Two of the most striking designs in the Mythic Legions line are the yellow and blue skinned demon “brothers” know as Azhar and Zazhar. In this “Figures in Focus” article, we look at these high ranking members of the Circle of Poxxus and discover that they are actually two parts of a much more powerful entity altogether!
Kickstarter Stretch Goals
The demonic pair of Azhar and Zazhar were first offered to Legions fans as part of the initial Mythic Legion Kickstarter, commonly dubbed the “Mythic Legions 1.0” wave. These figures were not, however, shown during the initial release of the campaign, but were held back as stretch goals whose images were not shown. Instead, the studio used generic silhouette images of the Silver Knight Legion Builder as a placeholder for these characters. All that fans saw initially were those placeholder images and their names – Azhar and Zazhar.
As the stretch goal amount to “unlock” Azhar and Zazhar came closer, the generic silhouettes were replaced by some representing the actual shape of these characters. Fans now got more of an idea what to expect from these two, as their horns could clearly be seen in the teaser images.
Finally, the demon brothers were fully revealed and unlocked for fans to add to their Kickstarter pledges! These characters became the very first figures revealed that were part of the Circle of Poxxus faction. This was appropriate, for as we could come to learn, Azhar and Zazhar would turn out to be very important to this dark faction and the horrible master whose namesake it has taken.
The images below show those teaser images that were used for these characters, an unpainted prototype, and the paint masters that were also used for product photography during the campaign.
Two Who Were Once One
When the biography stories for Azhar and Zazhar were finally revealed, it was discovered that they were “the central powers behind the Circle of Poxxus.” According to the bio for the yellow-skinned Azhar:
“Raised from the Netherrealm ages ago by the dark sorcerer Poxxus, Azhar and his brother Zazhar are the central powers behind The Circle of Poxxus. Imbued with the gift of creation, Azhar has the power to create life where none exists. Azhar and his brother, have spent many years searching the world for the legendary talisman said to be the key to freeing Poxxus and the ancient evils from their eternal imprisonment. Only once that goal has been met can he rest in the knowledge that he will be rejoined with his master.”
The reason why this pair so desperately wants their master to return to power was made clearer in the bio for the blue-skinned Zazhar:
“Once an all-powerful demon king of the Netherrealm, the mighty Azahazzar was split in two when Poxxus summoned him into the world of Mythoss. Zazhar and his brother Azhar are the malicious result of that split. Cursed with the power to destroy life with a mere touch, he is a chilling reminder of life's true frailty. Still bitter that he is only half of the demon he once was, Zazhar aggressively fights for the return of Poxxus in hopes that he may one day be restored to his former self.”
So here we learn that Azhar and Zazhar were in fact once a being of great power known as Azahazzar. When their master summoned them to Mythoss, they were split in two with one granted the power to create life, and the other to destroy it. Terrible and powerful entities indeed, one can only imagine how much more dangerous they will be if their master is returned to Mythoss and the mighty Azahazzar is restored.
Below is the artwork on Azhar and Zazhar that was created for the trading card set that was part of the Mythic Legions 1.0 Kickstarter.
Nolan Leaks a Secret
Once fans read the biographies for these two demons, they began to wonder when we would see the combined form mentioned in that text. Interestingly, those fans would get a little hint at what was to come during the G-con 2018 broadcast, where Eric Treadaway’s son, Nolan, was playing with a mashed up Azhar/Zazhar figure and he casually answered a question about which figures were his favorite by saying “when these guys come together…the big green demon.” Cornboy smiles and acknowledges that “you may have just gotten a little scoop right there that you had not heard before!”
So did Nolan leak a future Mythic Legions reveal? Only time would tell – but fans were excited about the possibility of this “big green demon” that he mentioned!
You can watch Nolan’s interview here. He leaks this secret at about the 48-minute mark - and you can see the delighted faces of Cornboy and Iz below as this secret is uttered!
Zazhar the All Star
Like many of the earliest figures available in Mythic Legions, as new fans started to discover the line, they frantically hunted for those early figures. Azhar and Zazhar quickly became two of the most sought after of those characters, as well as two of the most expensive to acquire! Thankfully, the studio’s regular “All Stars voting” process in early 2019 gave fans a chance to get these demons into an All Stars wave so they could have another crack at them!
During this voting process, fans were allowed to select their top 4 figures to be rereleased from a field of over 20 choices. Both Azhar and Zazhar were among those choices, but when the dust settled, only the blue-skinned Zazhar made the cut. His yellow brother was left behind, not to be named an All Star.
Many fans lamented the fact that only one of the brothers would be reissued, thereby making Azhar that much more desirable to complete the pair. In truth, Azhar was close to making it in, but in the end we believe that with only 4 All Star choices, many fans elected not to use half of them on two figures which were so similar. Zazhar won the day, while Azhar disappeared back into the shadows.
Azahazzar Rises
As G-con 2021 approached, the announcement was made that the wave revealed during this annual broadcast would be none other than “Poxxus”. As in the previous two years with Arethyr and Illythia, a dark power of Mythoss would rise again and the third Horsemen would be revealed!
When all was said and done on the event, not only was Poxxus and his horse unveiled, but so were a number of other members of the Circle of Poxxus, including the demon king Azahazzar!
Making good on the leak that Nolan uttered over 3 years prior, this ogre-scale demon finally gave fans the combined form of Azhar and Zazhar. According to his bio:
As a callous ruler of the Netherrealm, the demon king Azahazzar was a nightmarish legend. It was only when the dark god Poxxus summoned him into the world of Mythoss that the nightmares became all too real for those on the mortal plane. Poxxus’ summoning had the unfortunate side effect of Azahazzar being divided into the twin demons Azhar and Zazhar. As the generals of The Circle of Poxxus, Azhar and Zazhar have spent ages searching for The Plaguesayer, Poxxus’ cursed and deadly bow, in hopes of bringing about his return. Upon his arrival, Poxxus has now granted the demons their wish. Azhar and Zazhar have now recombined into the mighty Azahazzar. As a commander of Poxxus’ armies, Azahazzar wields his power to destroy and beget life with a mere touch with a brutal ferocity.
Fans were thrilled to finally see, and be able to pre-order, this character whose existence had been mentioned in the line all that time ago! He immediately became one of the most talked about figures revealed in this wave!
Editor’s Note: I was also thrilled to see this figure finally released! I first saw a 4-horned, ogre-scaled head back in May of 2018 when I visited the studio as part of that year’s “Intern for a Day” event. This was a few months before Nolan leaked the information at G-con! That timeline gives you a sense of how long ago this figure was planned, and truly how much work the studio puts into building up the Realm of Mythoss while also ensuring that characters are revealed and released based on a bigger, storyline-driven plan!
In Closing
The third Horsemen is now free (or at least he will be when the Poxxus wave ships in a little over a year or so). Things are looking grim for the Realm of Mythoss, for the personifications of War, Famine, and now Pestilence have now appeared. There is only one left. All that remains...is Death.
The pre-order for Mythic Legions: Poxxus, which includes the Azahazzar figure, is open now at www.StoreHorsemen.com. You an also watch the reveal of this figure, and all the others in this wave, by catching the replay of the G-con: Poxxus broadcast here.
Published on 11.30.21