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Lazarus Lane was El Diablo, a masked avenger in the Old West.

Origin

In the late 19th century, a gang of criminals broke into a bank and assaulted the tellers. One of the bank clerks, Lazarus Lane, failed to take action against the thieves, and as a result, the criminals mercilessly gunned down one of the other clerks.

Stricken by guilt for his own inaction, Lazarus sought to avenge his fallen friend by confronting the bank robbers. They easily outnumbered him however and tossed him into a shallow stream. Some time after they had left him, a bolt of lightning crackled from the sky striking Lazarus in the chest. Lane slumped over, lapsing into a coma.

His trusted friend, Wise Owl – an Apache Native American, discovered Lane's body and brought him back to his hacienda. He placed him before the fireplace and kept a close vigil over him for two days and nights. There was no ready explanation for why Lane was even still alive, but Wise Owl continued to care for him, administering aid in the form of strange roots and powders.

Three nights later, Lazarus, like his namesake, seemingly rose from the dead. It was later revealed that Wise Owl had used magic to turn Lane into a host for a Spirit of Vengeance, but Lane did not know this at the time. Grabbing hold of his new lease on life, Lazarus decided to become a dark, driven avenger of the night. Dedicated towards righting wrongs, he adopted the name and guise of El Diablo.

Powers

  • Cheating Death: El Diablo appeared to have possessed an uncanny stamina and ability to survive insurmountable danger. Whether this was a reflection of Wise Owl's Apache magic upon him, or his own natural heartiness has yet to be explained.

Abilities


Transportation

Weapons


  • El Diablo is Spanish for The Devil.

Related

Footnotes


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