Raphael Arce is Bloodwynd, the "Superman" of Hell.
History
The Lazarus Rain gave Raphael empathic powers, which he used to absorb the pain of others and grant them peace. He attempted to absorb all pain in Metropolis, but by doing that he absorbed the psychic signature of Doomsday, giving the creature a pathway to return to life. Martian Manhunter attempted to take Doomsday's soul from Raphael and into himself, but was himself possessed by Doomsday. The Martian Manhunter's telepathy would have given Doomsday endless paths to return and so Raphael sacrificed himself to absorb Doomsday into himself again, his body being crushed down to a psychic gem.[1]
Despite his innate goodness, Raphael's soul was dragged down to Hell with Doomsday's when he died. He discovered that he had absorbed a fraction of both Doomsday and the Martian Manhunter when he died, granting his soul superpowers in the afterlife. He adopted the identity "Bloodwynd", an alias that both Martian Manhunter and his uncle Quintus Arce had used for a time. Bloodwynd descended through the levels of Hell, freeing damned souls from their torment.[2][3]
Sister Shadow used Bloodwynd and Etrigan to create an Organum Infernialis that allowed her to cross dimensions by travelling through Hell. Superman used it in an attempt to reach Earth al Ghul in the Dark Multiverse to rescue his daughter Otho-Ra, who had been kidnapped by Sister Shadow. He accidentally set off a bomb which destroyed the Organum and sent him to Earth al Ghul, freeing the two hellspawn and restoring Bloodwynd to corporeal form in the process.[4] The three of them attacked the Empire of Shadows' citadel, where they found an invasion fleet ready to attack Earth 0 and that the girl had been brainwashed to serve Sister Shadow. Superman was able to break the mind control, but Sister Shadow used her magic to drain Bloodwynd and Etrigan's energy and create a huge demonic construct around the three of them. She lead her forces to invade Earth, but Superman and Otho-Ra chased after her. Superman freed Etrigan and Bloodwynd from the construct and they closed the portal to the Dark Multiverse. Etrigan dragged Sister Shadow to Hell as punishment for attempting to enslave creatures of the abyss.[5]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Unique Physiology: After coming into contact with Lazarus Rain, Raphael gained empathetic powers.[2] Due to the circumstances of his death, Raphael absorbed a fragment of both Doomsday and Martian Manhunter's souls, granting him a unique set of powers in the afterlife.[2] He retained these powers after returning to corporeal form.[5]
- Empathy: Raphael has the psionic ability to read and absorb the pain of others.[1]
- Pain Absorption: Raphael can absorb the pain of injured people to ease their suffering.[1]
- Eldritch Blast: Bloodwynd can fire blasts of raw magical energy from his hands.[5]
- Electrokinesis: Bloodwynd can generate red magical lightning from his body.[5]
- Fangs: Raphael has noticeably pointed teeth as Bloodwynd.[2]
- Flight[2]
- Invulnerability
- Metamorphosis: Bloodwynd has psionic control over his spectral form, which allows him to mimic other forms.[2]
- Superhuman Strength: Bloodwynd can easily overpower demons larger than him and snap metal chains with his hands.[2]
- Empathy: Raphael has the psionic ability to read and absorb the pain of others.[1]
Abilities
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Related
- 5 Appearances of Raphael Arce (Prime Earth)
- 2 Images featuring Raphael Arce (Prime Earth)
- Quotations by or about Raphael Arce (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: Raphael Arce (Prime Earth)
Footnotes
  This character was one of the many superpowered individuals introduced during the "Lazarus Planet" crossover event, where a volcanic eruption leads to Lazarus Resin raining down and empowering people all over the world. This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the "Next Evolution" category. |