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Satan (also known as The Devil and Old Scratch)[1][2] is a demon best known as the ruler of Hell.

History[]

Secondary Canon History[]

The Real Ghostbusters Marvel UK Comics[]

The Devil once played a poker game with Peter Venkman and his cohorts the See-Through Kid and Death to determine the fate of the souls of the Ghostbusters. After Peter Venkman learned that the three sly spirits were cheating, Satan and his two partners were then captured.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game[]

In 1975, Werner Gischman, a calendar publisher, bought seventeen crates of old stock photographs from an auction. He discovered a twenty-year collection of ravishing pin-ups of Parade Queens from New York Thanksgiving Parade. Gischman decided to take advantage of the nostalgic pin-up craze that was sweeping the nation at the time and rushed to print the collection as a sixteen-month calendar. What Gischman didn't know was that the photos, when arranged in a certain order, deciphered a code that points toward the true origin of the Devil (an origin that, as it turns out, is far less impressive than most people think).

Foresworn to protect this secret for untold generations, dark cultist sect, The Vigilant Legion of the Black Pit, realized the calendar had reached store shelves too late to stop it. In a last-ditch effort to keep the code secure, the Vigilant Legion cast a spell over all the crates of calendars, so that the pages would flip and switch constantly. As it turned out, nobody was really interested in Parade Queens from the 50's and 60's, and the calendar sold less than a dozen copies. The Vigilant Legion bought up most of them, and Gischman gave the rest to friends and family at Christmas. Embarrassed by their alacrity, the Vigilant Legion of the Black Pit murdered them all anyway, just to be thorough.[3]

IDW Comics[]

Stingy Jack was so much of a scoundrel that the Devil came to claim him. The Devil was tricked not once but twice. The Devil agreed to pay his tab and turned into a silver coin but Jack threw him into pocket with a crucifix. The Devil tried once more then agreed to get Jack an apple before taking him to Hell. As the Devil scaled an apple tree, Jack lined it with crucifixes. Jack made the Devil agree to never claim him. Much to his delight, the Devil was visited by Jack upon his death. He gleefully reminded Jack he had to keep his promise. Jack was barred passage. Gloating in denying Jack an eternal rest, the Devil threw Jack an ember from the Pit to light his way as he wondered the world forever. A monk from a European village was driven mad by the bad behavior of local children. In order to scare them into being good, he made a deal with the Devil. In exchange for his soul and a sacrifice of the naughtiest child, the monk was given a cloak of invisibility and transformative features. He became the first bogeyman, Rodefhiri.[4] In the 1700s, the Scandinavian wizard Loftur Þorsteinsson made a deal with the Devil. Loftur later survived his purported death and discovered immortality by culling other humans every so often. As a result, he circumvented the Devil's contract.[5]

In present times, Stingy Jack attempted to exploit a loophole and get trapped by the Ghostbusters. The Devil refused to let him win and intervened. He summoned powerful flames to block Proton Streams and bar the Ghostbusters from chasing Jack. Jack jumped onto Winston Zeddemore's Proton Pack. The Devil could not touch Winston on account he wore a crucifix and/or he was the truest of true believers. After Jack allowed himself to be trapped, the Devil reached up and took back the turnip he gave him so long ago.

After a tense meeting between the Ghostbusters and Loftur, Jenny Moran cast a spell from the Rauoskinna. It ended up casting them into Hell. The Devil walked towards them. Loftur was filled with fear and desperation. He demanded the Rauoskinna and promised to bring everyone back to Central Park and bring Egon Spengler back to life. The Ghostbusters decided to hold onto the book and backed away from Loftur. The Devil conjured his contract with Loftur and sent several demons after him. They made short work of him and reduced his body to a mangled corpse. The Egon from a parallel dimension speculated they were more likely in some form of a pocket dimension but the Devil overheard and confirmed it was Hell. He took a human form and recognized they came to his house "whole" with hope still clinging to their souls. He remembered the Ghostbusters from the Stingy Jack incident but decided the delivery of Loftur to him balanced the scales. The Devil gave them permission to leave Hell then pulled Loftur's soul out of the corpse. He taunted Loftur for cheating him and mused they were going to have fun together. Peter asked where the exit was but the Devil refused to tell them unless they agreed to a contract. They all looked at Peter but he refused.

Classification[]

IDW Comics[]

The Devil is a Class 7.[6]

Powers[]

IDW Comics[]

The Devil demonstrated the power to command legion of demons, shapeshift, and extract a soul from a corpse.

Trivia[]

  • The Devil does not appear in The Real Ghostbusters, but he is briefly mentioned by Ray Stantz in "The Devil to Pay", who, after hearing Winston Zeddemore repeating, "I have sold my soul to the Devil", notes that Dyb Devlin (who had conned the Ghostbusters out of their souls) was actually a minor demon and "not the Devil per se". Peter Venkman, Egon Spengler, Dyb, and Dyb's assistant Marsha also mentions the Devil in the episode.
    • The final question Dyb asked the try-outs was to name two other names for the Devil. Ray rambles out a whole list: Mephistopheles, The Prince of Darkness, Beelzebub, Apollyon, Satan, Lucifer, Diablo, Old Gooseberry, Old Nick, and Old Scratch.
  • In the February 1997 story treatment of Ghostbusters III: Hellbent, the principal villain was the Devil and went by the name Ron Lucifer. Alec Baldwin was envisioned for the role.[7] The name was later changed to Luke Siffler when the full script was completed in 1999.[8]
  • According to Icelandic lore, the Rauoskinna is said to contain spells capable of controlling the Devil.
  • On the regular cover of Ghostbusters International #11 and when he first appears in the issue, the silhouette of the Devil's true form is visually based on Xanthador, the principle villain in the novel, Ghostbusters: The Return.
  • On page 8 panel 3 of Ghostbusters International #11, on the bottom right of the contract is the Satan Cross, the double cross over the infinity symbol.
  • On page 10 of Ghostbusters International #11, the Devil's human form appears to be visually based on Brad Pitt from "Meet Joe Black"
  • On page 12 of Ghostbusters International #11, the giant demon in the cavern is a depiction of Lucifer. **In "Dante's Inferno," it was believed Lucifer crashed headfirst into Earth after his rebellion in Heaven failed and he became stuck at the bottom of Hell. Cocytus turned into a perpetual frozen lake thanks to his flapping wings.
  • On page 20 of Ghostbusters 101 #1, above the photograph, obscured by Erin Gilbert's word balloon, is a copy of "A Demonology of History" from 1987 by Eustace Mullins. It discussed the role of Satan in historical events.
  • The Devil is mentioned on Egon's bio in the Crossing Over Virtual Trading Card #19.[9]

Appearances[]





References[]

  1. Stingy Jack (2013). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #9" (2013) (Comic p.1). Stingy Jack says: "Eventually, the Devil himself came to claim me."
  2. Stingy Jack (2013). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #9" (2013) (Comic p.1). Stingy Jack says: "... so I found a way out of it. And tricked Old Scratch into agreeing that he himself would never claim me."
  3. Pin-Up Calendar of Doom! (2009). Ghostbusters: The Video Game- "Realistic Versions" (2009) (Entry p.1). Pin-Up Calendar of Doom! entry reads: "What Gischman didn't know was that the photos, when arranged in a certain order, deciphered a code that points toward the true origin of the Devil (an origin that, as it turns out, is far less impressive than most people think)."
  4. Narrator (2016). Insight Editions- "Tobin's Spirit Guide" (2016) (Book p.49). Paragraph reads: "He was so intent on correcting this that he made a deal with the devil: In exchange for his soul---and the regular sacrifice of the naughtiest of children---this monk, Rodefhiri (an anagram of the word "horrified") was given a cloak of invisibility and transformative features; he would appear to children as whatever frighted them most."
  5. The Devil (2016). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters International #11" (2016) (Comic p.10). The Devil says: "I remember you, Ghostbusters, you once gave aid to a spirit I'd cursed, named Jack... but your delivery of this one who was eluded me for so long balances the scales."
  6. Ray Stantz (2016). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters International #11" (2016) (Comic p.18). Ray Stantz says: "An encounter with two Class Sevens, a cursed artifact, an immortal wizard, and a trip to Hell besides, and we made through completely unscathed."
  7. Greene, James, Jr., (2022). A Convenient Parallel Dimension: How Ghostbusters Slimed Us Forever, p. 160. Lyons Press, Essex, CT USA, ISBN 9781493048243. Line reads: "Ron Lucifer is likened to Alec Baldwin and described as "attractive...well-spoken, smooth, corporate type, reasonable guy." Lucifer confirms that his realm is becoming overpopulated and that's why "souls are being denied entry." During their meeting, Frank notices a "warm, white beautiful glow" in New Jersey, an area that is out of Ron Lucifer's jurisdiction. Lucifer, who has a vested interest in the Ghostbusters' phase flux device, traps them in his office for a battle ("the building shoots up a thousand stories" as the fight commences)."
  8. Greene, James, Jr., (2022). A Convenient Parallel Dimension: How Ghostbusters Slimed Us Forever, p. 163. Lyons Press, Essex, CT USA, ISBN 9781493048243. Line reads: "The Devil is called Luke Siffler, and he actually manages to phase-shift over in our world for a few moments during the office battle."
  9. TomWaltz Tweet 4/24/18
  10. Peter Venkman (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "The Devil to Pay" (1987) (DVD ts. 5:08-5:09). Time Life Entertainment. Peter says: "Race The Devil."
  11. Marsha (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "The Devil to Pay" (1987) (DVD ts. 5:21-5:27). Time Life Entertainment. Marsha says: "But before we start the fun, let's all welcome the emcee of Race The Devil."
  12. Dyb Devlin (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "The Devil to Pay" (1987) (DVD ts. 7:01-7:09). Time Life Entertainment. Dyb Devlin says: "Whoever correctly answer this question will go on to become the first contestants on Race The Devil."
  13. Egon Spengler (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "The Devil to Pay" (1987) (DVD ts. 7:57-8:00). Time Life Entertainment. Egon says: "Peter, did you notice how all the questions related to the Devil and his minions?"
  14. Winston Zeddemore (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "The Devil to Pay" (1987) (DVD ts. 9:36-9:38). Time Life Entertainment. Winston says: "I have sold my soul to the Devil."
  15. Ray Stantz (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "The Devil to Pay" (1987) (DVD ts. 9:42-9:46). Time Life Entertainment. Ray says: "Actually Winston, Dyb is a minor demon, not the Devil per say."
  16. Egon Spengler (2016). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters International #5" (2016) (Comic p.5). Egon Spengler says: "The Rauoskinna is a grimoire of immense power... the spells it contains have been said to be capable of controlling the Devil."
  17. Loftur Þorsteinsson (2016). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters International #7" (2016) (Comic p.19). Loftur Þorsteinsson says: "We'll find the book and own the Devil."
  18. Janine Melnitz (2016). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters International #9" (2016) (Comic p.2). Janine Melnitz says: "That Swedish guy who contracted us a few weeks back wanted to get hold of a book that'd let him control the Devil, or something."
  19. What Came Before! Page (2016). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters International #10" (2016) (Comic What Came Before! page). Narrator says: "The Ghostbusters - with the aid from an alternate dimension Egon Spengler, as well as the Chicago branch - have tracked down the map to and the key of the hidden tomb of Icelandic Bishop Gottskalk Nikulausson, a man who wrote a spellbook rumored capable of controlling the devil."
  20. Narrator (2016). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters International #10" (2016) (Comic p.1). Narrator says: "Once upon a time, in Iceland, the Bishop of Holar put together a book of spells - called the Raouskinna - that was powerful enough to control the Devil."
  21. Winston Zeddemore (2016). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters International #10" (2016) (Comic p.14). Winston Zeddemore says: "They're down there looking through that book, talkin' about how it can control the Devil...I just needed a little air."
  22. Narrator (2017). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Annual 2017" (2017) (Comic Story So Far Page). Narrator says: "They were caught up in the plot of a centuries-old Scandinavian warlock, was was trying to escape a deal with the devil."
  23. Beasts Of Mayhem (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Extended Edition; Chapter 9 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 1:00:46-1:00:52). Sony Pictures. Lead Singer says: "Behold the power of the undead! We have summoned Satan himself!"


Gallery[]

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