Earlier history and background
Felix Faust lived around approximately 5,000 BC in the legendary African empire of Kor. During this time, Kor was ruled by King Nommo, a prominent wizard and the guardian of the mystical power known as the Flame of Life. Faust, driven by his malevolent ambitions, engaged in a fierce battle with Nommo, seeking to harness the Flame's power for his own purposes. In a decisive move, Nommo absorbed the Flame of Life into himself, defeating Faust and banishing him to another dimension.[3]
In the mid-1920s, a deranged individual and aspiring magician named Dekan Drache inadvertently stumbled upon the dimension where Faust was trapped. Drache, upon opening a portal to the dimension, inadvertently released Faust, who promptly destroyed Drache's soul and took possession of his body. However, upon returning to Earth, Faust discovered that his powers had been significantly diminished. Consumed by an unrelenting desire to restore his abilities, Faust came across the tale of Faust, a man who had purportedly sold his soul to the devil in exchange for supernatural powers. Drawing inspiration from the story's central character, the sorcerer assumed the name Felix Faust and embarked on an eternal quest for mystical knowledge, driven by his insatiable thirst for power.[3][1]
In the modern era, Faust would eventually have two children named Sebastian and Fauna Faust. Seeking to amass greater power, Faust decided to sacrifice the soul of his eldest son. Originally, during Sebastian's adolescence, Felix intended to sacrifice his soul to the demon Nebiros in exchange for magical abilities. However, the ritual instead bestowed the magical powers onto Sebastian himself. Similarly, Felix attempted a similar ritual with his daughter, but Fauna also gained magical powers instead of being given to Felix.[4] In other tellings of Sebastian Faust's history, it is recounted that his soul was sacrificed as an infant, resulting in the acquisition of magical powers, particularly in the realm of soul magic, which the Faust family is renowned for practicing.[4] Other stories depict Felix Faust as an abusive figure in his family life, extending his mistreatment to his unnamed British wife. After giving birth to Fauna, she fell ill with acute myeloid leukemia. Felix manipulated her into practicing dark magic as a means to alleviate her suffering. Felix intended to turn his entire family into practitioners of dark magic, but his plans were thwarted by the combined efforts of Sebastian's rebellion and a car accident that occurred years earlier, claiming the life of their mother and halting Felix's sinister intentions.[5]
In post-Rebirth continuity, Faust's backstory is further shown; he is revealed to be the son of the sorcerer Majika.[6] Around the 1500s, Felix Faust was also an active dark practitioner and master sorcerer and formed an alliance with Vandal Savage. Around this time, he encountered a time-traveling Robin and Superboy.[7]
Justice League of America
Felix Faust first appeared in Justice League of America #10 (March 1962), when he tried to regain some of his lost magical abilities by contacting the Demons Three.[8] These three demons were brothers who ruled the galaxy a billion years ago before being banished by beings known as the Timeless Ones. The Demons Three have tried to return time and again, summoned by Felix Faust and others, their attempts always foiled by the Justice League. Felix Faust tried to summon the power of the Demons Three by possessing three artifacts: the Green Bell of Uthool, the Silver Wheel of Nyorlath, and the Red Jar of Calythos, that had been created by the Demons, and which the Timeless Ones could not destroy or remove from Earth. Faust takes control of the JLA with the Demons' help, who find and defeat the artifact's guardians and bring them to Faust who begins the spell, but Aquaman is able to break the spell by distracting him using his control of fish. The sorcerer is then taken to prison, and the JLA soon after find out about the Demons' escape and re-imprison them.[3]
Over the years, Faust's hunger for magical power proves costly to him. He had bargained his soul away for knowledge on many occasions, only to buy it back later when his acquisitions failed to help him meet his goals; every time, he would end up worse than before. Eventually, he found it difficult to find any mystics willing to purchase his tarnished soul. Finally, he tried to trick Neron into giving him power by offering the pure soul of an innocent girl he murdered in lieu of his own. Unfortunately for him, Neron saw through the ruse and punished Faust by setting the girl's vengeful spirit upon him.
Outsiders vol. 2 (1993-1995)
Felix would appear as one of the antagonists in the second Outsiders series; learning of his son's activities in the Outsiders team, he attempts to track him by sending in mystic creatures tasked with bringing Sebastian to him. Initially fearing his father's return, Halo encourages Sebastian to realize his father is not infallible, leading him to counter his spell back at Felix. Having now found him, Felix began working to hunt down his son and manipulate the team. With Fauna as his accomplice, Felix hospitalizes Halo and kidnaps Sebastian. When the team manages to teleport to Felix's hideout using one of Sebastian's artifacts. Escaping, the team learns Sebastian survived the ordeal and Felix's plot includes gathering the Green Bell of Uthool and the Silver Wheel of Nyorlath before being sent off by Sebastian with a divining spell. Meanwhile, Felix manipulates Wylde into working alongside him with promises to undo Sebastian's magic, which transformed him into an anthropomorphic bear. When the team gathers the artifacts, Wylde intervenes and uses the artifacts, resulting in the creation of a dimension where Felix possess god-like power. The Outsiders and Felix battle, the sorcerer using Wylde and Fauna to buy more time before the artifacts can fully grant him power. Eventually, the injured Halo is used by Looker's telepathic abilities to destroy the artifacts, undoing Felix's plan.
52
During the 52 storyline, a voice from within the helm of Doctor Fate speaks to Ralph Dibny and promises to fulfill his desires if he makes certain sacrifices. Ralph journeys with the helm through the afterlives of several cultures, where he is cautioned about the use of magic and sees Felix Faust. He is told about their deals by the voice. The Spectre promises to resurrect his late wife Sue in exchange for Ralph taking vengeance on her murderer, Jean Loring, but Ralph is unable to do so.[3]
In Doctor Fate's tower, Ralph begins the spell to resurrect Sue, puts on the helmet of Fate, and shoots it, revealing Felix Faust, who was posing as Nabu. Faust plans to trade Ralph's soul to Neron in exchange for his own freedom. Ralph reveals that he was aware of Faust's identity for some time, and that the binding spell surrounding the tower is designed to imprison Faust, not to counter any negative effects of the spell. Neron appears and kills Ralph, but the binding spell has already taken effect.
One Year Later
One year after Infinite Crisis, Faust escapes from the Tower of Fate with the help of Black Adam. Working with Doctor Impossible, Professor Ivo, and Solomon Grundy, Faust poses as Deadman and offers Red Tornado an organic body. Red Tornado accepts, with Faust taking Red Tornado's original body for his own purposes.
As a member of Cheetah's Secret Society of Super Villains, Felix Faust played a part in the creation of Genocide when he used his magic to animate the collected soil samples.[9]
