Fallen Angel (Peter David comics) (Lee) walking from a fire

Fallen Angel

(Lee)


Context

Okay. So, from 1996 to 2003 there was a specific era for DC Comics’ Supergirl, written by Peter “PAD” David. This take was actually an Earth Angel, developing its own mythos, powers, cast, etc.. You can read more about that in the Supergirl (Earth Angel) character profile.

Inevitably, everything was eventually retconned  to make way for a more classic version of Supergirl. Which, as with every retcon, made the people who liked that version better sad. But what can you do, right ?

Well, shortly after the end of the Supergirl (Earth Angel) publication, David started a new comic book at another publisher, Fallen Angel. The heroine, Lee, is amazingly similar to his Linda Danvers and the story pretty much continues where it stopped.


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There are some minor continuity differences between the DC and IDW versions, but these are generally minor. The main two are the implication that she’s been pregnant before, and the changing of Sister Mary Catherine to Sister Mary Elizabeth. Really, these don’t affect this profile.

So, was this Lee person worth the effort to keep telling stories about her ? In our opinion, that’s a big “yes”. And how literal is the “Fallen Angel” thing ? For that, read on.

Oh, and this profile has a bunch of S P O I L E R S.


Background

  • Real Name: Liandra.
  • Other Aliases: Lee, Lia, Tin Hanan.
  • Marital Status: Single.
  • Known Relatives: Jude (Son).
  • Group Affiliation: Former agent of God.
  • Base Of Operations: Furor’s, Bête Noire.
  • Height: 5’10” Weight: 150 lbs.
  • Eyes: Blue Hair: Red


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Powers and Abilities

Having lost most of her power when she fell, Lee is nevertheless extremely strong, and is capable of leaping long distances. No longer able to fly, she is, nevertheless, unable to set bare foot on the ground, always hovering a few inches above it. She is also capable of bursts of speed.

She can make herself invulnerable to most damage, including extremes of temperature, but excluding gases. However this requires her to concentrate on maintaining her defences, so, if caught by surprise, she can be hurt as a normal person could.

No longer immortal, Lee ages like other mortals. Howbeit, when in Bête Noire she appears to be the age she was when she first arrived there. Following her temporary absorption of the last of Malachi’s power, she was de-aged, so she now appears 20 years younger.

Lee also possesses powerful psychokinetic abilities. She’s able to throw heavy objects around, or to unleash waves of pure force, either as wide blasts or as pinpoint beams. Use of these powers is usually accompanied by the visual signs of electricity crackling around the effect.


Life in Bête Noire

One of three such cities around the world (another being Babel, the City of Fire and Life), Bête Noire is said to shape the world. Events taking place in it echo on a global scale. Seeming to possess some form of sentience, the city decides who may enter and leave it, and prevents those it still finds useful from dying or aging, even speeding their recovery while they sleep.

Time can pass differently in Bête Noire, with day and night occurring at different rates. Daytime in the city sees no crime at all, but in the night it’s a haven for crime and corruption. It has no police force, order being maintained by the Chief Examiner and Chief Enforcer, who work for the Magistrate.

Bête Noire is run by the group known as the Hierarchy. Their true nature is not fully known, but who are individuals of great power. They run the cities outside of God’s dominion, manipulating the world for their own ends. Howbeit, heir control seems to be limited to the inhabitants of the city. The actions of the city itself appear to sometimes be counter to their agenda.

Their primary agent in the city is usually the Magistrate, a direct descendant of Cain. The position of Magistrate is passed down to the first born son by means of a mystic ritual which transfers the curse. The Magistrate constantly hears the voices of the city. This can be overwhelmed unless using drugs to control the effects.

A view of the city of Bete Noire

The Magistrate bears the Mark of Cain, making them effectively immortal and immune to harm. All attacks upon them getting turned back upon the attacker. This protection can be suppressed by the Hierarchy as they wish, and doesn’t prevent damage from former Magistrates and agents of the Hierarchy.

The Magistrate can also command anyone who is threatening him, forcing even Lee to follow his orders. The Magistrate is granted one day off a year, the only time he’s allowed to leave Bête Noire.

Meet the locals

Past and present inhabitants of Bête Noire include:

  • Asia Minor (Cu Ba Mynah). Bête Noire’s drug lord, Asia Minor lives in a mausoleum in the city’s graveyard, surrounded by guards. He often finds himself helping Lee, whom he’s taken a liking to.
  • Benny – A seemingly harmless and friendly old guy, Benny is actually the serpent from Eden. He preys on the innocent who stumble into Bête Noire, consuming them.
  • Black Mariah. A modern-day witch, Mariah serves as the information broker for Bête Noire, able to quickly gather information from worldwide sources. She has a hatred for Liandra, but this has often been replaced by a pragmatic alliance, and the two have an uneasy truce.
  • Bumper Ruggs – Manager of the local whorehouse, Bumper is in charge of Bête Noire’s prostitution. However, she doesn’t deal in child pornography.
  • Doctor Basil Juris. The Magistrate when Lee first came to Bête Noire, he became her primary antagonist and lover. He later married Xia, and they had a son Jubal. But when the ceremony to pass on the position of Magistrate failed, he discovered Lee had lied about the miscarriage of their son. He passed the curse on, and tried to leave Bête Noire, only for the years the city kept him alive to rapidly accumulate, ageing him to death in seconds.
  • Dolf. The owner of Furor’s, a bar in which violence is prohibited. He’s protective of Lee. It was he who christened her “Fallen Angel”, and allows her to use the bar as a base of operations. The elderly German Dolf used to be a painter, a writer, and dabbled in politics, and has racist tendencies. He has a particular dislike for Black Mariah, in part due to her actions against Lee. When he had her unconscious and at his mercy during the coup he was about to kill her, before Slate stopped him.
  • Jubal. Juris and Xia’s son. After spending his life trying to please his father, he was thrown aside when he proved useless to freeing Juris of his curse. Spiteful and petty, Jubal hates his older brother, Jude. He seems to have begun an intimate relationship with his mother, Xia. When the Hierarchy tired of Jude, Jubal was offered the role of Magistrate, which he happily accepted. During the coup he became the host for Lord Moloch. It’s uncertain how much, if any, of Jubal’s personality remains.

Meet more locals

  • Jude. Lee and Juris’ son, and half-brother of Jubal. Left in the care of Sister Mary Catherine shortly after his birth, he grew up a Roman Catholic priest. The wings he inherited from his mother were chewed off by a stray dog, who was actually a disguised Malachi, when he was still young.
    Found by Slate, he was brought to Bête Noire, where, against his mother’s warnings, he accepted Juris’ offer to succeed him. Jude believed he could use the position to make a change for the better. His struggles brought on his public breakdown, and his actions angered the Hierarchy. They arranged to have him ousted by his half-brother, Jubal.
  • Malachi. An angel, and former friend, mentor and lover of Liandra. He transferred to work for the Hierarchy, acting as their intermediary to Jude. Coming into conflict with Liandra, he also became Black Mariah’s lover.
    Under the Hierarchy’s orders, he secretly offered Jubal the position of Magistrate, helping to organise the forces which would perform the coup, but when Mariah was injured in the attack, despite promises he had received for her safety, he changed sides. That was only to have his head ripped off when Jubal became the host for Lord Moloch.
  • Sachs and Violens. Juanita “J.J.” Sachs and Ernie “Violens” Shultz were vigilantes who came to Bête Noire on the trail of a child pornography ring, where J.J. discovered her sister Bumper. The pair stayed, and Ernie became the city’s new Chief Enforcer.
  • Shadow Boxer. Former Chief Enforcer for Bête Noire. He had a strong hatred of Liandra for hurting his lover, Black Mariah. Catching Liandra by surprise, he managed to seriously injure her, unaware that she was pregnant. Led to believe she’d miscarried, he confessed this to Juris, unaware that he was the father. The enraged Magistrate shot and killed the Boxer.
  • Slate. Bête Noire’s Chief Examiner, Slate is the city’s closest thing to a policeman. Originally he was an honest policeman in Maristan, a small city in the northwestern coast of Africa, more corrupt than Bête Noire. Maristan was destroyed by a demon and vanished from human memory.
    Well aware of most things going on in the city, he even has the Magistrate’s office bugged, and seemed to be pursuing his own agenda. When he stopped Dolf from murdering the helpless Black Mariah, he was shot and killed by Dolf’s employee, Ezil.
  • Xia. Juris’ wife and Jubal’s mother. “Xia” isn’t her real name, but one selected for her by Juris, meaning ’glow of the sunrise‘. Juris’ only interest in her was in gaining an heir, leaving Xia embittered. When Jude became Magistrate, Xia tried to seduce him, but failed. She later joined the conspiracy to replace him.

History

A guardian angel, Liandra was “The Boss’s favourite”, happily fulfilling her role, watching unseen over her charges as they lived and died. Until one of her charges, a child named Holly, looked straight at Liandra from her crib.

Liandra developed a close bond with Holly. When Holly was kidnapped by a serial killer, Liandra was devastated. She was pmrevented from intervening by her friend and mentor, Malachi. He reminded her that their duty was to allow earthly laws to deal with it. So she watched as Holly was murdered.

The killer was eventually caught, but when he was acquitted on a technicality, Liandra lost her faith in justice and God. She killed Holly’s murderer.

Fallen in Algeria

Stripped of her wings and most of her power, Liandra fell to Earth in a remote area of Algeria. There she was taken in by an outcast tribe of the Kel Tamasheq. They believed her to be Tin Hinan, the mythic founder of their tribe. Promising to retrieve Tir Hinan’s belongings, taken long ago by archaeologists to be displayed at a foreign museum, she returned with them a while later.

She found the men who had taken her in slain by the main tribe, led by their Amenokal. All the women had been taken prisoner, apart from Ayr, the young girl she saw on first waking.

Angered, Liandra attacked the fort where the Amenokal and the main tribe lived. She killed them all and confronting their master, the fallen angel of death, Rahab. Rahab was unable to die because his successor wouldn’t take him, so he forced Liandra to kill him in self-defence.

Taking on the name “Lee”, Liandra travelled the world. She dispensed justice as she saw fit. When the hunt for a rapist and murderer led her to New Orleans, she encountered the mysterious Doctor Juris.

After dealing with her prey, she and Juris discovered a mutual attraction. But their night was cut short at midnight, when he disappeared after leaving her an invitation to Bête Noire.

Welcome to Bête Noire

Making her way to Bête Noire, she set herself up in a bar called Furor’s, where she acted as a court of last resort. People came seeking her help. If she believed they had been wronged, and truly wanted to be saved, then she’d help them. If, however, she believed they deserved their fate, she may have left them to it, or even hastened their destruction.

By day she had a house in a neighbouring town, where she got a job as a physical education teacher. She also began a secret relationship with Juris.

The Fallen Angel (Lee) in flight

Her first job was on behalf of the nun, Sister Mary Catherine. The sister wanted help locating a Christian relic, “The Shard”. Lee was aided by the drug lord Asia Minor, who took a shine to her, and who wanted her to owe him a favour. But the supposed owner of the Shard, Turquoise, claimed it had been stolen not long before, and Lee was unsuccessful in the quest.

Early on she came into conflict with the city’s information broker, Black Mariah. Mariah was running a slavery ring where she was selling some Romani children into prostitution. Hired by the children’s families, Lee was given a curse to unleash upon Mariah, which caused her to flee Bête Noire for a while.

The shard

Upon learning that one of her students was going to Bête Noire for alleged treatment for her brain cancer, Lee tried to catch up to her to protect the girl from the city’s predators. She arrived too late. The girl had fallen victim to a predatory entity which feasted on humanity’s vices, which Slate and Asia Minor had previously encountered.

Asia provided Lee with the drugs she’d need to be able to view the entity, and she confronted it in its avatar, driving it away.

When Black Mariah returned to Bête Noire, she revealed to Lee that it was she who had stolen The Shard. Mariah offered it in exchange for help, saying that she was due to give it to someone arriving in Bête Noire soon. That person had something Mariah needed, and Lee could have the Shard if she helped her.

Setting up a meeting for later, Mariah was caught by surprise when Lee abducted her beforehand. Lee tortured Mariah to learn the location of The Shard. Investigating the burnt-out house damaged by their earlier conflict, Lee recovered The Shard, but discovered that Mariah had left the place trapped in case Lee betrayed her.

Escaping, Lee found Mariah at Bumper’s. The witch was being confronted by her brother, Wilde. Wilde owned Mariah’s death, which allowed him power over her. Lee helped release Mariah’s death. She bluffed Wilde that she had another Romani curse she could loose on him, worse than the one Mariah had endured.

Taking The Shard to Sister Mary Catherine, Lee told her how she’d recovered it. But Sister Mary Catherine threw it into the fire, claiming it was now tainted by the acts.

A court of last resort

Later,a girl approached Lee searching for Asia, wanting to confront him. Lee agreed to see if Asia would meet her. At Asia’s mausoleum, Lee and Asia were surprised when the girl, who had managed to follow Lee, revealed that she was the ghost of an innocent victim of the drugs trade. Lee convinced her not to kill Asia, but the encounter left him changed.

The Fallen Angel (Lee) ominously standing in a cemetery

Soon after Juris broke off their relationship, Lee discovered that she was pregnant. Her actions having brought her to the attention of the Hierarchy, they decided they didn’t want her in Bête Noire. Thus, Mr. Kind of the Hierarchy arrived to prompt Juris to deal with her.

During the tense time, Lee found a note in her office at school. It alerted her to a bomb left there seconds before it exploded. She had time to raise her defences before it went off, but one of her students was badly injured in the blast.

Spotting Shadow Boxer nearby, Lee believed he had planted the bomb as revenge for her actions against his lover, Black Mariah. Questioning him at the Magistrate’s place, however, she learned that he hadn’t set it, and that Juris could control even her using his power. Despite Boxer’s protestations that the Hierarchy wanted her dead, Juris let her leave.

The Hierarchy

Dissatisfied with Juris’ response, Mr. Kind confronted Lee himself. The resultant battle which caused considerable damage to Bête Noire, but Liandra eventually won. She tore Kind’s heart from his chest.

Returning home exhausted from the battle, Lee’s defences were down when she was caught by surprise by the hidden Shadow Boxer. He punched her in the gut. Learning that she was pregnant, Boxer rushed her to the nearest hospital.

She gained the cooperation of the staff to pretend that she had miscarried. When she was healthy enough, Lee left Bête Noire for a while.

The distraught Shadow Boxer confessed what he’d done to Juris, unaware that it was his child. Juris shot and killed him. Juris would later tell Mariah that it was the Fallen Angel who had killed Boxer. But Mariah worked out that Juris was responsible, and formed an uneasy alliance with Lee to eventually deal with him.

Motherhood

When Lee’s son Jude was born, she took him to Sister Mary Catherine, to be raised in the church. She probably knew, or at least guessed, the nature of Juris’ curse. Thus, Lee wanted to keep Jude far from him and Bête Noire, although she was drawn to return there herself.

The Fallen Angel (Lee) angrily flies out

Returning to Bête Noire, Lee fell back into her old patterns. But her increasing frustration led her to Bumper’s looking for a release. When Bumper heard that the vigilantes Sachs and Violens were in the area hunting for her, she begged Lee to keep them away.

Lee reluctantly agreed, and worked out her frustrations battling them, using hardly any of her power. The fight was ended when Bumper emerged with Sachs, her sister, revealing that she hadn’t wanted her to know what she now did. Violens was hired as the new Chief Enforcer of Bête Noire.

The Boss forgives

Liandra had continued her role in Bête Noire for two decades when Malachi arrived. He told her that the boss was willing to forgive her, and offered her a return to her former position.

However, Lee soon realised that he was lying when she learned that Jude, now a priest, was in Bête Noire. Malachi admitted that he had transferred to work for the Hierarchy, but he was unsuccessful in his attempt to keep Lee from her son.

Questioned by Jude over why she abandoned him, she warned him against accepting the role of Magistrate from his father. But he didn’t listen, becoming the new Magistrate. Juris, freed from his prison, made haste to leave Bête Noire, stopping only to ask Lee to come with him.

She joined him in his car as they drove out of the City. There they were met by Black Mariah, standing in the middle road. Undaunted, Juris accelerated towards her. Lee leapt from the car as it crossed the border of Bête Noire, Juris’ age catching up with him rapidly. Lee and Mariah watched as he died of old age in front of them, drying into a withered husk.

Lee tried her best to help Jude accustom himself to his new role. But their relationship remained awkward, and he had great trouble adapting. Jude also found problems with his new half-brother, Jubal, whom Juris had thrown aside upon discovering him not to be his eldest son.

City of the dead

Lee returned to the city after a trip trying to help a blind singer find a remote mystic healer to restore his sight. She found Jude’s church blown up by an international terrorist, Sirocco, who was just about to escape the city. Lee was about to stop her when she recognised Sirocco as Ayr, and let her go.

Lee then met her predecessor, Lin. Lin had acted as an agent of chaos prior to her, and was believed to be dead. Her memories were broken, and she had just escaped from Limbo. Lee helped her recover, and Lin decided to leave the city for a while.

Walking the road that usually took her to Bête Noire, Lee one night ended up somewhere else. She was on a road which led her to Yellow Springs, also known as Yomi, the City of the Dead. She met Shi, who had similarly been transported there. They came into conflict with the new lord of the realm, Yurei, a former resident of Bête Noire who had been killed by Lin.

Yurei intended to lead an army of the dead back to the land of the living. But Lee and Shi managed to stop him, before returning to their lives.

The Hierarchy returns

Later, Black Mariah staggered into Furor’s, badly wounded. That presaged an attack on the bar, and then the city, by the Red Horse, a group of demons led by Gilles de Rais. Lee soon learned that they were part of a plot by the Hierarchy to replace Jude as Magistrate. They worked with Wilde and Jubal.

Lee realised that Malachi had been working with them too. But he had been given assurances of Mariah’s safety, and after she was injured, he switched sides.

Unable to prevent Jude’s capture, Lee led her forces (Sachs and Violens, the city’s enforcers, Asia and his goons, and the returned Lin) to try and rescue him. But they were kept from the Magistrate’s lighthouse by Wilde’s wards. That lasted until Malachi brought Mariah there, where her abilities neutralised her brother’s.

The Fallen Angel (Lee) lifts a car via using telekinesis

Leading the charge inside, Lee was too late to prevent the ceremony. Thus Jubal, now a host for the Hierarchy’s secret controller (Moloch, the ancient evil, only slightly less ancient than the Boss) was now the Magistrate. However, Jude had survived the process.

Moloch

When Malachi charged Moloch, he was quickly decapitated. As the others occupied Moloch, Lee recovered Malachi’s head, catching his last breath. That gave her enough temporary power to knock back Moloch. She then led the retreat as the tower began to collapse. Her forces vacated the area as Bête Noire disappeared, destined to reform elsewhere.

Lee determined to find it, to again battle the Hierarchy’s control over the city and the world.


Personality

Surly and bitter, Lee is gruff and sarcastic with everyone. She’s also prone to fits of temper, especially if she’s been drinking.

Her experiences have left her suspicious of authority. While she won’t go out of her way to disobey laws (although she might make the effort to interfere with the Boss’ works), neither is she willing to follow anyone else’s orders. She sometimes acts like a rebellious teenager, just ’because‘.

She tends to be aggressive and suspicious towards everyone. Lee keeps a wary distance, reluctant to even accept that she’s grown close to a very few. While very attractive, she tends to be hostile to anyone who reacts to it. Those familiar with her general demeanour quickly learn not to see her in that way. Frex, the staff at Bumper’s whorehouse are all too scared to go with her.

She maintains a resentment towards the Boss for his indifference, and what she felt was a betrayal. But Lee also seems to still blame herself for Holly’s fate, reluctant to allow herself to feel happy about anything.

Avenging angel

Still wanting to believe in justice, she no longer has faith in the Boss to administer it. So dispenses her own. The pride which paved the way to her fall is still very much a part of her self-destructive nature.

She has little interest, however, on helping those she doesn’t feel deserve it. So while she might help those she feels can be saved, she would just help those she feels can’t to their inevitable destruction.

Lee doesn’t like being used, and will make sure she gets her revenge on anyone who tries to manipulate her.

One instance was when Asia hired her to protect a warehouse full of his merchandise from a business rival. The rival attacked the warehouse and they fought until they realised the merchandise present was romantic novels, the drugs being on a ship elsewhere. Lee confronted Asia at the docks as he watched the ship sail away. It then blew up.

Rarely planning her actions beforehand, Lee tends to be fairly impulsive. She makes things up as she goes along, trusting on her powers and bluster to see her through. Yet she always tries to do the right thing as she sees it.

She prefers a direct approach, seeming to thrive on physical action. Liandra prefers making spectacular entrances (kicking in doors, crashing through windows, or just mysteriously appearing etc.) even when it’s not necessary.


Quotes

“You have this image of me as something great and wonderful. However, you want me to wreak vengeance as well, vengeance for what the forces of Hammed Ag Ihemma did to your people. And I have no problem with that. But it’s a horrible thing, vengeance. As much as you long for it, I think your watching me deal it out would… lower me… in your eyes. And I would not have that for all the world. So when I break down the main gate, run… run to your mother. And in the name of the prophet… in the name of Tin Nihan, and the love and respect you bear for me. don’t look back.”

“Y‘know, I am so going to enjoy beating the shit out of you when my arm’s unstuck.”

“There’s no police force here. During the day, there’s no crime. And you wouldn’t want to meet the people who roam the city at night.”

Toby: “You !! You’re supposed to be this… this big hero or something ! That’s what I hear ! Saving people and all that ! You just stood there and let her wave a gun at me, and just let that guy k-kill her ! She was just so… so unhappy ! Why didn’t you make things better for her ! Save her !”
Lee: “Because she didn’t want to be saved. Do you ?”

“Of all the things I don’t care about, I don’t care about that the least.”

Sister Mary Catherine: “It… it’s just so hard to believe.”
Lee: “Really ? Considering the things you routinely believe in your line of work, I’d think this would be a snap.”

Sister Mary Catherine: “Could you just tell me.”
Lee: “What ?”
Sister Mary Catherine: “…how did you find it ? Finally ?”
Lee: “A woman named Black Mariah had it. She wanted me to help her with a problem in return for the Shard. Instead I kidnapped her, tied her up and tortured her. For hours. Until she told me where it was.”

Wilde: “I came for the Shard, and instead wound up without it… and without Mariah’s service as well. But you know what I got for my time instead ? Entertainment. And a worthy opponent. Not enough of those in the world, eh, Miss Angel ?”
Lee: “Dunno. Haven’t found one yet.”

Lee: “Whattaya want ?”
Mariah: “Benny.”
Lee: “Benny the snake ?”
Mariah: “Unh-nunh.”
Lee: “What about him ?”
Mariah: “Just wondering if you’ve seen him around.”
Lee: “That’s it ?”
Mariah: “That’s it.”
Lee: “20 bucks.”
Mariah: “Pardon.”
Lee: “I’m not a charity. 20 buck, I’ll tell you.”
Mariah: “You tortured me for a full day. You’d think I’d be entitled to some consideration.”
Lee: “You are.”
Mariah: “How so ?”
Lee: “I’m not pounding the snot out of you right now.”
Mariah: “Marvellous. Here. Now tell me about Benny.”
Lee: “Haven’t seen him.”

The Fallen Angel (Lee) using her powers

Mr. Kind: “Don’t you understand that we’re doing you a favour ?”
Lee: “By trying to kill me ? By hospitalizing a young girl ?”
Mr. Kind: “By trying to get you to leave town while you can.”
Lee: “Meaning while I’m still alive ?”
Mr. Kind: “Meaning while the city will let you. The longer you stay, the less likely it is that you can leave. Of course, it may be too late for you already. In which case… death will be a blessing.”
Lee: “Then bless me… if you can.”

[After killing Mr. Kind] “Well ? Anyone else want to have their heart ripped out and shown to them ?”

Lee: “Dolf wants to know why you’re here. Mind if I join you ?”
Xia: “I believe I do mind, yes.”
Lee: “’kay. How about if I just take you out back and beat the shit out of you ?”
Xia: “Have a seat.”

“Right now, my son is in Juris’s tower, taking on the responsibility of being Magistrate of this Hellhole. Condemning himself in the misguided belief that he can help the world. I’ve told him what the consequences of this action will be, and either he doesn’t understand, or says he understands but doesn’t care. Since Bête Noire is the city that shapes the world, he thinks he can use it to save mankind somehow. Such hubris, in matters of this magnitude, usually carry rather stiff penalties. A bullet in the brain… crucifixion… that sort of thing. But I’m not allowing it to happen because I embrace free will. I’m allowing it because I’ve finally come to terms with the notion that if someone is bound and determined to destroy themselves… be they a little girl or a grown man… there’s not a damned thing you can do about it.”

Hooker: “…oh, god. I’m dying.”
Lee: “Yeah, you are.”
Hooker: “I’m… I’m going to Hell… oh shit, I’m going to Hell.”
Lee: “No, you’re not. There’s no Hell.”
Hooker: “Wh-what…?”
Lee: “There’s no Hell. That’s just a concept that theologians came up with to scare people into doing things the Church’s way. I mean, think about it – the whole purpose of punishment is so that you’ll learn something from it. What’s the point of souls suffering endless torment for no reason ? Suffering as an end unto itself ? Does that remotely sound like the concoction of a loving God ?”
Hooker: “N-no.”
Lee: “There you go.”
Hooker: “Th-thank you.”
Lee: “No problem.”
Hooker: [dies]
Malachi: “You told her she’s not going to Hell.”
Lee: “Yeah.”
Malachi: “But you didn’t tell her where she is going to wind up.”
Lee: “No. I figured, why make her day even shittier than it already is ?”

“Hang on, Jude. Mother’s coming to kick their asses !”

“Well, I’ll be damned.” (long beat) “…again.”

“Ahhhh. ’Right‘. ‘Just‘. ‘Fair‘. My favourite terms. How darling you are, my beautiful Jude. Thinking the world gives a damn about any of that.”

“It was like being touched by God.” (beat) “And I would know.”


DC Universe History

While published by DC, it was hinted that Fallen Angel was the Linda Danvers Supergirl. That was disproved when the IDW series revealed her origin. Howbeit, Liandra’s predecessor Lin seems intended to fulfil that role more closely. The representation of God when he appeared in Fallen Angel matched that from Supergirl, a young, bespectacled, boy.

After abandoning her role as Supergirl, Linda wandered, ending up in Bête Noire. The city usually didn’t let metahumans within its borders (obscuring itself from them), but now and then allowed a chaotic element in for its own reasons.

When she went out of control, the energies unleashed by the current Crisis were harnessed to send her to Limbo, outside of continuity, where she remained until she managed to escape a while later.

Liandra herself probably knows Zauriel, and could well have encountered the Spectre, and a number of other longer-lived and/or mystical beings.



Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG

Tell me more about the game stats

Fallen Angel

Dex: 07 Str: 09 Bod: 06 Motivation: Seeking Justice
Int: 06 Wil: 08 Min: 07 Occupation: High school gym teacher/former guardian angel
Inf: 09 Aur: 14 Spi: 13 Resources {or Wealth}: 004
Init: 026 HP: 050

Powers:
Air Walking: 00, Cold Immunity: 10, Comprehend Languages: 08, Extended Hearing: 02, Flame Immunity: 10, Jumping: 05, Mental Blast: 10, Skin Armor: 10, Sleep: 02, Superspeed: 05, Telekinesis: 10, Telepathy: 04

Bonuses and Limitations:

  • Air Walking has -7 APs of height [around an inch] (-2), and is Always On while she’s barefoot unless some force pulls her down (-1).
  • Cold Immunity, Flame Immunity and Skin Armor are not Automatic, requiring a Dice Action to activate, and an Automatic Action to be maintained through subsequent phases (-1).
  • Telepathy only works with other angels or former angels (-1), and only allows communications (-1).
  • Mental Blast can have an Area of Effect (up to 08 APs) if desired.
  • Force field can protect against temperature extremes if desired.

Skills:
Charisma: 09, Occultist (Occult Knowledge): 02, Thief (Stealth): 07, Weaponry (Firearms, Melee): 07

Advantages:
Area Knowledge (Bête Noire), Attractive (but rarely uses it), Familiarity (Physical Education), Scholar (Theology), Misc. Advantage (Citizen of Bête Noire, see below).

Connections:
Dolf (High), Jude (Low).

Drawbacks:
Guilt, MIA toward Making Spectacular Entrances.


Liandra and the Boss

As Liandra has explained it, the creation of life was meant to be the crowning achievement of God’s work. After he was sure mankind could survive on its own, he would be able to allow himself to fade into the relief of nothingness. But mankind wouldn’t stop asking him for things, or praising his name.

Unable to find his rest, he tried sending messages in the form of increasingly destructive natural disasters. But this only seemed to exacerbate the problem. Reluctant to destroy all human life, since that would be an admission that his great work was a failure, it nevertheless remains a growing possibility for him.

As an angel, Liandra had Flight (Winged) at an unknown level, along with an indeterminate number of other powers including Invisibility, Flame Projection, Invulnerability, and possibly other powers, all at indeterminate levels, but probably not too much beyond her current AP levels. She also had the Immortal advantage.


Citizen of Bête Noire

In game terms, its special citizens might have Slowed Aging, up to 10 APs of Invulnerability and up to 06 APs of Regeneration (only while sleeping or unconscious, cannot regrow limbs and organs). The APs are attributed at the whim of Bête Noire and can (and do) change at any moment without warning.

On the other hand, most people with this Advantage (even if it ends up not giving them any benefit) cannot leave Bête Noire. The effects may vary, from an impenetrable invisible force wall, to being teleported back into one’s home, to getting lost and finding oneself in Bête Noire, etc.

Again, the city decides what happens. For instance Black Mariah can leave at will, but Asia Minor will just get teleported back to the cemetery. There is no correlation between how favoured the person is and how hard or easy it will be to leave Bête Noire. One general principle, though, seems to be that it gets harder to leave the longer one has been in Bête Noire.

The Citizen of Bête Noire Advantage also entails the ability to navigate the city without getting lost. Newcomers will routinely have to contend with impossible topology, such as a straight street which ends at the same point it starts.

By Gareth Lewis.

Source of Character: Fallen Angel by Peter David, published by DC Comics and then IDW (covers up to #26 of the IDW series).

Helper(s): wikipedia, Dr. Peter S Piispanen, KalEl el Vigilante, Frank Murdock, Sébastien Andrivet, Darci.