Cliff Simon as Ba'al in Stargate: Continuum.
Baal, also spelled Ba'al, is the name attributed to different interpretations of a deific being as presented in ancient Near East mythology. It has also been utilized as a title. In fiction, Baal, has been represented as both a demonic personage, as well as a patron deity. Baal's name has been associated with Hadad, who is a rain and storm god of ancient Mesopotamian religion and Canaanite lore. The Hebrew Bible however, posited Baal as a false god, and this usage has been converted into Christian and Islamic lore. In Christianity, as well as demonology sources, Baal is sometimes identified as Beelzebub, though fictional resources may identify them as two separate entities.
In the Lesser Key of Solomon, Baal's name is spelled as "Bael", and he is identified as demon. The text credits Bael as being able to transform into various animal forms such as a toad, or a cat. He has also been visually depicted as having three heads; one human, one toad, and one feline.
In Marvel Comics continuity, Baal was a powerful being of demonic origin. Baal was defeated ages ago by The Hand of God, and his essence was trapped inside the Gehenna Stone, which had been fractured into many pieces. In the late 20th century, a few fragments of the Gehenna Stone were uncovered and Ba'al's spirit awakened. As more and more pieces turned up, Ba'al recovered enough strength so that he was able to take possession of a mortal host and reconstitute his corporeal form. From there, he used his power to create his Baalist followers, pseudo-vampires who lived and died at Ba'al's command. To achieve his full might however, he needed all of the pieces of the Gehenna Stone. This brought Baal into conflict with the Canadian mutant adventurer known as Wolverine. [1]
In the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1, Ba'al was the name given to an alien member of the parasitic race known as the Goa'uld. Ba'al was the last of the Goa'uld System Lords. He came into conflict with a divergent race known as the Tok'ra and was enemies of the Earth military forces of SG-1 led by Lieutenant Colonel Jack O'Neill and later, Cameron Mitchell.
On the TV series Ash vs Evil Dead, Baal was an elder demon and a member of the Dark Ones, whose mysterious origins were somehow tied to that of the Necronomicon. The author of the Necronomicon, Ruby Knowby, was a subordinate of Baal. In the original timeline, Ruby turned against Baal when her own demon offspring retaliated against her. Baal manifested on Earth in the modern era by way of a dimensional portal to Hell, which had been created in the trunk of the 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88 that had belonged to Ash Williams. [2] Baal was able to assume a variety of human forms by "stealing skin" from mortals. He used his power and influence to sow doubt and fear in those around him, often inciting mobs of people to commit acts of violence on his behalf. Baal sought to find and destroy the Necronomicon, as it was the only thing that could banish him back to Hell. By this point, the Necronomicon had begun to merge with the body of Ash's compadre, Pablo Simon Bolivar. Baal had Ash committed to the Kenward County Asylum where he attempted to drive him insane in the hopes that by doing so, Ash would reveal the location of the Necronomicon. [3] Ash tricked Baal however, and found a way to get him into the same room as Pablo. Pablo began reciting passages from the Necronomicon to banish Baal, but Baal was able to kill Pablo and transfer his essence into his corpse. [4] Ash traveled back in time to the year 1982, in the hopes of changing the past, but Baal manifested into his traditional form. Fortunately, Ash and his friends Kelly Maxwell and Ruby Knowby were able to resurrect Pablo. Ash challenged Baal to a good old fashioned fist fight, which would not involve supernatural magic, but Baal broke the rules in order to get the upper hand. Despite this, Ash proved victorious against him, and used Baal's claw to send him back to Hell. [5]
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Notes & Trivia[]
- A common alternate spelling of Baal is Ba-al, which redirects to this page.
- Baal from Ash vs Evil Dead also went by the alias of Doctor Peacock.
- Baal is pronounced similarly to the word "ball", but with a high accent on the first 'a'. Imagine Forrest Gump saying "ball". You get the picture.
- The Grimoire of Pope Honorius identifies Baal by the name "Astaroth". He is a subordinate of Lucifiuge Rofocale.
- Baal as a demonic entity took possession of a Welsh Jesuit exorcist named Father Lucas in the 2011 horror film The Rite. He possessed Father Lucas after his failed attempt to exorcise a pregnant woman named Rosaria. A deacon named Michael Kovak was able to identify Baal as the invading entity and exorcise it from Father Lucas.
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References[]
- ↑ Wolverine Vol 2 #11-16; "The Gehenna Stone Affair".
- ↑ Ash vs Evil Dead: DUI
- ↑ Ash vs Evil Dead: Delusion
- ↑ Ash vs Evil Dead: Ashy Slashy
- ↑ Ash vs Evil Dead: Second Coming