Who the Clix? is a series of articles featuring information on comic book characters that have been made into figures for the popular tabletop game Heroclix. These articles are meant to help Heroclix players learn more about the characters behind their favorite pieces.
He’s an old character that has never been quite as effective or scary as one of his Heroclix figures: Felix Faust
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Appearances in Heroclix: Wonder Woman 80th, Wizkids DC, Collateral Damage
First Appearance: Justice League of America #10 (March 1962)
Team Affiliations: Secret Society of Super Villains, Injustice League
Powers: Wields vast sorcerous power, expert in maleficium; Occult knowledge, Demonic empowerment, Telepathy, Summoning, Energy transference, Illusion casting, Soul magic, Magical senses, Resurrection
Created by: Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky
The first mention of the sorcerer who would become Felix Faust in antiquity is in the African empire of Kor circa 5,000 BCE. The king of Kor, Nommo, is the preeminent wizard of his time and guardian of the the mystic “Flame of Life.” Faust challenges Nommo in an attempt to use the Flame of Life for his own nefarious purposes. Nommo prevails by wielding the Flame and banishing Faust to another dimension.
In the 1920s, an aspiring magician and madman named Dekan Drache stumbles upon this dimension and even manages to open a portal to it. This draws the attention of the spirit of Faust who destroys Drache’s soul and possesses his body. Returned to Earth he soon finds that his powers have been greatly reduced over time. Faust becomes obsessed with regaining his powers and discovers the tale of Faust, who sold his soul to the devil for supernatural powers. Our would be Faust decides to do the same and adopts the name Felix Faust in the character’s honor.
Decades later, Faust’s mission for mystical might brings him into conflict with the Justice League of America. Faust endeavors to free the Demons Three, ancient demons who ruled a galaxy billions of years ago, by obtaining three artifacts: the Green Bell of Uthool, Silver Wheel of Nyorlath and the Red Jar of Calythos. To this end, with the Demons’ aid, he mind controls the League into defeating the artifacts’ guardians and bringing them to Faust. Faust begins the spell that will free the Demons in 100 years time, with the bargain being that he could command their power until then. Aquaman, aided by his fish friends, is able to distract Faust long enough to break his control over the rest of the League. Together, the heroes defeat Faust and send him to jail before re-imprisoning the Demons themselves.
Faust then finds himself as a member of the Crime Champions, a multiversal villain team that commits crime in one dimension before escaping to the other using a vibration device discovered by the Fiddler. They battle the JLA several times, including an adventure where the Earth-2 members impersonate the Earth-1 members to try and trick the heroes.
Faust’s constant bargains result in him performing the mystical equivalent of “pawning” his soul. The pattern goes thusly: he sells his soul for some arcane knowledge or power. He then uses said power or knowledge in some scheme that ultimately fails. He then bargains for the return of his soul, the value of which is lessened by the whole experience. Eventually this leads to most mystical power brokers refusing to deal with him. This leads to him attempting to trick Neron into giving him power in exchange for the soul of an innocent young girl Faust had killed and put up as his own. Neron sees through the ruse and is angered, setting her vengeful spirit loose on Faust. Soon after this, Faust’s soul spent a considerable length of time in a hellish plane for mystics who abuse or ignore the laws of magic.
Years later, Faust is able to establish a link with the Helm of Fate and uses it to impersonate Nabu. He speaks to Ralph Dibny and promises to help the Elastic Man resurrect his wife so long as the hero commits certain sacrifices. Desperate, Dibny agrees believing that the benevolent entity Nabu is helping him. Dibny travels through several afterlives and is cautioned about deals by beings such as Faust. The Spectre even offers to resurrect Sue if Dibny enacts vengeance on her murderer, but Ralph is unable to do so.
Finally, Ralph returns to Fate’s tower and begins a spell before putting the helmet of Fate on and shooting it. This reveals Faust who was planning to trade Ralph’s soul to Neron in exchange for his own freedom. Ralph reveals that, as a master detective, he has sussed out Faust’s ruse and the spell is actually a binding spell that will contain Faust in the tower. Neron then appears and kills Ralph before realizing the spell only answers to Dibny. With Ralph gone, both Neron and Faust are now trapped within Fate’s tower.
One year later, Neron manages to escape Fate’s tower on his own while Faust needs the help of Black Adam and Isis. Faust then allies with Dr. Impossible, Professor Ivo and Solomon Grundy and poses as Deadman to contact the soul of Red Tornado. Faust offers Red Tornado a human body and Red Tornado accepts, leaving the villains to steal his original android body. Faust then aids Talia al Ghul in a scheme to corrupt Black Alice before failing and rejoining the Secret Society of Super Villains. Under Cheetah’s leadership, Faust helps create the creature Genocide.
On New Earth, Faust’s years of magical abuse seem to be taking a toll on his body as he appears far more emaciated. He captures Doctor Mist when the hero attempts to infiltrate Faust’s cult. This brings him to the attention of Justice League Dark who defeat Faust and soon find a map leading to the Books of Magic among Faust’s belongings.
When the Crime Syndicate invades New Earth, Faust is among those that join the Secret Society of Super Villains to serve them. He works alongside Nick Necro for Ultraman in trying to create powerful mystical objects. John Constanine and his allies eventually discover this project and learn that it is an attempt to create weapons powerful enough to defeat the Anti-Monitor.
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