Eric Payne (Earth-616)

From Marvel Database

Contents 1 History 2 Powers and Abilities 2.1 Powers 2.2 Abilities 2.3 Strength level 2.4 Weaknesses 3 Paraphernalia 3.1 Equipment 4 Links 4.1 Discover and Discuss

History

Eric Payne was born in Queenstown, Illinois. He was a member of a demon cult called the Agents of Fortune, who helped him unlock the psionic potential of his brain and gave him a mystically created dimensional cloak. He later turned on the cult and, with the aid of the Defenders, he battled Vera Gemini and the Xenogesis and helped prevent the cult's mystical plans from being realized.

He assists the Defenders in confronting a cult leader named David. This man had been granted temporary mystical powers by a coalition of demons known as the Six Fingered Hand. Despite the passing nature of his abilities, Eric's wife Cory chose to stay with the cult leader.

As the Defenders returned to Doctor Strange's home after this confrontation, they were called into action again by the Avengers. The town of Citrusville, Florida had vanished, into a gigantic hole resembling a six-fingered hand.

Eric then joins the Defenders. Eric and the rest of the group confronted a possessed Man-Thing and then traveled through dimensional realms in order to find the source of the problem.

Belathauzer

During Eric's time with the Defenders, he helped confront a host of demons, including Belathauzer, who had taken over the form of an Air Force commander. The Defenders almost died when Belathauzar convinced innocent Air Force pilots that they were spies. Though his demon compatriots were eventually sucked back to their own realm, Belathauzer somehow stayed on Earth.

Still in the form of the Air Force soldier, he targeted Devil-Slayer personally. Belathauzar tricked Devil-Slayer into a bar full of disguised demons where Eric's drink was altered, thus removing his psychic powers. Despite this, Devil-Slayer held his own, using his magical accessories to battle the demons successfully. Belathauzer and Eric were drawn into the Borders of the Land of the Dead, where stood many of his Defender allies, now seemingly dead. It was here that Belathauzer was seemingly slain again.

There are indications he has returned another time but this might be Payne's mental instability.

Eric questions his tragic life, and reconciles with wife, then turns himself in for his past crimes. He later helps war-torn Potega, but loses shadow-cloak, and then rededicates himself as a hero.

Devil-Slayer was later remitted to an asylum, where he discovers a shard of the Nexus of Realities, and then becomes Payne with his partner Sorrow.

The Initiative

Nighthawk mentioned to have talked to Eric Payne and that he was willing to join a new team of Defenders. However, when Richmond suggested it to Initiative boss Tony Stark, he declined the offer. Shortly afterwards Eric is seen as a member of the Hawaiian Initiative team, the Point Men, serving the team as their "Monster Hunter." When the new 3-D Man arrives in Hawaii, Devil-Slayer informs him that he has sensed portents of doom all day. When 3-D Man identifies team member Magnitude as a Skrull impostor, the Skrull attacks and severely wounds the other Point Men, Star Sign and Paydirt. The Skrull is killed, and Devil-Slayer uses his Shadow Cloak to teleport Delroy to Camp Hammond before taking Star Sign and Paydirt to a hospital. Devil-Slayer later appears in Utah with the cyborg Jocasta to aid 3-D Man and the Skrull Kill Krew.

He was created by Rich Buckler, who had created a similar character in Demon Hunter (1975) for Atlas/Seaboard Comics and Bloodwing for his magazine Galaxia in 1980. For a time he operated as a member of the the Defenders. He first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #33 (April 1977).

In September 2008, Marvel released a limited series, as a part of the MAX imprint. It was titled Dead of Night Featuring Devil-Slayer and starred a new Devil-Slayer, a man named Danny Sylva. Sylva is the great-nephew of Payne, the original Devil Slayer. This series is written by horror novelist Brian Keene with art by Chris Samnee.

Devil-Slayer received an entry in the original Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #3, and in the All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #3. (2006)

Powers and Abilities

Powers

• Telepathy; With telepathy Payne could alter his appearance and decipher languages.
• Psychokinesis; Telekinetic abilities included levitation and moving objects.
• Hallucinations;
• Mental Probe;
• Sixth Sense;

  Abilities

Intimidation, Military, Occult Lore, Guns, Weaponsmaster, Marksman

Strength level

Peak Human

Weaknesses

1. Mental Illusion can only make things look normal.
2. Telepathy is very limited with non-English-speaking targets.

   Paraphernalia

Equipment

• Shadow Cloak; With the Shadow Cloak Payne could teleport to other dimensions and draw different weapons from across the ages.

   * Dimension Travel
   * Teleportation
   * Summoning - various medieval weapons

Limitation: Warp cannot affect more than 1,000 pounds.

Links

• Appearances of Eric Payne (Earth-616)
• Character Gallery: Eric Payne (Earth-616)
• Images that feature Eric Payne (Earth-616)
• Fan-Art Gallery: Eric Payne (Earth-616)
• Quotations by Eric Payne (Earth-616) 
• http://home.flash.net/~jeanneb/d.html
• http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix3/devilslayerdef.htm

Discover and Discuss

• Search News for: Devil-Slayer · Eric Simon Payne · Eric Payne (Earth-616)
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