The comic AZRAEL, published by DC Comics, began with the creation of the character by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Joe Quesada. Together, in 1993-94, they helped begin Azrael in Sword of Azrael, a 4 issue mini-series. Azrael was intended as an opposite to Batman, for he was to fill Batman's place during the KnightFall Saga in which Batman's back was broken by Bane and Bruce Wayne was unable to fulfill his nightly "duties."

Physically, the two characters differed--Jean Paul's fairness to Bruce Wayne's dark looks. The angelic imagery of medieval armor and cleansing flames contrasted wonderfully with Batman's dark, silent "street costumes." A force of good clad in black who never killed, and opposite him--a force for a harsher (twisted?) justice in the guise of an angel; devil vs. angel analogies were intended. The imagery of flame and ice throughout Azrael stories also depicts the duality within his nature-angel or man? The flame can heal or destroy, just as ice can be freezingly painful or a bane against heat and thirst. The combination of destruction and healing within the images of Azrael's story only heightened Azrael's inner differences between his aspect as Jean Paul or the avenging angel, Azrael. However, the irony of Batman's and Azrael's purposes in life created a delicious tension throughout the miniseries and during KnightFall, KnightQuest, and KnightsEnd. The imagery of these of the story arcs was that of the hero's journey.

Azrael made his "night journey" and found himself trapped by the darkness of his own Order of St. Dumas who had deprived his free will from him--his journey to his subconscious was marked the appearances of his warring personality: his father's "ghost" and the spirit of Saint Dumas served as the obstacles to his "heroic" independence. The struggle between his fragmented aspects of his psyche climaxed in Azrael #7 when Azrael became enlightened by the truth of his birth, a birth not natural or entirely human. Only by coming to grips with man's inherent bestiality was Azrael able to piece himself after the numbing, soul-shaking shock. His emergence as a greater hero has begun his redemption after his "failure" as the Dark Knight of Gotham (Azrael #31).