MEPHISTO
A Hell-lord of temptation. Empowered by the souls of the damned, this demon strikes bargains with the living to collect residents for his hellish realm. Using the notable names of Mephistopheles, Lucifer, and even Satan, Mephisto has condemned many to his eternal service. Or, in some cases, “blessed” them with power.
THE IMMORTAL SOUL SEARCHER
First Appearance
In Silver Surfer (1968) #3
“Lost soul” Silver Surfer, lone wanderer of the spaceways, makes for a perfect victim in Mephisto’s stunning debut. Just as Silver Surfer’s distaste for humanity is about to boil over, the Hell-lord arranges an encounter with his lost love, Shalla-Bal. Cajoled, threatened, and bartered with in the underworld, Silver Surfer still refuses to exchange his soul (and Power Cosmic). A constant foe for Norrin Radd is born!
Spirit of Vengeance
In Marvel Spotlight (1971) #5
While the full extent of his influence is unknown, it was revealed that Mephisto played a role in the original deal that transformed Johnny Blaze into the Ghost Rider. Mephisto’s power source is still closely associated with the Spirits of Vengeance, and Blaze’s brother, Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch, has his own extensive history with the demon.
The Fate of Billy and Tommy
In West Coast Avengers (1985) #52
Mephisto is the puppet pulling all the strings when former Hollywood producer Master Pandemonium kidnaps the children of Scarlet Witch and Vision to restore the missing pieces of his fragmented soul. But there is only one problem: Pandemonium’s soul is not his own to claim. Start with issue #42!
For the Soul of Von Doom
In Doctor Strange & Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment (1989)
The death of his mother Cynthia Von Doom (and the eternal suffering that followed), was a catalyzing event in Doctor Doom’s origin of evil. In an unlikely team-up with the Sorcerer Supreme, Doom and Strange plunge into Mephisto’s underworld to recover the soul of Cynthia, the wayward sorceress who overstepped her bounds.
“My humble personage...”
In Silver Surfer (1987) #45
Every ounce the silver-tongued devil, Mephisto presents a persuading case to Thanos to nab the Infinity Gauntlet for himself. But the unhinged Titan has a collected all the stones, and can now commune with every being in existence. Continue with INFINITY GAUNTLET (1991) for Mephisto’s role as a “disciple.”
Thor Versus Hell
In Thor (2007) #611
The Dísir, AKA the cannibal Valkyries of Bor, stand between peace in Asgard and the unification of the Realms. Upon the Dísir’s invasion of Hela’s Hel, Thor steps into Mephisto’s fiery inferno to collect the Eir-Gram sword, the only blade that can cut down their impenetrable ranks. But entry to Hell comes at a cost. Read through issue #614.
Hot Date
In New Mutants (2009) #37
In order to secure her team’s freedom from the pits of Hell, New Mutant Magma agrees to go on a single date with Satan himself. And in this issue, he’s come to collect. The (very) human side of this normally-nightmarish fiend!
Welcome to the Hotel Inferno
In Doctor Strange: Damnation (2018) #1
The city of sin gets its biggest sinner yet. When Doctor Strange raises Las Vegas up from its destruction during SECRET EMPIRE, he inadvertently opens a big door for the embodiment of evil itself: Mephisto. But why stop the takeover at Vegas? Try the entire DAMNATION event today, and get ready for a game of brimstone blackjack!
Devil’s Advocate
In Ghost Rider (2019) #1
Following Mephisto’s imprisonment in the Hotel Inferno, Ghost Rider: Johnny Blaze steps in to fill the void of power that has now consumed Hell. Left with only his cryptic riddles and a sinister grin, Mephisto struggles to maintain connected to the nether-realm he lost.
The Temptation of Tony Stark
In Avengers (2018) #31
Read through issue #38! One of the villainous co-stars in this fan-favorite run, a Time Stone-wielding Mephisto reaches a prehistoric agreement with the Avengers of 1,000,000 B.C., AKA the Avengers from a million years ago. In the present day, a still-imprisoned Mephisto manages to make some calls (and tell some major lies) to claw his way back to the top.