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Felix Faust

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Felix Faust
Felix Faust as depicted in Supergirl vol. 5 #15 (May 2007). Art by Ian Churchill.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceJustice League of America #10 (March 1962)
Created byGardner Fox
Mike Sekowsky
In-story information
SpeciesHomo magi
Team affiliationsInjustice League
Crime Champions
Secret Society of Super Villains
The Conclave
PartnershipsVandal Savage
Nick Necro
Apprentices:
Fauna Faust (daughter)
Sebastian Faust (son)
Aurora
Notable aliasesDekan Drache
Abilities

Felix Faust is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Justice League of America #10 (1962), created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky. He is depicted as a mystic sorcerer, obsessed with restoring himself to his former might after being robbed of much of his power during a battle with Doctor Mist.[1] While typically empowered by the demonic powers of a trio of brothers known as the "Demons Three", to whom he sold his soul in a faustian deal, the character also frequently targets other magical entities and objects to strengthen his power, putting him frequently at odds with numerous superhero teams.

The character has appeared in live-action in the 2014 television series Constantine, portrayed by Mark Margolis.

Publication history

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Felix Faust first appears in Justice League of America #10 and was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky.[2]

Fictional character biography

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Earlier history and background

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Throughout the character's history, various stories showcase or mention the early history of the character. The earliest recorded accounts of the sorcerer known as Felix Faust date back to approximately 5,000 BC when he emerged in the legendary African empire of Kor. During this time, Kor was ruled by King Nommo, a prominent wizard and the guardian of the mystical power known as the Flame of Life. Faust, driven by his malevolent ambitions, engaged in a fierce battle with Nommo, seeking to harness the Flame's power for his own corrupt purposes. In a decisive move, Nommo absorbed the Flame of Life into himself, defeating Faust and banishing him to another dimension.[3]

In the mid-1920s, a deranged individual and aspiring magician named Dekan Drache inadvertently stumbled upon the dimension where Faust was trapped. Drache, upon opening a portal to the dimension, inadvertently released Faust, who promptly destroyed Drache's soul and took possession of his body. However, upon returning to Earth, Faust discovered that his powers had been significantly diminished.[3] Consumed by an unrelenting desire to restore his once-mighty mystic abilities, Faust came across the tale of Faust, a man who had purportedly sold his soul to the devil in exchange for supernatural powers. Drawing inspiration from the story's central character, the sorcerer assumed the name Felix Faust and embarked on an eternal quest for mystical knowledge, driven by his insatiable thirst for power.[1]

In the modern era, the character Felix Faust would eventually have two children named Sebastian and Fauna Faust. Seeking to amass greater power, Felix made a fateful decision to sacrifice the soul of his eldest son. Originally, during Sebastian's adolescence, Felix intended to sacrifice his soul to the demon Nebiros in exchange for magical abilities. However, the ritual instead bestowed the magical powers onto Sebastian himself. Similarly, Felix attempted a similar ritual with his daughter, but Fauna also gained magical powers instead of being given to Felix.[4] In other tellings of Sebastian Faust's history, it is recounted that his soul was sacrificed as an infant, resulting in the acquisition of magical powers, particularly in the realm of soul magic, which the Faust family is renowned for practicing.[4] Other stories depict Felix Faust as an abusive figure in his family life, extending his mistreatment to his unnamed British wife. After giving birth to Fauna, she fell ill with acute myeloid leukemia. Felix manipulated her into practicing dark magic as a means to alleviate her suffering. Felix intended to turn his entire family into practitioners of dark magic, but his plans were thwarted by the combined efforts of Sebastian's rebellion and a car accident that occurred years earlier, claiming the life of their mother and halting Felix's sinister intentions.[5]

In DC Rebirth onward, it is mentioned the character is known to have been fathered by an ancient sorcerer named Majika the Magnificent.[6] Around the 1500s, Felix Faust was also an active dark practitioner and master sorcerer who was both in an alliance with Vandal Savage and acquired a slave-apprentice by the name of Aurora. During that time period of his life, he encountered future-born Damian Wayne and Jon Kent, aka Robin and Superboy.[7]

Justice League of America

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Felix Faust first appeared in Justice League of America, vol. 1, #10 (March 1962), when he tried to regain some of his lost magical abilities by contacting the Demons Three, three fictional demons in the DC Universe.[8] These three demons were brothers who ruled the galaxy a billion years ago before being banished by beings known as the Timeless Ones. The Demons Three have tried to return time and again, summoned by Felix Faust and others, their attempts always foiled by the Justice League. Felix Faust tried to summon the power of the Demons Three by possessing three artifacts: the Green Bell of Uthool, the Silver Wheel of Nyorlath, and the Red Jar of Calythos, that had been created by the Demons, and which the Timeless Ones could not destroy or move from Earth. Pre-Crisis, they claimed a spell using the artifacts would free them in 100 years, but in that time the caster of the spell would be able to command them. To do this he takes control of the JLA with the Demons' help, who find and defeat the artifact's guardians and bring them to Faust who begins the spell, but Aquaman is able to break the spell by distracting him using his control of fish. The sorcerer is then taken to prison, and the JLA soon after find out about the Demons' escape and re-imprison them.[3]

Pre-Crisis, he was a member of the Crime Champions, a trio of Earth-1 criminals who teamed up with a trio of Earth-2 villains to commit crimes, then escape to the other world using a vibratory device accidentally discovered by the Fiddler. Felix Faust stole $1,000,000 from a sunken ship and escaped Aquaman, the Martian Manhunter and the Atom. Later, the Earth-2 Crime Champions impersonated the Earth-1 Crime Champions using the Wizard's magic, in an attempt to trap the JLA. The Fiddler impersonated Felix Faust. They robbed Casino Town (evidently based on Las Vegas), and 'Felix Faust' contacted the JLA. The Fiddler was, oddly enough, able to cast spells like Faust and battled Aquaman, the Martian Manhunter, and the Atom. The real Felix Faust, while robbing a fair on Earth-2, was confronted by Green Arrow, the Martian Manhunter, and the Atom but, despite casting a spell that made them spin in midair, he was knocked out by the Atom. When the Crime Champions were fully defeated, Doctor Fate, Batman, and the Earth-1 Flash defeated Faust.

Over the years, Faust's hunger for magical power proved very costly to him. He had bargained his soul away for knowledge on many occasions, only to buy it back later when his acquisitions failed to help him meet his goals; every time, he would end up worse than before. Eventually, he found it difficult to find any mystics willing to purchase his tarnished soul. Finally, he tried to trick Neron into giving him power by offering the pure soul of an innocent girl he murdered in lieu of his own. Unfortunately for him, Neron saw through the ruse and punished Faust by setting the girl's vengeful spirit upon him. For a time, Faust's damned soul languished in a hellish plane for magicians who had abused or ignored the laws of magic.

Outsiders vol. 2 (1993-1995)

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Felix would appear as one of the antagonists in the second Outsiders series; learning of his son's activities in the Outsiders team, he attempts to track him by sending in mystic creatures tasked with bringing Sebastian to him. Initially fearing his father's return, Halo encourages Sebastian to realize his father is not infallible, leading him to counter his spell back at Felix. Having now found him, Felix began working to hunt down his son and manipulate the team. With Fauna as his accomplice, Felix hospitalizes Halo and kidnaps Sebastian. When the team manages to teleport to Felix's hideout using one of Sebastian's artifacts. Escaping, the team learns Sebastian survived the ordeal and Felix's plot includes gathering the artifacts knowns as the "Green Bell of Uthool" and the "Silver Wheel of Nyorlath" before being sent off by Sebastian with a divining spell. Meanwhile, Felix manipulates Wylde into working alongside him with promises to undo Sebastian's magic that makes him a bear-like beast (a feat Sebastian was unable to undo) and earn Looker' affections. When the team gathers the artifacts, Wylde intervenes and uses the artifacts, resulting in the creation of a dimension where Felix possess god-like power. The Outsiders and Felix battle, the sorcerer using Wylde and Fauna to buy more time before the artifacts can fully grant him power. Eventually, the injured Halo is used by Looker's telepathic abiliteis to destroy the artifacts, undoing Felix's plan.

52

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Main article: 52 (comics)

During the event known as 52, a voice from within the helm of Doctor Fate speaks to Ralph Dibny and promises to fulfill his desires if he makes certain sacrifices. Dibny journeys with the helm through the afterlives of several cultures, where he is cautioned about the use of magic and sees Felix Faust. He is told about their deals by the voice. The Spectre promises to resurrect his late wife Sue in exchange for Dibny's taking vengeance on her murderer, Jean Loring, but Dibny is unable to do so.[3]

At Nanda Parbat, Rama Kushna tells Dibny, "The end is already written". In Doctor Fate's tower, Dibny begins the spell to resurrect Sue, puts on the helmet of Fate, and shoots it, revealing Felix Faust, who was posing as Nabu. Faust planned to trade Dibny's soul to Neron in exchange for his own freedom.

Ralph reveals that he was aware of Faust's identity for some time, and that the binding spell surrounding the tower is designed to imprison Faust, not to counter any negative effects of the spell. Neron appears and kills Dibny, only to realize too late that the binding spell responds only to Dibny's commands: through his death Ralph has trapped Faust and Neron in the tower.

One Year Later

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One year after Infinite Crisis, with Neron having already escaped, Faust escapes from the Tower of Fate with the help of Black Adam through the aid of a revived Isis, and contacted Red Tornado's soul which was still adrift after fighting Alexander Luthor alongside Donna Troy, the Green Lantern Corps, and their allies. Working with Dr. Impossible, Professor Ivo, and Solomon Grundy, Faust posed as Deadman and offered the android his heart's desire: a human body. The Tornado accepted, and Faust bound his soul into his new body. Faust and his allies then stole the Red Tornado's original android body for their own purposes.

After lending his concealment spells to Cheetah, Faust joined with Talia al Ghul in order to corrupt yet another hero: Black Alice. Faust offered Alice power, wealth, a place in the Secret Society of Super Villains, and the resurrection of her mother, but Alice refused, sent Faust out of town, and tapped into his powers so she could perform the resurrection herself. After this, Faust seemed to rejoin the Society.

On the cover of Justice League of America (vol. 2) #13, it shows Felix Faust as a member of the latest incarnation of the Injustice League.

Post-Final Crisis

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As a member of Cheetah's Secret Society of Super Villains, Felix Faust played a part in the creation of Genocide when he used his magic to animate the collected soil samples.[9]

Further appearances

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Felix Faust has been shown retaining his control over Isis even after he used her powers to free himself from Fate Towers by creating a doorway. Forced to keep Isis under a powerful sedation spell at all times, Still unable to communicate, Isis manages to signal her husband Black Adam to her aid via a trail of Isis flowers. Once Black Adam discovers Isis he forces Faust to free his wife from his possession.

The New 52

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After the New 52 reboot, a new version of Felix Faust appeared, his powers having been expressed to have weakened significantly from the reality shift present in Flashpoint and other mutliversal shifts. Like his prior version, the character's complete background remains unknown and has fathered both Fauna and Sebastian Faust at some point in his life. Unlike his prior version, the character is expressed to be the son of a sorcerer named Majika the Great and sold Sebastian's soul in an attempt to garner immortality (unlike the previous versions where he attempted to obtain magical power).[10][11][12]

During the Books of Magic storyline, Felix Faust is sporting a more macabre, emaciated appearance. He captures Doctor Mist after the hero attempts to infiltrate his cult, leading to the Justice League Dark being sent in to rescue him. After Faust is knocked out by Black Orchid, the heroes find a map leading to the Books of Magic in his possession.[13]

Forever Evil / Forever Evil: Blight

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Felix later appears in the Forever Evil storyline as one of several villains recruited by the Crime Syndicate to join the Secret Society of Super Villains.[14]

In the event's spin-off storyline Forever Evil: Blight, Felix Faust and Nick Necro are seen torturing Mindwarp for Ultraman, eventually killing him, in an attempt to create rechargeable specimens, having previously done so with Sargon the Sorcerer.[15] When John Constantine's group arrives in the Nanda Parbat temple, they eventually come across the project that Nick Necro and Felix Faust has been working on. They see Black Orchid, Cassandra Craft, Shade, the Changing Man, Enchantress, Blackbriar Thorn, Blue Devil, Papa Midnite, Sargon the Sorcerer, and Zatanna being held for the use in the Crime Syndicate's weapons program to use against the entity that destroyed their world. Constantine realizes that Nightmare Nurse is not herself, actually Necro in disguise. The two fight and Constantine is able to stop Necro in order to try and free Zatanna. Before he is able to, he is captured by Felix Faust. Constantine senses his team getting closer and hopes they will help him, not realizing that they have been captured to be used for the project.[16]

DC Rebirth

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The character appears as one of the villains refusing to be hired by Henry Bendix to kill Midnighter and Apollo during DC Rebirth.[17]

Powers and abilities

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Felix Faust is commonly portrayed as a master sorcerer, possessing extensive knowledge of the supernatural and the ability to manipulate organic matter through his mastery of dark arts. He demonstrates proficiency in various forms of magic, including black magic and soul magic, the latter in which he specializes in alongside his son. These magical abilities enable him to perform a wide range of feats, such as energy manipulation, resurrection, communing with the deceased, teleportation, elemental control, intangibility, illusion casting, telepathy, and scrying. To utilize mystical powers, Felix relies on spell books, scrolls, familiars, or sometimes strikes bargains with demonic entities.[5][18][19][20]

The character also possess a few limitations. Felix Faust's ability to achieve his full potential as a sorcerer has been limited since his encounter with Dr. Mist and his spirit being within the body of occult dabbler and human Dreken Drache. Additionally, he lacks proficiency in hand-to-hand combat.[21] In the New 52 continuity, he was initially regarded as a third-rate wizard who resorted to making Faustian deals to augment his powers, which had the unintended consequence of giving him a ghastly appearance.[22] Furthermore, Felix has limitations in manipulating certain forms of pure magic, being classified as a "dark magician." Any attempt to manipulate such magic poses a risk of death for him, necessitating the use of a medium to channel and utilize it effectively.[23]

Legacy

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Throughout his long lifetime, Felix has fathered two children of his own both of British descent:

  • Sebastian Faust: Sebastian's soul was bartered to the demon Nebiros, but the power Felix asked for was granted to Sebastian instead. As a result, their father-son relationship has been adversarial. Sebastian has generally acted as a hero, working with the Outsiders and Sentinels of Magic.
  • Fauna Faust: The daughter of Felix Faust and the younger sibling of Sebastian Faust, Fauna followed a darker path than her brother. She would become a member of Kobra Cult's elite strike force, the Strike Force Kobra and secretly work alongside her father as an enemy of both her brother and the second incarnation of the Outsiders superhero team.

Other versions

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In other media

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Television

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Felix Faust as he appears in Justice League.
  • Felix Faust appears in The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians episode "The Case of the Stolen Powers", voiced by Peter Cullen. This version was imprisoned alongside the Penguin before temporarily breaking out after stealing Superman's powers and weaknesses.
  • Felix Faust appears in series set in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU), voiced by Robert Englund.[25]
    • First appearing in the Justice League two-part episode "Paradise Lost", this version was originally a professor of archaeology who developed an obsession with long-forgotten magic and the dark arts, eventually fashioning himself into a skilled sorcerer. He was subsequently dismissed from his position at the university and took revenge on those who wronged him with his new powers. In the present, he attacks Themyscira and forces Wonder Woman to help him enter Tartarus so he can form an alliance with Hades in exchange for "ultimate knowledge". However, Hades reveals his "knowledge" to be a deadly curse that kills Faust, with his soul being cast into the Underworld.
    • As of the Justice League Unlimited episode "The Balance", Project Cadmus member Tala recovered Faust's soul and trapped him in a mirror, but he tricks her into switching places with him so he can possess one of her projects, the Annihilator automaton. With it, he overthrows Hades and takes over Tartarus, but is defeated by Hades, Wonder Woman, and Shayera Hol, after which Hades takes Faust prisoner.
  • Felix Faust appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.[25] This version is a member of the Legion of Doom.
  • Felix Faust appears in the Young Justice episode "Misplaced", voiced again by Dee Bradley Baker.[25]
  • Felix Faust appears in the Constantine episode "Quid Pro Quo", portrayed by Mark Margolis.[26] This version is an elderly sorcerer embittered by a lifetime of being overshadowed by the greatest magicians of his generation. He bargains with John Constantine and his associate Chas Chandler to return the souls of several innocents, including Chas' daughter, during which Faust compels Chas to give him the souls contained in his body. However, Chas restrains Faust before using a grenade to kill them and free his victims before resurrecting himself.
  • Felix Faust appears in Justice League Action, voiced by Jon Cryer.[25] This version possesses the additional abilities of telekinesis, astral projection, and memory erasure, and was initially elderly before summoning the demon Ghast to regain his youth.
  • Felix Faust appears in Harley Quinn, voiced by Tony Hale.[25] This version is a member of the Legion of Doom.

Film

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Felix Faust appears in Justice League Dark, voiced by Enrico Colantoni.[27][28][25]

Video games

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  • Felix Faust appears as a boss in DC Universe Online, voiced by Brian Jepson.[25] This version is served by Archmagents, Giant Mummies, Khet Scarabs, Magent Warlocks, Magent Witches, Mini Scarabs, Mummies, Swarm Scarabs, and a Soulless Lord.
  • Felix Faust appears as a playable character in Lego DC Super-Villains.[29]

Miscellaneous

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References

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  1. ^ a b Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. p. 128. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.
  2. ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 106. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
  3. ^ a b c d Wallace, Dan (2008), "Felix Faust", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The DC Comics Encyclopedia, New York: Dorling Kindersley, p. 120, ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1, OCLC 213309017
  4. ^ a b Diaz, Ruben; Smith, Sean (2011). DC Comics Presents: JLA – Black Baptism. DC Comics.
  5. ^ a b Richards, Harvey (2008). "The Embrace" DCU Halloween Special #1. DC Comics.
  6. ^ Wolfman, Marv (2019). Raven, daughter of darkness. Issue 7-12. Pop Mhan. [United States]. ISBN 978-1-4012-8964-5. OCLC 1158965953.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. ^ Tomasi, Peter (2022). Challenge of the Supersons. DC Comics. ISBN 978-1779515100.
  8. ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019). DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. p. 100. ISBN 978-1-4654-8578-6.
  9. ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 3) #26
  10. ^ Wolfman, Marv (2019). Raven, daughter of darkness. Issue 7-12. Pop Mhan. [United States]. ISBN 978-1-4012-8964-5. OCLC 1158965953.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  11. ^ Nitz, Jai (w). Suicide Squad: Black Files: Fortune's Wheel (2019).
  12. ^ The DC Comics Encyclopedia New Edition. DK Publishing. 2021. Roll Call: Faust, Sebastian. ISBN 9780744053012.
  13. ^ Lemire, Jeff (2013). Justice League Dark. Volume 2, The Books of Magic. Peter Milligan, Mikel Janín, Lee Garbett, Daniel Sampere, Cam Smith, Admira Wijaya. New York. ISBN 978-1-4012-4024-0. OCLC 830668855.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  14. ^ Justice League of America (vol. 3) #6
  15. ^ Trinity of Sin: Phantom Stranger #15
  16. ^ Constantine #11
  17. ^ Midnighter and Apollo #1 (October 2016)
  18. ^ Diaz, Ruben; Smith, Sean (2011). DC Comics Presents: JLA - Black Baptism. DC Comics.
  19. ^ Tomasi, Peter (2008). Black Adam : the Dark Age. Doug Mahnke, Christian Alamy, Nathan Eyring, Nick Napolitano, Rob Leigh. New York, N.Y.: DC Comics. ISBN 978-1-4012-1786-0. OCLC 181600058.
  20. ^ Barr, Mike (1994). Outsiders (1993-1995) #18. DC Comics.
  21. ^ Who's Who Omnibus. Volume 1. Burbank, CA: DC Comics. 2021. ISBN 978-1-77950-599-6. OCLC 1246530362.
  22. ^ DC Comics Encyclopedia All-New Edition: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. Alan Cowsill, Alexander Irvine, Steven Korté, Matthew K. Manning, Stephen Wiacek, Sven Wilson (First American ed.). New York City, New York: DC Comics. 2016. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0. OCLC 936192301.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  23. ^ Lemire, Jeff (2013). Justice League Dark. Volume 2, The Books of Magic. Peter Milligan, Mikel Janín, Lee Garbett, Daniel Sampere, Cam Smith, Admira Wijaya. New York. ISBN 978-1-4012-4024-0. OCLC 830668855.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  24. ^ Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew #14 (April 1983)
  25. ^ a b c d e f g "Felix Faust Voices (DC Universe)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved March 18, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  26. ^ "Constantine: Mark Margolis To Play Felix Faust". comicbook.com.
  27. ^ Perry, Spencer (July 26, 2016). "Justice League Dark Featurette Reveals Matt Ryan Returns as Constantine!". Superhero Hype.
  28. ^ Vejvoda, Jim (November 15, 2016). "JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK: TRAILER DEBUT FOR R-RATED DC ANIMATED MOVIE". IGN.
  29. ^ Michael, Jon; Veness, John (November 2, 2018). "Characters - LEGO DC Super-Villains Guide". IGN. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  30. ^ "Justice League Adventures #33 - Disappearing Act (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  31. ^ "Justice League Unlimited #26 - The Ghosts of Atlantis (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  32. ^ Smallville Season 11: Olympus #1-4
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