It was only when his father died that Jean-Paul discovered that he had been the avenging angel of St Dumas, the agent of a strange religious sect. He also discovered that the mantle passed automatically to him, and was initiated into the Order of St. Dumas. However, aided by Batman, he resisted his mental programming and became a more moral vigilante. For a time he filled in Batman's shows, to disastrous effect as he had not yet shaken off the Order's programming, but he continued to try and make up for this, embarking on a crusade to end the illicit activities of the Order, also helping out his former mentor when he could. After a long quest, Azrael had a confrontation with a number of former enemies and disappeared.