ROULETTE

Real Name: Dude Jensen

Identity/Class: Human magic-user

Occupation: Agent of Satan; former stock-car promoter

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Agent of Satan/Mephisto; assisted by Slifer

Enemies: Ghost Rider/John Blaze/Zarathos, Roxanne Simpson; owners of a Las Vegas casino

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Duke Jensen; the Demon of Las Vegas

Base of Operations: a magical castle in Las Vegas, Nevada

First Appearance: (Jensen) Ghost Rider II#4 (February, 1974); (Roulette) Ghost Rider II#5 (April, 1974)

Powers/Abilities: Roulette could open portals in space, through which he could hurl fireballs at his foes. He proved immune to the hellfire of the Ghost Rider, but his own fireballs could drop Ghost Rider. He could switch to and from his original human form at will. He received his power directly from Mephisto, and it could be increased as needed.
Roulette was based in a magical floating castle of his own (or Mephisto's) creation.

History: (Ghost Rider II#5(fb)) - Dude Jensen was a big-shot stock-car promoter. He attempted to make out big at a Las Vegas casino, but ended up losing terribly. After he'd lost the twenty thousand in credit extended to him, the heads of the casino learned that he had lied about his finances, and that his bank account was virtually empty. The casino owners had Jensen take out into the desert and dumped into a water-filled quarry, "with a belly full of lead ulcers."

Mephisto chose Jensen to become his pawn, and offered him a return to life and the ability to gain vengeance on his killers in exchange for his soul and the promise to serve him.

(Ghost Rider II#4-6) - Jensen hired John Blaze to ride in a demolition derby, and then sent an assassin to take him out. Blaze, of course, turned into the Ghost Rider and stopped the assassin. Roxanne Simpson overheard Jensen discussing the assassination, but was discovered and taken hostage by Jensen.
Jensen revealed himself to be Roulette and attacked the Ghost Rider as he was driving across the desert. He then began to cast fireballs down upon the city of Las Vegas. Blaze followed Roulette's trail back to his castle and attacked him, but Roulette laughed off his hellfire. Roulette floored the Ghost Rider with a fireball of his own, and then called to Mephisto for the additional power to finish him off. Mephisto agreed, but as he granted him the power, Ghost Rider poured his own energy into Roulette as well. The power overloaded Roulette and he imploded, leaving only ashes.

Comments: Created by Gary Friedrich and Jim Mooney

Clarifications: No known connection to:

• Roulette, Jennifer Stavros, of the Hellions, @ New Mutants I#16