Belasco was once human, his path to becoming a Hell Lord echoing Dormammu's. Both began as Earth mortals.
He first gained fame in Dante's epic poem, though some debate whether Belasco truly appeared among the Divine Comedy's many demons.
Records state that the sorcerer Belasco lived in 13th-century Florence, Italy. Through his alchemy and dark arts, he stumbled into contact with the Elder Gods. Awestruck by their terrifying power, he struck a deal, enabling Earth's people to summon Elder Gods and Old Ones through rituals and arrays.
The fledgling Ancient One disrupted this, but the blindly foolish Elder Gods felt neither anger nor disappointment. Instead, they gifted Belasco immense energy, elevating him from a street-level sorcerer to Skyfather-tier in an instant.
This power, steeped in desolation and annihilation, twisted him into a new demonic species: an Earth-dwelling fiend, a monstrous fusion of human and ancient darkness.
Blessed with endless life, Belasco rejoiced. Guided by the Elder Gods, he found the lost Pangea continent. With their aid, he severed its concept from Earth, forging a new Hell plane: Limbo.
The Elder Gods' power spread unchecked in Limbo, spawning countless indescribable tentacle creatures, alongside Belasco's cultists—warped, deformed zealots.
Belasco continued studying the Elder Gods, his mind scrambled into chaos by their endless whispers and nightmares.
This madness, which he called "chaotic inspiration," led him to create something extraordinary through reckless experimentation.
Using bloodstone as the primary material, mixed with other-dimensional substances and incomprehensible chants, he crafted the "Bloodstone."
This artifact could merge with human flesh, granting power while transforming the host into an alien monster, enabling mass production of powerful creatures.
He implanted one in himself first. Though already a monster, he didn't mutate further, but the act deepened his madness, clouding his sanity. At times, he'd fancy himself a dragon, raiding Earth for princesses.
Among Hell Lords, he alone bore the stigma of a rapist. For a period, influenced by some Elder God, he obsessed over siring offspring with human women.
All the women died in childbirth—mortals couldn't survive birthing demons.
After dozens of attempts, Belasco found the hybrid children weak, not stronger. Disappointed, he killed them all.
He then pinned his hopes on the Elder Gods again, seeking new, unknown deities for greater power.
Simultaneously, he used Bloodstones to transform humans, aiming to create his own "banshees." Magik was one such test subject.
Backed by the Elder Gods, his power ranked among the top Hell Lords, but most Elder Gods dwelt in eternal, blind chaos.
They granted Belasco power but could also doom him.
For centuries, he was trapped in a cycle: perform rituals, die to an Elder God or gain new power, resurrect, prepare new rituals.
As an Earth native, his desire to return home was strong, and he invaded Earth frequently.
His track record was poor. His first invasion was thwarted by Dante, a mere poet, who destroyed a Bloodstone.
His second attempt, with a new Bloodstone, was defeated by Ka-Zar, Marvel's Tarzan, raised by tigers.
The third was foiled by Cable, a time-traveler. The fourth and fifth by X-Men meddling with timelines. Later, he'd lose to Ultron and Magik.
Though once a sorcerer, he avoided clashing with other mages, maintaining a neutral stance in the magical world.
He was the best Hell Lord with dual war axes, wielding a host of dark magic and energy attacks. Yet he forgot to use them, preferring to hack with axes.
Balder escaped him because Belasco didn't use his Lordly powers or authority, instead chasing the God of Light on foot—and failing to catch him.
He didn't use Hell's abilities to scan his plane, instead sending armies to hunt Balder manually, allowing the god to play hide-and-seek for centuries.
If it were Mephisto, his mastery of Hell's laws would've teleported Balder to him instantly.
Belasco's methods were often incomprehensible, even to other Hell Lords.
The plan now was to extract the God of Light from Limbo to face the Serpent. Su Ming knew the Ragnarök prophecy would fall on Thor, but others didn't.
The prophecy said the Serpent would perish with Odin's son. Strictly speaking, Balder, Odin and Frigga's eldest, was the true heir. Rescuing him could intimidate foes.
If Balder faced the Serpent, he'd likely die again. But what was that to Su Ming?
His goal was to ensure Ragnarök unfolded as planned, sparing Earth and Vanaheim. Temporarily repelling the Serpent was a solution—Odin's past seals worked similarly.
The Serpent issue seemed tied to Su Ming's deal with Odin, but the Ancient One was the true client. Even if Odin paid nothing, Su Ming had to face the Serpent for Earth's safety.
The Ancient One's generosity was overwhelming—Kamar-Taj, the Time Stone, the Sorcerer Supreme title. Su Ming dared not accept.
He'd settle for squeezing benefits from Odin, maybe double-dipping.
But in his five-sentence exchange with Odin, three were probes, and Odin's reactions felt off. As clues mounted, so did Su Ming's unease.
Something was wrong with the past.
He couldn't pinpoint it, but it felt like Kang the Conqueror's meddling—details rough around the edges.
Su Ming suspected a time-traveler, or even a multiversal interloper, had altered the timeline, leaving flaws.
This time, the conspiracy seemed aimed at him.
In one day at the Golden Palace, Su Ming visited multiple realms. Asgard's defenses were robust, its forces ample—no need to recall the Valkyries.
So why had the Mothers of the Gods decided to summon them? It only drew Su Ming and the Grandmaster's attention, with no other benefit.
Actions require motives. Brunnhilde said the recall stemmed from a portent, but Su Ming saw it as unnecessary.
This suggested at least one of Frigga, Sif, or Gaea lied about their motives.
He'd keep this in mind but act nonchalant, masking his vigilance with a carefree facade, staying hidden in the shadows.
"Limbo—any way to get us there?" he asked, his hoarse voice echoing from beneath Deathstroke's mask.
The question was for the Sorcerer. Without a Space Stone, magic was the easiest way to reach a Hell plane.
Alchemy or tech could work, but with Monarch here, why bother?
Su Ming wasn't a true sorcerer. If he knew Limbo's spatial node connections, the Cloak of Levitation could get him there faster.
Sadly, spatial node teleportation was Observer tech, beyond mortal grasp.
Monarch rubbed his face hard, wary of Heimdall's gaze. So far, no issues, but prolonged exposure risked complications.
Without hesitation, he endured bloating and headaches to cast again, using blood for the array. This time, the spell required odd movements—arching his back like a belly-up bridge.
Garth glanced at her boss, puffing her cheeks. She worried Monarch's gut might burst from the strain.
No gore ensued. The portal opened smoothly.
"Come with me," Su Ming said, pulling not just the two but also the eight-legged Pegasus through.
The Pegasus, Little Eight, resisted, but after two swats from the Godslayer, it recalled familiar sensations, seemingly understanding past events, and followed docilely.
Limbo was barren—truly. Not a blade of grass.
Mephisto's Hell had blackened dead trees; Hela's had death-spore flowers. Limbo was an endless yellow expanse.
Ground and sky were yellow, dotted with massive black rocks. Deathstroke's armor blended perfectly here.
It resembled Colorado's Grand Canyon—terraced cliffs, countless caves, and tunnels.
These tunnels, carved by giant insects, were spacious enough for humans.
But meeting those worms in the tunnels meant facing train-speed behemoths with mouths of layered, petal-like teeth.
Balder, self-taught in tunnel warfare, evaded Belasco's armies using these passages.
The question: was crawling through sewers darker, or these worm-dug tunnels?
The God of Light lived in this claustrophobic network for centuries. Beyond the confines, the lack of companionship and constant pursuit could drive anyone mad.
Then there was the forced choice: be eaten by worms or eat them.
No demon corpses to eat meant dining on worms or tentacle monsters—raw, as Hell had no water. Even Asgardian physiology required food and drink.
Blood was a fine beverage, replenishing electrolytes and nutrients, but it risked psychological issues and parasites.
Su Ming worried: what if Balder was mad?
In the comics, Enchantress Amora found him, her charms potent on men. If the God of Light was truly insane, impersonating Odin might not work.