First of the Fallen

First of the Fallen
Panel from Hellblazer #42 (June 1991). Art by Will Simpson.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Hellblazer #42 (June 1991)
Created by	Garth Ennis (writer) Will Simpson (artist)
In-story information
Species	Personification and embodiment of evil and negativity in the universe. Former conscience of God.
Place of origin	Hell
Supporting character of	John Constantine
Notable aliases	Satan, Theo
Abilities	Nigh-omnipotent demonic powers, such as telekinesis and omnipresence.

The First of the Fallen is a fictional demon published by DC Comics' Vertigo imprint. He debuted in Hellblazer #42 (June 1991), and was created by Garth Ennis and Will Simpson. He is considerably the archenemy of John Constantine.

The First of the Fallen was introduced to be the iconic Vertigo Comics manifestation Devil, but due to continuity conflicts with Neil Gaiman's use of Lucifer in the The Sandman an alternate background had to be developed. Instead, he was revealed to be the first being created and the first to be banished to Hell—hence the First of the Fallen. Intended as a powerful antagonist for the lead character, John Constantine, the First proved to be a popular character and the majority of regular series writers since Ennis have used the character in one form or another.

The First of the Fallen was created by Garth Ennis and Will Simpson, appearing as an adversary to John Constantine, the lead character of the Hellblazer comic. In his first appearance, the First tried to claim the soul of a friend of Constantine's that had been sold to him, and was tricked (and assaulted) by Constantine, resulting in him missing his agreed-upon deadline. Later in the same storyline, he was shown as being one of a triumvirate of rulers in Hell—with the other two devils (the Second and Third of the Fallen) only having the power to defeat him if they acted together.

From his actions and his power, it was implied that the First was Satan or Lucifer, the Christian Devil. However, at the same time that Ennis introduced the First, Neil Gaiman used the character of Lucifer in his Season of Mists storyline for The Sandman. In Gaiman's story, Lucifer was the sole ruler of Hell who decided to give up his position in order to travel the world, with the key to the gates of Hell eventually being returned to the representative of Heaven. Because of this, Ennis made it clear that the First of the Fallen, aka Satan, was a separate character; banished from Heaven prior to Lucifer's fall from whom Lucifer usurped Hell with his greater power and who reclaimed control following the Morningstar's abdication. How this ties in with the leadership of Hell as shown in Mike Carey's Lucifer spin-off series has not been clarified, but the First's status as separate to Lucifer was confirmed by the appearance of both in Carey's run writing Hellblazer.