to release the ill-treated Israelites from slavery. Pharaoh capitulated after the tenth...
on Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and later parted the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
for Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
. The DC Universe is repeatedly shown to have been created via a variation of the Big Bang
Big Bang
The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model that explains the early development of the Universe. According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe was once in an extremely hot and dense state which expanded rapidly. This rapid expansion caused the young Universe to cool and resulted in...
and human evolution
Human evolution
Human evolution refers to the evolutionary history of the genus Homo, including the emergence of Homo sapiens as a distinct species and as a unique category of hominids and mammals...
through natural selection
Natural selection
Natural selection is the nonrandom process by which biologic traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution....
, yet paradoxically it also has a Garden of Eden
Garden of Eden
The Garden of Eden is in the Bible's Book of Genesis as being the place where the first man, Adam, and his wife, Eve, lived after they were created by God. Literally, the Bible speaks about a garden in Eden...
and a version of Lilith
Lilith
Lilith is a character in Jewish mythology, found earliest in the Babylonian Talmud, who is generally thought to be related to a class of female demons Līlīṯu in Mesopotamian texts. However, Lowell K. Handy notes, "Very little information has been found relating to the Akkadian and Babylonian view...
, Adam
Adam
Adam is a figure in the Book of Genesis. According to the creation myth of Abrahamic religions, he is the first human. In the Genesis creation narratives, he was created by Yahweh-Elohim , and the first woman, Eve was formed from his rib...
's first wife (e.g., Peter David
Peter David
Peter Allen David , often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, movies and video games...
's Supergirl series). A hint to reconcile this occurs in a Sandman issue (reprinted in Fables and Reflections) in which Cain, Abel, and Eve tell a story to Daniel Hall
Daniel Hall
Daniel Hall is a fictional character in the Sandman comic book series written by Neil Gaiman and published by DC Comics. An infant for the majority of the Sandman series, he is the son of Hippolyta 'Lyta' Hall and Hector Hall, borne for two years in the Dreaming Daniel Hall is a fictional character...
(grandson of Carter Hall) about their past, and Abel says, "Oh, this whuwasn't on Earth, thuh thu--" before being hushed.
Since the end of the series, the Presence has vacated his creation, and his granddaughter Elaine Belloc
Elaine Belloc
Elaine Belloc is a fictional character in the DC/Vertigo Comics series Lucifer created by Mike Carey. Elaine was created by Carey specifically for the Lucifer series, and her character is that of a young girl with special powers who encounters Lucifer and takes part in the adventures and battles...
has taken his place.
In another story, the fallen archangel Asmodel
Asmodel
Asmodel is a fictional fallen angel, a comic book character published by DC Comics, his namesake deriving from the Asmodel of real Christian theology, the Angel of April and Patience. He first appeared in JLA #7, and was created by Grant Morrison and Howard Porter...
invades the Silver City
Silver City (comics)
The Silver City is a fictional location in stories published DC Universe. It is the home of beings known as Angels and of the The Presence, the primary deity of Judeo-Christian theology in the DC Universe...
with an army of Bull Host angels and Neron
Neron
Neron is a fictional demon, a comic book character published by DC Comics. He first appeared in the DC Comics cross-over event Underworld Unleashed #1, , and was created by Mark Waid and Howard Porter.- Publication history :...
's demons to claim the Throne of God, only to be told by Zauriel
Zauriel
Zauriel is a fictional character in the DC Universe. Originally a guardian angel who served Heaven for millions of years, he willingly fell to Earth and becomes a superhero, having been a member of DC's all-star Justice League. He first appeared in JLA #6...
that the Presence was not, in actuality, truly sitting upon a throne in the highest Heaven—he was part of everything and everyone, part of Heaven and Earth and perhaps even Hell itself, and thus could never be dethroned by any rebel, be they mortal or angel. Asmodel is stripped of his angelic powers and condemned to Hell by the Presence to burn for eternity for his treachery.
Vertigo Comics
In HellblazerHellblazer
Hellblazer is a contemporary horror comic book series, originally published by DC Comics, and subsequently by the Vertigo imprint since March 1993, the month the imprint was introduced, where it remains to this day...
#64, it is said (but not confirmed) that Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
was conceived from the archangel Gabriel
Gabriel
In Abrahamic religions, Gabriel is an Archangel who typically serves as a messenger to humans from God.He first appears in the Book of Daniel, delivering explanations of Daniel's visions. In the Gospel of Luke Gabriel foretells the births of both John the Baptist and of Jesus...
's rape of a woman named Mary ("He'd committed rape behind a carpenter's in Nazareth, and a cycle of agony began that ended on a hill above Jerusalem...").
In Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
's Sandman mythos, the Presence's angelic servants are shown as residents of the Silver City
Silver City (comics)
The Silver City is a fictional location in stories published DC Universe. It is the home of beings known as Angels and of the The Presence, the primary deity of Judeo-Christian theology in the DC Universe...
, a place that is styled upon the mythical paradise or "Heaven" of Judeo-Christian mythology, but is explicitly referred to as a separate place. Within the city there are two towers. At the top of the tallest tower, the Tower of Unendingly High, is the Primum Mobile, the Throne of Light, where God resides. Angels can only approach the Throne if they are summoned there. The second, shorter tower contains an audience chamber where the voice of God, the Logos, can be heard. Sandman's God is, again, never explicitly referred to by name, and is in fact rarely mentioned at all, save an exchange between an Egyptian deity and an angel in Season of Mists
The Sandman: Season of Mists
Season of Mists is the fourth collection of issues in the DC Comics series, The Sandman.It was written by Neil Gaiman; illustrated by Kelley Jones, Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III, Matt Wagner, Dick Giordano, George Pratt, and P...
: "On whose authority?" "Whose do you think?"
The Sandman series weaves an explanation for the many mythical deities apart from the Presence in the DC Universe. They are described as originating in Dream's realm, born out of people's wishes and fears. They take their power from prayers sent to them and die when they are no longer revered and ultimately forgotten.
A significant character in the Sandman series is the fallen angel Lucifer Morningstar
Lucifer (DC Comics)
Lucifer is a DC Comics character that starred in an eponymous comic book published under the Vertigo imprint, whose entire run was written by Mike Carey...
, who rules in Hell
Hell (DC Comics)
Hell is a fictional location, an infernal underworld utilized in titles published by DC Comics. It is the locational antithesis of the Silver City. The DC Comics location known as Hell is based heavily on its depiction in Judeo-Christian mythology...
. In Season of Mists, he renounces his throne and leaves Hell. His story, and the quasi-Biblical references surrounding him, is expanded upon in Mike Carey's Lucifer series. God, the Presence, in that series is referred to by name as Yahweh
Yahweh
Yahweh is the name of God in the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jews and Christians.The word Yahweh is a modern scholarly convention for the Hebrew , transcribed into Roman letters as YHWH and known as the Tetragrammaton, for which the original pronunciation is unknown...
. He is the father of Lucifer and Michael Demiurgos
Michael Demiurgos
Michael Demiurgos is a fictional character in the Lucifer series by DC comics, and is a creation of Mike Carey, based on the archangel Michael....
. The Lucifer series depicts gods from religions other than the three monotheistic Abrahamic religions
Abrahamic religions
Abrahamic religions are the monotheistic faiths emphasizing and tracing their common origin to Abraham or recognizing a spiritual tradition identified with him...
, including formless gods dreamt up by the earliest humans before the advent of language, and even tiny, short-lived crustacean gods originating from the hopes and fears of shrimp. Since the end of the series, the Presence has vacated his creation, and his granddaughter Elaine Belloc
Elaine Belloc
Elaine Belloc is a fictional character in the DC/Vertigo Comics series Lucifer created by Mike Carey. Elaine was created by Carey specifically for the Lucifer series, and her character is that of a young girl with special powers who encounters Lucifer and takes part in the adventures and battles...
has taken his place. How this affects other aspects of the Presence has yet to be seen.
Meanwhile, the stand alone comic book series Preacher
Preacher (comics)
Preacher is a comic book series created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon, published by the American comic book label Vertigo , with painted covers by Glenn Fabry....
, by Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis is a Northern Irish comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series Preacher with artist Steve Dillon and his successful nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise...
and Steve Dillon
Steve Dillon
Steve Dillon is a British comic book artist, from Luton, Bedfordshire, best known for his work with writer Garth Ennis on Hellblazer, Preacher and The Punisher.-Biography:...
, likewise depicts the Judeo-Christian Pancreator known as "God" as having left his realm, but is otherwise unconnected to DC continuity. Preacher references the Christian God very explicitly, as he is the central MacGuffin
MacGuffin
A MacGuffin is "a plot element that catches the viewers' attention or drives the plot of a work of fiction". The defining aspect of a MacGuffin is that the major players in the story are willing to do and sacrifice almost anything to obtain it, regardless of what the MacGuffin actually is...
of the series. It is revealed that after the creation of Genesis, a being that was created by the illegal union of an angel and a demon, God departed Heaven following the demon's imprisonment, leaving his angels in charge of it and giving up his own invulnerability in the process. After Genesis escaped from his prison, he bonded with a Southern
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
preacher named Jesse Custer, who manifested supernatural abilities, and set out on a journey to find God in order to confront him as to why he deserted his post in Heaven.
Powers and abilities
The Presence is the all-powerful invincible incarnation of the Judeo-Christian God in the DC Universe and is omnipotent, omniscient, omniversal, and omnipresent. Different stories portray it as being the "creator of the DC universe" and thus transcending all things, with the Presence itself being its representation within creation. Other stories present it as another god who inherited a large portion of the Godwave, the force that created the gods of the DC Universe.In other media
The "Hand of the Creator", from the Green Lantern comics and the Crisis, made an appearance in the Justice League UnlimitedJustice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...
episode "The Once and Future Thing, Part 2: Time Warped". It is seen toward the end of the episode when Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
and Green Lantern chase Chronos to the beginning of time. Chronos hoped that by traveling there, he could become God.
See also
- The One-Above-All, who is depicted as the alleged creator God and Supreme Being of the Multiverse in Marvel Comics.
- The FulcrumThe Fulcrum (comics)The Fulcrum is a cosmic entity in the Marvel Comics universe.-Fictional character biography:The Fulcrum is served by the Celestials, the Watchers, and the Horde. The Dreaming Celestial has conversed with it. He goes by the name "Jack" and runs a bar where the Eternals hang out...
, who has also been depicted as the Supreme Being of the Marvel ComicsMarvel ComicsMarvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe. - Man of Miracles, the Supreme BeingSupreme BeingThe term Supreme Being is often defined simply as "God", and it is used with this meaning by theologians of many religious faiths, including, but not limited to, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Deism. However, the term can also refer to more complex or philosophical interpretations of the...
of the Image ComicsImage ComicsImage Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
universe.