Azazel
& ArmarosGRIGORI
Membership: Armaros, Azazel, Esphares, Ezekeel, Gadriel, Hafaza, Sariel, Tariel, others unidentified
Purpose: Formerly assigned to watch over humanity
Affiliations: Angels of Heaven, God, Humanity, Punisher (Frank Castle)
Enemies: Olivier, Olivier's Stalkers
Base of Operations: Currently unrevealed;
formerly mobile across Earth;
formerly Heaven
First Appearance: Punisher IV#1 (November, 1998)
History:
(Punisher IV#1 (fb) - BTS / Punisher IV#3 (fb) - BTS) -
The Grigori were angels of Heaven sent to Earth by God to watch over
humanity. However, many of the Grigori he chose instead to use humanity for
their own pleasure. The Grigori fell from God's grace.
(Punisher IV#4 (fb) / Punisher IV#3 (fb) / Punisher IV#1 (fb) - BTS / Punisher IV#2 (fb) - BTS) - Having sunken as low as an angel could go, Gadriel decided to help the Punisher (Frank Castle) find redemption in hopes that Castle might forgive him, which was the only way he could get back into Heaven. Gadriel rose Castle's corpse from the grave and gave up part of his own angelic soul to restore Castle to life, saving him from Hell and giving him a second chance at redemption.
(Punisher IV#3 (fb) - BTS) - The demon Olivier began using his Stalkers to slaughter the Grigori, consuming their angelic life forces and using them to increase his own power.
(Punisher IV#1) - For many years, Esphares and Tariel met at
the desanctified Church of St. Tarcissius, begging the Lord for forgiveness
(allowing them to return to Heaven) or, barring that, to hold them in his heart
and protect them from harm. They prayed that they wished to see the Lord's face
one more time before meeting their end. However, the Hell-Lord Oliver then
appeared and sent his army of Stalkers to attack the two angels. Both were
grievously wounded, but while Esphares fell before the demonic onslaught, he
told Tariel to flee and warn the others. Tariel escaped, and Olivier then
consumed Esphares' angelic power, adding it to his own.
Tariel used an illusion of Frank Castle's family to draw
Castle to the top of a building where he lay dying. Tariel
told Castle of the Grigori and of Olivier, then told him to seek out Gadriel at
the bar Milton's and make him tell him what he needed. As Tariel perished,
Castle traveled to Milton's and confronted Gadriel who revealed his nature and
that it was he who had failed to watch over his family the day they died.
(Punisher IV#2 (fb) - BTS) - Hafaza fell before the Stalkers.
(Punisher IV#2) - Gadriel tried to explain himself to Castle
while dodging his assaults, but he sensed the assault of the Stalkers on the
Hell-Lord Hellstorm and rushed to his assistance. With Castle's help, they drove
off the Stalkers.
A Stalker brought Olivier the head of Hafaza as a gift, and
he enjoyed consuming Hafaza's remaining power.
(Punisher IV#3 (fb) - BTS) - An unidentified member of the Grigori fell before the Stalkers.
(Punisher IV#3) - Gadriel brought the Punisher to meet the remaining Grigori and they told him how Olivier and the Stalkers were slaughtering the Grigori. Ezekeel referenced the connection between Olivier and Castle, but then the Stalkers broke in and attacked them. Castle and the Grigori were all overpowered and captured. When Castle and Gadriel recovered, the rest of the Grigori had apparently already been slain by Olivier. Olivier revealed himself to be have been Frank Costa, the man responsible for the death of Frank Castle's family.
(Punisher IV#4) - Castle broke free and attacked Olivier and his Stalkers. Gadriel was overpowered by Olivier, but then Olivier was torn apart by tendrils extending from a portal to Hell. Gadriel sacrificed the last of his angelic essence fighting back the tendrils and closing the portal to Earth.
Comments: Created by Christopher Golden, Tom Sniegoski, Bernie Wrightson, and Jimmy Palmiotti.
In the weirdo Gambit series (the one with
Oliver Stoker in it), the Grigori had a different definition..."A
secret sect allegedly descended from fallen angels and linked to most organized
religions."
Presumably those others were derived from these fallen
angels, but this profile only deals with the angels themselves.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
See comments.
Azazel has no known connection to:
Ezekeel has no known connection to:
Azazel
& Armaros
Known for being a little too fond of causing pain, they met with the Punisher and the other remaining Grigori but were nonetheless captured by the Stalkers and their powers drained (and presumably slain) by Olivier.
--Punisher IV#3 (4 - BTS
For many years, Esphares and Tariel met at the desanctified Church of St. Tarcissius, begging the Lord for forgiveness (allowing them to return to Heaven) or, barring that, to hold them in his heart and protect them from harm. When Olivier and the Stalkers ambushed them, he swiftly fell before them, and Olivier consumed his power.
--Punisher IV#1
The patron saint of addiction, he had become a paranoid wreck. He met with the Punisher and the other remaining Grigori but was nonetheless captured by the Stalkers and his powers drained (and presumably slain) by Olivier.
--Punisher IV#3 (3 (fb) - BTS, 3, 4 - BTS
One of the Stalkers presented Olivier with his head as a gift, and Olivier consumed his remaining power
--Punisher IV#2 (2 (fb) - BTS, 2
Former commander of the Grigori, he was seduced by a young lady on the streets of Babylon. When questioned if that woman was a harlot, he responded, "Aren't they all?"
He met with the Punisher and the other remaining Grigori but was nonetheless captured by the Stalkers and his powers drained (and presumably slain) by Olivier.
--Punisher IV#3 (3 (fb) - BTS, 3, 4 - BTS
For many years, Esphares and Tariel met at the desanctified Church of St. Tarcissius, begging the Lord for forgiveness (allowing them to return to Heaven) or, barring that, to hold them in his heart and protect them from harm. When Olivier and the Stalkers ambushed them, Tariel fled to warn the others, but he only managed to warn Frank Castle before dying.
--Punisher IV#1
images: (without ads)
Punisher IV#1, p9, panel 4 (Esphares)
p18, panel 3 (Tariel)
#2, p11, panel 4 (Hafaza)
#3, p4, panel 2 (Sariel)
panel 3 (Azazel
& Armaros)
panel 4 (Ezekeel)
Appearances:
Punisher IV#1-4 (November 1998 - February 1999) - by Christopher Golden, Tom
Sniegoski (writers), Bernie Wrightson (penciler), Jimmy Palmiotti (inker), Joe
Quesada & Jimmy Palmiotti (editors)
First Posted: 12/04/2006
Last updated: 12/04/2006
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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