Zarathos: Difference between revisions

Zarathos
Zarathos
	Cover of Marvel Comics' Ghost Rider (vol. 2) #77
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Marvel Spotlight #5 (August 1972)
Created by	Roy Thomas, Gary Friedrich and Mike Ploog
In-story information
Full name	Zarathos
Species	Demon
Place of origin	Earth
Partnerships	Mephisto; Lilith
Notable aliases	Ghost Rider
Abilities	Virtual immortality; Superhuman strength; Healing factor; Elemental powers

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Zarathos (UK: /ˈzærəθɒs/, US: /-θoʊs/) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is usually depicted in stories featuring the character known as the Ghost Rider. A demonic being who tortures and devours souls, Zarathos first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #5 (August 1972) and was created by writers Roy Thomas and Gary Friedrich and artist Mike Ploog.^[1]

Publication history

He first appears in Marvel Spotlight #5 (August 1972). He was created by writers Roy Thomas and Gary Friedrich and artist Mike Ploog.

Fictional character biography

As explained in Ghost Rider (vol. 2) #77, the physical stone body of the demon Zarathos had lain inert and inanimate beneath the Earth for eons until his spirit was summoned by a Native American tribal sorcerer named K'Nutu to help his tribe. Zarathos was then offered a steady supply of souls to consume in exchange for his aid in vanquishing enemies of the sorcerer's tribe and for offering his might in their service. This alliance proves mutually beneficial and flourishes. A strong cult builds up around Zarathos, which gets the attention of Mephisto, who decides that Zarathos has too much of a following and is depriving him and the other Lords of Hell of souls. Mephisto eventually confronts Zarathos and defeats him (by the deceptive use of his soulless pawn, Centurious).^[2]

Zarathos is then forced to serve Mephisto for many centuries in the Netherworld, an extra-dimensional land of the dead sometimes called "Hell", though still powerful enough to avoid total confinement. Mephisto sends his unruly vassal back to Earth on occasion, binding him to human hosts and allowing him to ravage souls (albeit on a smaller scale). In modern times, Zarathos is bound to Johnny Blaze; the combined Blaze/Zarathos entity manifests as a leather-clad flaming skeletal wraith known as the Ghost Rider, ultimately serving the side of "good" while still using hellish means, which earns the Ghost Rider a reputation of fear and Johnny Blaze a never-ending sense of guilt.^[3] As time progresses, Zarathos would occasionally from time to time reassert his control over Johnny Blaze's and his composite form.^[4] Zarathos was temporarily separated from Johnny Blaze by the Crimson Mage.^[5] Zarathos gained additional control over the Ghost Rider, becoming more violent.^[6] As the Ghost Rider, he re-encountered Centurious.^[7] Johnny Blaze had grown stronger, causing an eventual clash over Blaze's physical body, as Mephisto temporarily frees Zarathos to compete with Johnny Blaze for his freedom.^[8] Before it can reach that point, Centurious (Mephisto's champion who defeated Zarathos thousands of years before) returns and has his pawn the Sin-Eater use his Soul Crystal to suck Blaze's soul from his body. This greatly weakens Zarathos who, without Blaze's soul, finds himself dying, for as a demon, and thus truly not of the Earth as mortals are, Zarathos cannot maintain himself upon the Earthly plane unless he possesses the physical body of a mortal. Using the last of his strength, Zarathos splits the crystal in half, freeing not only Blaze's soul, but innumerable souls that had been consumed by it in the past. Before the crystal merges back into one piece, it sucks Centurious inside as well. Zarathos feels cheated out of his revenge against Centurious, but with the help of the now-dying Sin-Eater, the demon manages to transfer his essence into the crystal. Johnny Blaze is now free from the curse that Mephisto placed on him many years before and the first existence of the Ghost Rider comes to an end.^[9]

Near the climax of the events of Secret Wars II, the Beyonder, angered at humanity and the entire plane of existence, travels to Hell and informs Mephisto of his plan to erase all existence contained in this universe. Mephisto pleads with the Beyonder not to commit such an act, going so far as to make a bet with him. The Beyonder agrees, under these terms: he chooses both a champion to represent him and a separate champion to represent Mephisto; if Mephisto wins, the universe will be given a 24-hour reprieve from destruction, but if the Beyonder wins, not only will he erase the universe from existence, he will give his champion ample time to exact revenge on Mephisto himself. The Beyonder chooses Spider-Man as Mephisto's champion and decides that Zarathos will be his own champion. Zarathos' goal is not only to corrupt Spider-Man's spirit and morals, but to prevent Spider-Man from stopping an assassination attempt on the Kingpin. Spider-Man overcomes Zarathos' nightmarish attempts at corrupting him and saves the Kingpin's life; thus, the Beyonder (after re-imprisoning Zarathos inside the Soul Crystal) allows the universe one more day to exist (during that additional day came the Beyonder's defeat and seeming death).^[10]

Zarathos becomes a threat once again when the Midnight Sons are formed. He briefly joins forces with the demon mother Lilith (not to be confused with the daughter of Dracula, who has the same name),^{[volume & issue needed]} but soon leaves her after he realized she was just using him to bring her the Medallion of Power.^{[volume & issue needed]} Another reason he left her was because she duped him into joining her forces (his memory was so bad at the time that Lilith actually convinced him that he was her son). After he left, he went to become the leader of the Fallen, the evil Blood (his acolytes) once again. Having lost his memory, Zarathos has not quite reached his full power until he meets the Fallen.^{[volume & issue needed]} After that, he gains enough power to defeat the Ghost Rider and absorb his essence. However, he suffers horrible agony since the Ghost Rider was still residing within him. This gives the Midnight Sons a chance to defeat Zarathos. It is Blade who takes Foundry's sword, killing her with it so he can use her blood-stained sword to defeat Zarathos. Blade defeats Zarathos by turning him into stone;^{[volume & issue needed]} he remained that way until the Ghost Rider: Hammerlane miniseries, where he began to reconstitute himself within Johnny Blaze, after which he and Johnny made peace with one another.^{[volume & issue needed]} After the Fear Itself story line, Blaze had Zarathos exorcised from him.^{[volume & issue needed]} The demon Zarathos was eventually then bonded to a female host in the present series.^{[volume & issue needed]} Eventually, Zarathos was ultimately bound once again to Johnny Blaze.^{[volume & issue needed]}

Before he was turned to stone, Zarathos had claimed that he had coupled with Lilith, impregnating her.^{[volume & issue needed]} Lilith plans to unleash her children, but this is yet to be seen.^{[volume & issue needed]}

During the Damnation event Zarathos, along with Johnny Blaze, went to Hell and took Mephisto's throne, becoming the new King of Hell.^{[volume & issue needed]}

Powers and abilities

Zarathos is continuously shown to be able to challenge Mephisto in both Earthly and magical combat. He possesses immeasurable levels of strength and stamina well beyond that of his hosts and is wholly immune to anything other than the powers of beings such as the One Above All. When at full strength, Zarathos has exhibited influence over certain Earthly elements; he is able to conjure thunderstorms to incinerate his opponents with bolts of lightning, as well as rupture the ground either to trap his victims in hard rock or to impale them with spiked stalagmites.

He is able to shoot hellfire from his hands, and can transport both himself and others to different locations. Apparently, the more souls he consumes, the more powerful he becomes. Zarathos also has significant knowledge of magical lore and possesses the ability to manipulate magical energies for a variety of effects.

References

^ DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 436. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
^ Ghost Rider (vol. 2) #77
^ Marvel Spotlight #5
^ Ghost Rider (vol. 2) #26
^ Ghost Rider (vol. 2) #43-44
^ Ghost Rider (vol. 2) #68
^ Ghost Rider (vol. 2) #74
^ Ghost Rider (vol. 2) #76
^ Ghost Rider (vol. 2) #80-81
^ The Amazing Spider-Man #274

External links

Zarathos at Marvel.com
Zarathos at Marvel Wiki

[1] DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 436. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.

[2] Ghost Rider (vol. 2) #77

[3] Marvel Spotlight #5

[4] Ghost Rider (vol. 2) #26

[5] Ghost Rider (vol. 2) #43-44

[6] Ghost Rider (vol. 2) #68

[7] Ghost Rider (vol. 2) #74

[8] Ghost Rider (vol. 2) #76

[9] Ghost Rider (vol. 2) #80-81

[10] The Amazing Spider-Man #274

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[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

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+{{Multiple issues|
-{{Superherobox| <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->
+{{In-universe|date=August 2018}}
-image=[[Image:52 1 b-1-.jpg|240px|Cover of Marvel Comics' ''Ghost Rider'' #77]]
+{{more citations needed|date=September 2020}}
-|caption=Cover of Marvel Comics' ''Ghost Rider'' #77
+{{Notability|date=April 2023}}
-|comic_color=background:#ff8080
+{{Primary sources|date=April 2023}}
-|character_name=Zarathos
+}}
-|real_name=Zarathos
+{{Infobox comics character <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->
-|species=[[Demons (Marvel Comics)|Demon]]
-|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
+|image          =Image:Cover of Marvel Comics' Ghost Rider (vol. 2).jpg
+|caption        = Cover of Marvel Comics' ''[[Ghost Rider (comic book)|Ghost Rider]]'' (vol. 2) #77
-|debut=''[[Marvel Spotlight]]'' # 5 (Aug 1972)
+|character_name = Zarathos
-|creators=[[Roy Thomas]], [[Gary Friedrich]], and [[Mike Ploog]]
+|full_name      = Zarathos
-|alliance_color=background:#ffc0c0
+|publisher      = [[Marvel Comics]]
-|alliances=
+|debut          = ''[[Marvel Spotlight]]'' #5 (August 1972)
-|partners=[[Mephisto (comics)|Mephisto]]<br/>[[Lilith (Marvel Comics)|Lilith]]
+|creators       = [[Roy Thomas]], [[Gary Friedrich]] and [[Mike Ploog]]
-|aliases=[[Ghost Rider (comics)|Ghost Rider]]
+|species        = Demon
-|powers=[[Elemental]] powers.
+|homeworld      = [[Earth]]
-|}}
+|alliances      =
+|partners       = [[Mephisto (Marvel Comics)|Mephisto]]<br/>[[Lilith (Marvel Comics)#Mother of All Demons|Lilith]]
+|aliases        = [[Ghost Rider]]
+|powers         = Virtual [[immortality]]<br>[[Superhuman strength]]<br>Healing factor<br>[[Elemental]] powers
+}}
+'''Zarathos''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|ˈ|z|ær|ə|θ|ɒ|s}}, {{IPAc-en|US|-|θ|oʊ|s}}) is a character appearing in [[American comic book]]s published by [[Marvel Comics]]. He is usually depicted in stories featuring the character known as the [[Ghost Rider]]. A demonic being who tortures and devours souls, Zarathos first appeared in ''[[Marvel Spotlight]]'' #5 (August 1972) and was created by writers [[Roy Thomas]] and [[Gary Friedrich]] and artist [[Mike Ploog]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=DeFalco |first1=Tom |last2=Sanderson |first2=Peter |last3=Brevoort |first3=Tom |last4=Teitelbaum |first4=Michael |last5=Wallace |first5=Daniel |last6=Darling |first6=Andrew |last7=Forbeck |first7=Matt |last8=Cowsill |first8=Alan |last9=Bray |first9=Adam |title=The Marvel Encyclopedia |date=2019 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-1-4654-7890-0 |page=436}}</ref>
+==Publication history==
-'''Zarathos''' is a [[fictional character]] in the [[Marvel Comics]] series ''[[Ghost Rider (comics)|Ghost Rider]]''. He is a [[Demons (Marvel Comics)|demonic being]] who tortures and devours souls.  He first appears in ''[[Marvel Spotlight]]'' #5 (August 1972).
+{{Expand section|date=November 2012}}
+He first appears in ''[[Marvel Spotlight]]'' #5 (August 1972). He was created by writers [[Roy Thomas]] and [[Gary Friedrich]] and artist [[Mike Ploog]].
 ==Fictional character biography==
-As explained in ''Ghost Rider'' #77 (1973 series), the physical, stone body of the demon Zarathos had laid inert and inanimate beneath the earth for eons until his spirit was summoned by a Native American [[shamanism|tribal sorcerer]] named K'Nutu to help his tribe. Zarathos was then offered a steady supply of souls to consume in exchange for his aid in vanquishing enemies of the sorcerer's tribe, and for offering his might in their service. This alliance proves mutually beneficial, flourishes and a strong [[cult]] builds up around Zarathos, which gets the attention of [[Mephisto (comics)|Mephisto]], who decides that Zarathos has too much of a following and is depriving him and the other lords of hell of souls. Mephisto eventually confronts Zarathos and defeats him (by the deceptive use of his soulless pawn, [[Centurious]]).<ref>''Ghost Rider'' vol. 2 #77</ref>
+As explained in ''[[Ghost Rider (comic book)|Ghost Rider]]'' (vol. 2) #77, the physical stone body of the demon Zarathos had lain inert and inanimate beneath the Earth for eons until his spirit was summoned by a Native American [[Shamanism|tribal sorcerer]] named K'Nutu to help his tribe. Zarathos was then offered a steady supply of souls to consume in exchange for his aid in vanquishing enemies of the sorcerer's tribe and for offering his might in their service. This alliance proves mutually beneficial and flourishes. A strong [[cult]] builds up around Zarathos, which gets the attention of [[Mephisto (Marvel Comics)|Mephisto]], who decides that Zarathos has too much of a following and is depriving him and the other Lords of Hell of souls. Mephisto eventually confronts Zarathos and defeats him (by the deceptive use of his soulless pawn, [[Centurious]]).<ref>''Ghost Rider'' (vol. 2) #77</ref>
-Zarathos is then forced to serve Mephisto for many centuries in the [[Netherworld (Marvel Comics)|Netherworld]], an extra-dimensional land of the dead sometimes called "Hell", though still powerful enough to avoid total confinement. Mephisto sends his unruly vassal back to Earth on occasion, binding him to human hosts and allowing him to ravage souls (on a smaller scale).  In modern times Zarathos is bound to Johnny Blaze; the combined Blaze/Zarathos entity manifests as a leather-clad flaming skeleton known as the [[Ghost Rider (comics)|Ghost Rider]], ultimately serving the side of "good" while still using hellish means which earns the Ghost Rider a reputation of fear, and Johnny Blaze a never-ending sense of guilt.<ref>''Marvel Spotlight'' vol. 1 #5</ref>  As time progresses, Zarathos would occasionally from time to time assert his control over Johnny Blaze's body.<ref>''Ghost Rider'' vol. 2 #26</ref>  Zarathos was temporarily separated from John Blaze by the Crimson Mage.<ref>''Ghost Rider'' vol. 2 #43-44</ref> Zarathos gained additional control over the Ghost Rider, becoming more violent.<ref>''Ghost Rider'' vol. 2 #68</ref> As the Ghost Rider, he re-encountered Centurious.<ref>''Ghost Rider'' vol. 2 #74</ref> John Blaze had grown stronger, causing an eventual clash over Blaze's physical body, as Mephisto temporarily frees Zarathos to compete with John Blaze for his freedom.<ref>''Ghost Rider'' vol. 2 #76</ref> Before it can reach that point, Centurious (Mephisto's champion who defeated Zarathos thousands of years before) returns and has his pawn [[Sin-Eater (comics)|Sin-Eater]] use his Soul Crystal to suck Blaze's soul from his body.  This greatly weakens Zarathos who, without Blaze's soul, finds himself dying, for as a demon, and thus truly not of the earth as mortals are, Zarathos cannot maintain himself upon the earthly plane unless he possesses the physical body of a mortal.  Using the last of his strength, Zarathos splits the crystal in half, freeing not only Blaze's soul, but innumerable souls that had been consumed in the past.  Before the crystal merges back into one piece, it sucks Centurious inside as well.  Zarathos feels cheated out of his revenge against Centurious, but with the help of the now-dying Sin-Eater, the demon manages to transfer his essence into the crystal.  Johnny Blaze is now free from the curse that Mephisto placed on him many years before and the first existence of the Ghost Rider comes to an end.<ref>''Ghost Rider'' vol. 2 #80-81</ref>
+Zarathos is then forced to serve Mephisto for many centuries in the [[Netherworld (Marvel Comics)|Netherworld]], an extra-dimensional land of the dead sometimes called "Hell", though still powerful enough to avoid total confinement. Mephisto sends his unruly vassal back to Earth on occasion, binding him to human hosts and allowing him to ravage souls (albeit on a smaller scale). In modern times, Zarathos is bound to [[Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze)|Johnny Blaze]]; the combined Blaze/Zarathos entity manifests as a leather-clad flaming skeletal wraith known as the [[Ghost Rider]], ultimately serving the side of "good" while still using hellish means, which earns the Ghost Rider a reputation of fear and Johnny Blaze a never-ending sense of guilt.<ref>''Marvel Spotlight'' #5</ref> As time progresses, Zarathos would occasionally from time to time reassert his control over Johnny Blaze's and his composite form.<ref>''Ghost Rider'' (vol. 2) #26</ref>  Zarathos was temporarily separated from Johnny Blaze by the Crimson Mage.<ref>''Ghost Rider'' (vol. 2) #43-44</ref> Zarathos gained additional control over the Ghost Rider, becoming more violent.<ref>''Ghost Rider'' (vol. 2) #68</ref> As the Ghost Rider, he re-encountered Centurious.<ref>''Ghost Rider'' (vol. 2) #74</ref> Johnny Blaze had grown stronger, causing an eventual clash over Blaze's physical body, as Mephisto temporarily frees Zarathos to compete with Johnny Blaze for his freedom.<ref>''Ghost Rider'' (vol. 2) #76</ref> Before it can reach that point, Centurious (Mephisto's champion who defeated Zarathos thousands of years before) returns and has his pawn the [[Sin-Eater (comics)|Sin-Eater]] use his Soul Crystal to suck Blaze's soul from his body. This greatly weakens Zarathos who, without Blaze's soul, finds himself dying, for as a demon, and thus truly not of the Earth as mortals are, Zarathos cannot maintain himself upon the Earthly plane unless he possesses the physical body of a mortal. Using the last of his strength, Zarathos splits the crystal in half, freeing not only Blaze's soul, but innumerable souls that had been consumed by it in the past. Before the crystal merges back into one piece, it sucks Centurious inside as well. Zarathos feels cheated out of his revenge against Centurious, but with the help of the now-dying Sin-Eater, the demon manages to transfer his essence into the crystal. Johnny Blaze is now free from the curse that Mephisto placed on him many years before and the first existence of the Ghost Rider comes to an end.<ref>''Ghost Rider'' (vol. 2) #80-81</ref>
-Near the climax of the events known as [[Secret Wars II]], the [[Beyonder]], angered at humanity and the entire plane of existence, travels to Hell and informs Mephisto of his plan to erase all existence contained in this universe.  Mephisto pleads with the Beyonder not to commit such an act, going so far as to make a bet with him.  The Beyonder agrees, under these terms:  He chooses both a champion to represent him and a separate champion to represent Mephisto; if Mephisto wins, the universe will be given a twenty-four hour reprieve from destruction, but if the Beyonder wins, not only will he erase the universe from existence, he will give his champion ample time to exact revenge on Mephisto himself.  The Beyonder chooses [[Spider-Man]] as Mephisto's champion and decides that Zarathos will be his own champion.  Zarathos' goal is not only to corrupt Spider-Man's spirit and morals, but to prevent Spider-Man from stopping an assassination attempt on the [[Kingpin (comics)|Kingpin]].  Spider-Man overcomes Zarathos' nightmarish attempts at corrupting him and saves the Kingpin's life.  Thus the Beyonder (after re-imprisoning Zarathos inside the Soul Crystal) allows the universe one more day to exist (during that additional day came the Beyonder's defeat and seeming death).<ref>''[[The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' (vol. 1) #274</ref>
+Near the climax of the events of ''[[Secret Wars II]]'', the [[Beyonder]], angered at humanity and the entire plane of existence, travels to Hell and informs Mephisto of his plan to erase all existence contained in this universe. Mephisto pleads with the Beyonder not to commit such an act, going so far as to make a bet with him. The Beyonder agrees, under these terms: he chooses both a champion to represent him and a separate champion to represent Mephisto; if Mephisto wins, the universe will be given a 24-hour reprieve from destruction, but if the Beyonder wins, not only will he erase the universe from existence, he will give his champion ample time to exact revenge on Mephisto himself. The Beyonder chooses [[Spider-Man]] as Mephisto's champion and decides that Zarathos will be his own champion. Zarathos' goal is not only to corrupt Spider-Man's spirit and morals, but to prevent Spider-Man from stopping an assassination attempt on the [[Kingpin (character)|Kingpin]]. Spider-Man overcomes Zarathos' nightmarish attempts at corrupting him and saves the Kingpin's life; thus, the Beyonder (after re-imprisoning Zarathos inside the Soul Crystal) allows the universe one more day to exist (during that additional day came the Beyonder's defeat and seeming death).<ref>''[[The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' #274</ref>
-Zarathos becomes a threat once again when the [[Midnight Sons]] are formed. He briefly joins forces with the demon mother [[Lilith (Marvel Comics)#Mother of All Demons|Lilith]] (not to be confused with [[Lilith (Marvel Comics)#Dracula's daughter|Dracula's daughter]], who has the same name),{{Issue|date=July 2009}} but soon leaves her after he realized she was just using him to bring her the Medallion of Power.{{Issue|date=July 2009}} Another reason he left her was because she duped him into joining her forces. (His memory was so bad at the time that Lilith actually convinced him that he was her son). After he left, he went to become the leader of the Fallen, the evil Blood (his acolytes) once again. Having lost his memory, Zarathos has not quite reached his full power until he meets the Fallen.{{Issue|date=July 2009}} After that he gains enough power to defeat Ghost Rider and absorb his essence. However, he suffers horrible agony since Ghost Rider was still residing within him. This gives the Midnight Sons a chance to defeat Zarathos. It is [[Blade (comics)|Blade]] who takes Foundry's sword, killing her with it so he can use her blood-stained sword to defeat Zarathos. Blade defeats Zarathos by turning him into stone;{{Issue|date=July 2009}} he remained that way until the Ghost Rider Hammerlane Mini-Series where he began to reconstitute himself within Johnny Blaze, after which he and Johnny made peace with one another.{{Issue|date=January 2010}}  After the "Fear Itself" storyline, Blaze had Zarathos excorised from him.{{issue|date=December 2011}}  The demon Zarathos is now bonded to a female host in the present series.{{issue|date=December 2011}}
+Zarathos becomes a threat once again when the [[Midnight Sons]] are formed. He briefly joins forces with the demon mother [[Lilith (Marvel Comics)#Mother of All Demons|Lilith]] (not to be confused with [[Lilith (Marvel Comics)#Dracula's daughter|the daughter of Dracula]], who has the same name),{{Volume needed|c=y|date=July 2009}} but soon leaves her after he realized she was just using him to bring her the Medallion of Power.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=July 2009}} Another reason he left her was because she duped him into joining her forces (his memory was so bad at the time that Lilith actually convinced him that he was her son). After he left, he went to become the leader of the Fallen, the evil Blood (his acolytes) once again. Having lost his memory, Zarathos has not quite reached his full power until he meets the Fallen.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=July 2009}} After that, he gains enough power to defeat the Ghost Rider and absorb his essence. However, he suffers horrible agony since the Ghost Rider was still residing within him. This gives the Midnight Sons a chance to defeat Zarathos. It is [[Blade (character)|Blade]] who takes Foundry's sword, killing her with it so he can use her blood-stained sword to defeat Zarathos. Blade defeats Zarathos by turning him into stone;{{Volume needed|c=y|date=July 2009}} he remained that way until the ''Ghost Rider: Hammerlane'' miniseries, where he began to reconstitute himself within Johnny Blaze, after which he and Johnny made peace with one another.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=January 2010}}  After the ''Fear Itself'' story line, Blaze had Zarathos exorcised from him.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=December 2011}}  The demon Zarathos was eventually then bonded to a female host in the present series.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=December 2011}} Eventually, Zarathos was ultimately bound once again to Johnny Blaze.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=November 2016}}
-Before he was turned to stone, Zarathos had claimed that he had coupled with Lilith, impregnating her.{{Issue|date=July 2009}} Lilith plans to unleash her children, but this is yet to be seen.
+Before he was turned to stone, Zarathos had claimed that he had coupled with [[Lilith (Marvel Comics)#Mother of All Demons|Lilith]], impregnating her.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=July 2009}} Lilith plans to unleash her children, but this is yet to be seen.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=July 2019}}
+During the ''[[Damnation (comics)|Damnation]]'' event Zarathos, along with Johnny Blaze, went to Hell and took Mephisto's throne, becoming the new King of Hell.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=July 2019}}
 ==Powers and abilities==
+Zarathos is continuously shown to be able to challenge [[Mephisto (Marvel Comics)|Mephisto]] in both Earthly and magical combat. He possesses immeasurable levels of strength and stamina well beyond that of his hosts and is wholly immune to anything other than the powers of beings such as the [[One Above All]]. When at full strength, Zarathos has exhibited influence over certain Earthly elements; he is able to conjure thunderstorms to incinerate his opponents with bolts of lightning, as well as rupture the ground either to trap his victims in hard rock or to impale them with spiked stalagmites.
-Zarathos is an extremely powerful demon almost on the same level as [[Mephisto (comics)|Mephisto]]. Zarathos possesses various inherent supernatural powers, and as such he is able to control the elements on the Earth themselves, and can trap his opponents by taking the ground itself and wrapping it around his foe. Zarathos, if he wishes, can form the rocks into spikes, impaling his foes.
-In addition, he has superhuman strength, durability and stamina and possesses the trait of immortality. He is able to shoot [[hellfire]] from his hands and is able to transport both himself and others to different locations. Apparently, the more souls he consumes, the more powerful he becomes. Zarathos also has limited knowledge of magical lore, and possesses the ability to manipulate magical energies for a variety of effects.
+He is able to shoot [[Wikt:hellfire|hellfire]] from his hands, and can transport both himself and others to different locations. Apparently, the more souls he consumes, the more powerful he becomes. Zarathos also has significant knowledge of magical lore and possesses the ability to manipulate magical energies for a variety of effects.
-==Other versions==
-===MC2===
-In the [[Marvel Comics 2|MC2]] alternate future, [[Kaine]] summons Zarathos in an attempt to save the life of his nephew, [[Darkdevil|Reilly Tyne]] (the son of [[Ben Reilly]] and Elizabeth Tyne) who is dying because he has inherited the genetic defects from his father’s cloned physiology. This backfires when Zarathos attempted to claim Tyne’s body as his own. At the same time, Kaine  also tries to bring [[Daredevil (Marvel Comics)|Daredevil]] (who had been killed by the Kingpin while saving Kaine's life) back to life. The soul of Daredevil takes up residence in Tyne's body.  The forces of the two spirits residing within him tend to keep each other in check; Tyne gains Zarathos' physical appearance, demonic and regenerative powers, while the influence of Murdock keeps him from becoming corrupted. Under the influence of these two entities residing within him, Tyne decides to become the hero [[Darkdevil]].{{Issue|date=July 2009}}
-==Other media==
-===Film===
-In the 2012 film ''[[Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance]]'', the Ghost Rider is revealed to be an incarnation of Zarathos himself. In this version, Zarathos was an angel and a Spirit of Justice sent to protect man. But he was taken to Hell where he was corrupted and his mission of protecting the innocent turned into punishing the guilty and; as a result, he turned into the Devil's Spirit of Vengeance.
 ==References==
@@ Line 46: / Line 48: @@
 ==External links==
-{{Marvelwiki}}
+* {{Marvelwiki}}
+* [http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Zarathos_(Earth-616) Zarathos] at Marvel Wiki
 {{Ghost Rider}}
 {{Midnight Sons}}
+[[Category:Characters created by Gary Friedrich]]
+[[Category:Characters created by Mike Ploog]]
+[[Category:Characters created by Roy Thomas]]
 [[Category:Comics characters introduced in 1972]]
-[[Category:Judeo-Christian mythology in comics]]
+[[Category:Fictional characters with fire or heat abilities]]
-[[Category:Marvel Comics angels]]
+[[Category:Fictional characters with body or mind control abilities]]
+[[Category:Fictional characters with weather abilities]]
+[[Category:Fictional demons]]
+[[Category:Fictional skeletons]]
+[[Category:Ghost Rider]]
+[[Category:Marvel Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds]]
+[[Category:Marvel Comics characters who use magic]]
+[[Category:Marvel Comics immortals]]
+[[Category:Marvel Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability]]
+[[Category:Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength]]
+[[Category:Marvel Comics demons]]
 [[Category:Marvel Comics devils]]
 [[Category:Marvel Comics supervillains]]
+[[Category:Merged fictional characters]]
+[[Category:Mythology in Marvel Comics]]
-[[it:Zarathos]]
-[[fi:Zarathos]]

v t e Ghost Rider
Gary Friedrich Mike Ploog Roy Thomas
Ghost Riders	Johnny Blaze Danny Ketch Noble Kale Robbie Reyes
Supporting characters	Blade Caretaker Doctor Strange Jennifer Kale Midnight Sons Moon Knight Punisher Roxanne Simpson Shriker Spider-Man Stunt Master
Teams	Avengers Champions Defenders Heroes for Hire Legion of Monsters Midnight Sons Thunderbolts
Villains	Aqueduct Blackheart Blackout Centurious Circus of Crime Deacon Deathwatch Jack O'Lantern Lilith Lucifer Madcap Mephisto Moondark Nightmare Orb Scarecrow Skinner Zadkiel Zarathos
Publications	Ghost Rider Road to Damnation
In other media	Ghost Rider (2007 film) Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance Ghost Rider (video game) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Ghost Rider
Alternative versions	Vengeance Phantom Rider 2099 Cosmic Ghost Rider