Their adversary, the Black Angel, awoke a demonic entity bent on killing a young boy with miraculous abilities.

Cray defeated the Black Angel with the help of Sister Mary, a former police officer turned nun, Gabrielle D'Angelo, his ex-wife who had become a vessel for the archangel Gabriel, and several of his Team 7 colleagues.

Michael spends time working for Rayna Masters, who ran a bodyguard agency called 'Executive Protection Services'.

Deathblow dies during the Fire From Heaven event, sacrificing himself in order to kill Damocles, the villain from that crossover.

During World's End, Deathblow is part of Stormwatch: Post Human Division leading missions on a post-apocalyptic Earth.

In the three-issue miniseries, Deathblow: Byblows (1999–2000), written by Alan Moore with art by Jim Baikie, it is revealed that I.O.

Deathblow appears for the first time in the DC reboot in Grifter's new series, making a team with Cheshire,[3] but later was betrayed by her revealing she was an undercover agent for Helspont.

[5] Michael Cray is an IO operative for Miles Craven, sent to assassinate Jacob Marlowe, the head of Halolife Industries.

The attempt thwarted by several unforeseen factors, such as Marlowe being an alien, the unexpected intervention of Angelica Spica, and Michael having superpowers he had not previously known about.

[8] Michael then moves to San Francisco, assisting Trelane's agenda while fighting malevolent versions of Oliver Queen, Barry Allen and Arthur Curry.

Michael becomes drawn into a plot involving a man named John Constantine and Diana Prince, who is convinced she is the daughter of the Greek gods and wishes to summon them to Earth.

[9] Michael then returns to New York City during a mass outbreak of metahumans experimented on by IO and Skywatch.

He intervenes in Marc Slayton's attempt on Craven's life, killing the man with his death touch.