Hey everybody, I hope your weekend is going as great as mine. In this week’s Marvel Snapshot, I’ll be spotlighting the Lord of the Dark Realm, Mephisto! He’s been a thorn in the side of virtually every hero or team at one time or another, so to say that he gets around is an understatement. We’ll take a look at some of his more memorable appearances and where he’s stirring up trouble currently, as well.
OK, so, anybody who’s been even somewhat of a Marvel fan knows about Mephisto. My first read was in the Mephisto Vs…. limited series (1987). That was a great series, but let’s start at the beginning. Silver Surfer vol. 1 #3, is Mephisto’s first appearance, way back in 1968. I really like Mephisto for several reasons. First, he’s immortal, and that comes in handy. I personally would rather have a “bad guy” that is upfront about not being able to be easily killed or at all, rather than the theory of killing people off, then resurrecting them a year later. That is just a ridiculous cop-out, and has no place in comics whatsoever. The plot in that story(Mephisto Vs.) was that ultimately Mephisto wanted to gain control over Thor’s soul. Each issue dealt with a different team (FF, X-Men, X-Factor, Avengers), but all tied together and were great.
Mephisto did heckle Silver Surfer off and on for quite a while, then turned his attention to Thor. He seems to go after the heroes with the most noble of souls, to try and get them to make a bargain with him. One of my favorite Mephisto moments was in Infinity Gauntlet. The entire time Thanos was controlling the most powerful object in the universe, you had Mephisto subtly influencing Thanos. All the while, Mephisto was waiting for the right moment to try and steal the powerful device for himself. Well, Thanos pretty much swats Mephisto away with ease because he has control of the Gauntlet, but it doesn’t diminish from the appearance of the devilish character.
The story that Mephisto will probably be remembered for (not his fault, either) is in Spider-Man: One More Day. In this story, Aunt May gets shot and is on her deathbed when Mephisto makes a deal with Peter. He tells Petey that he’ll heal Aunt May (where’s Elixir when you need him), but Peter will not be married to Mary Jane anymore, as if the two never were together. Of course Peter makes the deal, and he’s back to square one with MJ, but Aunt May is alive and well. I have yet to hear someone say that they think this was a great idea, and I can’t blame them for not liking it. I for one gave up on Spider-Man years ago and could care less. I’m actually more worried about Mephisto’s reputation than Spidey’s, to be perfectly honest.
Currently, Mephisto has been appearing in Thor. He made a deal with Loki before the fall of Asgard, and Thor is down in the nether-regions trying to obtain a sword that can kill a bunch of dead Asgardians called the Disir. I think this story has been pretty good so far, but I also think it has a ways to go to impress anyone, too. Thankfully, Mephisto is one of those guys that will never go away due to his immortality. I for one am a huge fan of his dastardly deeds, and can’t wait to see what he cooks up next. By the way, while typing this, I listened too – “Ring of Fire” (Johnny Cash), “Burning for You” (Blue Oyster Cult), “Inside the Fire” (Disturbed), “Cowboys From Hell” (Pantera), and “Dance with the Devil” (Breaking Benjamin). See you next week!
Recommended Reading
Silver Surfer vol. 1 (#’s 3, 8, 9, 16, 17)
Thor vol. 1 (#’s 310, 443, 453)
Mephisto Vs… – Tpb
Infinity Gauntlet – Tpb
Amazing Spider-Man: One More Day – Tpb
Billy
billy@comicattack.net
Mephisto’s a badass in Thor right now.
@Andy- Absolutely. I love that cover to #3 of the Mephisto Vs. series. The look on Rogues face as he sticks his tongue down her throat is piriceless.