- Real name: Satan
- Alias: Devil, Lucifer
- Occupation: Lord of the underworld
- Known Relatives: Daimon Hellstrom (Son), Satana Hellstrom (sister), Anton Satan (Son)
- Eyes: Red
- Hair: Not Applicable
- Skin Tone: Red
- Powers: Deception, Morph, Super-Strength
- First Appearance: Marvel Spotlight No. 5, August 1972
Ghost Rider
Satan was summed by a desperate Johnny Blaze who wanted to save his adoptive father Crash Simpson from a fatal disease he was diagnosed with. He promised to grant Johnny Blaze wishes for Crash Simpson not to die from the disease he had. But Satan wanted in exchange his soul and eternal servitude, for a promise he never had to keep because Crash Simpson died a week earlier from his diagnosed end by a failed motorcycle jump. When Satan came back to collect Johnny Blaze’s soul the next night. To make him his vengeful hell spawn, he did not plan for Roxanne to show up and stop him. In the presence of a pure soul, the devil is weak and fears it like a vampire fears a cross. So Satan left Blaze behind, but not without bonding his soul to a spirit of vengeance to roam the streets at night from then on. Even with Roxanne’s protection over Johnny’s soul, Satan did not give up on trying to collect his soul. He attempted numerous times by sending his minions to do his bidding like Crash Simpson, demon gangsters and witches to collect Johnny’s soul for their master.
The Snakes Crawl at Night..
During a battle in Arizona with the serpent-man, the Ghost Rider fell to his death from the top of a canyon and came out unharmed. Satan showed up afterwards to inform Johnny that it was him who gave Johnny the ability to heal from any wounds caused during his transformation into the Ghost Rider. Johnny would not die by the hands of anyone but Satan himself and that he will collect Johnny’s soul one day.
Vicious Cycle
In the Vicious Cycle storyline, Satan got Johnny Blaze stuck in Hell fighting for his freedom. Satan enjoyed manipulating Johnny in trying to escape from Hell, which lead Johnny to fail every time. During that time, he discovered from one of his demonic slaves named Greexix that there was an exit from Hell into the real world. This information lead Satan to disguise himself as Greexix and trick Johnny Blaze to escape from hell and take Satan with him. Satan knew that the spirit of vengeance could travel between worlds whenever it wished it. However, the ride between worlds broke Satan into 666 pieces that landed on planet earth. All of his pieces got inside of the bodies of those who died in that moment and were crossing over to immortal plane. However, separating his body into 666 vessels also meant his power was divided into each vessel making him weaker. The only way Satan could get his full power was by killing his vessels until there was only one left.
Revelations
After a long series of battles between the Ghost Rider and Satan, it was down to a few of Satan’s hosts left. His luck was failing when his attempt to blow up a football stadium full of people inside didn’t work, followed by not succeeding in killing a children’s softball league in a burning farm, Satan was losing his temper. He was having a harder time when two angels (Vraniel & Emmael) appeared to help the Ghost Rider in his quest of finding out that he didn’t have full access to his powers because he was sharing them with a hidden brain-dead host that the Ghost Rider had hid with Dixie in a motel. In the end, Satan was defeated by Johnny Blaze and sent back to hell.
Primary Sources
- Marvel Spotlight Vol. 1 No. 5 – 8, (August 1972 – February 1973), Gary Friedrich
- Ghost Rider No. 1 – 11, (September 2006 – July 2007), Daniel Way
- Ghost Rider No. 14 – 19, (October 2007 – March 2008), Daniel Way
Art
- Marvel Spotlight Vol. 1 No. 5, (August 1972), Mike Ploog
- Ghost Rider No. 1, (September 2006), Javier Saltares & Marx Texeira