- "He's, uh... young, by your standards at least and let's just say he means to disrupt the system."
- —John Constantine to Satan about Neron[src]
Neron (died 2019) was an extraordinarily dangerous demon who attempted to "make Earth Hell again". He was also the archenemy of John Constantine. He took the soul of John Constantine from Nergal and started hunting him down. In his final battle against the Legends, he was ejected from Ray Palmer's body and finally killed by Constantine.
Biography[]
Early life[]
At some point, Neron found and fell in love with Tabitha.[1]
Hunting Constantine and the Legends[]
Neron acquired the deed to John Constantine's soul from the demon Nergal. Sometime later, Neron came after John to get his help in usurping the triumvirate ruling Hell. When John refused to help him, Neron began hunting him. However, he soon made a deal with John's boyfriend, Desmond, binding his soul with him in exchange for sparing John's life. John was later made aware of the deal when an attempt to send Neron to Hell resulted in sending Des there as well.[2]
Neron shows himself before Constantine.
A few months later, Neron was playing golf with Hank Heywood while being in Desmond's body.[3] He was also present in Hank's Hemophilia fundraiser ball a few days after that.[4] Soon after, Neron got an alert that someone was changing Hank's password from inside the Time Bureau and called Hank to tell him about it while going into Hank's office and looking into it. When Hank returned to his office a few hours later, Neron was waiting there for him. After Hank asked him to part ways, as Hank had a change of heart after spending some time with his son, Neron killed Hank after telling the latter he was no longer needed, disappearing just in time to make Nora Darhk take the fall for the murder.[5]
Constantine and Nora take on Neron.
Neron later appeared to a drunk and guilt-ridden John and taunted him about his past failures before revealing himself.[6] After meeting John he then went to Ava's home and captured her and began preparing her as a vessel for his love Tabitha but was thwarted by the efforts of John and the legends. While imprisoned in the Time Bureau he tried to manipulate Nora promising her power if she agreed to become his next vessel. He seemed to accomplish his goal when Nora came to visit him, but was revealed that it was actually a plan created by both Nora and John as they both realized he can't survive in there world for long without a vessel. While he left Desmond's body thus freeing him they tried to hold him so he wouldn't be able to possess any more humans but Ray came to check on Nora ruining their plan. He then tries to possess Nora but she blasted him with her magic and then he vanished. While the Legends believed he was gone in truth he entered Ray's body and began turning him into his next vessel.
Gary joins Neron.
Neron revealed himself to Ray and told him to submit his body to him. When Ray refused Neron then told him that he would be forced to kill someone that Ray loves and that Ray's soul and body would belong to him. While Ray tried his hardest to resist Neron he slowly took over more of Ray's body and tried to make him kill someone close to him like Nora. When that failed he tried to kill Gary Green. However seeing Gary's rage on how the Time Bureau and the Legends don't give him the respect he deserves he manipulated Gary into serving him. He then forced Ray to kill Nate who was encouraging Ray to resist Neron. Eventually Ray couldn't resist Neron and threatened Nate with a kitchen knife. As a result he agreed to become Neron's vessel if he spared Nate. Neron then completely controlled Ray and spared Nate as he promised. He was then confronted by John who was made aware of the situation thanks to Nora. He then captured Neron ready to exorcise him from Ray but Gary came and intervened. At first John tried to get Gary's help in exorcising Neron, but Neron managed to convince him to side with him instead by giving him back his nipple. While John tried to stop him Neron knocked him out and took him prisoner, also escaping with Gary.
He then left Gary to take it over the Time Bureau whilst he took John with him to the past to force him to open a portal to Hell. He explained that he would use the portal to bring someone from hell. When John refused he threatened to cut himself thus killing Ray while John tried to appeal to Ray to resist, Neron told him that his talks were futile as Ray gave to Neron willingly making it impossible for him to resist Neron. Neon began cutting himself only for John to use a spell to get rid of the knife he was using. This pleased Neron as he could still make John use his magic. John using his magic alerted the Legends to his whereabouts so they could come to his aid. John insisted that they shoot them as Ray was already gone and John would die happily for the cause. While Sara hesitated in doing this Mick gave the order to shoot. This was part of Neron's plan; he teleported at the last minute before the Waverider's weapon hit him and John and instead, it hit the ice behind causing an avalanche which buried the legends under tons of snow and ice. With the legends distracted Neron took John back in time to a village telling him that he would learn how to open a more stabilizing portal to Hell from the villager's king. He then told him that the king Konstentyn was, in fact, John's ancestor and was the one to create the portal to Hell which lead to the banishment of many magical creatures.[1]
The Waverider firing on Neron.
His portals were more powerful than John's because he used the fear of his people to amplify them. Neron then further tried to use John by threatening to banish an innocent magical creature to Hell. When John's attempts to ask his ancestor for help failed, Neron tried to make John stabilize the portal saying that not only he would be sent to Hell but also the innocent creature he had previously threatened. John still refused. After nearly being pulled into the vortex to Hell John gave in and used his magic to turn the vortex against his ancestor Konstentyn and managed to beat him in swordsmanship. Neron appeared ready to use the portal but John wouldn't let him challenging him to a duel with swords in which John ended up the victor. He would have killed Neron but the Legends having survived the avalanche told him not to because they wanted to rescue their Ray. John, hearing this, decided to go to Hell in hopes of saving Ray. With John out of the way, Neron used the portal to bring back Tabitha who was later revealed to be the fairy grandmother shocking the legends.[1] They embraced and kissed passionately while returning to the Time Bureau and making Gary the fairy godmother's new host.
Neron as Ray Palmer.
After dealing with the Legends he began to put his soul-harvesting plan into motion. He began using people's fear of magical creatures to make them download an app not knowing that when they download it they were giving their souls to him in exchange. Using Mona Wu as an example his plan was working perfectly and he invited Nora Darhk to see it come to fruition to punish her for nearly killing him when he freed Desmond. Disappointed by the fact that only two thousand people downloaded the app he then realized he would release the magical creature in public thus driving more humans to download the app. He then met Charlie who he thought was Tabitha due to her shapeshifting abilities and wondered why she hasn't transferred her curse to Nora. He never suspected it was Charlie though and thought nothing of it until he saw Tabitha again this time no longer cursed and realized he was deceived. He was already too late to stop Charlie from sending all of the magical creatures to the Waverider but Tabitha assured him they have all the monsters in one place and planned to use Charlie's shapeshifting powers to impersonate the monsters thus continuing his plan.[7]
Neron on a magazine.
Death[]
In his final battle against the Legends, Neron witnessed the death of Tabitha and is angered by this but gained possession of her staff and opened up the gates of Hell. John Constantine confronted him to a fight in which Neron strangled him to kill him, but after he committed the deed, he found himself slowly being ejected from Ray's body. Nate Heywood approached him and called him "mate" revealing that he was in fact Constantine and that Neron had actually killed Nate instead, thus breaking the deal he had made with Ray. Neron is ejected out of the body in which Constantine destroyed his true form once and for all.[8]
Legacy[]
Even after Neron's death, he remained on the news. Ray Palmer stated in the documentary Meet the Legends that he was barely able to walk on the street without people looking at him ugly, due to him having been one of Neron's vessels. During the Legends' final interview, they said it was all a lie, so people stopped believing in Neron's existence.[9]
Personality[]
Neron, much like Mallus, is a being of pure evil. Every deed he does is either to torment someone or outright killing someone. He constantly tormented John Constantine by taking advantage of his love towards Desmond. He succeeded in doing so by possessing Desmond, forcing John to send him to Hell. Even after he was sent to Hell, he still kept tormenting John, taking sadistic pleasure about it.
Neron is also fearless unlike Mallus; as he only picked fights with beings he considered to be threats to him. This is shown by how he trapped the Legends because he knew they couldn’t defeat him, but was willing to fight Constantine one-on-one as he was capable of standing a chance against Neron.
Neron is also very manipulative, as he was able to manipulate Hank Heywood without anyone catching on, but ultimately Hank betrayed Neron thanks to his son. Despite this one failure, he nonetheless was able manipulate many others in order to take possession of Ray Palmer's body. He even manipulated Gary Green and through him was able to take control of the Time Bureau.
Neron was also ambitious. His ultimate goal was to become the Lord of Hell by opening the portal between Earth and hell by drawing souls of the living there.
Neron wasn't completely without emotions, as he was generally capable of loving someone, but only, if that someone was as evil as him. This was evidenced through Tabitha, as he went through a lot of trouble in order to free her. He was also angered, when Tabitha was killed.
Powers and abilities[]
Powers[]
- Demonic physiology: Neron was a powerful high ranking demon from Hell, with an assortment of mystical abilities. It can be assumed that Neron was even more powerful than Mallus, as the Legends couldn’t overpower Neron in any way, and had to resort to tricking him in order to defeat him.
- Immortality: Neron as a demon is immortal and does not age unless killed. However it should be noted that without a vessel he could be killed.
- Demonic possession: Whenever he is searching for a vessel, Neron bonds himself with their souls in order to possess them, including Desmond and Ray Palmer.
- Telekinesis: Neron can move and otherwise exert force on objects and people with his mind. He was able to easily overpower Nora's use of her magic and send her flying with enough force to knock her out.[10] While inhabiting Ray Palmer, he caused toilet paper and paper towels to fly everywhere in the Time Bureau’s bathroom. He also willed for a nearby knife to fly into his hand, which he used to attack Nate.[11]
- Portal opening: With the use of fear Neron was able to open the gates of Hell to release all demons within it.
- Supernatural strength: Neron easily overpowered John when he attacked him. He was also able to break down Nate Heywood’s steel skin and force him to turn back to normal, despite Nate possessing Kryptonian levels of durability.
- Conjuration: Neron was able to bring Gary's nipple back from Hell as a gift for him, although it was cursed.
- Rage inducement: Neron can induce rage into those around him. Even from a large distance.
- Life-force absorption: Neron used his powers to absorb the life force out of Hank, leaving Hank dead.
- Shapeshifting: While possessing a vessel, Neron was able to make his vessel's face have a demonic appearance.[3]
- Flight: In his true form, Neron was able to fly.[10]
- Telepathy: Neron has the ability to telepathically speak with people. His powers also allow him to cast illusions in the minds of others. He demonstrated this by appearing to Ray Palmer in the bathroom mirror, as well as to Gary on a computer monitor.
- Dream manipulation (possibly): After Ray got possessed by Neron, Ray said he’d be having weird dreams, indicating that Neron may have the power to partially control people’s dreams.
- Electromagnetic interference: When Neron attacked John he made all lights in his apartment go flickering. He was also able to make the lights flicker in a bathroom while talking to Ray. After Neron fully took possession of Ray’s body, Neron used his powers to shut off all of the Waverider’s equipment. When Neron teleported away with John and Gary, the Waverider’s systems came back online.
- Dark magic: As a high ranking demon, Neron was very skilled in the use of dark magic. He enchanted his sword to give himself some extra leverage in his fight against Constantine, and cast a spell that brought the fairy god mother back from Hell. Zari Tomaz even indicated that Constantine and Nora Darhk together couldn’t defeat Neron in the use of the dark arts.
Abilities[]
- Intimidation: John Constantine is terrified of Neron to the point of nearly "breaking" the timeline just to avoid facing him. Fairy Godmother declares that she would rather face Hell than "piss off" Neron.[12] Hank Heywood was also terrified of disappointing him (despite not knowing of his powers).[4] Neron was also one of the most terrifying and feared demons in all of Hell, so much to the point that not even the devil himself dared to stand in his way.
- Genius-level intellect/Expert manipulator: As a high ranking demon with millennium of experience Neron has displayed great intelligence, and is an expert in manipulation, using his intimidation and reputation to force his opponents to make the exact choices he desired them to make. He was able to manipulate Constantine into joining the Legends by warning him he was coming for him,[13] which the demon later taunted him over.[10] Owed to his understanding of human motives, Neron is able to expertly take advantage of his enemies' vulnerabilities and doubts about their compatriots, alluring them to his side with promises that they would receive exactly what they wanted. Although he failed to do this with Nora Darhk, by reminding her how Constantine had essentially abandoned her following a failed exorcism,[14] he succeeded in manipulating Gary Green into joining his side with the gift of his severed left nipple and constant reminders that his so-called allies only ever treated him as a doormat.[11] He also forced Ray Palmer into giving up his body for him willingly, by threatening to hurt his friends, and tormenting him by slowly taking over his body, all to manipulate him into doing what he wanted.[11]
- Skilled swordsman: Neron was skilled in the use of swords. He was able to fight on par against Constantine who is also a skilled swordsman, before eventually being over powered.
Weaknesses[]
- Vessel dependency: In order for him to use his powers he requires a vessel. Also, while on Earth, without a vessel, Neron will perish in a short time.
Appearances[]
DC's Legends of Tomorrow[]
Season 4
Season 5
Season 7
|
Comics[]
EARTH-PRIME[]
- "The (Ex) Legends of Tomorrow" (flashbacks)
Behind the scenes[]
- In the main DC comics continuity, Neron is the Demon Lord of Hell, who has managed to gather enough souls to become the Devil and was first seen during the Underworld Unleashed storyline, where he made deals with superheroes and supervillains alike.
- Neron served as the main antagonist of Season 4 of DC's Legends of Tomorrow.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Nip/Stuck"
- ↑ "Hell No, Dolly!"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Legends of To-Meow-Meow"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Lucha De Apuestas"
- ↑ "The Getaway"
- ↑ "Séance and Sensibility"
- ↑ "Terms of Service"
- ↑ "Hey, World!"
- ↑ "Meet the Legends"
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "The Eggplant, The Witch & The Wardrobe"
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Egg MacGuffin"
- ↑ "Witch Hunt"
- ↑ "The Virgin Gary"
- ↑ "Daddy Darhkest"