Mephistopheles

"To a libertine like me... there could be no better playground than this. The real fun is just beginning!"

- Mephistopheles.

Mephistopheles, simply known as Mephisto, is an ancient trickster demon in Germanic Folklore and an extra Prince of Hell.

Overview
Mephistopheles is said to be the messenger of the Devil who sends him out to bring and corrupt any mortal that is foolish enough to make Faustian bargain before dragging them to the eternal fires. Originally appearing in literature as the name of the Trickster Demon in the Faust legend, he has since appeared in other works as a stock character version of the Devil himself. Mephistopheles is also said to be the King of the Crossroads. Meaning he is the ruler of the demons that can be summoned at crossroads, and those demons are ones who take a person's soul once the person makes a deal with the demon. The crossroad demons are even believed to be the "children" of Mephistopheles.

Known as the the plasterer of lies, he is a exceptionally powerful demon of trickery and hatred, responsible for making the deals with mortals, and bringing nothing but eternal suffering to those whom create the deals in exchange for their souls. Mephistopheles is a powerful shapeshifter able to take any form he likes includes the appearances of stronger demons, angels and gods. He is such cunning and deadly shapeshifter that he is said to be equal to Loki himself. Mephistopheles is known to be a master manipulator and is treated as the personified principle of negation as Lucifer was betting with God that Mephistopheles would succeed to make Faust turn away from God.

Mephistopheles is already trapped in his own Hell by serving the devil. He warned Faustus of the choice he is making by selling his soul to the devil. Farnham adds to his theory, "...[Faustus] enters an ever-present private hell like that of Mephistopheles". Thanks to this, Mephistopheles has been sometimes treated as a servant of God who fell and was controlled by Mundus and later Lucifer for their own schemes. With this, he been connected with the fallen angel Samael. Like the other demons, Mephistopheles, by his nature, is either confrontational or chaotic.

Appearance
Being a shapeshifter, Mephistopheles can assume many shapes, with William Shakespeare saying that he has power to assume "pleasing" forms. Mephistopheles is able to appear in any form imaginable, having turning himself into animals, humans of any gender, or more commonly into other demonic forms, ranging from a stereotypical image of Satan to a giant reptilian monster. Mephistopheles craved importance and elegance before he turned into a demon. These yearnings are reflected in his demonic shape, which is much more human and attractive than the shape of other demons. Most of the time, Mephisto can also appear as a random individual that would be passed as a friendly citizen. Example of which was when he appeared before Geralt as a seemingly ordinary merchant but with subtle and hidden dark undertones.

Mephistopheles is usually described as a pale man with dark hair and very sharp features. From his pointed beard to his tapering fingernails and slanted eyebrows, the demon’s features are at once delicate and menacing. His costume enhances his natural appearance. He dresses in fine Renaissance clothing—puffed sleeves and pants, a short cape, a feathered cap, and tights that disappear into pointed shoes—all made of red and black silk. Naturally, his look is completed by a gleaming sword tucked into his belt. Another appearance is that of male, red skinned humanoid with vampiric aspect and attire.

Personality
Known as the the plasterer of lies, he is an exceptionally powerful demon of trickery and hatred, responsible for making the deals with mortals, and bringing nothing but eternal suffering to those whom create the deals in exchange for their souls. Despite his position, Mephistopheles has manners, an affable demeanor, can be friendly, easily approached, and is quite charming. While he uses these qualities to manipulate others to his own ends, this affability is not entirely an act as he will still act polite regardless of the circumstances at times. He has no problems moving about in normal society and interacting with the population at large partially to find his "marks" or "accomplices" but also because he genuinely enjoys watching the lives of others and events of the world unfold.

Mephistopheles is suave, but he loves to use insults, sass and banter. Mephistopheles is an efficient business man and while he prides himself on integrity, he will use any loopholes given to him to turn the situation to his benefit, proving the saying 'be careful what you wish for' to be more than true. Mephistopheles is suave, but he loves to use insults, sass and banter. Mephistopheles is an efficient business man and while he prides himself on integrity, he will use any loopholes given to him to turn the situation to his benefit, proving the saying 'be careful what you wish for' to be more than true. Mephistopheles has standards and personal ethics, even for a demon. He believes that when one makes a deal they must keep it. He cannot abide blatant dishonesty and people who go back on their word. As he has said to others "I never cheat" though he is known to mislead as he is still cunning, devious, and highly skilled at manipulating others, on par with Loki himself, although not in league with Satan or Lucifer.

Despite his arrogance, he does not dismiss possible threats like the Children of Sparda as other demons do, but seeks to eliminate said threats, however at times he does let his arrogance get the better of him, especially if he feels certain he will win. He leaves once he realizes that a situation is too dangerous for him to risk, but resolves himself when he knows that escape isn't an option. He thought up new ideas for how Hell ought to be run and tried to implement new ideas when he became its king; when other demons resisted this, he called them "evil, lying prats" and "stupid," expressing the desire to kill them all at times.

Mephistopheles is a being of extreme sadism, cruelty, manipulation and spite. He will always honor a pact but plays with the wording of the aggreement to his own advantage and the pain of the deal maker. A scholar that studied him stated that "he gives you what you ask for but not what you want" and that he's fond of riddles, wordgames, and misleading statements. While those that make deals with Mephistopheles are not condemned to Hell, they are instead cursed. The greedy take no ill will of it, for they could only desire power. He enjoys toying with one's emotions, particularly negative emotions such as greed, guilt, and fear. However, even as a cunning tempter and agent of Hell, he does not search for men to corrupt, but comes to serve and ultimately collect the souls of those who are already damned.

Power and Abilities
Mephistopheles is a powerful demon, who could rival even the likes of the Elder Gods, and so possesses a vast variety of supernatural abilities and magical spells, which is apparently inherent within him.
 * Superhuman Strength: Mephistopheles possesses some degree of superhuman strength. He is capable of using his magical powers to augment his strength, enabling him to lift well in excess of 100 tons.
 * Superhuman Speed: Mephistopheles is capable of running and moving at speeds greater than even the finest human athlete.
 * Superhuman Stamina: The various mystical energies flowing through Mephistopheles' body augments his musculature so that it generates virtually no fatigue toxins during physical activity. As a result, Mephistopheles possesses almost limitless superhuman stamina.
 * Superhuman Durability: The tissues of Mephistopheles' body, while similar in appearance to a human's, are considerably tougher and more resistant to injury than the tissues of a human being. Mephistopheles' body is virtually invulnerable to conventional injury. He is capable of withstanding great impact forces, high caliber bullets, exposure to temperature and pressure extremes, and powerful energy blasts without sustaining injury.
 * Regenerative Healing Factor: Despite his superhuman durability, it is possible to injure Mephistopheles. However, his unique physiology and mystical energies enable him to rapidly recover from almost any form of injury. He is capable of regenerating almost any damaged or destroyed tissue, even missing limbs.
 * Immortality: As a demon, Mephistopheles is functionally immortal. He is immune to the effects of aging and is immune to all known Earthly diseases and infections. Mephistopheles is also beyond the need of food, water, or oxygen. He has that he lived long before the universe existed.
 * Magical Manipulation: He can control magical energy for various effects, among which are the augmentation of his own physical strength, levitation, teleportation, the projection of mystical energy as force blasts, invisibility, matter manipulation, image projection, size transformation of his body or other objects or beings, the creation of temporary inter-dimensional apertures, and so on.
 * Dark Magic: When Mephisto reveals himself to Faust with his dark magic for the first time, he says he is a part of that power that always wants evil, but always makes good, which might mean that Mephisto is part of evil itself.
 * Mystical Deal: Through a Faustian Bargain, Mephistopheles is able to fulfill almost any wish that someone wants in exchange for something that they have - usually their souls. Once the agreement is sealed, it is virtually impossible for the victim to escape compliance.
 * Shape-Shifting: Mephistopheles is more of a force than a physical being, one that can take any form that he wants. Mephisto came into Faust's lab by disguising himself as a poodle.
 * Controlling Elements: Mephisto said that he tried to destroy the world often with the elemental powers and if he would not have kept fire for himself, he would never have anything. In "Auerbach's Keller", he creates a small flame to scare the guests.
 * Mind Control: In "Auerbach's Keller", he hypnotizes the guests when they attack him, resulting in them hallucinating being in a strange land and almost killing each other, believing the others to be fruits
 * Reality-Warping: Mephistopheles is shown to warp reality: in the disguise of a poodle, he ran behind a shelf in Faust's lab, starting to shift his shape with smoke. When Faust tried to command the being he let come into his house, shouting against the smoke, Mephistopheles is shown to sit already on the floor behind Faust.
 * Shape-Shifting: Mephistopheles is more of a force than a physical being, one that can take any form that he wants. Mephisto came into Faust's lab by disguising himself as a poodle.
 * Ensnare Astral Bodies: Mephistopheles also possesses certain powers enabling him to capture and detain the astral bodies (sheaths of the soul) of recently deceased human beings. Mephistopheles does not have jurisdiction over all the souls of humanity's recently deceased, only ones he has some connection towards. It is not yet known what the prerequisite conditions are for him to be able to manipulate a human soul, nor are the precise means by which he accomplishes the feat known. Apparently these conditions require that the human being in question willingly agree to submit to Mephistopheles' will. It is not known how a human being may free himself from bondage to Mephistopheles (although Johnny Blaze apparently did), nor whether Mephistopheles will forever retain control of the souls he has obtained. Nor is it known whether or not Mephistopheles "feeds" on the psychic energies of such souls as other demons do.
 * Dimensional Entrapment: Apparently Mephistopheles can entrap a living human being within his realm through sheer physical force, even if the person did not submit his or her will to him.
 * Penance Stare immunity: A Ghost Rider's Penance Stare doesn't affect Mephistopheles; to the contrary, it makes him stronger, due to that power making its victim relive all of its misdeeds at once, as well as the fact that he has no guilt in his soul.

Weaknesses
Despite his immense power, Mephistopheles does have several significant limitations. He is unable to force the subjugation of any sentient beings will to his own without that being's deliberate submission. Also, despite continuously trying to get any noble soul to his realm and possession, they are needed to corrupted first, or otherwise, he himself will be, ironically, injured in the process.

Background
The origins of Mephistopheles are largely unknown with the demon himself being vague and cryptic when questioned of his origins. Of the two prevailing theories regarding his background, he was either created by the Devil to serve as his messenger or was once a mortal that was so malicious and conniving that he found favor with Satan and appointed him among the ranks of Hell's legion.

According to Premethine Shakeslock, a professor and occult expert, there are records of encounters with Mephistopheles dating back thousands of years, in many cultures, and under many names. He is the archetype of a trickster devil, as he plays with victims and thrives on pacts above all else. Seemingly harmless contracts that drives their parties to madness. Mephistopheles himself states that he is fond of making deals with mortals that have corrupted moralities and any tale involving him follows naturally - a meeting at a crossroads, a wish, a pact signed in blood, and a price to be paid.

Early events
While the Earth was still young in the form of a fly, he witnessed the deity known as Am Dhaegar succumbed to his wounds, with Mephistopheles taking this opportunity to lay his maggots.

Mephistopheles - again in the form of a snake - tricked Lilith into partaking of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge - ensuring her banishment from the Garden of Eden. Mephistopheles became increasingly obsessed with manipulating living mortals into selling their souls to him, neglecting the teeming masses of damned souls already condemned to his realm.

1,000,000 B.C.
Taking on the form of a snake, Mephistopheles appeared before a young man belonging to a tribe of mammoth-riding early humans, who had been slaughtered by a wendigo. Mephistopheles offered the man the power to avenge his people in exchange for guessing his name, and bonded him to a Spirit of Vengeance to make him the first Ghost Rider.

10th century
In the year 987 A.D., seven members of a druid cult made a deal with Mephistopheles in exchange for immortality; they had agreed to funnel souls into his realm. Over the subsequent millennium, the mages acquired great wealth and became the board members of a London-based corporation.

17th century
In 1667, Mephistopheles related the tale of Lucifer's fall from Heaven to John Milton. He wrote this down in his epic poem "Paradise Lost".

18th century
Mephistopheles encountered the sea Captain; Joost van Straaten and corrupted his soul causing him to be consumed by greed. He sent his ship and crew into a storm killing them all. He claimed his soul and cursed him to sail the seven seas forever becoming the legendary "Flying Dutchman".

Deal with Johann George Faust
When Mephistopheles first appears to Johann George Faust, he makes his position clear. First, he informs Faust that he does not wander the earth seeking out souls to corrupt. Instead, he claims that he was “just passing by” and sensed that Faust, who had been attempting to magically summon demons, was already on the brink of corruption. Faust makes a deal with the Devil at the price of his soul, Mephistopheles acting as the Devil's agent.

Mephistopheles warns Faust to change his ways, describing the horrors of his own “private hell” to try to convince Faust bargaining with the devil is a bad decision. Unfortunately, Mephistopheles warnings fail. Faust insists that Mephistopheles should be his slave for twenty-four years, after which he will give his soul to the devil. Eventually, Mephistopheles accepts.

Faust's Slave
As Faust’s slave, Mephistopheles goes above and beyond to make Faust’s sacrifice worthwhile. He brings him wealth, beautiful women, and all sorts of “earthly pleasures.” Most importantly, he takes Faust on grand adventures, even time-traveling and flying to the stars with him, so that he can understand all of creation. Eventually, Faust proclaims, “Had I as many souls as there are stars, I’d give them all for Mephistopheles,” proving that the demon is a pure, never-ending delight.

Of course, Mephistopheles can’t share Faust’s delight. Even during their most dazzling journeys, he continues to remind Faust that he will regret their twenty-four-years of pleasure when he has to spend an eternity in hell. Mephistopheles also makes countless cynical observations about humanity and civilization, like “all that comes to be deserves to perish wretchedly; ‘twere better nothing would begin.” Inevitably, Faust's time was up and Mephisto drags him into the depths of Hell to suffer for all eternity. After the deal with Faust, Mephistopheles cursed him, his family, and any descendant that comes after him. With this pact with Faust, he remained in the Human world even after Faust died.

Aftermath
Centuries after his deal with Faust, he manipulated his way throughout magical organizations and quickly rose to the top of the Magician organization, Grauzauberer (which means Grey Wizards), becoming the director for the Magician Council for unknown reasons.

Dealer of Hell
As Hell's dealer, Mephistopheles was summoned by many power hungry, desperate, and corrupt humans over the years and each of them ended up having their souls dragged to Hell when their contracts expired. There were times where he faced resistance, among them was the likes of dealing with Geralt of Rivia, a Ghost Rider, and even the Legendary Dark Knight, Sparda, and was thwarted a few times by such individuals.

However, Mephistopheles' status became not all that well-received with the introduction of the Hellspawn. The Hellspawn were created to drag sinful and tainted humans to the depths of Hell so that they could be added to the Devil's army when the End of Days begins. This resulted in his work becoming obsolete in a sense which frustrated the Faustian Devil greatly as he was regarded as nothing more than a "sleazy salesman" by other demons. It especially did not help when he was outsmarted twice by the likes of Geralt and Stingy Jack. Nonetheless, Mephistopheles continued with his work, but not without plotting to raise himself high up in the ranks.

One of his more notable dealings was with the Curtis family. Izumi Curtis' child tragically died during childbirth due Izumi being constantly ill. The death of her child rendered her deeply depressed and desperate enough to try to revive her stillborn child through summoning none other than Mephistopheles himself although she was unaware that ritual itself involved the summoning of a demon. However, instead of outright taking her soul, Mephistopheles saw that her illness would do the job for him, and the "toll" Izumi was required to pay for summoning him resulted in some of her internal organs being removed, rendering her to be both constantly ill and completely incapable of ever becoming pregnant again. This created a fierce antagonistic relationship between Izumi and Mephistopheles.

Conspiring against the Dark Emperor
Ever since Vergil emerged from Hell and had him and Dante destroy the Qliphoth Tree, Mephistopheles became anxious due to these events. Knowing Mundus will return to the Human World again and that he is devouring the Qliphoth fruits that he has. Aware that Mundus has an agenda to retake the throne of Hell for himself and so betray Lucifer, he has shown true loyalty to Lucifer at last all while attempting to gather as much information as possible in a bid to prevent this catastrophe coming with the Dark Emperor.

However, he knew he stood no chance against Mundus at this power and knowing that Lucifer will not interfere, and thus decided to seek aid from the Children of Spardaalthough that in of itself was not any better especially considering that he has history with Izumi Curtis who was their babysitter. Dante and Vergil wondered why Mephistopheles would even want Mundus out of the picture with the Faustian Devil replying that Mundus sees any demon not loyal to him as a threat and so once Mundus succeed in his mission, he and many other demons will be removed from the picture. Though still reluctant, the twins were convinced by John Constantine to have Mephistopheles become their informant as they wanted to know any sort of information that would benefit them and their allies in trying to get two-steps ahead of Mundus, moreover, they only agreed to have him help them if he would return Izumi's internal organs and nullify her deal with him to which he begrudgingly accepted.

Despite the extreme danger, Mephistopheles was confident that this would benefit him greatly. He knew that if the Sons of Sparda and the Dark Knight Initiative were able to defeat Mundus along with Lucifer and Satan, preventing the Apocalypse then there would be a vacancy for the thrones of Hell. As such he would use this defeat over Hell as a way for him to rise up to the ranks and become a great prince of Hell or even the newly established emperor of Hell which would allow him to spread his power and influence far more than he could ever dream of. He did, however, needed to wait his time and play his cards right as he knew that there were other powerful monarchs in Hell that were still loyal to Lucifer and would try to restart the Apocalypse anew for his sake. He would lay behind the shadows and allow these infernal nobles to be slain by the sons of Sparda so as to slither his way up to the top of the demonic pyramid.

Myth and Legends
His Greek name which means "Not Loving Light", Mephistopheles is the demon associated with the Faust legend. He was especially prominent in the versions by Marlowe and Goethe. His name was also mentioned in passing in Shakespeare's "Merry Wives of Windsor" and by the 17th century the name became independent of the Faust legend. According to Burton Russell, "That the name is a purely modern invention of uncertain origins makes it an elegant symbol of the modern Devil with his many novel and diverse forms".

Mephistopheles is also featured as the lead antagonist in Goethe's Faust, and in the unpublished scenarios for die Walpurgis-Nacht (German for "the Walpurgis-Night"), he and Satan appear as two separate characters.

Farnham explains, "Nor does Mephistopheles first appear to Faustus as a devil who walks up and down on earth to tempt and corrupt any man encountered. He appears because he senses in Faustus' magical summons that Faustus is already corrupt, that indeed he is already 'in danger to be damned'."

Quotes

 * "Fools who laugh on Earth must weep in Hell!" - Mephistopheles' most famous quote.


 * "All worlds will fall before the burning standards of Hell. I have seen it." - Mephistopheles.


 * ''"Mephistopheles, an agent of Lucifer, appears and at first advises Faust not to forgo the promise of heaven to pursue his goals.


 * "I am the spirit that negates. And rightly so, for all that comes to be Deserves to perish wretchedly; 'Twere better nothing would begin. Thus everything that that your terms, sin, Destruction, evil represent— That is my proper element." - Mephistopheles.


 * "Hell hath no limits, nor is circumscribed In one self place, for where we are is hell, And where hell is there must we ever be." - Mephistopheles.


 * "Before you leave, please look into a mirror. Wherever there is a mirror that reflects desires, I, Mephistopheles, shall always serve by your side." - Mephistopheles.


 * "There are those who ridicule us as devilish tempters...ridiculous. I only stand by the contract faithfully. That is...all that a demon wishes for." - Mephistopheles.


 * "What is the matter!? Why would you look displeased like so...? All I wish is for your happiness. If you so desire, I can arrange all manner of amusements for you." - Mephistopheles.


 * "Did you know I believed in you? You truly are...the master who once escaped me." - Mephistopheles to Lucifer.


 * "But why...? I have served you so faithfully...ahh, but that is precisely why...you are so beautiful." - Mephistopheles to Lucifer


 * "Come and listen to the sound of the world being reclaimed. You know nothing of the sounds of your grave being dug... Ahh, Master...your soul is finally mine." - Mephistopheles to Lucifer.


 * "My tastes do not mesh that well with that pesky minister. We are to satisfy our master's desires and see how far they fall into disgrace...isn't that what a butler and mirror is about?" - Mephistopheles, regarding his opinion toward Lucifuge Rofocale.

Trivia

 * He is known as the Mirror Demon for his tendency to appear to his contractors through mirror.
 * He has a strange fascination - borderline obsession - with Lucifer and desires to keep the Archangel's immortal soul for himself.
 * He is also the only demon to have a restraining order placed upon him.

Image Sources

 * (Portrait of a Dead Man.jpg) Portrait of a Dead Man by damie-m
 * (Mephistopheles2.jpg) Mephistopheles flying over Wittenberg, in a lithograph by Eugène Delacroix
 * (Mephistopheles-victor-bang-7.jpg) MOBIUS FINAL FANTASY Mephistopheles by Bang Seungho
 * (Kathryn-wheeler-mephistopheles.jpg) Mephistopheles by Azra Wheeler
 * (Black Phillip.jpg) Human Black Phillip by Clara
 * (Gwent cardart neutral master mirror.png) Master Mirror from Gwent
 * (Doctor mephistopheles by mselmag-d6tfws8.png) Doctor Mephistopheles by MSelmag
 * (Fancy dress costume for Mephistopheles by Leon Salu.jpg) Fancy dress costume for Mephistopheles by Leon Salut
 * (Mephistopheles.jpg) Mephistopheles by Raymond Swanland