Zarathos (Earth-616)

Zarathos
Name	Zarathos
Affiliation and Relationships
Relatives	Lilith (Mother of Demons) (mate)
Marital Status	Single
Physical Characteristics
Gender	Male
Height	6′2″ (1.88 m)
Weight	Variable
Eyes	Irises: Blue
Hair	No Hair At All
Origin and Living Status
Origin	Powerful demon of unknown origin summoned by the priest K'Nutu
Living Status	Alive
Reality	Earth-616
Personal Information
Identity	No Dual
Citizenship	Hell
Occupation	Demon
Base of Operations	Mobile
Creators and Appearances
Creators	Gary Friedrich, Mike Ploog
First	Marvel Spotlight #5 (May, 1972)
First	Marvel Spotlight #5 (May, 1972)

 You play with the Wind - and use it to toss Toys at me? I AM NOT IMPRESSED! 

—Ghost Rider

History

Origin

Zarathos fought the ancient Spirits of Vengeance and corrupted a number of their overseers, the Blood into his "Fallen". Although he promised them increased power, in actuality Zarathos was using their powers to further augment himself.

After gaining power and worshipers, Zarathos then challenged Mephisto for ownership of his realm. Mephisto tricked Zarathos by having Centurious. Centurious' lack of a soul rendered him immune to many of Zarathos' power. With his followers abandoning him, Zarathos was easily defeated.

Ghost Rider

On occasion, Mephisto would forcibly bond Zarathos to mortals as a mockery of the Spirits of Vengeance. On one such occasion, he bonded Zarathos to carnival stunt cyclist Johnny Blaze, transforming him into the Ghost Rider. After serving as the Ghost Rider for many years, Zarathos was contained inside of mystic relic known as the Soul Chamber. He was briefly released by the Beyonder in an attempt to tempt Spider-Man into allowing the death of the Kingpin.

However, Zarathos appeared again, having hid inside Centurious until freed by Lilith. Joining with Lilith, they planned to take over Earth and were opposed by the Midnight Sons. The Fallen also returned to assist Zarathos. However, the destruction of the Fallen, his absorption of Ghost Rider and the powerful weapon, Justiciar all led to Zarathos' destruction.

Attributes

Power Grid

Powers

• Demonic Physiology: Zarathos was a demon of uncertain classification who possessed a number of superhuman attributes:
  • Superhuman Strength
  • Enhanced Human Speed
  • Immeasurable Stamina
  • Godlike Durability
  • Enhanced Human Reflexes
  • Immortality
  • Spiritual Enhancement: Zarathos is capable of increasing his powers by drawing strength from the faith of his worshippers.
  • Hellfire: Zarathos can project supernatural flames, called "hellfire", which can burn his opponents physically or spiritually.

Notes

• The nature of Zarathos has changed significantly over the years.
  • Initially, John Blaze assumed a demon form to become Ghost Rider in Marvel Spotlight #5. However, at first there was no indication this demon had its own mind and personality; it was merely the form Johnny took when he transformed.
  • By Ghost Rider (Vol. 2) #29, the Ghost Rider began demonstrating a different personality diverging from Johnny's own. After several years, it was confirmed that the Ghost Rider was actually a demon called Zarathos, a former rival of Mephisto's who was rendered amnesiac and forced into his service, related in Ghost Rider (Vol. 2) #77.
  • A different story was told by the Caretaker in the crossovers, Road To Vengeance: Missing Link and Siege of Darkness. Here, Zarathos was the foe of the benevolent Spirits of Vengeance, who sacrificed themselves to bind their spirits and his inside their sacred Medallion of Power. The Medallion was broken into four pieces and the essence of the pieces cast into two sacred bloodlines. As part of this bloodline, John Blaze was channeling the Spirit of Vengeance linked to his own fragment of the medallion when he became Ghost Rider, and later began channeling Zarathos as well.
  • In Ghost Rider Vol 6, however, it was revealed that the Caretaker's story was a complete lie, fabricated to hide the Spirits' true origins as black ops Angels in the service of Heaven. How this revelation influences the origins of Zarathos has not been explicitly dealt with.

See Also

• 149 appearance(s) of Zarathos (Earth-616)
• 9 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Zarathos (Earth-616)
• 49 minor appearance(s) of Zarathos (Earth-616)
• 18 mention(s) of Zarathos (Earth-616)
• 8 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Zarathos (Earth-616)
• 2 invocation(s) of Zarathos (Earth-616)
• 10 image(s) of Zarathos (Earth-616)
• 6 quotation(s) by or about Zarathos (Earth-616)