Origin
Very little is known about the origin of The Inquisitor. He and La Sangre came into conflict numerous times, beginning in the early twentieth century, due to his zealous pursuit of the punishment of all people he deemed sinners, regardless of the seriousness of their infractions. He appeared to have died in 1944, and the mantle seemed to have been taken up by his followers in the intervening decades, until the original Inquisitor suddenly reappeared in 2012.
Creation
The Inquisitor was created by writer James Robinson and artist Javier Pulido. He first appeared in The Shade #5.
Major Story Arcs
The Shade
Returning to Barcelona after a long absence from the city, The Inquisitor kidnaps twenty-five civilians from a fashion show. He demands that La Sangre come to him and commit suicide in exchange for the lives of the hostages. While La Sangre searches for him, he sends a number of his acolytes to commit suicide in highly visible places and ways. La Sangre eventually locates him in the Sagrada Familia where the pair fight. He reveals that following his death in 1944 he was sent to Hell, where he made a pact to return to Earth in exchange for collecting souls for the Devil. He explains that he has built a “soul bomb” with which he intends to steal the souls of the entire population of Barcelona. He is defeated when the Shade uses an outpouring of his power to teleport the soul bomb into the Darklands, saving the hostages in the process. The Inquisitor’s fate is unknown.
Powers and Abilities
The Inquisitor was an average human being with a skill for leadership and inspiring rabid faith in his followers. Following his death he was given the capacity to possess the bodies of other acolytes, whom he used to continue his legacy, and was eventually resurrected. He is capable at hand-to-hand fighting, and wields a staff topped with a stylized cross as a weapon.