- "Hey, it's your choice. You either grow some balls or wait for Prince Charming to come save you. I choose to grow a pair. How about you?"
- ―Zadkiel to Yup about his bullies
Zadkiel, also known by their male alias Zack, is the archangel of mercy and freedom. At first, they are Archangel Michael's second-in-command, but they decide to fall from Heaven after secretly agreeing with Satan's ideals for centuries. Zadkiel is the one who contracted Satan to Natalie McAllister by putting his summoning sigils on a menstrual pad, wanting to protect him from Heaven's wrath during the End of Days.
Now that they have fallen, Zadkiel's main mission is to unleash Hell on Earth and let its souls run free.
Biography[]
Zadkiel is the Archangel of mercy and freedom and is said to be one of the two angels who will lead directly behind Michael in the End of Days. Contradicting to their nature, Zadkiel appears very malicious and cold. They do, however, forgive easily, unless it comes to those who hurt Uriel. Because of this, they were the one who granted “mercy” on Satan and put his summoning symbol on the pads in the factory that started this whole mess. They did it to save him from Michael and Heaven’s wrath as the End of Days approaches.
Zadkiel envies those who defected, but stayed in Heaven, fearing their swearing oath to Satan when he fell would be an inopportune time and cause a panic. They have an unhealthy interest in knives, loves the color violet, and fancies disguising themself only as men.
Appearance[]
Zadkiel is relatively tall and muscular, standing at 5'10".[2] They have tan skin, purple eyes, and light brown hair. In their feminine form, Zadkiel has long hair and bangs, along with two braids on each side of their head. In their masculine form, however, Zadkiel has shaggy medium length hair. Additionally, their eyebrows have distinct slits in them (two in the left, one in the right).
When Zadkiel was in Heaven, they wore a violet archangel robe. They also wore gold eyeliner on the bottom rim of their eyes with lines pointing downward. As a fallen angel on Earth, they no longer wear their robe or angelic eyeliner, and they instead wear casual clothes that are often purple. As for piercings, Zadkiel has a lip ring and lower back dermal piercings.[3] They also often wear ear cuffs on the top and bottom of each ear with a chain connecting the two.
Personality[]
As the archangel of mercy and freedom, Zadkiel is naturally a forgiving and understanding being-- but this does not mean they forget those who have wronged them. Their views on divine judgement and how to bestow mercy on others is skewed, especially concerning those they care about. Threats made against Uriel, Noah Sprits, or themself are punishable by death or being severely injured, in Zadkiel's eyes. Their almost backwards view on being merciful is seen when they show Yup "mercy" by beating up his bullies, as well as when they decide they should release Hell on Satan after he rejects their request to serve under him.[4]
While Zadkiel's way of dishing out mercy can be unfair or extreme, their compassion shines through several of their actions, most notably when they puts Satan's summoning sigil on a feminine hygiene product to protect him during the End of Days. Their mercy even extends outside of Lucifer at times and they are able to sympathize with women in jeopardy while simultaneously still harboring disgust towards humans. It is also shown that Zadkiel is not completely heartless, having been in a healthy relationship with Uriel before they defected.[5] They also felt hesitant to stab Raphael before they fell, but they felt it was necessary in order to escape the corner they had been backed into.[6]
Despite being merciful, Zadkiel's soul is completely black with a dim purple center around the heart, which is one of the most deteriorated states a soul can be in.[7] Zadkiel disapproves of Heaven’s views on right and wrong and considers its angels to be small-minded. They do not agree with a lot of its teachings, either.[6] Zadkiel wanted to fall alongside Lucifer, but felt it would be bad timing and cause too much panic if they, Michael's second in command, defected. So they stayed in Heaven and hid their true feelings for millennia. With their freedom to be themselves restricted for so long, it only makes sense for their soul to deteriorate and grow bitter and cold overtime. Zadkiel is also the archangel of freedom, so their time being tied to Heaven and its laws could be a partial reason for their corrupted soul.
Zadkiel is calm and collected most of the time. Having had to hide their true intentions about agreeing with the Fallen's ideals for centuries, they are an expert at masking their feelings. Pax Madan claims that he has never seen Zadkiel surprised, even while he served under them Heaven.[8] Their composed nature is also seen when Titus Alwright flings a spike towards them, only to have them calmly dodge it and continue speaking to him.[9]
Zadkiel also has a prevalent tendency to find chaos and disorder thrilling. They thought binding Satan to Natalie McAllister was hilarious, and found doing the same to Kristi Lange and Michael just as funny. They also start fights in bars out of sheer boredom and even go so far as to transform into their masculine form in public for a quick rush of adrenaline.[10]
History[]
Zadkiel always felt forced into their position as an archangel. Part of Zadkiel felt that God had given them little say in their future, since He decided their position for them and ignored their concerns about their role as a leader. Zadkiel was never quite interested in the idea of leadership, nor did they feel like they had the knowledge or experience to properly do their job. It was not until they met Uriel that they gained confidence as a leader.[5] Zadkiel's squad, which Pax Madan served in, soon became notorious for taking on tough jobs and having a low mortality rate.[3] According to Pax, no one but Zadkiel's troops knew they had a sadistic side.[11]
When Lucifer fell, Zadkiel was secretly excited, but acted shocked to fit in with the other archangels.[6] They considered Lucifer a breath of fresh air because he could be who he wanted to be without hesitation, contrary to Heaven's nature.[6] Zadkiel wanted to fall with him, but backed out of their plan because it would have caused a huge unnecessary uproar.[12] Instead, they have spent thousands of years preparing their plan to defect and join Satan.
Plot[]
The Beginning[]
Zadkiel stands outside of a feminine hygiene plant. Felix and Anthea Rosenfeld are also outside of the plant, investigating the source of the maxi pad that tied Lucifer to Natalie McAllister. Zadkiel calls the two over from behind and Felix figures that it was Zadkiel who bound Satan and Natalie together. Felix makes it abundantly clear that he disapproves of Zadkiel doing this, but Zadkiel defends their point, saying that they did it to protect Satan from Archangel Michael during the End of Days. They warn Felix to not become a problem for them before dismissing the two demons. Uriel then unexpectedly comes in from behind Zadkiel, asking what they are doing there.[12]
Zadkiel and Natalie with her new shirt
After a car runs over Natalie's gift for Satan, Zadkiel introduces themself as "Zack" in a masculine form and buys her a new shirt. Natalie brings Zadkiel home and Satan instantly recognizes them despite their "Zack" disguise. Satan asks Zadkiel why they are there when he specifically told the archangels to stay out of his business, to which Zadkiel replies that they got him a "gift". As a peace offering to Satan for binding him to Natalie, Zadkiel reveals that they put Michael's summoning sigils on a maxi pad.[13] Archangel Michael soon shows up at Natalie's door with Kristi Lange to confront Lucifer. Satan is shown to be amused by Zadkiel's gift, laughing as Michael threatens to snap his neck.[14]
After Michael and Kristi leave, Zadkiel makes no effort to hide their identity in front of Natalie. They address "Stan" as Lucifer and calls Natalie naive and embarrassing for not figuring out their identity sooner. Despite Zadkiel insulting her, Natalie genuinely thanks them for binding her to Satan and finds it funny that they put his summoning sigils on a maxi pad.[15]
Meanwhile, Uriel, Zadkiel's partner, suspects that they are the one responsible for binding Michael to a human. He bases his suspicions on seeing Zadkiel outside of the maxi pad factory with Anthea and Felix, as well as her strange behavior as of late. He interrogates Anthea with Gabriel and she confirms that she did indeed see Zadkiel at the warehouse.[16] Later, Uriel informs Raphael of Zadkiel's antics and encourages him to take a look at their soul with his all-seeing eyes.[17]
Zadkiel slicing their hand
Following Uriel's request, Raphael calls Zadkiel to a temple. The two engage in a brief conversation, and Raphael comments that Zadkiel has never made eye contact with him. Zadkiel finally makes eye contact with Raphael, revealing their black and corrupted soul, before stabbing him while he is off guard. While he is on the ground, they reveal that they poisoned him with their blood. Zadkiel promises not to elongate Raphael's death, and they proceed to cut their hand deeper and drip more blood into his stab wound. Zadkiel flees the scene and after about an hour, Uriel finds Raphael with purple veins and bruises scattered all over his body.[7] From then on, Michael keeps Uriel under surveillance to ensure that he was not working with Zadkiel. He informs Uriel that he plans on giving them "treatment ala Lucifer", meaning he will kick them out of Heaven.[18]
Zadkiel examines the cut on their hand, now festering with blue veins from Raphael, before seeing Michael approach them. He tries to punch Zadkiel, but they dodge it, prompting Michael to take out his torch. Zadkiel slashes his left side with one of their hidden knives and tries to lunge at him.[19] Michael kicks them away and knocks them down, causing them to cough up blood. After Michael grabs Zadkiel by the collar and calls them disgusting, they spit blood onto his mouth and stab themself. They rip the bloody cloth off of their stab wound and presses it onto the slash on Michael's side, poisoning him. Zadkiel then officially resigns from their archangel position and tosses him the "gaudy" flower from their angel robe. They leave Michael with the fact that they made all their decisions alone, clearing Uriel's name.[19]
Zadkiel's reply to Satan's warning
Zadkiel and Satan later meet again through Natalie. Zadkiel confidently tells Satan that there is no need to thank them for leaving Heaven in a disarray, which backfires when Satan knocks them down. Satan threatens them to stop assuming they know what everyone wants and to stay out of his business, to which Zadkiel angrily agrees.[20] This moment ruins Zadkiel's image of Satan and makes them harbor ill will towards him from now on.
Run arc[]
After Ipos Kabakoff dies, Zadkiel lurks into his house and gets ahold of his book, famous among demons for its information and research.[21] A certain page outlining Hell's release piques their interest and they contemplate unleashing Hell on Earth to retaliate against Satan for being so cold to them, since it would take away any meaning his life had. They then introduce themself to Natalie in their feminine form.[22] Anthea sees the two talking to each other and she later warns Satan about Zadkiel.[23] As a result, Satan orders Pax Madan to follow Zadkiel and get Ipos' book back.[24] Felix accompanies Pax on his journey to find Zadkiel, since he believes that they killed Anthea and wants to get revenge.[25]
Titus arc[]
Titus Alwright and Zadkiel later meet in an alleyway. Zadkiel informs Titus that they know he is a descendant of Cain, thanks to Ipos' book, before bringing up Uriel's recent disappearance. They threaten to beat him or even kill him if they find out that he is keeping Uriel captive.[9]
Memory arc[]
Zadkiel threatening Nicholas and Sarah with Yup
After being kicked out of a local bar for starting a fight, Zadkiel encounters Noah Sprits outside. He offers them a place to stay for the night when he notices that they have been hurt.[10] The two begin to bond and Zadkiel coins the name "Yup" for the boy, since they think the name Noah Sprits is ugly. Zadkiel also notices that he has scars and burns, which are the work of two bullies who abuse him on a regular basis.[26] They eventually find the two bullies, and Zadkiel threatens and beats them. Yup begins to cling onto them and refuses to leave them when they try to drop him off at his spot.[4]
Zadkiel and Yup eat in the woods, some ways off from a cliff. The two are having a conversation when Zadkiel suddenly sees a bright light flash in the sky. Believing this to be Uriel's light, Zadkiel and Yup follow the beam of light until they come across Pax, disguised as Uriel, kneeling wounded by the edge of a cliff. Felix then attempts to make a surprise attack on Zadkiel, only to have them quickly counterattack him. They reveal that they knew that this was not the actual Uriel, thanks to their several years of dating him, and taunts Felix for being too cowardly to attack them from the front.[27]
Relationships[]
- Uriel - The two were in a romantic relationship before Zadkiel paralyzed Raphael and fell. Zadkiel was initially drawn to Uriel because his bad circumstances made them feel better about their own; His guilt over blinding his soldiers made their problems feel less significant, which is how they overcame their insecurities.[5] Despite Zadkiel leaving Heaven and their communication with Uriel ceasing, they still care about him. This can be seen when they threaten Titus in an alleyway over the possibility of him holding Uriel hostage.[9]
- Noah "Yup" Sprits - Zadkiel serves as a parental figure for Yup, giving him haircuts and defending him against his bullies. Zadkiel realizes that they underestimated how much he would become attached to them. In this way, they end up with an unwanted tagalong on their journey to unleash Hell on Earth. They nevertheless find solace in each other's company.
- Satan - Zadkiel used to greatly admire Satan, beginning as early as when humans were first put on Earth. After he used the humans to create chaos, Zadkiel began to look up to him for his bravery in expressing his advocacy of free will. However, when he shows obvious disinterest in Zadkiel's plans, their admiration for him is replaced with disdain, since they thought he would appreciate their faith in him more.
- Natalie McAllister - Zadkiel pretends to be friends with Natalie to get closer to Lucifer on Earth. Zadkiel strongly dislikes her for her obliviousness and perkiness. They even go as far as to have Natalie's caller ID show up as "Brat" on their phone.[28] Whatever motives they may have for Natalie, they are all ulterior.
- Felix Totah - Zadkiel seemingly had no real opinion of Felix in the beginning, other than a doting peon of Satan. It is only after being confronted and forced into angel possession that Zadkiel's disdain for the demon became acidic. Zadkiel does not like Felix and does little to hide that fact.
- Michael - Before falling from Heaven, it's alluded that Zadkiel played nice with their peers, hiding their true feelings and intentions before being unmasked by Raphael. Despite Zadkiel being Michael's second in command, they have never held good feelings towards him. Zadkiel makes it clear they have no qualms when it comes to harming or killing him.
Trivia[]
- Zadkiel cannot curl their hair. The curls fall out within an hour every time they try to curl it.[29]
- Before they started dating, Zadkiel kept a painting of Uriel hidden in their bedroom. They would use it to practice asking him out, but they would get too nervous and back out of it.[30]
- Zadkiel often exercises to clear their mind and "take the edge off" in times of stress.[30]
- Though they were created appearing as female,[5] Zadkiel prefers to present themself as male because they're taken more seriously and it's easier to get what they want.[1]
- Zadkiel is the last out of the original archangels to be created.[31]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 thisiskindagross: Better late than never. Here’s your question dump...
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 thisiskindagross: Character Biographies
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 thisiskindagross: Satan and Me Asks
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "This Ain't Sesame Street"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Bonus Comic: Zadkiel's Creation"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 thisiskindagross: 51 Bulk Answered Asks
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Look Me in the Eyes"
- ↑ "A Horseman Kind of Thing"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "This Angel is My Business"
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Not a Girl Here to Hit"
- ↑ "I'm Sorry Anthea"
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Archangel Zadkiel"
- ↑ "I've Done Something Naughty"
- ↑ "My New Guardian Angel"
- ↑ "I Don't Like That Word"
- ↑ "Her Silence is Proof Enough"
- ↑ "I Owe You a Lot"
- ↑ "Treatment Ala Lucifer"
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 "You Can Have These Back"
- ↑ "I Was an Angel"
- ↑ "God Have Mercy on Me"
- ↑ "Unleash Hell on Earth"
- ↑ "Ms. Scarlett Fever"
- ↑ "More Interesting Reunion"
- ↑ "What Scares You?"
- ↑ "Prince Charming"
- ↑ "Beat Some Sense Into You"
- ↑ "Are You Free this Weekend?"
- ↑ thisiskindagross: Fun Fact: The Archangels + Satan
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 orangesamthoughts: Fun Facts about the Archangels ft. Lucifer part 2
- ↑ thisiskindagross: Creation order