MEPHISTO (COMICS)

'Mephisto' is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Sal Buscema, he first appears in ''Silver Surfer'' vol. 1, #3 (December 1968).

Contents

Fictional character biography

Powers and abilities

In other media

Film

Television

Video games

Music

References

External links

Fictional character biography

An entity of pure evil, 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; however, Mephisto has never been shown beyond a doubt to be either devil or demon, and whether the entity Satan actually exists in the Marvel universe remains unestablished.
Given that deceit and obfuscation are Mephisto's stock in trade, anything he himself has presented regarding his origin can be untrue, but one theory proposed in the comics^[1] 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. ^[2]
One particular trait - collecting the souls of the dead - brings him into repeated conflict with the heroes of the Marvel Universe. 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. ^[3]
Mephisto causes long-term problems for other characters, including:

★ 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. ^[4]

★ Creating the Ghost Rider by bonding the demon Zarathos to Johnny Blaze. As "Satan," Mephisto plagues Blaze for years. ^[5]

★ Manipulating the sorcerer Master Pandemonium into gathering scattered fragments of Mephisto's 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 become a pair of infant twins. The revelation of her children's origin, followed by their loss when reabsorbed into Mephisto, later drives the Scarlet Witch insane. ^[6]

Powers and abilities

Mephisto, as a demonic being of the highest order, is pure evil and possesses virtually unlimited dark powers as well as supernatural intelligence that surpasses some of the smartest beings alive, nearing him to omniscience. ^[7]
Mephisto almost never engages in physical combat, as he prefers manipulation and deceit over brute force when it comes to getting what he wants. Nevertheless, on those extremely rare occasions when he does fight he proves himself a formidable opponent: When in battle with Thor in the underworld, he used super strength, size shifting, and illusions.^[8]
Mephisto and his realm are also symbiotically linked. He is virtually invulnerable to conventional harm. ^[9] If Mephisto is destroyed (as by Franklin Richards), he will regenerate and reform there. In the alternative future Earth X, Mephisto is a Desviant.
Mephisto also 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. ^[4]

In other media

Film

★ Actor Peter Fonda plays Mephisto (as Mephistopheles) in the 2007 film ''Ghost Rider''. He has expressed interest in returning to portray him again for Ghost Rider 2.

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'', with his demonic nature toned down and made acceptable for children.[1] He makes a cameo at the end of episode 21, ''Down To Earth, Part 3''.[2]

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 as a boss in the game '' voiced by Fred Tatasciore.

★ Mephisto can be seem in the Thanos´s arena in ''Marvel Super Heroes (arcade game)'' version.

★ Mephisto also appears as a secret character in the game ''Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter'' as a palette swap of Blackheart.

Music

★ Mephisto is described in a song from Kamelot named March of Mephisto in The Black Halo album.

References

1. ''Dr. Strange'' vol. 3, #8
2. ''Thor Annual'' #10 (1982)
3. First battles in ''Silver Surfer'' vol. 1, #3 and ''Thor'' vol. 1, #180 - 181
4. ''Triumph and Torment: Dr. Strange and Dr. Doom'' (1989)
5. ''Marvel Spotlight'' vol. 1, #5
6. ''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
7. ''Silver Surfer'' vol. 1, #3
8. ''Thor'' vol. 1, #310
9. ''Infinity Gauntlet'' #1 - 6 (1991 - 1992)
10. ''Triumph and Torment: Dr. Strange and Dr. Doom'' (1989)

External links

★ Marvel.com: Mephisto

★ Mephisto at Marvel Directory

★ Knightmare6.com; Mephisto

★ Profile of Mephisto

★ Mephisto at Marvel Appendix