First Appearance: Deathblow Vol 1 #4

History

For nearly two thousand years, the Brothers of the Order of the Cross have been responsible for the preservation and well-being of the Catholic Church. The Order was established on the very day that Christ died on the cross at Golgotha: While Peter and the Apostles began spreading the word of the gospel, some of Christ's more militant disciples banded together to avenge the death of their former master.

The Brothers suspected that the Devil may have influenced the Sanhedrin, the council of religious leaders who had convicted Christ. It turned out that its head was actually possessed by the Black Angel of Hell. His plan was to take Christ's body and imprison it in the pits of hell, thereby calling down the heavenly hosts for a final conflict that would ravage the Earth and destroy all mankind. Before the Black Angel could do so, however, a Brother armed with the Sword of Heaven battled him to enable Christ to rise again on Easter. Too powerful to be slain, the Black Angel was defeated and, the broken Sword of Heaven still embedded in his body, sealed within a tomb guarded by holy sigils, near what is now the border of Iraq. Though mortally wounded, the victorious Brother drank from the Holy Grail and was miraculously healed. So it came to pass that the Sword represented the mission of the Order of the Cross: To battle the servants of darkness and to heal the sick and wounded.

Since the church faced relentless persecution during its early years, the Order was secretly entrusted to protect it from earthly as well as spiritual enemies. To carry out this mandate, the Order expanded the Black Angel's tomb so it could hold human enemies in addition to the servants of darkness. The tomb was named Purgatory.

Over the centuries, the Order prospered. Its membership grew to include powerful political and military personalities, but at times they lost sight of their original mission. When the Book of Judgment was discovered amongst the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1995, however, the Order was forced to reaffirm its purpose: The Brothers learned of the Black Angel's prophesied return on Judgment Day and withdrew from the outside world to prepare for this final conflict.

Divisions:

• Centurions: Today's brave new world is one filled with beings who posses fantastic powers, and to deal with this new kind of threat, the Brothers of the Order of the Cross have assembled their own team of super-powered beings, the Centurions: Five select individuals who have committed their lives and their super-powers to safeguard the church and destroy its enemies at any cost. For example, the Centurions are responsible for enforcing a Vatican edict banning unauthorized use of superpowers within the city of Rome.

Notable Members:

• Brother Peter Thomas (Deceased): Apparently an ex-soldier, killed by Deathblow
• Cardinal Thomas (Deceased): Killed by the Black Angel
• Cardinal Giovanni
• Sister Mary

Centurions

• Carmine Amoroso aka Armato: Wears an armored exoskeleton that allows him to fly and project tensile cables and powerful cannon blasts
• Sara Sereni aka Velena: Has elastic skin that allows her to absorb blows, and secretes a neurotoxin that can render opponents unconscious with a touch.
• Paolo Livorati aka Volare: Field leader. Possesses great strength and the power of flight. Throws concussive blades.
• Vania Catana aka Domina: A skilled fighter who can fire powerful rays through her staffs.
• Luca Loletti aka Surge (Deceased): Can move at superhuman speed. Killed by The Authority's Midnighter, after turning on the Vatican and assassinating the Pope.

Locations:

• Vatican City