Mephisto (Marvel Comics)
| Mephisto | |
|---|---|
.png) Art by Marko Djurdjevic. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Silver Surfer vol. 1, #3 (December 1968) |
| Created by | Stan Lee John Buscema |
| In-story information | |
| Team affiliations | Six-Fingered Hand |
| Notable aliases | Satan, Mephistopheles, Lord of Evil, Prince of Devils, Lord of the Lower Depths |
| Abilities | Magical powers Immortality Can take possession of souls that are willingly offered |
Mephisto is a fictional character and a comic book demon that appears in the Marvel Universe. The character was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema and first appears in Silver Surfer vol. 1, #3 (December 1968).
Fictional character biography
Given that deceit and obfuscation are Mephisto's stock in trade, anything he himself has presented regarding his origin can be untrue. One instance states that all demons were once created by the former "Supreme Being" of the Marvel Universe, before it committed suicide.[1] One theory proposed in the comics[2] is that Mephisto and many other "Hell Lords" were created from the primeval concentration of evil energy left in the wake of the fleeing Elder Gods when they were driven from the Earth by the entity Atum millions of years ago. [3]
Mephisto is commonly mistaken for - and sometimes poses as - the biblical version of Satan. He cultivates this interpretation for the influence it gives him over humans who believe in the teachings of Christianity; whether the entity Satan actually exists in the fictional Marvel universe remains unestablished (although one of Mephisto's rival hell lords is named Lucifer and has the same "Fall from Heaven" backstory).
Both the Silver Surfer and the Thunder God Thor would become perennial foes for Mephisto, who detests the fact that they are shining examples of what mankind could one day become. [4]
Mephisto causes long-term problems for other characters, including:
- Granting immortality to a group of sorcerers - later known as Mys-Tech - in exchange for providing him with the souls of others. [5]
- Capturing and holding the soul of Cynthia Von Doom - the mother of Doctor Doom - until Doctor Strange and Doom free her to ascend to heaven. [6]
- Creating the Ghost Rider by bonding the demon Zarathos to Johnny Blaze. As "Satan," Mephisto plagues Blaze for years. [7]
- Temporarily capturing the souls of Mister Fantastic (whose intelligence was also stolen by Mephisto), The Invisible Woman and Franklin Richards due to a botched summoning by an exorcist. [8]
- Manipulated the sorcerer Master Pandemonium into gathering scattered fragments of his soul. When attempting to use magic to conceive children with her husband, the android Vision, the Scarlet Witch unknowingly summons two of the soul fragments which are born as her infant twins. The revelation of her children's origin, followed by their loss when reabsorbed into Mephisto, later drives the Scarlet Witch insane. [9]
- Manipulating and then trying to destroy the Avenger Hawkeye when he enters Hell to try and save the soul of his deceased wife, Mockingbird. Hawkeye rescues Patsy Walker, but fails to see Mockingbird. [10]
- Healing May Parker in exchange for changing the personal timelines of Peter Parker (Spider-Man) and Mary Jane Watson so that they never married, claiming he did so because he hated their happiness. [11][12]
Powers and abilities
Mephisto, as a demonic being of the highest order, is pure evil, and possesses enormous supernatural powers as well as incredible intelligence. [13] Mephisto has the ability to take possession of living souls, but he only has claim over said souls if some form of pact is involved: he cannot indiscriminately abduct souls at will, [14] (although is sometimes successful using subterfuge, technicalities, and deceit).[15]
Mephisto is capable of using his power for a variety of uses, including super strength, shape and size shifting, [16] projecting illusions, [17] manipulating memories [18] altering time, [19] and is virtually invulnerable to non-metaphysical harm. [20]
Mephisto has also been shown to be energized by sources of intense evil in the human realm, such as the Dire Wraiths, which increases his power. [21] Mephisto and his realm are symbiotically linked, and he is able to transform the structure at will. [22] If Mephisto is destroyed, he will regenerate and reform there. [23] In his own realm he has displayed power output sufficient to threaten entire galaxies.[24]
In other media
Television
- Mephisto makes a cameo appearance in Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends in "The Prison Plot" as one of the illusions shown by Mastermind.
- Mephisto was due to appear in the second season of the Silver Surfer animated series, with his demonic nature toned down and made acceptable for children.[25] He makes a cameo at the end of episode 21, Down To Earth, Part 3. [26]
Film
- Actor Peter Fonda plays Mephisto (as Mephistopheles) as one of the two main villains alongside Blackheart in the 2007 film Ghost Rider. He has expressed interest in returning to portray him again for Ghost Rider 2.[27]
Video games
- Mephisto also appears in the Silver Surfer video game for the NES.
- Mephisto's voice is heard in a bonus mission in the 2005 Fantastic Four video game.
- Mephisto appears in the game Marvel: Ultimate Alliance voiced by Fred Tatasciore.
- Mephisto appears in the Ghost Rider video game.
- Mephisto also appears as a secret character in the game Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter as a palette swap of Blackheart.
Music
- Ska band Streetlight Manifesto has a song titled "Down Down Down To Mephisto's Cafe"
References
- ^ Silver Surfer vol.3, #45 (1991)
- ^ Dr. Strange vol. 3, #8
- ^ Thor Annual #10 (1982)
- ^ First battles in Silver Surfer vol. 1, #3 and Thor vol. 1, #180 - 181
- ^ Warheads #1 (1992)
- ^ Triumph and Torment: Dr. Strange and Dr. Doom (1989)
- ^ Marvel Spotlight vol. 1, #5
- ^ Fantastic Four vol. 1 #277
- ^ Vision and the Scarlet Witch #1 - 12 (1985 - 1986) + Avengers West Coast vol. 1, #51 - 52. These events are responsible for Avengers Disassembled and House of M.
- ^ Thunderbolts Annual 2000
- ^ One More Day - Amazing Spider-Man #544; Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #24; The Sensational Spider-Man #41 and Amazing Spider-Man #545 (all 2007)
- ^ Comic fans fume as Marvel erases Spidey-MJ marriage - USATODAY.com
- ^ Silver Surfer vol. 1, #3
- ^ Triumph and Torment: Dr. Strange and Dr. Doom. (1989)
- ^ Mephisto #1 - 4 (1987)
- ^ Thor #310 (vol. 1, Aug. 1981) and Daredevil #279 (vol. 1, Apr. 1990)
- ^ Thor #310 (vol. 1, Aug. 1981)
- ^ Silver Surfer #1 (vol. 3, Jul. 1987)
- ^ Amazing Spider-Man #545 (vol. 1, Jan. 2008)
- ^ Infinity Gauntlet #5 (Nov. 1991)
- ^ Fantastic Four #277 (Apr. 1985)
- ^ Silver Surfer #3 (vol. 1, Oct. 1968)
- ^ Mephisto vs. Fantastic Four #1 (Apr. 1987)
- ^ The Silver Surfer: Judgment Day (1988)
- ^ Interview with Larry Brody
- ^ Silver Surfer Script 21
- ^ Arya Ponto (2007-08-16). "Peter Fonda Talks About Working with Russell Crowe and 'Ghost Rider 2'". JustPressPlay.net. Retrieved 2007-08-17.
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External links
- Marvel.com: Mephisto
- Mephisto at Marvel Directory
- Profile of Mephisto
- Mephisto at Marvel Appendix
- Mephisto in Comics101
