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"You! Worst fucking deal I ever made."
―Mephistopheles[src]

Mephistopheles is the father of Blackheart who tricked Johnny Blaze into selling his soul; which turned him into Ghost Rider.

Biography[]

Ghost Rider[]

"Congratulations, Johnny. You upheld your end of the bargain. It's time I take back the power of the Ghost Rider. You get your life back. The love you've always wanted. You can start a family of your own. There are more deals to be made. More people willing to give their souls for what they desire. Let someone else carry this curse. You're free now. After all... a deal's a deal."
―Mephistopheles [src]

Mephistopheles is a powerful demon lord, master of Hell, who, in the Old West found a way to improve his power and influence with the contract of San Venganza, a town in which he managed to corrupt every single soul (one thousand). He ordered the Ghost Rider of the time, Carter Slade, to bring the contract to him, but Slade, understanding the power the demon would gain from it, stole it and fled.

In the present day, Mephisto contacts a young stuntman, Johnny Blaze, whose father is dying because of lung cancer. He makes a deal with the boy: his soul in exchange of his father's life. Johnny, skeptical, accepts. The very next day, Barton is cured from his illness. But Mephistopheles tricks Johnny and, in the following show, he makes Barton fall from his motorcycle, killing him. He later appears to Johnny, reminding him that his soul belongs to the devil, now, and that he will claim it, sooner or later.

Years after, Mephisto comes back to Johnny: his son, Blackheart, is opposing him and is searching for the power hidden in the contract of San Venganza for becoming more powerful then him and ruling the Hell Realm instead of him. Mephisto transforms Johnny into the Ghost Rider, Hell's bounty hunter, and orders him to bring Blackheart to Hell, alive. Johnny cannot do anything but accept.

At the end of the fight between Ghost Rider and Blackheart, Mephisto appears, claiming his son's body for himself and bringing it back to Hell. He offers Johnny freedom from his curse, since he's ended his utility, but Johnny refuses, wanting to use the Ghost Rider powers against Mephisto himself. Angered, Mephisto comes back to Hell with Blackheart.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance[]

Mephistopheles, going by the name Roarke, is a powerful demon lord, the master of Hell. He senses a power in a young boy due to the fact that hes None other than his son Danny and tries take the boy's soul and appears on the boy's birthday. Roarke hires Ray Carrigan and other henchemen to bring the boy to him.

After chasing Danny and Moreau, Carrigan talks to Roarke about his failure.

Before confronting Ghost Rider, Roarke saw Carrigan on the floor smashed through a wall. He turns Carrigan into the shadow demon Blackout, giving him one last chance to kidnap Danny. Roarke and Danny are in the ritual to begin the possession. Johnny Blaze turns into Ghost Rider as Roarke takes Danny to his car and begins to flee.

After Ghost Rider kills Blackout, he launches his chain and flips the car. Attacking Roarke, Ghost Rider roars in his face and launches him with his chain, throwing him back to the underground where Roarke's human host disintegrates through the earth.

Powers[]

  • Superhuman Strength: Mephistopheles was able to lift a giant concrete wall off of Blackout.
  • Vessel Possession: Mephistopheles needs to possess an individual to manifest on earth.
  • Demonic Magic: Mephistopheles can manipulate demonic magical energies for a variety of purposes. However, every time he uses it, his vessel seems to weaken and age. His power is also strictly limited while on earth, unless he can use the Antichrist as his vessel.
    • Wish Granting: By making deals with mortals, Mephistopheles is able to grant them a wish. He healed Johnny's dad of his cancer by making a deal. He also healed Nadya of her wounds in exchange for deal.
    • Power Bestowal: Mephistopheles imbued Johnny Blaze with the powers of the Ghost Rider. He even imbued the revived Ray Carrigan with supernatural powers.
    • Resurrection: Mephistopheles revived the deceased Ray Carrigan.
  • Vast Resources: Due to Mephistopheles' power and followers, he has an arsenal of soldiers, funds, weapons and cultists at his fingertips.

Relationships[]

Appearances/Actors[]

Behind the scenes[]

  • Jon Voight was considered for the role of Mephisto before Peter Fonda was cast.
  • It was Nicolas Cage's idea to cast Peter Fonda.
  • Kirk Thornton voiced an alternate version of Mephisto in the video game Ghost Rider. The game is not considered canon to Earth-121347.
  • Before being cast, Peter Fonda read a lot of the Ghost Rider comics.
  • Peter Fonda wore 24 karat gold flakes in his hair and skin so his character would be like a Golden Child.
  • Mark Steven Johnson decided on making Mephisto look Western and similar to Johnny Cash to make his appearance look less like a stereotypical devil.

Trivia[]

  • In the comics, the character has a more demonic appearance, while in the movie, he only appears in his human form. His shadow, anyway, appears more similar to the comics' form.
  • In the comics, the full name of the character, Mephistopheles, is used rarely, while in the movie his nickname, "Mephisto", common in the comics, is never used.
  • Johnny Blaze's Harley Davidson, in the movie, is identical to the "Captain America", Peter Fonda's motorcycle in Easy Rider.
  • There are two deleted scenes featuring Mephistopheles: in the first one, he confronts Blackheart at the very moment he leaves Hell, but his lack of power in the human world prevents him from bringing him back with him. In the second one, he shouts to Johnny Blaze for having killed his son, while he wanted him back alive (the scene was pointless, since, either alive or dead, Blackheart has to come back to Hell).
  • In Spirit of Vengeance, it is said that Mephisto can walk among humans only if he finds a human body as a host, thus weakening his own powers, explaining his different appearance from one a movie to another. In the comics, Mephisto can walk on Earth without a host body and with all his powers at disposal.
  • In the comics, Mephisto and his realm of demons were actually cosmic/demonsional entities assumed to be the inspiration behind of their biblical counterparts. Mephisto was also the advisor to Thanos in the Infinity Wars storyline.

Gallery[]

Ghost Rider[]

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance[]

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