MEPHISTO

Real Name: Mephisto

Identity/Class: Demon (Class Two/Hell-lord); magic-user
    citizen of Hell
    Existence unknown to the general public; often mistaken for the Biblical Satan

Occupation: Demon, ruler a realm of Hell

Group Membership: Hell-lords (Asmodeus, Beelzeboul, Hellstorm, Lucifer, Murray, Olivier, Satan (Marduk Kurios), Satannish, Thog);
    Lords of the Splinter-Realms (Brutus Klor, Dormammu, D'Spayre, the Haemovore Kings of the Outer Dark, Hedron the Faceted, High Seers of Nox, Magik (Amanda Sefton), Malevolence, Molgotha, Muranai, Nightmare, Phemous, Pluto, Siffror, Skarabrous the Stalker, Surtur, Thog, Umar, Viliven, plus thousands of others, including "daemon lords astride phantom dragons, tyrant wizards in air-machines, queens of the damned with endless retinues, formless things that materialize in pentagrams");
    formerly the Six-Fingered Hand (Avarrish, Fashima, Hyppokri, Puishannt, Unthinnk)

Affiliations: Death, Deathurge, "Demon of the Mask," Fates, Hlavac's disease antigen, Jack Holyoak, Kagrok the Killer, Pastor Kale, Legion Accursed, Loki, Masters of Evil (Black Talon (Samuel Barone), Goliath (Erik Josten), Man-Ape (M'Baku)), John Milton, Nicholas Scratch, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe;
    the Death Gods (Ahpuch, Eriskegal, Hela, Pluto, Seth, Yama, and presumably Arawn (Tuatha da Danaan/Celtic gods), Chibiabos (Anasazi/Native American gods), Damballah (Dam-Ayido, Vodū/African gods), Emma-O (Amatsu-Kami/Japanese gods), Erlik (Mongolian gods), Hina (Kahunas/Oceanic gods), Kâli (Daevas/Hindu gods), Narahdarn (Aboriginal gods), Ndriananahary (Vodū/African gods), Osiris (Ennead), Pikulos (Dievas/Slavic gods), Tuonetar (Kavelas/Finnish gods), Vichima (Incan gods), and Yen-Lo Wang (Xian/Chinese gods); formerly Crom (Tuatha da Danaan/Celtic gods))
    possibly Lotus Newmark, the Lords of the Nether-Worlds, and the demon race spawned from the being that became Nemesis;
    formerly Hellcat, Magik (Amanda Sefton), Thanos & Adam Warlock;
    occasionally allied against some threat to the universe with various cosmic beings, such as Celestials, Epoch, Eternity, Galactus, Hate, In-Betweener, Kronos, Living Tribunal, Lord Chaos, Love, Master Order, Stranger;
    formerly Lord N'golth, Erisha, and Jamie Tarleton of the Top Cow reality

damned souls: Bounty Hunter ("Lemuel" Haskill), Brass Bishop, Ranulph Haldane, Adolf Hitler, Naomi Kale, Legions of the Lost, Tom Malverne, Miss America, Nighthawk (Kyle Richmond) of Earth-712, One-Man Zodiac, Soulless Ones, Mr. Thatchel, Thule, Torpedo (Brock Jones), Viper (Jordan Dixon);
    possibly Elspeth Cromwell, Jajuga;
    formerly Lizzie Borden, Lucretia Borgia, the Dark Whorl, Guardian (James MacDonald Hudson, though he was never truly dead), Heinrich Himmler, Jake Olson, Josef Stalin, Vakume, Shalla Bal, Cynthia von Doom;
    note that many of those glimpsed in Hell are later revealed to have never died, indicating the beings seen in Hell were either imposters or perhaps that Mephisto and others can sometimes capture the souls of beings very close to death. It's certainly possible that imposters were also seen in place of other beings truly dead, strictly for shock value to those visiting Hell

Arena of Lost Souls - Captain America of the 1950s, Cruasader (Marvel Boy duplicate), Foolkiller (Ross G. Everbest), Mockingbird, Thunderbird (John Proudstar);
    formerly Hellcat

demon servants: Arimanes, bailiffs, Bitterhorn, Challenger, Chorus of Agony, Dargill, Donna the Designer, Gormac, Haazareth Three, Herlequin, Hykos, Inferno (Slifer), Jerry the Accountant, John Law, Knights of Hades, Legion, Montgomery H. Price, Rakasha, Sktratch, Sykos, the Vril, Woody the Copyrighter, unidentified (Immortalis#1), unidentified ("Crash" Simpson/"Curly" Samuels), unidentified (bonded with the Warhead Gregory, many unidentified;
    various personal demons, such as Compulsive Needs, Devious Inspirations, Judgment-Impairing Rages, Nagging Doubts, Neurotic Self-Destructive Urges, Petty Grudges, Unthinking Cruelties
    formerly Zarathos

pawns/contractees: Achebe, Baron (Karl) Mordo, Nicholas Bellrais, Black Marvel (Dan Lyons), John Blaze, Bounty Hunter ("Lemuel" Haskill), Brass Bishop, Centurious, Esteban Diablo, Heinrich Faust, Johannes & Mrs. Faustes, Alex Flores, Flying Dutchman's Ghost, Jennifer Glatzer, Gregory, Immortalis, Noble Kale, Pastor Kale, Master Pandemonium, "Kristoff" Mendel, Mys-Tech Board (formerly the Sect of Chasidm), One-Man Zodiac, Illyana Rasputina of "Earth-2937," Roulette (Dude Jensen), Suicide, Mr. Thatchel, Thule, Vengeance (Michael Badilino), Cynthia von Doom, Witch Woman (Linda Littletrees), numerous unidentified cultists;
    possibly Jajuga;
    formerly Abadon, James Carruthers, Marlo Chandler, Zoe Culloden, Darkoth, Dusk (Cassie St. Commons), Ghost Rider (John Blaze), Heatwave (Dylan something of the Top Cow reality), Hornet (Eddie McDonough)), Hutch, James Mandarin, Kevin Masterson, Killrazor (of Codename: Strikeforce of the Top Cow reality), Nighthawk (Kyle Richmond) of Earth-616, Nova (Frankie Raye), Prodigy (Ritchie Gilmore), Ricochet (Johnny Gallo), She-Hulk, Sif;
 

Enemies: Ahura (aka Pope), Archenemy, Brandy Ash, Asmodeus;
    Avengers (Black Knight, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Cloak, Dagger, Dr. Druid, Dr. Pym, Hawkeye/Clint Barton, Human Torch/Jim Hammond, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, She-Hulk, Spider-Woman/Julia Carpenter, U.S.Agent, Vision, War Machine/Jim Rhodes, Wasp, Wonder Man);
    Balder, Beyonder, Black Axe, Blackheart, Black Panther (T'Challa), Brass Bishop, Caretaker, Elspeth Cromwell, Zoe Culloden, Daredevil (Matt Murdock), Dark Angel, Darklove, "Big Daddy" Dawson, Death's Head (Minion);
    Defenders (Clea, Devil-Slayer, Dr. Strange, Gargoyle, Hellcat, Hulk, Namor, Nighthawk, Silver Surfer, Son of Satan (now Hellstorm), Valkyrie (Brunnhilde));
    Demogorge, Dr. Doom, Dr. Strange, Dormammu, Dracula, Elektra;
    Fantastic Four (Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Mr. Fantastic, Thing);
    Frank Drake, Furies, Galactus, Ghost Rider (Naomi Kale), Ghost Rider (John Blaze), Ghost Rider (Dan Ketch), Golden Angel/Janus, Goddess, Gorgon (Inhuman), Gormac, Silas Grant, Grim Reaper, Agatha Harkness, Hela, Hildegard, Horth, Hulk (Bruce Banner), Hutch, Immortalis;
    Infinity Watch (Drax, Gamora, Moondragon, Pip);
    Noble Kale, Rama Kaliph, Karnak, KISS, Loki, Magdalena, Alicia Masters, Nebula, Nightcrawler, Nighthawk (Kyle Richmond) of Earth-616, Number Nine, Odin, Olivier, One-Man Zodiac, Panther God (Bast), Papa Hagg, Mary Jane Parker, Lord (Julian) Phyffe, various alternate reality Professor Xes, Rathcoole, Franklin Richards, Everett K. Ross, Satannish, Scrier, Shalla Bal, SHIELD, Sif, Silver Surfer, Roxanne Simpson;
    Slingers (Dusk, Hornet, Prodigy, Ricochet);
    Six-Fingered Hand, Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Spirit of Christmas, Terrax, Thanos, Thing, Thor Odinson, Thor (Eric Masterson), Thule;
    Thunderbolts (Atlas/Erik Josten, Charcoal, Hawkeye/Clint Barton, Mach-2, Moonstone/Karla Sofen, Songbird);
    Topaz, Ulik, Uriel, Captain Vuulk and his slavers;
    Warheads (Stacy Arnheim, Che, Gregory, Tigon Liger, Leona McBride, Misha, Perez);
    Adam Warlock;
    Warriors Three of Asgard (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg);
    Wonder Man;
     X-Factor/X-Terminators (Beast, Cyclops, Iceman, Marvel Girl (Jean Grey));
    X-Men (Dazzler, Longshot, Professor X, Psylocke, Rogue, Storm, Wolverine);
    Zarathos, Zeus, Zuri;
    Ballistic, Cyblade, Heatwave, Weapon Zero, Witchblade of the Top Cow reality
    even his allies generally hate him

Known Relatives: Blackheart (son), Mephista (daughter);
    fraternal relationship to other Hell-Lords;
    quasi-paternal relationship to Mikal Drakonmegas (Hellfire) and Daimon (Hellstorm) and Satana Hellstrom;
    formerly engaged to Spohrrinox;
    "parent" to Thomas & William; uncertain connection to Speed & Wiccan

Aliases: Beelzebub, the Devil, Legion, Lucifer, Mephistopheles, Nick Scratch, Old Nick, Satan, dark lord, "A Friend," Maya, the Messenger,"Muffy";
    the Adversary, Dark Lord of all that is Evil, Dark One, Death God, Demon King, Devourer of Souls, Dread Persuader, Evil Incarnate, Foul Pact Maker, Great Corruptor, His Satanic Majesty, Jack Scratch, Securer of the Seven Sins, Spirit of Universal Lies, Whisperer in Darkness;
    Lord of Darkness, the Dark Underworld, Depravity, Despair, Evil, Hate, Hell, the Lost, the Lower Depths, the Netherworld, Pain, Temptation;
    Master of Malice and the Realm of Lost Souls;
    Prince of Darkness, Deceivers, Devils, Evil, Lies, & Liars;
    impersonated Baron (Heinrich) Zemo, Don Blake, Enchantress, Eros/Starfox, Executioner (Skurge), Quincy Harker, Nova (Frankie Raye), many others

Base of Operations: Hell (a branch thereof), also sometimes referred to as Hades (though the domain of the Olympian god Pluto most properly receives that name)

Education: Extensively self-taught

First Appearance: Silver Surfer I#3 (December, 1968)

Powers/Abilities: An immensely powerful supernatural entity, Mephisto wields mystical energy for effects such as matter manipulation, astral projection, levitation, telepathy, teleportation, invisibility, opening interdimensional, spacial, or temporal portals, illusion-casting, projecting mystical force blasts, shape-shifting  (his true form is unknown), and size-changing. He enjoys viewing distant events and beings via mystic vapors in his realm, or through scrying pools. Mephisto prefers to avoid direct physical combat, though he can channel his energy into physical strength superior to the Class 100 range, or to other physical feats of power or skill. Though not omnipotent, he is able to sense or view virtually anything in the physical universe, and in many other realms as well. While Mephisto's abilities seem virtually unlimited, he is unable to subjugate any sentient being to his without that being's deliberate submission.

    Mephisto can capture the souls/astral forms of recently deceased humans. The precise condition under which he obtains the majority of his souls is unrevealed, though it apparently relates to selfish and/or malevolent behavior (such as with the "seven cardinal sins": lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, pride). In addition, relocation of souls is also related to systems of beliefs, and these souls are divided among the various other realms of the Hell-lords, as well as to the death gods of the various pantheons, though most of the latter rarely receive new souls as they have few believers in the modern era. Further, realms such as Heaven receive souls of the more pure; while all humanity sins at some point, there are apparently specific, though as yet unrevealed rules defining the circumstances that dictate whether a soul goes to Heaven or Hell. Mephisto spends much of his time trying to tempt mortals into sinful behavior, hoping to insure their entry into his realm. In addition, he frequently bargains with mortals, tempting them with love, physical or financial power, or offering to help them achieve certain goals in exchange for their souls. Usually finalizing the deal with some sort of contract, often signed in blood, Mephisto thus assures that soul will enter his domain upon completion of the agreement, though Mephisto often deceives his contractees, granting them exactly what was stated but not always what they wanted or in the way they wanted. Mephisto can grant others a variety of superhuman powers, save or heal others, etc. Tempting an innocent soul into his service is most desirable to Mephisto. Souls under Mephisto's domain generally are powerless to resist his instructions, though certain beings have proven powerful and/or strong-willed enough to overcome this. Mephisto can mystically trap living beings in his realm, but he cannot feed off these beings. He often torments, tortures, and/or tempts such beings, hoping to get them to surrender their souls to him to avoid further pain or to bargain away their souls in exchange for what he offers them. Other times he tortures prisoners purely for his own enjoyment.

    A large portion of his power seems to be tied to his realm and the number of souls trapped within it, meaning that prolonged absences from Hell weaken him. Within his own realm, he is virtually all-powerful, served by a seemingly endless supply of damned souls and demon servants. He can utterly control the environment and landscape, coordinating numerous scenarios against a multitude of visitors and against those within his domain. On Earth, his powers are much more limited. He can influence the thoughts of others, but not control them, and it appears that many of the fantastic feats he accomplishes are illusion. Under uncertain circumstances (presumably by communion with the demon race derived from the progenitor of the Infinity Gems), Mephisto has spread his influence across the universe moreso than the other Hell-lords, though he still seems to be at a comparable power level to them.

    Given form and substance through evil itself, Mephisto is, for all practical purposes, immortal. He does not need to eat, sleep or breathe, and he is immune to aging and conventional disease. While he can be injured by certain mystical assaults or attacks from powerful beings, he can regenerate virtually instantly. Even when he is seemingly slain or even when he has had his essence dispersed or obliterated, it is only a matter of time before he regains form and power from evil thoughts and deeds.

A A supreme trickster, Mephisto will say or do anything to accomplish his ends, frequently appearing to be overpowered or even destroyed for the effect such a resolution might have on his opponent. Mephisto has also been impersonated by other Hell-lords or other lesser-powered demons. Conversely, Mephisto has impersonated various Hell-lords and has sometimes posed as the Biblical Satan. Under certain circumstances, he has worked with various other Hell-lords to form a gestalt Satan, which comes the closest to the matching the belief in a single Devil.

    Mephisto dwells within a region of the Netherworld known as Hell, a dark fiery realm shaped by his desires and by the subconscious beliefs of those visiting or imprisoned there. This realm is often accessed via subterranean portals, though it is not physically within the Earth as it often appears. Within his realm exists the Arena of Lost Souls, where warriors (many of them superhuman) battle endlessly; the Bridge of Woes, composed of souls under his domain, who suffer the pain of his weight (which he typically magnifies) as he crosses; the Dead Zone, a portion inhabited by soul fragments, split from the whole by uncertain means; and the Well of Souls, a lava pit into which souls are dumped, their agony providing amusement and power to Mephisto.

Height: Variable (6'6" in standard humanoid form)
Weight: Variable (310 lbs. in standard humanoid form)
Eyes: Variable (white in standard humanoid form)
Hair: Variable (red in standard humanoid form)
Skin: Variable (red in standard humanoid form)

History:
(Doctor Strange III#8 (fb) / Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme Annual#2 (fb) ) - In the distant past, after Demogorge defeated the Elder Gods, a great primeval concentration of pure evil energy was left behind. That energy gradually divided, giving birth to a number of demons, eventually shaped and molded by the unconscious desires of their earliest human worshippers into various incarnations of evil. These included Thog, Satannish, and Mephisto, and at least a couple of others. These demons would become the Hell-lords, capitalizing one the belief in a single Devil/Satan.
    This represents one category of Class Two Demons (also included here are fallen/degenerated Gods and Angels).

(Silver Surfer III#45 (fb)) - The primordial, virtually omnipotent entity (later known as Nemesis), apparently alone in the universe, sought to end its solitude by taking some of itself and granting it independent life. Because it didn't will these beings to be good, they turned out evil. Displeased with these demons, the entity destroyed them.

(Silver Surfer III#44 (fb) - BTS) - The primordial entity committed suicide to end its solitude, and from its remains were formed what would become known as the Infinity Gems.

(Silver Surfer III#45 (fb) - BTS) - With the entity's death, the demon hordes it created were reborn, though the entity saw to it that the Gems were beyond the detection of the demons so that his power could not fall into their foul hands.

    Mephisto established a relationship with these demons, gaining power and influence on a universal scale.

(Mortigan Goth: Immortalis#4 (fb) - BTS) - Mephisto granted immortality to various beings over his existence.

(Marvel Comics Presents#135/3 (fb) ) - Millennia ago, Darklove was part of Mephisto's army. He was in love with a beautiful demoness, Spohrrinox, but Mephisto didn't like the feelings between them and made her his betrothed. Darklove waged war against his former master to free his beloved from the betrothal and after centuries of war he seemed victorious. With Mephisto's head in his hand Darklove celebrated the victory with his followers only to learn that he was tricked by Mephisto. His beloved standing next to him turned into Mephisto, and the head in Darklove's hand became the head of his former love. Mephisto laid a curse on Darklove to always perform the opposite of love and imprisoned him in a "love spell." The page became part of the Darkhold and Darklove stayed within the book for a very long time.

(Ghost Rider II#77 (fb)) - 2000 years ago, Mephisto, noticing the expansionist campaign of Zarathos, who was consuming souls that rightfully belonged to the Hell-lords and recruiting a sea of followers to rival the Hell-lords', criticized Thog, Satan, and Satannish for not taking note of this. Mephisto chose two human young lovers (in what is now Southwestern North America) as pawns to help him end Zarathos' reign on Earth. After Zarathos' followers, led by the tribe of the sorcerer K'nutu, overran the lovers' village and kidnapped the young princess as a sacrifice to Zarathos, the gravely wounded prince scaled the mountain of meditation and begged his gods to spare the princess. Mephisto answered his pleas, granting the prince the power to save his lover in exchange for his very soul and then sending the prince to the City of Ten Thousand Souls, where Zarathos dwelled. As the demon's servants looked on, Zarathos moved to devour the soul of the princess, but he was interrupted by the prince, who told him to take his soul instead. Intending to take both souls, Zarathos grabbed the prince; but when the demon failed to devour his soul (since it was absent), both Zarathos and his followers were suddenly filled with doubt. In that moment of indecision (and thus weakness for Zarathos), Mephisto struck, battering Zarathos and enslaving him. The prince escaped with his love, but he could no longer feel emotions and so he left her.
(Ghost Rider II#80 (fb) - BTS) - The prince would eventually become Centurious.

(Ghost Rider II#81 (fb)) - Mephisto entrapped Zarathos' essence/living flame within Hell, condemning him to eternal servitude, though Zarathos eventually grew too powerful to contain (at least according to Zarathos).

(Ghost Rider III#11 (fb) - BTS) - Mephisto would amuse himself by instilling Zarathos within a series of mortal hosts, who would serve as his spirit of vengeance.

(Fantastic Force#18 (fb)) <9th century> - Esteban Diablo, failing to gain immortality via alchemical means, turned to darker forces. He summoned Mephisto (or a demon claiming to be Mephisto), who sated his hunger for the fruits of arcane lore. A covenant was struck at the cost of Diablo's soul. Diablo sought to extend his lifespan ad infinitum, thus denying the devil his due, but found that Mephisto had limited the immortality, rendering him dependent on alchemical formulae to maintain it.

(Hell's Angel#1 (fb) - BTS) <987 AD> - Beneath Darkmoor, Northern England, the Sect of Chasidm, an arcane cult consisting of seven members, performed a dark ritual, summoning Mephisto and asking a pact for immortality. As too few souls were then reaching his domain, Mephisto agreed in exchange for a steady supply of souls. Specific quotas and plans were set.

(Dark Angel#14 (fb)) - Mephisto bestowed immortality within the Sect's members. He told them that he could not stop death from stalking the corridors of time, waiting for and wanting them, but that they would not die, no matter however much they wanted to. Each member was made invincible in their own way.

(Mys-Tech Wars#2 (fb) - BTS) - The life forces of the members of the Sect were actually bound to all reality, such that slaying them could destroy everything in existence unless permitted by Mephisto.

(Mortigan Goth: Immortalis#1 (fb) / [#2 (fb) - BTS]) <1349 AD> - As Mortigan returned home from a 15 year journey, he saw the plague spreading across Europe towards his homeland. He called on the devil to save him. Mephisto -- seeing in Mortigan a brightly shining soul which might serve as a beacon of hope for others -- challenged Mortigan to a game of chess, gambling his soul for immortality. Unexpectedly, Mortigan won, sending Mephisto away as Mortigan headed home as an immortal.

(Mortigan Goth: Immortalis#1 (fb)) <May 24, 1349 AD> - Returning to Horsham, Mortigan found his mother dying of the plague and his sister having been hanged by the priest Nicholas de Bellrais for allegedly having killed her infant (of which de Bellrais was actually the father). When Mortigan went to confront de Bellrais, Mephisto stopped him, telling him that he had other plans for de Bellrais, and if Mortigan interfered, he would have a thousand years of suffering.
    Mortigan watched as de Bellrais and Mephisto plotted to sacrifice the entire congregation in order to grant de Bellrais immortality. Mephisto demanded the youngest infant present to seal the deal.

(Mortigan Goth: Immortalis#2 (fb)) <May 24, 1349 AD> -  Mortigan stopped de Bellrais from slaying the infant, offering his own soul in order to save the infant and the congregation from Mephisto's clutches. Mephisto immediately began to torture Mortigan's soul.

(Mortigan Goth: Immortalis#2 (fb)) <1349 AD> - Mortigan's soulless body awakened weeks later within a plague pit, surrounded by the dead villagers and infant whose souls he had saved only for them to all die from the plague. Mephisto taunted Mortigan, naming him Immortalis after the Latin used by de Bellrais. When Mortigan told him he would fight Mephisto eternally, the demon lord responded by telling him that for every hurt Immortalis did him, he'd visit on his soul a thousand times more. Mephisto's curse was that Immortalis would watch suffering, knowing he might help, but certain that he dare not.

(Mortigan Goth: Immortalis#2 (fb) - BTS) - Mortigan eventually learned that Mephisto would torture his soul no matter what he did, and so he learned how to oppose the demon lord in subtle fashion. However, his failure to cast a reflection often caused others to distrust him, limiting the amount of help he could provide.

(Defenders I#99 (fb) - BTS) - Centuries ago, four Hell-lords -- Mephisto, Satan, Satannish, and Thog -- organized a complex plot to merge their Hells with Earth, which would grant them ultimate power over humanity. They allowed five lesser demons, Avarrish, Fashima, Hyppokri, Puishannt, and Unnthinnk to have more sway over mankind. Mephisto posed as a sixth demon, Maya, and joined with the other five (with himself as chairman) in forming the demonic cabal, the Six-Fingered Hand. The demons began to exercise their power on Earth, developing human followers and leading certain souls to damnation.

(Alpha Flight II#16) - "Centuries ago," in the Basilica Alicante, Spain, Bishop Benedicto de Vica Servertes fell in love with a woman named Beatriz. Knowing his God forbade him to have her, the bishop instead turned to darker power, calling on Mephisto and offering to pay any price to have Beatriz by her side. Mephisto agreed in exchange for taking the bishop's soul upon his death, but then put Beatriz by his side as a a nun studying under him, farther away than ever. Swearing not to lose his soul for naught, the bishop read in the pages of apocryphal texts that a suit of brass could conceal the soul of its wearer; as the suit would only work if every seam were sealed with the blood of an innocent woman, the maddened bishop took the blood of the only innocent woman he knew: Beatriz.
    As the bishop's soul vanished, Mephisto sent an agent, the demon Dargill, to find it, and the now Brass Bishop decapitated Dargill, keeping his head. The Brass Bishop confronted Mephisto in Hell, demanding his soul be freed in exchange for returning Dargill to him. Mephisto refused, agreeing only to trade the Bishop's invisible soul for Beatriz's which now resided in Heaven. The Brass Bishop vowed he would never trade his soul for Beatriz's, but over time he became desperate to save his own soul and plotted to storm the gates of heaven.

(Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#8 (fb) - BTS) <1667> - Mephisto related the tale of Lucifer's fall from Heaven to John Milton, from wrote the poem Paradise Lost based on his information.

(Ghost Rider III#92 (fb) - BTS) - <18th century> - In the Christian town of Patience, Pastor Kale, part of the spiritual bloodline containing the shards of Blood's Medallion of Power, made deals with the devil, brokering souls in exchange for good crops and weather, plus protection from sickness for the people of Patieance.

(Ghost Rider III#92 (fb)) - <18th century> - Pastor Kale's actions were discovered by Magdalena, survivor of a group of nomads, with whom the pastor's son, Noble, had fallen in love. The Pastor publicly denounced Magdalena as a witch, and Noble was helpless to stop her from being burnt at the stake. The Furies, Olympian spirits who avenged women wrongly slain, were summoned by Magdalena's curse on Pastor Kale, and they attacked Patience, intending to slay every resident. Pastor Kale again contacted Mephisto, asking for a powerful warrior to fight the Furies in exchange for Noble's soul. When Mephisto agreed, the pastor had a corpse exhumed from  the graveyard, and its bones served as the cage to enslave his heart and soul. From these bones was formed a flaming, skeletal warrior, who battled and slew the Furies. Despite his new demonic nature, Noble/Ghost Rider refused to feed on his and Magdalena's son, and when Mephisto came to claim Noble's soul, the angel Uriel appeared and opposed Mephisto. Realizing that a war between themselves and their realm could destroy all existence, Mephisto and Uriel ultimately agreed  that they would each have half of Noble's soul, and that Noble would serve as the new spirit of vengeance, since the last knight of Zarathos was long dead. This spirit became a new Ghost Rider to avenge the spilling of innocent blood and to punish sins.
    Uriel vowed that because of the light in Noble's soul, his child and descendents would be protected and blessed: never would Mephisto lay a finger on any of them. To insure that Noble remain impartial and safe from any undue influence or machination, Uriel further decreed that Noble would dwell in the space between realms, leaving only to perform his duties and then returning when vengeance was satisfied and penance achieved.
    After Uriel departed, Mephisto revealed while he could not directly harm a hair on the child's head, the child, and the first-born of every subsequent generation, would serve as the flesh for the Ghost Rider to exist on Earth.
    Mephisto further decreed that Pastor Kale would live as long as his bloodline existed, and that he would serve as Mephisto's faithful and wealthy servant, branding each first-born with the mark of vengeance (the symbol of the Medallion of Power) to ensure that Mephisto's law was passed on to each generation.
    Uriel then returned to Noble Kale, giving him the gift of forgetting his past and his pain, and making it so that there would be one more identity hidden within Noble that he would not realize until his time in the interdimensional void ended and he chose to make use of it: he would be the secret fire, the flame that ends the world, the last judge and executioner, the angel of death.

(Silver Surfer I#8 (fb)) - Joost van Straaten was a sea captain in the 18th Century. He claims to have been an honest man until Mephisto filled his heart with cold, consuming greed. Obsessed with a certain treasure, he drove his crew into a storm which killed them all. The souls of the crew passed on, but van Straaten's soul was claimed by Mephisto, and cursed to never know rest--to sail the seven seas on a voyage without end as the Flying Dutchman.

(Mephisto vs...#1 (fb) - BTS) <Circa  1775> - Mephisto made a bargain with Heinrich Faust, but because Faust used Mephisto's gifts for good he was able to escape Mephisto's contract on a technicality and retain his soul.
(Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#8 (fb) - BTS) <1775-1832> - Mephisto related his encounters with Faust to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who wrote the plays Faust: The Tragedy Part One and Faust: The Tragedy Part Two.

(Ghost Rider II#32 (fb)) <Presumably 19th century, in Last Chance, Nevada> - After the bounty hunter Lemuel Haskill had been shot and killed, the "dark lord" appeared before him, offering to restore his life, soul, and freedom if he could bring in 50 souls in his place. Haskill accepted and was transformed into the demonically-powered Bounty Hunter, with the warning that if he ever failed there would be punishment.

(Ghost Rider minus 1 (fb) - BTS) - Mephisto and Uriel negotiated that if the first born were not available to become the host to Noble that the next in line would serve.

(Ghost Rider III#89 (fb) - BTS) - An unidentified man (last name possibly Kale) was possessed by the spirit of his ancestor Noble Kale, now acting as the Spirit of Vengeance. He became the Ghost Rider and served in World War I

(Mortigan Goth: Immortalis#4 (fb) - BTS) - Mephisto granted immortality to Johannes Faustus and his wife.

(Cloak and Dagger III#16 (fb) - BTS / Cloak and Dagger III#18 (fb) - BTS) - During World War II, Nazi scientists conducted extensive experiments. What Thule believed to be possibly a "specific combination of certain minds, that could only have been gathered under the Nazi regime" created the Darkdoor, an interface with what they called the Schwarzraum, which was actually a portal to Mephisto's realm of Hell. Before the Nazis could unlock the secrets of this source of incredible energy, the Allies began to overwhelm them, and Project: Darkdoor was dismantled hastily. The young Nazi who would become Thule was the last survivor of those intended to explore the Schwarzraum. He passed himself off as one of the valuable Nazi scientists and was relocated to America to work with the U.S. government. From there he easily escaped, taking the uncatalogued Darkdoor file with him. He knew that technology would one day catch up with the scientists' discovery and he would finally be able to...(explanation interrupted and never continued).

(Cloak and Dagger III#18 (fb) - BTS) - Combining popular science-fiction notions and the deluded would-be dictator's preconceived racist dogma, Mephisto led Thule to the conclusion that the "Vril" in the "Schwarzraum" were actually an alien species that had originally populated Earth with their "master race" eons ago. Mephisto manipulated Thule to sacrifice the necessary lives to open the Darkdoor for "the Vril," who were actually Mephisto's demon-servants.

(Hell's Angel#1 (fb) - BTS) - Ranulph Haldane, a member of the Mys-Tech Board (formerly the Sect of Chasidm) secretly worked at Darkmoor to discover a means to gain immortality by other means, so that Mys-Tech could be free of their servitude to Mephisto.

(Ghost Rider minus 1 (fb) - BTS) - Naomi Kale became the Ghost Rider, host to Noble Kale as the spirit of vengeance.

(Mortigan Goth: Immortalis#1 (fb) - BTS) <1965> - A young girl came into possession of a magical tome, from which she read a spell that allowed a demon from Mephisto's Hell to possess her.

(Mortigan Goth: Immortalis#1 (fb) - BTS) <1965> - Mortigan Goth joined forces against Dr. Strange against the demon possessing the young girl. Mortigan convinced the demon that during its absence from Hell, Mephisto had promoted the demon's friend, enraging the demon and causing it to exit the girl's form to attack Mortigan directly. Dr. Strange then banished the demon back to Hell.

(Punisher IV#1 (fb) - BTS) <approximately 40-50 years ago> - The other Hell-lords teamed up against Olivier, whom they saw as overly ambitious, and they trapped him in the body of a human new-born child.

(Terror INC#5 (fb) - BTS) <approximately 30 years ago> - The Hell-lords sought to create a son via a human woman, intending that this son would serve as a living battery drawing in the black energy (sin) of mankind, storing it up as a charge of pure evil. This would give the Hell-Lords the power to break through the walls of reality in force and lead to an unstoppable assault on man.

(Terror INC#3 (fb) - BTS) - The demon Beelzeboul, in human form, came to Earth, married, and impregnated the human Cassandra Drakonmegas.

(Terror INC#5 (fb) - BTS) - Upon finding proof of her husband's demonic nature, Cassandra stabbed him with a magical knife, banishing him back to Hell. Beelzeboul hit Cassandra, snapping her neck in the process. Despite her condition, Cassandra fought on to live at least a bit longer, until medics arrived and induced labor in her. Mikal Drakonmegas was born. The use of the mystic dagger, etc. prevented Mikal from gaining the darksoul that would have accomplished the demons' plot.

(Marvel Spotlight#13 (fb) / Hellstorm#2 (fb) / Hellstorm#16 (fb) / Terror INC#2(fb) - BTS) - Satan (Marduk Kurios) came to Earth in search of a wife--seeking one to father his heir. Likely drawn to Victoria Hellstrom by the Chapel of Dreseden's magic, he took human form and seemingly seduced the innocent woman. They were soon married, and moved almost immediately to Fire Lake, Masschusetts, where Victoria eventually gave birth to Daimon and later Satana.

(Astonishing Tales#8/2 (fb) - BTS / Marvel Graphic Novel: Dr. Strange and Dr. Doom: Triumph and Torment (fb) / Books of Doom#1 (fb))) - One Midsummer's Eve in Latveria, Cynthia von Doom cast a spell which summoned Mephisto, who offered her the power to avenge her people's treatment at the hands of Baron Sabbat/Fortunov and give them the homeland they deserved. Mephisto noted that this would allow her son to live a life free of terror, and that he might one day become king. Though she realized that the price was her soul, Cynthia agreed to the pact, which Mephisto sealed with a kiss.
    That night Cynthia stormed into a local tavern and confronted the Baron's guardsmen, telling them that the Baron had until dusk tomorrow to repay her people for the crimes committed against them in her name, or else she would level his castle stone by stone. When the guardsmen taunted her, she fired a magical bolt that slew one of them, but then the other guardsmen fell to the ground, dying, as well. Soon the night was filled with wails and lamentations -- not a single child in the village would survive the night, and Cynthia sensed that the spell she'd unleashed was the cause; Mephisto had granted her power, but not control.
    Cynthia desperately tried to renounce the pact and the power, and she failed to hear the dying guardsman who staggered after her and ran her through with his sword. Mortally wounded, she ran from the village and deep into the woods. Hours later, Werner found her barely a dozen yards from their camp; she lived long enough to tell him what happened. With her dying breath she begged him to protect their son from the demonic power she had unleashed.

(Fantastic Four Annual#2 (fb) - BTS / Marvel Graphic Novel: Dr. Strange and Dr. Doom: Triumph and Torment (fb) / Books of Doom#2 (fb)) - Cynthia von Doom's son, Victor, contacted the netherworld (via the "Necrophone") in an effort to free his mother. His spirit glimpsed her being tortured by Mephisto before being cast back to Earth, after which his machines exploded, scarring his face and getting him expelled from State University.

Books of Doom#6 (fb) - BTS) - Doom summoned Mephisto, who noted his increased power and skill since their last encounter. Mephisto agreed to duel with him for Cynthia's soul over Midsummer's Eve each year, but that each time Doom lost, the people of Latveria would grow to despise him more and more. Mephisto further taunted Doom that he would eventually free Cynthia, but that she would still be lost to him.

(Astonishing Tales#8/2 (fb) - BTS) - Each year, on the night of Midsummer's Eve as storms raged through the valleys, Victor von Doom and Boris descended to the deepest dungeons of Latveria. Doom would cast spells, calling up demons (and worse), battling them in an effort to save his mother's soul, each time failing.

(Black Panther III#3 (fb) - BTS) - Achebe sold his soul to Mephisto.

(Ghost Rider minus 1 (fb) - BTS) - Naomi Kale performed certain magical spells that freed her firstborn son, John Blaze, from becoming the next host to the Ghost Rider/Noble Kale.

(Ghost Rider minus 1 (fb)) <13 years before Ghost Rider II#1> - Mephisto sent demon-dog legions after the sick and weakened Naomi Kale, forcing her to turn into Ghost Rider to fight them. Naomi's life force was too badly damaged by the stress of the change, and the Ghost Rider/Noble Kale faded back into the void. As Naomi died, Pastor Kale appeared, taunting her that while John could not become "the" Ghost Rider, he could still become "a" Ghost Rider. He further taunted her with the knowledge that since John was not available to become the host of Noble Kale/Ghost Rider that her next oldest, Barbara (raised with her younger brother, Dan, by Frances Ketch) would take his place. Until that time, Noble Kale floated in the void.

(Silver Surfer I#3) - Mephisto sensed the Silver Surfer -- who had become enraged at mankind's ignorance and violence and was using his powers against mankind -- and recognized in him purity and goodness (perhaps due to Galactus' manipulation of his memories?) and realized that he would soon calm and return to his efforts to try to teach mankind to rise above its problems. Deciding to kill the Surfer to prevent this, Mephisto probed his mind, learned of his lover Shalla Bal, and then caused her to crash to Earth in a Zenn-Lavian ship, which the Surfer sensed, saving her from nuclear attacks and healing her injuries. Mephisto then appeared , vowed the Surfer's eventual death, and took Shalla Bal to Hell but the Surfer tracked his dark energies and confronted him there. Mephisto tried to make the Surfer his slave, first by tempting him with material wealth, then with beautiful women, and finally with a galactic empire. Failing this, he sent his demons to attack the Surfer who overcame them all. Containing the Surfer within amorphous blackness, Mephisto then reduced him to a single thought and absorbed him into his mind, intending to bend him to his will, but the Surfer continued to resist and Mephisto was eventually forced to expel him due to the pain his purity caused. Finally Mephisto threatened to send Shalla Bal back to Zenn-La unless the Surfer agreed to serve him, but -- knowing there could be no love for him as a soulless slave of Mephisto -- the Surfer refused so Mephisto would send Shalla Bal home again, freeing her from his dark domain.
    Acknowledging his first defeat in ages, Mephisto sent the Surfer back to Earth, vowing to defeat him in the future.

(Silver Surfer I#8) - Again, seeking the Surfer's spirit, Mephisto wracked the Surfer's form with monstrous pain but halted rather than risk killing the Surfer before he might pledge his soul to Mephisto. Seeking other means to gain the Surfer, Mephisto traveled to the room of an unidentified black magician who had been invoking the names of devils and then used his mortal mind to locate the lost soul of the Flying Dutchman. Promising to end the Dutchman's ghost's eternal torment in Limbo in exchange for his defeating the Silver Surfer and forcing him to surrender his soul to the demonlord, Mephisto summoned him to Earth, granted him new power, and restored the specter of his ship to the Earthly plane. Before sending the Dutchman out into the city, Mephisto then had him slay the sorcerer to whom Mephisto had been drawn, as punishment for trying to summon forces beyond his control.

(Silver Surfer I#9) - The Dutchman launched an assault on Manhattan, which as intended, drew the attention of the Surfer. The Dutchman and the Surfer fought it out for awhile, and Mephisto -- unable to contain his desire for a soul as pure as the Surfer's -- even stepped in and blasted the Surfer to make the Dutchman's job a little easier. Ultimately, the Dutchman saw the light and was impressed by the purity of the Surfer, and saw that even he himself was not beyond redemption. The Dutchman renounced Mephisto, who swore to consign his spirit to Limbo for all eternity. The Surfer wept over the Dutchman's plight, which ended his curse (it required a living being to shed a tear for him). The Dutchman's spirit apparently passed on to a higher plane.
    Despite losing two souls, Mephisto announced that the more he lost, the more he won, because his hatred fed on itself, and he could never accept defeat.

(Silver Surfer I#16) - Hungering again for the Surfer's soul, Mephisto traveled to Earth, placed an image of Shalla Bal in a chasm/captured Shalla Bal, then pulled the Surfer down from the sky. Neutralizing Galactus' barrier, Mephisto sent the Surfer to return to Zenn-La, only to find she had been abducted by Mephisto. Enraged, the Surfer returned to Earth, and the two battled, with Mephisto showing that the Surfer's attacks could not truly harm him. Finally Mephisto showed the Surfer an image of the helpless and alone Shalla Bal and pressured the Surfer into agreeing to serve him in order to save Shalla. To test the Surfer's commitment, Mephisto instructed him to destroy SHIELD (Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division).

(Silver Surfer I#17) - Aboard SHIELD's Helicarrier, Mephisto secretly replaced one of SHIELD's female staffers with Shalla Bal (under his mental control) while the Surfer -- unable to find any trace of Shalla Bal, attacked it. Vowing to fulfill Mephisto's command by destroying SHIELD (or the Helicarrier) but sparing all of its crew, the Surfer encountered Shalla Bal and decided that their pact was off as Mephisto had violated his promise not to harm her by putting her in harm's way. Mephisto transported Shalla Bal to parts unknown, and the Surfer attacked anew, but as SHIELD agents struck the Surfer from behind, Mephisto teleported away himself, noting that this anguish and frustration sapped the Surfer's strength and drained his resolve, making him easier to manipulate in the future.

(Fantastic Four I#157 (fb)) - Mephisto transported Shall Bal to Latveria where he overlaid her memories with a new set to make her think she was a Latverian peasant woman, Helen.

(Thor I#180) - Odin banished Loki to Hell, unaware that Loki had swapped forms with Thor, leaving Thor's mind/spirit in Loki's body. Eager for an alliance with the evil god, Mephisto's hand burned upon touching him, and Mephisto swiftly sensed that he was Thor and began plaguing him with various attacks. Balder, Sif, and the Warriors Three traveled to Hell to rescue Thor, but Mephisto mocked them, showing Loki's form frozen solid in ice.

(Thor I#181) - The Asgardians attacked Mephisto who transported Volstagg away after he boasted that Mephisto feared them. Mephisto toyed with the other Asgardians, but Sif -- her own sword unable to break Mephisto's ice, manipulated a flaming dragon to attack the frozen form, thawing it enough for Thor/Loki to break free. Thor then used the magics within Loki's form to expose Mephisto directly to his own (Thor)'s soul. Unable to tolerate the pure power of Thor'g godly soul, Mephisto returned Volstagg to them and then sent the group to Asgard.

(Astonishing Tales#8/2 - BTS) - On the night of Midsummer's Eve, Doom summoned a demon (presumably Mephisto or one of his agents) and performed his yearly challenge, this time facing Kagrok the Killer in combat. Though Doom fought Kagrok to a standstill, he was eventually defeated, and his mother's soul remained damned.

(Thor I#204) - Mephisto's demons successively transported the Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg), Balder, Hildegard, Silas Grant, Sif, and Thor, entrancing the former six before Thor and Sif's arrival.

(Thor I#205) - Mephisto sent his demons against Thor, then forced Sif to attack him, and then revealed his plan to place his demons, such as Hykos, into humans he had captured and send them back to Earth. Mephisto further forced Thor's allies to attack him, but Thor created a whirlwind to transport them away to a rocky peak where they could not attack him further. Mephisto then summoned his Legions of the Lost, and sent them against Thor as well. Thor defeated these, too, then confronted Mephisto directly, exposing his plan that Thor be damned for raising his hand against his innocent friends. Thor cast Mephisto into a lava pool and collapsed the roof of the cavern on him, then transported himself and his allies back to Earth.

(Marvel Spotlight I#11 (fb)) - Satanist Jennifer Glazer offered her roommate, Linda Littletrees, to "Satan," who accepted, placing a mystic pentagram on her forehead as his sign.

(Marvel Spotlight I#11 (fb) - BTS) - Glatzer subsequently convinced Littletrees to attend a Sabbat as a "lark," but the Satanists then sacrificed Linda to "Satan," and she became his servant, body and soul, as the Witch Woman.

(Marvel Spotlight I#5 (fb) / Ghost Rider II#68 (fb)) - In an effort to save his adoptive father ("Crash" Simpson) from the disease that was killing him, John Blaze used an occult tome to perform a ritual to summon Satan. "Satan" appeared (Mephisto, either as part of the Satanic gestalt of the various Hell-lords, or an alliance of Mephisto and Lucifer, or Mephisto alone), and John offered to serve the demon for all eternity if the demon would save "Crash" from the disease. The demon agreed, but "Crash," thinking he had one final chance to shine as a stunt motorcyclist, arranged to leap 22 cars, wrecked, and died instantly. Since "Crash" had not died of the disease, the demon soon appeared to claim Blaze, but his girlfriend, Roxanne Simpson ("Crash"'s daughter), having secretly studied Blaze's Satanic texts, banished the demon and prevented him from claiming Blaze's soul. The demon instead bonded Blaze to the demon Zarathos, causing him to transform nightly into the Ghost Rider, the earthly spirit of vengeance.
    Obviously, with various ret-con information, this is what Mephisto intended all along.
(Ghost Rider II#81 (fb)) - Mephisto stipped Zarathos of his memories.

(Ghost Rider II#9 (fb) - BTS) - Mephisto sent a minor demon (or perhaps only an illusion), in the form of "Curly" Samuels, leader of the Satan's Servants motorcycle gang, to confront Ghost Rider

(Marvel Spotlight I#6) - "Curly" mesmerized Ghost Rider, rendered him unconscious, summoned "Satan," and then "revealed" himself to be "Crash" Simpson, who had allegedly bargained with "Satan" to regain his own soul in exchange for Blaze's. "Satan" attempted to claim Blaze's soul, but was prevented by Roxanne's pure spirit, and so he sent "Crash" to separate Roxanne from Blaze so that her spirit would no longer protect him. "Curly" mesmerized Roxanne, rendered her unconscious, and called to "Satan."

(Marvel Spotlight I#7) - "Curly" prepared to sacrifice Roxanne, but "Satan" stopped him, telling "Curly" that this must occur at his temple. "Curly" took her to the Church of Satan in an East Village, Manhattan cellar, and the cultists prepared her for sacrifice at midnight, and "Curly" then summoned "Satan." Ghost Rider arrived, and "Satan" transformed "Curly" into "Crash" and granted him his own personal weapon, the Sword of Satan, to battle Ghost Rider.

(Marvel Spotlight I#8) - As "Crash," armed with the Sword of Satan, hesitated to battle Ghost Rider where they might harm Roxanne, "Satan" transported them both to Hell where they battled in earnest. Ghost Rider was captured by one of "Satan"'s demon servants, but Blaze played upon "Crash"'s love for Roxanne and convinced him that "Satan" would betray him, so "Crash" used the Sword of Satan to slay the demon, which fell upon "Crash" and killed him, again.

(Marvel Spotlight I#8 / Ghost Rider II#8 (fb) - BTS) - Ghost Rider left "Crash" with the Messenger (actually "Satan"), who claimed to represent all that was good and righteous. Ghost Rider was then sent back to Earth where he was reunited with Roxanne.

(Marvel Spotlight I#9) - "Satan" saved Ghost Rider from death after he drove off a cliff in battle with Snake Dance, telling him that if he died at the hands of another mortal that he would not have been able to claim Blaze's soul. Telling Blaze he would therefore make him immune to death at mortal hands, "Satan" promised to one day take his life himself, when the time was right.

(Marvel Spotlight I#10 - BTS) - Linda Littletrees returned to the Copperhead Canyon Apache reservation, on a mission from Satan to defeat the Ghost Rider, and obtain Johnny Blaze's soul for Satan. She tracked down and confronted Ghost Rider.

(Marvel Spotlight I#11) - The Witch Woman captured and taunted Ghost Rider with her origins, but when he briefly escaped her clutches when she became distracted, "Satan" appeared before her, demanding punishment for her failure. She then appeared before Ghost Rider and turned her hellfire powers on herself and then leapt/fell off a cliff, seemingly to her death.

(Ghost Rider II#1) - Sam Silvercloud contacted Daimon Hellstrom, seeking his aid in exorcising the demon possessing his girlfriend, Linda Littletrees, who had survived the fall but was virtually comatose. Before Daimon could arrive, "Satan" (now apparently a union of Mephisto and Marduk Kurios) appeared before Linda, offering her a second chance to serve him. When she accepted, he took possession of Linda (sending her soul to rest in Limbo temporarily) and escaped from her father's shack.

(Ghost Rider II#2) - Possessing Linda, the Witch Woman, "Satan" confronted the Ghost Rider (John Blaze), taking him to Hell, despite the distraction by "Big Daddy" Dawson and the Ruthless Raiders cycle gang. "Satan" prepared to pierce the Ghost Rider with the Sword of Satan, but the Son of Satan (Daimon Hellstrom) then arrived and challenged him.

(Marvel Spotlight I#12) - "Satan" tormented the Son of Satan with his two prisoners, Ghost Rider and Linda Littletrees, but the Son of Satan threatened him with his Netheranium trident, causing "Satan" to send an army of demons to attack him. The Son of Satan fought off all attackers until he heard "Satan" telling his minions not to let him reach the rock bridge, which Daimon remembered supported the roof of Hell itself. Fighting his way to the bridge, the Son of Satan threatened to shatter it and cause Hell to collapse on itself. Via this threat, he convinced "Satan" to release his two prisoners and allow them safe return to Earth. As soon as they had returned however, "Satan" set off a volcanic eruption, but the Son of Satan summoned his Demon-Steeds, carrying them all to safety once again.

(Ghost Rider II#5 (fb)) - "Satan" appeared before Dude Jensen, who had been fatally shot for gambling (and losing) without the money to back it up, offering him the power to achieve vengeance on his killers in exchange for his soul (and intending Jensen to aid him against the Ghost Rider). Jensen accepted and became Roulette.

(Ghost Rider II#5 (fb)) - "Satan" sent a demon agent, Slifer, to assist Roulette.

(Ghost Rider II#5) - Roulette stunned Ghost Rider then called upon "Satan" for the additional power to finish him off. "Satan" appeared and agreed, but as he projected additional power into Roulette, Ghost Rider projected his own power into Roulette, as well, overloading and destroying his form.

(Ghost Rider II#7 (fb) - BTS) - Darren Bentley, Aquarius of the Zodiac Cartel, suffered from a rare lung condition, which had been exacerbated by of Taurus' space trap (during their last struggle). His doctors gave him one year to live. Bentley screamed out to the Heavens that he would revenge himself on van Lunt and all who had contributed to his coming death. Yes, he screamed to the Heavens--but his shouts were heard elsewhere!
    Under direction from "Satan," the demon Slifer approached Bentley and offered him the combined power of the Zodiac for one year. However, at the end of the year, his soul would be forfeit. Bentley gladly accepted.

(Ghost Rider II#6, 7) - Bentley, using various incarnations of the Zodiac, began to attack and either destroy or steal van Lunt (Taurus's civilian ID)'s holdings. His efforts brought him into conflict with the Ghost Rider and Stuntmaster. Bentley changed back and forth several times and held his own against Ghost Rider. However, when Bentley assumed the twelfth and final Zodiac form, Slifer reappeared and told Bentley his time had come. Bentley argued that it had only been a few weeks, not a whole year, but Slifer revealed that it had been a whole Zodiacal year. Slifer took Bentley to Hell, where "Satan" and claimed his soul.

(Ghost Rider II#8) - "Satan" confronted Ghost Rider, inflicting him with great pain to encourage him to sacrifice his soul, but Ghost Rider rallied around thoughts of Roxanne, weakening "Satan"'s hold on him. "Satan" threatened to torment Roxanne to end her protection of Blaze then vanished as Ghost Rider futilely attacked him. "Satan" tormented Roxanne with images of her father in Hell, leading her to tell a small lie, "Nothing's wrong," when Blaze tried to comfort her. Using another image of "Crash," "Satan" lured Roxanne to Hell and showed her that her father was in continual torment, reliving the worst moments of his life over and over again, causing her to faint. "Satan" then transformed Slifer into the powerful form of Inferno and sent him to San Francisco to confront the Ghost Rider. Inferno used his fear-powers to whip the people into a frenzy and send them to attack Ghost Rider.
    Reviving, Roxanne begged "Satan" to release her father's soul, and "Satan" offered to do so if she renounced her protection of John Blaze.

(Ghost Rider II#9) - "Satan" duped Roxanne into agreeing to renounce her protection of Ghost Rider. Mephisto then revealed that "Crash" Simpson had actually gone to Heaven, and that he had been manipulating Blaze and Roxanne with an illusion of "Crash"/"Curly." "Satan" then removed Ghost Rider's ability to create flaming cycles and tghen appeared on Earth, but when "Satan" prepared to take Blaze's soul, a Christ-like figure appeared in street clothes and told "Satan" that Blaze's only real sin had been despair, and that Blaze's soul was off limits to him. Vanishing back to Hell, "Satan" vowed to reclaim Blaze another day, and Blaze's savior named himself only as "A Friend," before departing as well.
    Back in Hell, "Satan" gave Inferno a new, human, form and sent him to manipulate Blaze further.
(Ghost Rider II#19 (fb) - BTS) - "A Friend" was apparently yet another trick by "Satan," who was manipulating Blaze for his own entertainment (see comments).

(Fantastic Four I#157 (fb) - BTS) - Dr. Strange found "Helen" and overlaid her false memories with hints of being Shalla Bal, then plotted to make the Surfer his slave in hopes of recovering his true love.

(Fantastic Four I#157) - After Doom's deception of the Surfer was revealed and he left Helen behind, with all -- including Doom -- believing that the Shalla Bal memory was just a facade created by Doom, Mephisto laughed at how she truly was Shalla Bal and how he had enjoyed duping, tormenting, and manipulating the Surfer.

(Champions#2 (fb) / Champions#3 (fb) - BTS) - Pluto made an alliance with Mephisto, Satan, the Demon of the Mask, and a number of other demons (and presumably Death Gods) to coerce Zeus' compliance with the forced marriages of Hercules to Hippolyta and Venus to Ares.

(Ghost Rider II#17 (fb) - BTS / Ghost Rider II#19 (fb) - BTS) - Legion, a group of minor demons serving "Satan," possessed Roxanne Blaze and transformed her into "Katy Milner."

(Ghost Rider II#17 - BTS) - Aided by the Son of Satan, Ghost Rider exposed and defeated Legion. Another agent of "Satan," the Challenger, then sent Ghost Rider on a mission to save the life of "Katy."

(Ghost Rider II#18-19 - BTS) - The Challenger virtually overwhelmed Blaze with despair, including the revelation that "A Friend" was only another trick of "Satan," but Blaze eventually rallied and defeated the Challenger. "Katy" reverted back to Roxanne.

(Doctor Strange II#15) - "Satan" possessed James Mandarian, a man who was seeking to study under Dr. Strange and was devastated at being rejected. The possessed James Mandarin then confronted Strange and his lover Clea, both of whom were distraught at the recent seeming destruction and re-creation of the universe.

(Doctor Strange II#16) - As Strange struggled against "Satan," Wong summoned aid from Rama Kaliph and Lord (Julian) Phyffe to perform an exorcism on Strange. Within Hell, "Satan" repeatedly tormented Strange with various illusions and deceptions. Strange seemed unable to make any progress until he sensed Kaliph and Phyffe praying for him, and this gave him the strength to resist "Satan," denying his power of him. Strange thus returned himself and Clea to Earth.

(Marvel Comics Super Special#1) - When Space Ace transported himself and the rest of KISS, they were brought to Mephisto's Hell. KISS arrived in a heavenly realm filled with angels and cherubs that welcomed them to stay, but Demon recognized the truth and attacked, revealing these beings to be Mephisto, succubi, and other demons. The heroes fought back, with Demon engaging Mephisto directly, and ultimately Mephisto banished them, hoping that the Demon would become a more seasoned slayer of souls.

(Tomb of Dracula I#63 (fb) - BTS) - An agent of "Satan" entranced Topaz with a mansion on Satan's Hill, near Boston, Massachusetts.

(Tomb of Dracula I#62 - BTS) - An agent of "Satan" led Dracula, Janus, and Frank Drake to a mansion on Satan's Hill, near Boston, Massachusetts.

(Tomb of Dracula I#63) - The agent announced that it sought the utter destruction and humiliation of Dracula, then either transported them to an ancient Roman stadium or an illusion thereof and instructed Dracula and Janus to fight each other. Though it apparently expected Dracula to win, Janus defeated Dracula but they then joined forces to destroy the demon, and they were restored to the mansion (or, more likely, the illusion faded); "Satan" ignored his agent's pleas for help. The mansion was ultimately consumed in flame, but Dracula and Topaz were then confronted by "Satan."

(Tomb of Dracula I#64) - "Satan" brought Dracula and Topaz to Hell, where he revealed that Janus threatened to destroy the "carefully woven tapestry that permits our survival" (with God allowing the existence of the devil as the ultimate evil to serve as the contrast to ultimate good). Reasoning that Janus would depart Earth if Dracula were destroyed, "Satan" transformed Dracula back into a normal human and sent him back to Earth. "Satan" then turned to Topaz, intending destroy her before her rapidly approaching 21st birthday when she would come into vast power sufficient to threaten the devil's existence. However, God apparently kept Satan talking, explaining his reasons, etc., until the time indeed did pass. Topaz turned 21 years old and then turned her powers against "Satan," seemingly destroying him.

(Tomb of Dracula I#68) - "Satan" laughed mockingly as the still-human Dracula cursed Satan and mouthed his impotent rage to the skies.
    Later, after narrowly escaping death at the vampire-hunters' hands, Dracula raced outside of his castle where he was seemingly nearly overwhelmed by vampires, etc., and then seemingly confronted by Quincy Harker. Exhausted, Dracula offered no resistance against being slain, admitted defeat, exclaimed to God that he didn't want to die this way, and renounced Satan. "Quincy" then revealed himself to be "Satan," noting that everything since Dracula had fled his castle had been illusion, and that "Satan"'s goal throughout this entire plot had been to humiliate Dracula and force him to call on God for aid (who would not help him), as well as to renounce the devil, so that he would have neither Heaven nor Hell to go after his final destruction. "Satan" then vanished, restoring Dracula's vampiric power and nature, but leaving him nonetheless a defeated man.

(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, Update'89 #7) - The demons of Mephisto overpowered Topaz and imprisoned her in his realm, while Mephisto himself eventually reformed. The demons also cast a spell over Topaz that would separate the empathic portion of her soul from her if she ever managed to escape their realm.

(Avengers I#173) - As Mephisto dined in Hellish splendor and enjoyed the entertainment of the evening's floggings, he was completely unaware of the existence of Korvac, nor that Korvac was glancing into his realm at that moment.

(Ghost Rider II#32 - BTS) - When the Bounty Hunter apparently went over the time limit set to bring in the Ghost Rider, the "dark lord" sent several similarly demonically-powered ghosts (spirits of those that the Bounty Hunter had brought to his master) after him. They captured the Bounty Hunter and took him to their dark master.

(Thor I#310) - After observing Thor's efforts to turn a purse snatcher from a life of crime, Mephisto decided to actively influence the people of New York to acts of theft, arson, violence, etc. When Thor was taken aback upon seeing the purse snatcher committing new crime, Mephisto seized the opportunity, opened a chasm in the Earth, and pulled his evil-influenced pawns down to Hell; and Thor followed them. Mephisto sent his demon legions to attack Thor who fought them off, after which Thor and Mephisto fought directly. After Thor struck a mighty blow that toppled Mephisto, the demon-lord then had his human pawns catch Thor's hammer, preventing its return, and Mephisto delayed Thor 60 seconds until he reverted to Don Blake. As Mephisto prepared to claim Blake's spirit, the purse snatcher, inspired by Thor's example, forced the other pawns to cast Blake's walking stick at his feet, and Blake became Thor anew and assaulted Mephisto repeatedly, forcing him to realize that their fight could stalemate for all eternity. Mephisto then sent Thor and his former pawns back to Earth, though he intended to continue to whisper dark thoughts into the minds of men.

(Thor Annual#10 (fb) - BTS) - Mephisto and the Olympian death god Pluto met, deciding to propose to other pantheons' death gods that they create a permanent nexus between all the myriad underworlds so that they could all enjoy a greater number of souls of the damned.

(Thor Annual#10) - In Hades, Mephisto and Pluto met with Ahpuch, Ereshkigal, Hela, Seth, and Yama (with other death gods "not meriting invitation) and made their proposal, which all except Hela agreed to. Bowing to the majority, Hela joined with the other six in uniting their powers to merge their realms, but this massive unleashing of dark energy reawakened Demogorge, who proceeded to consume Mephisto and the death gods. The godheads of the various pantheons sent a number of warriors to oppose Demogorge, and, though defeated, Thor's valor ultimately convinced Demogorge that it was not yet time for this age of gods to end, and so Demogorge released all those he had consumed. Forewarned of Demogorge's existence, Mephisto considered meeting his threat another time and vowed that the death gods would yet have their way.

(Defenders I#92 - BTS) - The fabric of reality was badly stretched when Eternity's other selves nearly destroyed the Multiverse.

(Defenders I#93 - BTS) - Dr. Strange teleported the Defenders to London as part of a battle against Nebulon. This taxed the already stretched barriers to the realms of Hell even further.

(Defenders I#99 (fb) - BTS) - The Hell-lords decided that by forcing Strange to continue teleporting about the globe, they could shatter the barriers between Hell and Earth and merge the two realms. To this end, Mephisto (as Maya) re-gathered the Six-Fingered Hand, sharing portions of their plan, and led them to believe that they would gain worlds to rule.

(Defenders I#94-98) - The Six-Fingered Hand's Avarrish, Puishannt, Fashima, Hyppokri, and Unnthinnk possessed Hellcat, the vampire Gordski, rock singer Asmodeus Jones, would-be Messiah David Kessler, and the Man-Thing, forcing Dr. Strange to teleport the Defenders repeatedly across the planet to oppose their plots, weakening the dimensional barriers with each transport. Eventually the Defenders used the Nexus of Realities to travel to the Six-Fingered Hand's realm to confront the demons. As Maya, Mephisto welcomed the heroes.

(Defender I#99 (fb) - BTS) - The Defenders' tampering with the Nexus served as the final insult to the dimensional walls, allowing the Hell-lords to open a multitude of gateways to Earth and to send their legions pouring onto Earth.

(Defender I#99) - "Maya" showed the Defenders their plans for Earth. When the Son of Satan unleashed a blast of soulfire from his trident, "Maya" directed the Six-Fingered Hand to slay the Defenders, demon-mutated peopled aided the demon coven, and hordes of other demons erupted from the Earth and assaulted the Defenders as well. After Mephisto withdrew the Hell-Lords' support from the Six-Fingered Hand, however, the mutated humans returned to their own forms and mind, and the Defenders were able to destroy the attacking demon hordes. As the other five members of the Six-Fingered Hand dwindled into nothing, Maya resumed his true identity as Mephisto, revealed the Hell-lords' involvement, and showed the Defenders the "Hell on Earth" they had achieved.

(Defenders I#100) - The four Hell-lords revealed how they had manipulated Strange and the Defenders enabling them to initiate the merging of Earth and their realms of Hell. Most of the Defenders were sent to try to "unleash the light in darkness' heart" to prevent the Hell-Lords' permanent transformation of Earth to mirror their own realms of Hell.
    Clea, the Silver Surfer, and the Valkyrie appeared in a void of nothingness and were confronted by Mephisto who taunted them as being from other realms and thus having no place on the born-again Earth and so being consigned to an eternity of nothingness. They resisted his temptations and seemed to overpower him, but they then dissipated into the void before returning to the others back on Earth in front of the Hell-lords.
    The Son of Satan then challenged Satan to single combat. Daimon was no match for Satan, so Strange and the others channeled their energies into Daimon's demonic darksoul, granting it free reign. Nonetheless, even the fully demonic Daimon fell before Satan, but when it came time to kill Daimon, Satan relented, claiming he could not kill the one he loved. By this, the Defenders achieved true victory by unleashing THE light in darkness' heart.
    However, Daimon, now fully given over to his darksoul, realized that he could not return to Earth, and he elected to remain in Hell with Satan. Restoring Patsy to normal, Satan returned the Earth to normal as he and Daimon departed, leaving the Defenders to wonder if reclaiming his son had not been Satan's goal all along.

(Fantastic Four I#194 - BTS / Thor I#325 (fb) - BTS) - Darkoth saved the Thing from an explosion, seemingly perishing. In the moment just before the explosion the demon-lord Mephisto stole Darkoth, body and soul, and transported him to his realm of Hell.

(Thor I#325) - Wishing vengeance on Thor for a recent defeat, Mephisto summoned Darkoth, offering to give him Don Blake's body so that he could return to his still-living son if he would bring Blake's soul to Mephisto. Mephisto convinced Darkoth that Blake was evil and belonged in his realm anyway, then infused his power into Darkoth, restoring him to the land of the living, though he would still remain dead. Darkoth nonetheless found himself unable to strike down Blake's sleeping form, and as he raged against his plight he awakened Blake. As Blake transformed into Thor, Mephisto physically pushed Darkoth to attack Thor, but the Darkoth fled into a forest preserve. Mephisto further infused Darkoth with his evil power, and when he showed him an image of his son crying within an orphanage, Darkoth's resistance dropped, and Mephisto gained a hold on him. When Thor arrived, Darkoth willingly attacked him; they battled for over an hour, but then Thor -- realizing what had happened -- infused Darkoth with the very essence of light, canceling the corruption withering his soul. Regaining his wits, Darkoth begged Thor to complete the process, and Thor continued the energy infusion until Mephisto's power was completely neutralized, at which point Darkoth died.
    Enraged, Mephisto sent his demon-legions to attack Thor, but when Thor defeated, Mephisto realized it was futile to send more,  incinerating a demon who asked permission to do so.

(Ghost Rider II#76) - Asmodeus visited Mephisto's realm, bearing sinners for him to torment, and Mephisto had them dumped in the Well of Souls to writhe in agony until he decided their fate. When Asmodeus offered to take the Ghost Rider off his hands, Mephisto corrected him that the demon's true name was Zarathos and then decided that they would instead arrange a challenge where Zarathos and Blaze would run a gauntlet to escape Hell, with Zarathos becoming Asmodeus' servant if they failed but with a minor penalty for Asmodeus if they succeeded. Demons then brought Blaze to Hell, and Mephisto used the Sword of Demonicus to separate Zarathos from Blaze. Mephisto explained the terms of the contest, with Zarathos and Blaze gaining their freedom from each other only if they reached the portal to Earth together. Despite the efforts of Asmodeus' agents, the pair succeeded in reaching the portal together, though they then fought to each stop the other from reaching Earth, only to tumble through the portal together. Mephisto enacted his penalty on Asmodeus, blasting him to oblivion, then laughed as Blaze and Zarathos discovered that by passing through the portal simultaneously they had caused themselves to remain bound together.

(Ghost Rider II#81) - After Centurious had become trapped in his Soul Crystal, Zarathos went in after him, leaving Blaze free of him at last. Mephisto then opened a chasm to Hell, into which the Soul Crystal fell. Mephisto laughed as the two foes fought endlessly within the Crystal.

(Fantastic Four I#276) - Exorcist Elspeth Cromwell, hired to exorcise the Fantastic Four by a nosey neighbor in Belle Port, Connecticut,  unleashed a group of undead Knights of Hades. When the Knights attacked the Richards' house, the innocent blood of Franklin Richards was spilled, and Elspeth soon found the Knights out of her control, after which Mephisto arrived to deliver their final doom.
    Dr. Strange sensed Mephisto's presence.

(Fantastic Four I#277) - Mephisto pulled Sue, Reed, and Franklin Richards' souls to Hell dimension. Mephisto imprisoned Franklin in crystal and enjoyed torturing Reed and Sue. Dr. Strange arrived to save them, but Mephisto, vastly empowered by the dark magical energy of the approaching Dire Wraith's homeworld, easily blasted him aside. When Strange noticed the inert Franklin, Mephisto tried to drive Strange away, and Reed realized that the mental blocks against Franklin's powers would not be present in his soul/astral self. Reed had Strange free Franklin, who swiftly recognized Mephisto as evil and blasted him to the ground. As Mephisto prepared to strike back, the Galadorian Spaceknight Rom's neutralizer, amplified via Forge's neo-neutralizer, destroyed Wraithworld. Mephisto weakened suddenly as a result, and Franklin then unleashed another blast that obliterated Mephisto.
    Dr. Strange noted that while his life-essence "had been banished from this and all adjacent spirit planes," that he would soon be reborn as a result of the evil within others.
    Cromwell was dead, her spirit apparently claimed as payment by whomever she had bargained with to obtain her dark powers.

(Dr. Strange II#75 (fb) / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, Update'89#7: Topaz) - Mephisto's realm of Hell was wracked with a cataclysm that freed the demonic entity in which Topaz was imprisoned. Topaz's soul fragment was "cast into the infinite" upon her escape.

(Avengers West Coast# 52 (fb)) - Upon regaining awareness, Mephisto found his soul split into six fragments. Rather than exhaust his own energies seeking out the fragments, he decided to dupe a pawn into seeking out the fragments for him.

(Vision and Scarlet Witch II#2 - BTS / Avengers West Coast#52 (fb) - BTS) - Seeking to conceive a child with the android Vision, the Scarlet Witch managed to unwittingly latch onto the magic of two of Mephisto's fragments, using their energies to create twin sons, Thomas and William.

(West Coast Avengers II#9 (fb)) - Mephisto appeared before Anvil Studios CEO Martin Preston after had lost his arm in a drunken car wreck. After Preston offered his soul to regain his arm, Mephisto accepted but decided to make it interesting by attaching an arm torn from a demon in its place. Mephisto decided to repeat the process with the rest of Preston's limbs.

(West Coast Avengers II#15 (fb)) - Martin Preston discovered a star-shaped hole in his abdomen. Mephisto then appeared again, telling Preston that he had taken his soul and split it up amongst five demons in different places, and that he must now use his powers to locate the soul fragments.
    Preston would become Master Pandemonium.

(Thor Annual#13) - After claiming an innocent soul, Mephisto stomped across the Bridge of Woes, composed of the bodies of sinners. Learning of the seeming death of Odin (in battle with Surtur), Mephisto decided to torment the mourning Thor. Mephisto sent a fire demon to summon the rock troll Ulik, and when Ulik tossed the demon into a furnace, Mephisto appeared himself and imprisoned Ulik. The rock troll refused to serve Mephisto even at the cost of his own life, Mephisto took Ulik's brother, Horth, hostage, threatening to kill him unless Ulik defeated Thor. Ulik attacked soon enough, but, despite his depression, Thor rallied and defeated him. Ulik told Thor how Mephisto had abducted his brother, and Thor vowed to get him back. Mephisto then summoned Thor to Hell, manipulating him by seeming to destroy and restore his hammer and then making it appear that Odin was amongst the souls in Mephisto's realm. Thor resisted Mephisto's deceit but was unable to injure the demon-lord, and Mephisto, having had his moment's pleasure, sent him back to Asgard to learn that an innocent family had been killed by an avalanche caused during his fight with Ulik. Mephisto watched him and laughed.

(Incredible Hulk II#312) - During his journeys, the virtually omnipotent Beyonder peered into Mephisto's realm and observed the dark lord.

(Secret Wars II#6) - Learning that the Beyonder planned to eradicate death, Mephisto sent legions to stop him by sending demons to attack his friend, Dave, to force the Beyonder to stop. The Beyonder easily thwarted the demons and Mephisto before completing his plans and ending death, but the Beyonder soon learned how essential death was to existence and he was forced to turn Dave into the new manifestation of Death to restore death to the universe.

(Secret Wars II#7 (fb) - BTS) - Mephisto siphoned and collected the energy the Beyonder had used to destroy Death before it could be returned to him, storing it with an immense machine, the Beyondersbane.

(Secret Wars II#7) - Though pleased with the restoration of Death, Mephisto sought to destroy the Beyonder to prevent him from attempting similar actions in the future. Mephisto sent an agent, Bitterhorn, to meet with 99 super-villains, hiring them to assassinate the Beyonder and imprinting them with an invisible sign that linked them to the Beyondersbane; if the Beyonder would use any of his power against one of Mephisto's Legion Accursed, or if he even touched one of them, a mystic circuit would be closed and all of the energy within the Beyondersbane would come rushing back and destroy him (and Earth). Fearing not even this power would be enough to stop the Beyonder, Mephisto further obtained the support of the cosmic beings, including Eternity, to add their power to destroy the Beyonder. With the Beyondersbane calibrated on the Beyonder's isle, Mephisto arranged to make sure the Beyonder didn't depart prematurely by duping the Thing (Ben Grimm) into signing a contract to destroy the Beyonder and by filling the Thing with massive power. The Thing quickly realized he didn't actually want to destroy the Beyonder and, when the Legion Accursed showed up, he fought them off to save the Beyonder, who was deep in meditation. Mephisto tore up the Thing's contract and removed his additional power (losing the chance to keep the Thing's soul), but the Thing nonetheless held off the remaining Legionnaire, the Juggernaut, until the Beyondersbane melted down, unable to contain the massive energies any further, which were restored to the Beyonder.

(Amazing Spider-Man II#274) - As Mephisto contemplated siding with the forces of life to destroy the Beyonder, the Beyonder showed up in his realm, announcing his intention to destroy it and the rest of the multiverse. Mephisto convinced him to delay this temporarily by participating in a wager for entertainment. The Beyonder agreed to wait 24 hours if Mephisto could prove that humanity was worthy of survival. The Beyonder chose Zarathos as his agent and appointed Spider-Man to Mephisto. As the contest was underway, Mephisto prepared to ambush the Beyonder, but his demon agents, preferring oblivion to continued servitude under Mephisto, warned the Beyonder of his intentions, though the Beyonder was already aware of and immune to his threat. Nonetheless, Spider-Man ultimately proved his and humanity's worth by putting himself through great pains in an effort to save his enemy, the Kingpin, from assassination. The multiverse was spared for one more day, and Zarathos was returned to the Soul Crystal.

(Secret Wars II#9) - Seeking to gain his own humanity, the Beyonder created a machine to turn him back to human. As he enjoyed his new limitations, Mephisto and his demons then appeared and assaulted him, but despite being powerless, the Beyonder was able to remain aware that Mephisto's powers were limited on Earth and that his attacks were merely illusion, and so he was able to focus past them, return to his machine, and regain his full power and nature. Mephisto fled as soon as the Beyonder was restored.

(Fantastic Four Annual#20) - On the night of Midsummer's Eve, Doom used his Swarmbots to abduct Franklin Richards, after which he brought Franklin to Castle Doom in Latveria. He then summoned Mephisto and offered to trade him the soul of Franklin Richards in exchange for his mother's soul. However, the meeting was then disrupted by Kristoff Vernard, who successfully convinced the Doombots that he was the true Doom (when Dr. Doom admitted failure, the Doombots decided that he must be the fake).
    Mephisto abducted Franklin anyway, but Franklin's powers surfaced and he threatened to destroy Mephisto again, at which point Mephisto banished him from his realm. In the distance, a female figure could be seen observing Mephisto's encounter with Franklin. PRESUMABLY, this figure was the spirit of Cynthia von Doom, though this is unconfirmed.

(Thor I#362 - BTS / Mephisto vs...#4 (Avengers) (fb) - BTS) - Hela usurped the souls of mortals from Mephisto's realm, usurping his power and threatening his realm. In order to gain the upper hand on Hela in the upcoming conflict, Mephisto plotted to obtain the spirit of Thor.

(Mephisto vs...#1 (Fantastic Four)) - Mephisto pulled the Fantastic Four (Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Mr. Fantastic, Thing) into Hell and duped the Invisible Woman into believing that Reed had signed a contract with Mephisto in the past (at the time of Doom's summoning of Mephisto at State University) to gain an even more superior intellect. In order to release Reed from Mephisto's clutches she agreed to take Reed's place as Mephisto's prisoner, after which Mephisto released the others and revealed he had lied about there ever having been a contract with Reed.
    Mephisto hinted to the Fantastic Four that only an "unknown quantity" could defeat him.

(Mephisto vs...#2 (X-Factor)) - Noting that another name for "unknown quantity" was "X-Factor," Reed Richards sought out X-Factor (Beast, Cyclops, Iceman, Marvel Girl) and asked them to help find the Invisible Woman. Mephisto then used the Invisible Woman to lure X-Factor to him, and he tempted, taunted, and tormented them. He ultimately convinced Marvel Girl (Jean Grey) to surrender herself to him in exchange for his freeing the Invisible Woman and releasing her teammates and their friends and family from their torments.
    Mephisto saw this as a superior trade, moving from a super-powered human to a mutant, homo superior.

(Mephisto vs...#3 (X-Men)) - Noting his own realm was crumbling, indicating a grave threat to himself, Mephisto checked on is plans. Based on a subliminal suggestion from Mephisto, Reed reasoned that Mephisto might next seek out a god, and contacted the X-Men, Avengers, and Alpha Flight, to warn them of threats to Storm (once worshipped as a goddess in Africa), Hercules, Thor, and Snowbird. When Psylocke tried to contact Mephisto, he caused her a psychic backlash. He then confronted Rogue, manipulating her into absorbing the other X-Men's minds and powers in an effort to prevent him from claiming their souls, but this instead allowed Mephisto to claim her soul and all those she had absorbed -- Dazzler, Longshot, Psylocke, Storm, and Wolverine -- in one stroke, and he was able to trade Marvel Girl's soul to retain these; considering Wolverine's soul essential that of a beast, Mephisto returned it to him.

(Mephisto vs...#4 (Avengers)) - The other X-Men faded away as Rogue's power ran its course, leaving only Rogue remaining with Mephisto. Sensing Mephisto's weakness and seeking revenge for centuries of abuse, the demon Nagrite led other demons to charge him. Mephisto drove them off with an energy blast, though it exhausted him. The Living Tribunal then appeared before Mephisto, warning him that his crumbling power and realm threatened the cosmic hierarchy. Mephisto revealed his plan to gain his power back from Hela via the acquisition of Thor's spirit, and the Tribunal departed, warning him not to unleash forces beyond even his ken. As the Avengers sought the body of Thor, whose body have been pulverized in battle with the Midgard Serpent, though he still survived due to Hela's curse, Mephisto erected a barrier of mystic flame to prevent their interference. Mephisto led Rogue to Thor, after which Hela then appeared. When Thor refused to give up his soul to either of them, despite his immortal agony, Mephisto forced Rogue to touch him, and Mephisto's power caused her to release his soul rather than absorb it. Mephisto bound Thor's soul in his "mystic mylar," after which he sent Rogue back to Earth.
    Hela then allowed the Avengers to penetrate Mephisto's mystic flame and approach him. With Mephisto thus distracted, she took Thor's bound soul and teleported away.

(Mephisto vs...#4 (Avengers) / Thor I#381) - Overpowering the Avengers, Mephisto then located Hela and reclaimed Thor.

(Mephisto vs...#4 (Avengers)) - Knowing he could only hold Thor until Rogue's power of him faded, Mephisto then made a show of trying to tempt, torture, and contain Thor. When Thor resisted all of this, Mephisto feigned defeat and "allowed" Thor's spirit to return to his body. Knowing that since Hela would eventually gain Thor's spirit and have to try to contain it (which might cause mass destruction in her netherworlds), Mephisto accepted her taunts of his "defeat," and he returned to his own realm, noting that she may come to regret this victory. Nagrite and others, thinking Mephisto still weak, attacked anew, but Mephisto blasted them all to oblivion, demonstrating that his power (and his realm) were now completely destroyed.
    Mephisto then contemplated the chaos Thor would one day cause Hela, and he laughed.

(Marvel Graphic Novel: Dr. Strange and Dr. Doom: Triumph and Torment) - Having taken second place in the Aged Genghis/Vishanti's contest to determine Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, Dr. Doom earned the right to request a boon of the winner, Dr. Strange; Doom requested that Strange help him save his mother's soul. Strange and Doom journeyed to Mephisto's realm of Hell, where they struggled against Mephisto and his legions. Mephisto seemingly convinced Doom to betray Strange by incapacitating him in exchange for his mother. After Strange was in Mephisto's possession, Mephisto recreated Cynthia's body and placed her soul within it. However, when Cynthia learned what Doom had bargained -- reasoning that Doom had as much as forfeited his own soul in the process -- she refused to be a part of it, and returned to an inert statue form. Mephisto appeared to possess the souls of Cynthia, Doom, and Strange, but then a device of Doom's shattered Mephisto's crystal holding Strange, releasing the sorcerer. They then assaulted Mephisto, who mocked their attacks and unleashed powerful energies to destroy them.
    Strange had shielded Cynthia's effigy, but he then allowed Mephisto's attacks to destroy it, releasing her soul. Having refused to leave Hell under Doom's pact, Cynthia had redeemed her own soul, and thus it had become a thing of purity, which Mephisto could no longer tolerate. Cynthia's soul escaped Hell, passing on to a higher plane. Defeated, Mephisto released Doom and Strange from his realm.

(Daredevil I#266) - Mephisto took the form of a human woman and traveled to Earth, taking a seat next to Daredevil at a bar following the events of Inferno. "She" pretended to befriend and seduce Daredevil, asking him a number of moral questions before kissing him, dulling his awareness to a stabbing within the bar that cleared out the other customers. Sensing something was wrong, Daredevil pushed "her" away, at which point Mephisto revealed his true identity, taunting Daredevil with the immensity of his power and of the evil in the world. Mephisto told Daredevil that he was on the edge of falling under his dominion, then cast him back to Earth.

(Daredevil I#270) - Mephisto witnessed the birth of his son, Blackheart, and was forced to show him who was master before advising him to take human form and interact with humanity, as "evil grows and flourishes when hidden and covert, dies when exposed and looked at." In human form Mephisto observed as Blackheart encountered Daredevil and ultimately fled as a crowd gathered. Mephisto allowed Daredevil to sense his presence before departing himself.

(Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#5 (fb) - BTS / Marvel Year In Review 1992, p46) - Seeking vengeance on Dr. Strange and using techniques learned from Michael Dumas' "The Soul Away Plan For Fame And Fortune," Baron (Karl) Mordo sold his soul to Satannish for 24 hours of vastly augmented magical power, then did the exact same thing with Mephisto. The contracts contained a clause requiring prompt collection or else cancellation of the obligation.

((Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#5 - BTS) - Mordo attacked Strange and nearly captured him, but Strange reversed their positions, leaving Mordo trapped within the containment sphere he was to deliver to the demon(s). Mordo, who had trapped Stange's friend Sara Wolfe within the sphere as well, revealed his plot, noting that both demons would soon arrive to collect the soul, and then Sara would most likely perish in the shattering of the containment sphere.

(Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#6 (fb) - BTS) - Mephisto sent Mephista (her first outing on his behalf) to Dr. Strange's sanctum to retrieve Mordo's soul.

(Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#6) - Mephista confronted Strange but was unable to penetrate the the sphere of containment surrounding Mordo. Satannish himself then arrived and claimed Mordo, despite Mephista and Strange's efforts, and  took the sphere back to his realm to crack it open. Followed by Strange, Mephista returned to her father's realm empty-handed, and Mephisto trapped Strange within a globe of Satanic force. Furious at Satannish's actions. Refusing to let his rival get the better of him, Mephisto headed for Satannish's realm, ignoring Strange's warnings about having to cross the Earthly plane to reach Satannish's realm, which might result in a battle on Earth that could destroy the planet. Mephisto left Strange stranded in his realm, telling him that if Earth was destroyed, he would let Strange graciously commit suicide, after signing over his soul, of course.

(Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#7) - As Mephisto had great difficulty forcing his way into Satannish's domain, Satannish appeared to him and suggested they confront each other on Earth rather than lay waste to either of their realms. Mephisto agreed.

(Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#8) - As Mephisto battled Satannish, a Biblical rain of frogs occurred upon Manhattan. Mephista traveled to Strange's sanctum, intending to destroy the soulless bodies of Mordo and Sara Wolfe so that their souls could have no place to return to. Dr. Strange -- who had escaped via the realm of Agamotto -- trapped her within the Crimson Ruby of Cyttorak and forced her to sleep. Strange and Topaz combined their powers, drawing imagery of a primeval concentration of evil that divided to form what would become Satannish and Mephisto. Using this idea, Strange cast a spell that threatened to merge Mephisto and Satannish back together, and the two arch-demons fled back to their own realms and relinquished their claims on Mordo's soul to avoid losing their individuality.

(Dr. Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#30 (fb) - BTS) - Fleeing the three-way battle between Strange, Mephisto, and Satannish, Mephista managed to possess Topaz, hoping to use this to make up for her failure in defeating Strange before. Mephista's power prevented Topaz from recognizing the possession. However, unbeknownst to Mephista, Satannish had linked himself to her, intending to use her to access Mephisto's realm to later ambush his rival Hell-Lord.
    Mephisto sensed this situation but realized that if he tried to help her in any way that Satannish, in fighting back, would have destroyed Mephista.

(Silver Surfer Annual#2/6 (fb) - BTS) - Mephisto contacted the Mishna, presumably one of the Lanlaki of Birj, offering to free her and her family from poverty and drudgery in exchange for her soul.

(Silver Surfer Annual#2/6) - Mishna went to meet Mephisto and accept his offer but first encountered the Silver Surfer, who convinced her to reject the offer. Mephisto told her she would be back to accept his offer eventually.

(Silver Surfer: Judgment Day) - Mephisto sent demons in the form of beautiful women to tempt the Silver Surfer into entering his realm. The Surfer refused, but Galactus' current herald, Nova, fell for a second such trap. Mephisto caused Nova to feel overwhelming love for Galactus and then sent her back to the universe where she happily began to sacrifice worlds teeming with life to appease Galactus, including the "Busclee." The Surfer subsequently encountered "Buscleen" survivors and then tracked Nova to the planet "Jonsta," where he opposed her such that the energies they released rendered their world unsuitable for Galactus' consumption. Galactus angrily robbed the two heralds of their power of flight as punishment for betrayal and/or failure, then went out to seek worlds of his own. Mephisto then appeared and convinced the Surfer to surrender his soul to Mephisto in order to regain his flight abilities so he could prevent Galactus from consuming many populated worlds. Having not specified WHEN he would let the Surfer go after Galactus, Mephisto took both him and Nova to Hell to torture them at his leisure. Nova sent a cry for help to Galactus before the portal to Hell closed, and Galactus tracked her to Hell and confronted Mephisto. The Hell-lord matched Galactus' size and the two battled, their mighty struggle sending destructive waves of force across the cosmos. Sensing their powers were closely matched, Galactus descended into the molten floor of Hell and prepared to consume the realm, and Mephisto surrendered both heralds rather than risk losing his home and power base.

(West Coast Avengers II#50 (fb) - BTS) - Pandemonium was trapped for a time in the realm of Mephisto's Hell.

(West Coast Avengers II#50) - Pandemonium discovered the connection of Thomas and William, the children of the Vision and Scarlet Witch, to "the Five." He plotted the means to make them his.

(West Coast Avengers II#51) - The Rakasha assaulted Avengers Compound, battling the Avengers (Dr. Pym, Human Torch, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, U.S.Agent, Vision, Wasp, Wonder Man) and providing a distraction while Pandemonium abducted Thomas and William, attaching each one to one of his arms, restoring two more of his soul fragments.

(West Coast Avengers II#52) - Agatha Harkness located the two remaining soul fragments and sent the android Human Torch to bring them to Pandemonium. However, as soon as he had added the two final fragments, the remaining hole at the center of the former star became a magical vortex that pulled him into it. The five fragments were then restored to Mephisto. Agatha Harkness and Mephisto explained what had happened to the others, while Thomas and William were no more. Agatha Harkness sent her familiar, Ebony, to battle Mephisto while she cast a spell that caused Wanda to forget the existence of her twin children. As Wanda's subconscious use of her power was part of what gave them form, substance, and existence, this caused a massive shock to Mephisto's system, briefly dispersing him again.

(Scarlet Witch#3 (fb)) - Pandemonium was pulled back into Mephisto's realm, where he suffered unimaginable torment by the Rakasha, which transformed him into a more hideous form. He was eventually freed by and became affiliated with the mad nexus-being Lore.

(Silver Surfer III#32) - Mephisto worked with the sentient infection that caused the disease known as Hlavac's disease, a madness associated with hallucinations, allowing it to infect the Silver Surfer. With the Surfer demented, Mephisto encouraged him to slaughter innocents, but the Surfer was able to expel the antigen from his system, contain it in crystal, and expel it to the farthest reaches of the void of space. Mephisto vowed to one day gain the Surfer's soul, even if it would take a millennium.

(Hell's Angel#1 (fb) - BTS) - Under the Mys-Tech Board's Porlock's supervision, Laarson began Project Chronos Cycle: the development of the MOPED (Mind Operated PErsonal Dematerialization) project, intended to enable the Mys-Tech Board to access Mephisto's realm when needed.

(Daredevil I#278) - Within Hell, Mephisto destroyed a dull soul and began to teach Blackheart the high art of evil, making a good man betray what he believed in, often by using the seven deadly sins to inflame something minor into destructive fury. Mephisto then sent Blackheart out, to find the tiny cracks or flaws in the tendencies of Daredevil and to nurse that little spark into a flame. Blackheart practiced on Daredevil's companions, the Inhumans Gorgon and Karnak, then pushed Daredevil into violence. Mephisto watched from Hell.

(Daredevil I#279) - Blackheart continued to influence Daredevil, Gorgon, and Karnak, as well as Number Nine and Brandy Ash.
    Mephisto tormented the hordes of souls under his dominion, challenging them to rise up against him. Blackheart returned to Hell and questioned what satisfaction Mephisto had in having those he despised worship him. Mephisto told Blackheart he was unworthy to question him and told him not to think, as it was not his place.
    Blackheart later came to Mephisto, asking how to make the petty angers and jealousies he started stick, and how he could corrupt the heroes. Mephisto advised him to cheat.
    As Daredevil and his allies argued, Blackheart opened up a chasm to Hell beneath them, but them Mephisto sensed the nearby presence of the young "Pope" (Ahura of the Inhumans) and feared that the youth could throw the whole thing off.

(Daredevil I#280) - Within Hell, Mephisto's demons taunted Daredevil, Gorgon, Karnak, Number Nine, and Brandy Ash, and "Pope." Mephisto was enraged when Daredevil, trapped within a frigid wasteland, built a fire, as only Mephisto had the right to make fire.

(Daredevil I#281) - As his demons continued to taunt his guests, Mephisto enjoyed as Daredevil brutally fought his way past an army of demons, slaughtering them; Daredevil felt that his violence and anger had just strengthened him for a coming confrontation.
    After interacting with Number Nine and others, Blackheart considered fomenting a revolution in Hell.
    From deep space, the Silver Surfer sensed Mephisto's actions affecting Earth.

(Daredevil I#282) - Mephisto sensed Blackheart's plotting, confronted him, and then crushed him repeatedly as Blackheart mocked his ways as archaic. Daredevil led the others to confront Mephisto, denying his power over them and stating their intentions to leave. Mephisto incinerated Brandy Ash, but then the Silver Surfer arrived to confront Mephisto. Daredevil led the others back to Earth, ignoring Mephisto's instructions to stay and watch how he would humble a being of purity such as the Surfer.

(Marvel Comics Presents#46/2-49/2 - BTS) - The Flying Dutchman, back in Mephisto's service, attempted to tempt Eric Simon Payne, aka Devil-Slayer, into pledging his soul and services to Mephisto. Payne resisted him, and the Dutchman ultimately caused the ground around Payne to drop out, revealing a portal presumably to Mephisto's Hell. Payne nailed the Dutchman with a flask of holy water, which disrupted his power. The ground reformed, and the Dutchman left, vowing to claim Payne's soul when next they would meet.

(Thor I#429) - At the Cypress Hills cemetery, the Wrecker blasted Ghost Rider (Dan Ketch/Noble Kale) with Asgardian energy, which attracted the attention of Mephisto who briefly appeared and observed the Ghost Rider.
    Ghost Rider had only a vague recognition of Mephisto.

(Thor I#430) - As Mephisto pondered the Crystal of Souls, Loki transported himself to Hell. The two greeted each other amicably, and Loki asked about the Ghost Rider's resemblance to the Blaze/Zarathos Ghost Rider, but Mephisto stated it to be a mere coincidence. Mephisto then showed Loki a soul-shroud, a unique tapestry woven to house the souls of deceased immortals that he was able to acquire, identifying the being for whom it was intended, a being fated to die as the shroud was completed. Seeing common goals, Loki arranged an alliance with Mephisto.

(Thor I#454 (fb) - BTS) - Mephisto and Loki arranged that if they could force Thor to slay Loki, Loki's spirit could flee to Asgard and displace the spirit of Odin, who was weakened during his Odinsleep.

(Thor I#430) - Later, as the Wrecking Crew battled Thor and the Ghost Rider, Loki redirected a blast from the Wrecker's crowbar, causing it to open a warp to Hell through which flew a swarm of winged, Mephisto-like demons. They attacked Thor, but he soon drove them off.
    One of Mephisto's agents then announced the completion of the Soul Shroud, which was marked with the image of Thor.

(Thor I#432) - As Loki battled Thor, Mephisto had his agents prepare the Soul Shroud. Thor defeated Loki, but Loki then struck down Susan Austin, seemingly killing her, leading Thor to use his godly life force to slay Loki.

(Thor I#454 (fb) - BTS) - Loki's spirit displaced that of Odin, which was captured by Mephisto in the Soul Shroud.

(Thor I#432) - Odin (possessed by Loki) banished Thor "for all eternity," leaving Eric Masterson with the power of Thor.
    Mephisto laughed as his prize soul was captured.

(Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#30) - When Satannish followed Mephista (and Dr. Strange) to a back door to Mephisto's realm, Mephisto appeared and attacked him, and the forces unleashed in their battle again carried over into Earth, causing destruction. Strange convinced Mephista to surrender her power to his, and he cast a spell so that each attack Satannish made on Mephisto was reflected back on himself and vice-versa. Realizing the futility of further combat, the two stopped fighting, and Satannish departed.
    Mephisto apologized for risking Mephista thusly and expressed his love for his one true daughter. When Mephista noted that she might one day seek Strange's hand, Mephisto advised Strange to be elsewhere if that day ever came.

(Silver Surfer III#44) - Sensing that Thanos had gained the power of the Infinity Gauntlet, Mephisto plotted to gain their power for himself.

(Silver Surfer III#45) - Mephisto watched Tha