Michael Lane (character)

Azrael
Michael Lane as Azrael in Azrael (vol. 2) #14, art by Guillem March.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	As Bat-Devil: Batman #665 (June 2007) As Azrael: Azrael: Death's Dark Knight #1 (May 2009)
Created by	Grant Morrison (writer) Tony S. Daniel (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Michael Washington Lane
Species	Metahuman
Team affiliations	Order of Purity Gotham City Police Department Batman Incorporated League of Assassins United States Marines Order of St. Dumas (media)
Supporting character of	Batman
Notable aliases	Bat-Devil, Azrael
Abilities	Advanced military and police training, granting him excellent unarmed combat skills, tactician skills, and is a skilled swordsman. Suit of Sorrows; mystical armor that affords him enhanced speed, strength, and stamina but at the potential cost of his sanity. Also wields the mystical Sword of Sin and Salvation, the former attacking the target's mind over actions they harbor guilt over and the latter attacking the target's mind over certain "truths".

Michael Washington Lane is an antihero character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He debuted in Batman #665 (June 2007) as the supervillain Bat-Devil, before later taking on the identity of Azrael, being the second character to do so, after Jean-Paul Valley.

In the DC Universe, Michael Lane is a former US Marine, GCPD officer, and devout Christian who was inducted into a secret program, jointed between the military and the GCPD, into creating a replacement for Batman in the event the hero is killed in action, and became a sleeper agent. Due to the experimentations done upon him, as well as various tragedies in his life and PTSD, he becomes more violent in his duties as a cop and is eventually dismissed. This event completely breaks Lane's psyche, and he goes insane, becoming Bat-Devil to exact revenge on Batman, whom he blames for his current state. After recovering, Lane is selected by the Order of Purity, a splinter faction of the Order of St. Dumas which disagrees with their method of enforcing their rules and faith, to becomes their own version of the warrior Azrael. As Azrael, he clashes with Nightwing and later Batman after the latter's supposed death. Eventually, Lane progresses through his mental illnesses and manipulations from both the Order of Purity and Ra's al Ghul, and becomes a deputized member of Batman Incorporated.

The Michael Lane version of Azrael has made several appearances in media, most notably in the Batman: Arkham game series, where he is voiced by Khary Payton.