El Diablo

El Diablo is a recurring character identity in stories published by DC Comics. Rather than referring to one continuous individual, the name has been used by three major characters across different periods and versions of the DC Universe: the nineteenth-century Western vigilante Lazarus Lane, the modern Texas city councilman Rafael Sandoval, and the former criminal Chato Santana. The Spanish name, meaning “the devil,” connects the characters through themes of vengeance, guilt, justice, cultural identity, and supernatural power. The first El Diablo was Lazarus Lane, who debuted in All-Star Western #2 in October 1970. Created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Gray Morrow, Lane was a bank teller in the American Old West who was nearly killed during a robbery. After being struck by lightning and placed in a coma, he was revived through the intervention of the Native American shaman Wise Owl. Lane subsequently became El Diablo, a masked avenger associated with supernatural forces and frontier justice. Later stories established that his body remained dormant while a demonic or spirit-like El Diablo operated in the world, although continuity changes have altered the precise nature of the transformation. Lazarus Lane has appeared in stories involving Jonah Hex and other DC Western characters. His mythology was expanded through later retellings, including a mature-readers Vertigo miniseries written by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Danijel Zezelj in 2001. He also appeared in The New 52 era through backup stories in All-Star Western, where the character was reinterpreted as remaining awake while El Diablo emerged whenever he became unconscious. Rafael Sandoval represented a deliberate modernization of the concept. He first appeared in El Diablo #1 in August 1989, created by writer Gerard Jones and artist Mike Parobeck. Sandoval is a Mexican American rookie councilman in the fictional Texas city of Dos Rios. Frustrated by political obstruction and the dismissive treatment he receives as a symbolic minority representative, he adopts the El Diablo identity to confront threats that official institutions fail to address. His disguise draws on local legend, a festival costume, and an earlier boxing persona. Stories featuring Sandoval addressed arson, drug smuggling, human trafficking, serial murder, and the tension between public office and vigilante action. His solo title ran for sixteen months, after which he appeared in ensemble and special-event stories, including Justice League-related material and Villains United Special. Chato Santana became the principal modern incarnation. He debuted in El Diablo #1 in September 2008, created by writer Jai Nitz, penciller Phil Hester, and inker Ande Parks. Santana is an ex-criminal whose powers and personal history are tied to violence, remorse, and the fear of repeating past harm. In his origin, he encounters a still-living Lazarus Lane after being hospitalized, linking the modern character to the legacy of the original El Diablo. In The New 52 continuity, Santana became associated with the Suicide Squad and later joined Checkmate under Uncle Sam before abandoning the organization after discovering that he had been deceived. The character gained broad public recognition through the 2016 film Suicide Squad, in which Chato Santana was portrayed by Jay Hernandez. The film depicts Santana as a former gang leader who accidentally destroys his home in a burst of rage, killing his wife and children. Imprisoned at Belle Reve, he initially refuses to use his powers but is compelled to join Amanda Waller’s Task Force X. He eventually helps the team oppose the Enchantress and sacrifices himself to destroy Incubus. This adaptation made El Diablo one of the better-known members of the film’s ensemble, while retaining the character’s themes of culpability, restraint, and redemption. El Diablo has also appeared in animated television, video games, and other DC-related media. Lazarus Lane appeared in Justice League Unlimited, while Chato Santana appeared in Teen Titans Go!, Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham through downloadable content, Suicide Squad: Special Ops, and DC Super Hero Girls. Across these formats, the identity functions as a flexible DC property rather than a conventional consumer brand, with its continuity and characterization changing according to the publishing era and medium.

El Diablo is a shared fictional identity rather than a single uninterrupted character. DC Comics first introduced the name through Lazarus Lane, who appeared in All-Star Western #2 in October 1970. Robert Kanigher wrote the debut and Gray Morrow provided the art. Lane was conceived as an Old West vigilante whose origin combined frontier crime, apparent death, supernatural resurrection, and a curse associated with a demonic spirit of vengeance. Subsequent DC stories developed the relationship between Lane and the supernatural El Diablo in different ways. Some accounts treated Lane as a comatose host whose body remained inactive while the avenging persona traveled independently. Other stories connected the character to Wise Owl, the shaman who revived or cursed him, and placed him within larger supernatural and Western crossovers involving figures such as Jonah Hex, Bat Lash, Johnny Thunder, and Jason Blood. In The New 52 continuity, Lane was revised so that El Diablo emerged from his body when Lane became unconscious rather than remaining permanently comatose. The name was substantially reworked in 1989. Rafael Sandoval, created by Gerard Jones and Mike Parobeck, was a modern Mexican American character from Dos Rios, Texas. Sandoval served as a junior city councilman and became frustrated with political indifference, institutional obstruction, and the tokenization of his ethnic identity. He adopted the El Diablo persona using elements of local legend, a festival costume, and his past as a boxer. This version shifted the property away from historical supernatural Western fiction toward socially grounded urban crime stories. His cases included arson, drug trafficking, serial murder, and human-smuggling networks. The series lasted sixteen months and Sandoval later appeared in Justice League-related stories and Villains United Special. The third principal incarnation, Chato Santana, debuted in 2008. Created by Jai Nitz, Phil Hester, and Ande Parks, Santana was written as an ex-criminal whose powers were inseparable from trauma, violence, and remorse. His origin linked him to the earlier Lazarus Lane through an encounter after hospitalization. In the New 52 version of the DC Universe, Santana became associated with the Suicide Squad and later joined Checkmate under Uncle Sam. He ultimately rejected the organization after discovering that its leadership had misled him. The property’s most prominent adaptation came in the 2016 film Suicide Squad, where Jay Hernandez played Santana. The film gave him a tragic history: as a former gang leader, he accidentally unleashed destructive power that killed his wife and children. After incarceration at Belle Reve, he initially refused to use his abilities, but Amanda Waller forced him into Task Force X. He eventually used his powers to protect the team and sacrificed himself while helping destroy Incubus, the Enchantress’s brother. El Diablo has remained a cross-media DC character. Lazarus Lane appeared in Justice League Unlimited, while Chato Santana appeared in Teen Titans Go!, Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, Suicide Squad: Special Ops, and DC Super Hero Girls. The three incarnations share a name and broad themes but differ in setting, origin, personality, powers, and continuity. As a result, El Diablo is best understood as a reusable DC character mantle or identity rather than as a conventional product brand.

• 2016

  Film adaptation in Suicide Squad

  [1]El Diablo (character)en.wikipedia.org

  Chato Santana appeared in the film Suicide Squad as a member of Task Force X, portrayed by Jay Hernandez.

• 2011

  Lazarus Lane is reinterpreted in The New 52

  [1]El Diablo (character)en.wikipedia.org

  The New 52 used backup stories in All-Star Western to revise Lazarus Lane's transformation and supernatural status.

• 2008

  Chato Santana debuts

  [1]El Diablo (character)en.wikipedia.org

  Chato Santana became the third major El Diablo incarnation in a series by Jai Nitz, Phil Hester, and Ande Parks.

• 2001

  Vertigo publishes an El Diablo miniseries

  [1]El Diablo (character)en.wikipedia.org

  A four-issue mature-readers miniseries was published through DC's Vertigo imprint, written by Brian Azzarello and drawn by Danijel Zezelj.

• 1989

  Rafael Sandoval is introduced

  [1]El Diablo (character)en.wikipedia.org

  DC launched a modern interpretation of El Diablo centered on Rafael Sandoval, a Mexican American city councilman in Dos Rios, Texas.

• 1970

  Lazarus Lane debuts

  [1]El Diablo (character)en.wikipedia.org

  The original El Diablo first appeared in All-Star Western #2 as a supernatural vigilante of the American Old West.

A DC Comics character identity combining Western vigilante fiction, urban superhero storytelling, supernatural mythology, and themes of guilt and redemption. The property is positioned primarily within DC's superhero and ensemble-action universe, with different incarnations allowing the name to function across historical, contemporary, mature-readers, film, animation, and interactive formats.

• Comic-book character · 1970

  Lazarus Lane

  The original El Diablo is a nineteenth-century Western bank teller transformed into a masked supernatural avenger after a near-fatal robbery and lightning strike. His stories emphasize frontier justice, curses, demonic possession, and connections to DC's Western heroes.

• Comic-book character · 1989

  Rafael Sandoval

  Rafael Sandoval is a Mexican American city councilman from the fictional Texas city of Dos Rios. He adopts the El Diablo identity to investigate crime and defend residents after official institutions fail to act. His stories combine civic politics, social marginalization, and urban vigilantism.

• Comic-book and screen character · 2008

  Chato Santana

  Chato Santana is an ex-criminal whose destructive powers and remorse shape his identity as El Diablo. He is associated with the Suicide Squad in modern DC continuity and was adapted for film in 2016, where his arc focuses on restraint, guilt, sacrifice, and attempted redemption.

• Feature-film adaptation · 2016

  El Diablo in Suicide Squad

  The 2016 film adaptation presents Chato Santana as a Belle Reve inmate recruited into Amanda Waller's Task Force X. He initially suppresses his abilities because of the death of his family and ultimately sacrifices himself while helping defeat Incubus.

• 2016

  Adapt El Diablo for Suicide SquadProduct launch

  Background

  The film required a screen interpretation of the modern El Diablo for an ensemble story about incarcerated metahumans recruited for dangerous missions.

  Action taken

  The production used Chato Santana as a central supporting character and portrayed him as a reluctant combatant whose powers were tied to family tragedy.

  Aftermath

  The film became the character's most prominent mainstream adaptation and expanded recognition of the El Diablo identity beyond comic-book readers.

  Source

• 2008

  Introduce Chato Santana as the principal modern incarnationGeneration change

  Background

  DC revisited the identity for a new continuity and a character whose origin could connect supernatural legacy with crime, trauma, and personal responsibility.

  Action taken

  Jai Nitz, Phil Hester, and Ande Parks created Chato Santana and linked him narratively to Lazarus Lane.

  Aftermath

  Santana became the version most strongly associated with the Suicide Squad and later film, animation, and game adaptations.

  Source

• 1989

  Modernize the El Diablo identityStrategy

  Background

  DC sought a new interpretation that moved beyond the original Old West setting and paralysis-based supernatural premise.

  Action taken

  The publisher introduced Rafael Sandoval, a Mexican American city councilman who used the El Diablo persona to address crime and institutional neglect in a fictional Texas city.

  Aftermath

  The resulting series ran for sixteen months and established El Diablo as a mantle that could be reassigned to a substantially different protagonist.

  Source

1. 1El Diablo (character)en.wikipedia.org