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Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Devil in the arts and popular culture

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A man dressed as the Devil at New York City's West Indian Day Parade.

The Devil, (Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, Iblis) appears frequently as a character in literature and various other media, beginning in the 6th century when the Council of Constantinople officially recognized Satan as part of their belief system. In Abrahamic religions, the figure of the Devil, Satan personifies evil. In music, the Devil is referenced across both classical and popular music. Connecting the devil to certain music can be used to associate the music with immorality, either by critics or by the musicians themselves. In television and film, the Devil has a long history of being used and often appears as an extremely powerful, purely evil, antagonist. He also may appear working behind the scenes, in disguise, or in secrecy to influence a story in the forefront. In narrative works, the Devil is often associated with concepts such as the Antichrist, Hell and the afterlife, and the apocalypse. Especially in media from the early 1900s, creators might have been compelled to portray the Devil with another name or in a non-classical fashion to skirt censorship laws that discouraged showing the Devil as a character. Occasionally the Devil appears not as an entity but rather is used as a name for something that is very sinister or malevolent in a narrative such that the characters feel it is the Devil.

A devil (lower case) is an "evil spirit, demon, fiend" (OED).

Entertainment

Music

Classical music

The Devil is featured as a character in many musical representations from the Middle Ages to modern times. Hildegard of Bingen's 11th-century Ordo Virtutum features him, as do several baroque oratorios by composers such as Carissimi and Alessandro Scarlatti. During the 19th century, Gounod's Faust, in which the Devil goes by the name Mephistopheles, was a staple of opera houses around the world.

Highly virtuosic violin music was sometimes associated with the Devil. Tartini's Devil's Trill sonata and Paganini's Devil's Laughter caprice are examples. The theme is taken up by Stravinsky in the "Devil's Dance" from The Soldier's Tale.

Other pieces that refer to the Devil are Franz Liszt's "Mephisto Walzer" and Joseph Hellmsberger II's "Teufelstanz", as well as Haydn's lost opera "Der krumme Teufel".

"Archangel of Light" (another name for Lucifer) is a title song of the classical music band with the same name, by the composer Carlos David López Grether

Film and television

When Satan is depicted in movies and television, he is often associated with various symbols, whether as a motif or in his physical design or costume. These include horns, tails, and wings, which are often seen on the body of Satan in film and television. Satan is also associated with or may take the form of snakes, dragons, goats, or dogs. The color red is another common symbol, and may be incorporated by showing Satan with red skin, hair, or clothing. Other signifiers include hooves, bird legs, and pitchforks.  When trying to blend in or deceive somebody, he is often represented as an ordinary human being, and sometimes only his voice is heard. Although in medieval art Satan appears in forms of various genders, stations, or ages, in cinema of the United States of America he is most often male.

Film

Satan as a personification of evil provides many narrative opportunities. Struggles with Satan have been used to symbolize human weaknesses and temptations, as in the films Bedazzled (1967, remade 2000) and Oh, God! You Devil (1984). In horror and suspense films, Satan provides for a virtually all-powerful foe.

Film Year Actor Character Description Ref.
Faust 1926 Emil Jannings Mephisto Faust, an old alchemist sells his soul for his youth but gets it back after he sacrifices himself.
The Student of Prague 1926 Werner Krauss Scapinelli Balduin, a poor university student and fencer sells his soul to become more popular but ends up having to fight his doppelgänger to save it.
The Devil and Daniel Webster 1941 Walter Huston Mr. Scratch Jabez Stone, a poor farmer sells his soul for seven years of luck and prosperity but gets it back with the help of Daniel Webster.
The Devil with Hitler 1942 Alan Mowbray Satan/"Gesatan" When Hell's Board of Directors plan to replace Satan with Adolf Hitler, Satan tries to save his job by becoming Hitler's new valet and convincing him to perform one good deed.
Heaven Can Wait 1943 Laird Cregar His Excellency When kind playboy Henry Van Cleve dies and goes to Hell, he is not so sure whether he is evil enough to stay.
Angel on My Shoulder 1946 Claude Rains Nick He teams up with local small time gangster Eddie Kagle to get revenge on Smiley Williams while getting him to pose as Judge Frederick Parker, who is his double.
Alias Nick Beal 1949 Ray Milland Nick Beal A successful district attorney sells his soul to catch a mob boss and to run for governor but he gets it back with the help of his wife and local priest.
The Story of Mankind 1957 Vincent Price Mr. Scratch He goes by the name of Mr. Scratch and opposes the Spirit of Man at a trial to determine the fate of mankind and the planet Earth in front of the High Judge when the potential of nuclear war with the H-Bomb becomes a threat to Heaven, but is stopped.
Up In Smoke 1957 Byron Foulger Mr. Bubb Sach Jones sells his soul to the Devil in order win a horserace but gets it back when his horse loses.
Damn Yankees 1958 Ray Walston Mr. Applegate "Mr. Applegate" bargains with a middle-aged baseball fan to give him youth and prowess in baseball in exchange for his soul, but he gets it back in the end.
The Devil's Messenger 1961 Lon Chaney Jr. Satan Although not actually referred to by name, Chaney's character is Satan in this anthology film edited together from three episodes of the TV series 13 Demon Street with new wraparound scenes, set in Hell to link the chosen episodes, in which Satan sends out his chosen servant Satanya (Karen Kadler) on missions.
The Greatest Story Ever Told 1965 Donald Pleasence The Dark Hermit Satan tries to tempt Jesus into worshiping him but fails.
Rosemary's Baby 1968
The Devil Rosemary Woodhouse is raped by the Devil and gives birth to the Antichrist.
Satan's Triangle 1975 Kim Novak, Alejandro Rey, Doug McClure
A made-for-TV film in which at the film's climax it is revealed that the Devil assumes different guises and bodies to trap people who have strayed into the Bermuda Triangle.
The Omen (franchise) 1976 Various Damien Thorn In which Satan's son Damien Thorn is the Antichrist.
The Devil and Max Devlin 1981 Bill Cosby Barney Satin In which Satan makes a Faustian pact with Max Devlin to deliver three innocent people to Hell in exchange for longer life.
Legend 1985 Tim Curry Darkness In which Satan is represented by the Lord of Darkness, who threatens to destroy all mankind and enter the Earth into an eternal Ice Age.
Crossroads 1986 Robert Judd Scratch The Devil is portrayed as a trickster who takes souls in exchange for unparalleled musical prowess, a la Faust.
Angel Heart 1987 Robert De Niro The Devil In which the character "Louis Cypher", a play on the name "Lucifer", is revealed to be the Devil at the end of the film.
Prince of Darkness 1987
The Devil In which the Devil has stored his essence in a container and attempts to release his father - the Anti-God - into the world through a mirror, seen only in the end.
The Witches of Eastwick 1987 Jack Nicholson Daryl Van Horne Three women who are unaware of the power they possess, unknowingly summon what they consider to be the perfect man. He seduces all three of them and their lives dramatically improve. But, when they attempt to distance themselves, they see their worst fears materialize. The film does not directly refer to the man as the Devil, but it is strongly implied.
The Last Temptation of Christ 1988 Leo Marks (voice)
Satan shows Jesus a world in which he was never crucified but is defeated.
The Phantom of the Opera 1989 John Ghavan Dwarf Erik Destler sells his soul so that the world would love his music. In return the Devil scars his face so that he can never be loved.
We Are Not Angels 1992 Srđan Todorović The Devil A comedy film in which the Devil fights the Angel (played by Uroš Đurić) for the soul of the Belgrade playboy (Nikola Kojo), who is unaware that he impregnated a high school student.
Needful Things 1993 Max von Sydow Leland Gaunt Based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, the film depicts the character of "Leland Gaunt" as the Devil himself, who opens a new antiques store in Castle Rock, Maine by the name of "Needful Things".
The Prophecy 1995 Viggo Mortensen Lucifer Lucifer attempts to prevent Gabriel from triggering an angelic civil war that will create a new Hell to 'compete' with Lucifer's own.
The Devil's Advocate 1997 Al Pacino John Milton John Milton — a reference to Paradise Lost — who is ultimately revealed to be Satan in human form, manipulates his son (Keanu Reeves), a criminal attorney who is ignorant of his true parentage, to accept his demonic heritage. In one of the plot where Milton loses by deception, you can see his fall hinting at the "Ancient Legend". This means that Lucifer was an angel until he was expelled to hell.
The Ninth Gate 1999

A trio of 17th century books feature engravings supposedly created by Lucifer; legend states that the nine correct engravings, when brought together, reveal an inscription that will summon the Devil.
End of Days 1999 Gabriel Byrne Satan Satan is the main villain, portrayed as a malignant, invisible force that takes possession of a businessman in order to conceive the Antichrist before the turn of the millennium, only to find himself opposed by an atheist ex-cop–turned–private–security–guard when he attempts to capture and rape the young woman who was prophesied to become his bride.
Little Nicky 2000 Harvey Keitel Lucifer Lucifer is the father of Satan and preparing to retire as ruler of Hell; he is presented as a sympathetic character more interested in maintaining balance than actually taking over the world.
Bedazzled 2000 Elizabeth Hurley The Devil Hopeless dweeb Elliot Richards is granted seven wishes by the Devil to snare Allison, the girl of his dreams, in exchange for his soul.
The Crow: Wicked Prayer 2001 David Boreanaz Satan Luc "Death" Crash (a Satanic cult leader), is possessed by Lucifer (here called Satan) and wishes to jumpstart the Apocalypse by impregnating Crash's fiancée Lola Byrne (who is also a part of the cult) with the Antichrist, but is distracted by Jimmy Cuervo. The sun rises before Lola can be impregnated, and Jimmy impales Crash on a spike and slits his throat. Lucifer is sent back to Hell following his host's death.
The Passion of the Christ 2004 Rosalinda Celentano Satan Although masculine in nature, Satan is portrayed by a lesbian woman and is depicted as a ghost-like albino figure with a more androgynous appearance rather than the traditional image of a red-skinned, horned satyr-like monster. She is implied to be the mastermind behind the Pharisees' plot to kill Jesus and also the one who influenced Judas' betrayal. In the film, Satan tries to distract Jesus while he prays at Gethsemane, watches sadistically (while holding a demonic child) as Jesus is whipped 39 times with the cat-o-nine-tails, and follows Jesus through the crowd as He walks to his death. She also sends several of her demons to torment Judas after the 12th disciple betrays Jesus, which leads to his suicide by hanging from the rope used to lead the donkey that carried Jesus to Jerusalem. After Jesus' death and the destruction of the Temple (as Jesus had prophesied), Satan returns to Hell (here depicted as a desolate wasteland) and screams in agony at her defeat.
Constantine 2005 Peter Stormare Satan/Lucifer Lucifer makes an appearance after being summoned by John Constantine to prevent Mammon from entering the human world, stating that he prefers waiting for humanity to damn itself rather than Mammon's plan to condemn the world to Hell himself; he later removes the source of Constantine's lung cancer to give the redeemed Constantine another chance to prove that he belongs in Hell after Constantine sacrifices a chance to save his own life to ask Satan to release someone else from Hell.
Ghost Rider 2007 Peter Fonda Mephistopheles Mephistopheles sets everything in the film into motion, making deals for souls. Desperate to get back one contract for 1,000 souls before his son Blackheart does, he calls in the marker he has on daredevil Johnny Blaze in exchange for curing his father's cancer, turning him into his bounty hunter.
Drive Angry 2011
Satan Satan only features as a behind-the-scenes figure in this film, dispatching the mysterious Accountant to stop John Milton after he escapes from Hell to save his baby granddaughter from being sacrificed by a ruthless cult. However, when he learns about the plan to sacrifice the baby, Satan has the Accountant give Milton the chance to stop the sacrifice, stating that Satan is more the warden of a very large prison rather than the personification of evil, and is actually against the sacrifice of innocents in his name.
The Devil's Carnival 2012 Terrance Zdunich Lucifer Lucifer is the leader of a carnival occupied by demons portrayed as carnies, which three sinners must go through; God is depicted as the enemy of Lucifer.
This Is the End 2013
Satan Satan is portrayed as an enormous seven-headed creature with magma-like skin.
Rosemary's Baby 2014
The Devil TV miniseries remake of Rosemary's Baby.
The Witch 2015 Charlie (Goat)

Daniel Wahab Chaudhry

Black Phillip / Satan Francesco Maria Guazzo illustrates a typical sabbath as "the attendants riding flying goats, trampling the cross, and being re-baptised in the name of the Devil while giving their clothes to him, kissing his behind, and dancing back to back forming a round".

In the final scene Thomasin wanders naked into the forest with Black Phillip, again incarnated as a goat, where she discovers a coven of witches dancing around a bonfire. The witches begin to levitate and a laughing Thomasin joins them above the trees.


Bad President 2020 Eddie Griffin The Devil The film depicts Donald Trump winning the U.S. presidential election by making a deal with the Devil himself.
The Shift 2023 Neal McDonough The Benefactor

Not Another Church Movie TBA Mickey Rourke The Devil

Television

TV Show Year Actor Character Description Ref.
The Twilight Zone 1959 Thomas Gomez Cadwallader Hypochondriac Walter Bedecker makes a deal with Cadwallader to become both immortal and invulnerable, with a special clause added that should Bedecker becomes disenchanted with living he can call on Cadwallader to exercise the "escape clause". However, after being involved in several incidents that prove his immortality, Bedecker becomes involved in a situation with an outcome that he never expected.
The Twilight Zone 1960 Robin Hughes "The Howling Man" He is depicted as the prisoner of an obscure religious order who tricks a stranded visitor into releasing him from his cell. After he is freed, he supposedly goes on to cause World War II before the visitor hunts him down and recaptures him, intending to send him back to the monastery.
The Twilight Zone 1961 Vaughn Taylor Teague He poses as a warlock named Teague who tries to convince Sgt. Joseph Paradine into freezing the Union Army so that the Confederacy can win the American Civil War. However, after his death, Paradine burns the book and marches on to Gettysburg.
The Twilight Zone 1961 Burgess Meredith Mr. Smith When the local newspaper The Dansburg Courier is in danger of going bankrupt, editor Doug Winter is lent the money to pay the paper's debts by the mysterious "Mr. Smith", whom Winter then hires to help him run the newspaper, after which "Mr. Smith" prints several sensational stories, all of which come true even as the stories are being written.
The Twilight Zone 1963 Julie Newmar Miss Devlin A cold-hearted and ruthless businessman finds himself on the wrong floor (the 13th floor) of his office building and enters the offices of Devlin Travel, where the devilishly attractive Ms. Devlin offers him a deal whereby he can go back in time to his hometown of 1920 so he can start over and get the pleasure of building his empire up all over again. He accepts the deal, at the cost of his entire fortune, but things don't go as planned.
Battlestar Galactica 1978 Patrick Macnee Count Iblis In the 1978 sci-fi TV series Battlestar Galactica, the two-part episode "War of the Gods" features a character very much like the Devil who is portrayed by Patrick Macnee. His name is Count Iblis — Iblis being the Islamic name of the Devil.
Fantasy Island 1980–1981 Roddy McDowall Mephistopheles Roddy McDowall appears twice as Mr. Roarke's supernatural nemesis Mephistopheles, who is determined to defeat Mr. Roarke and claim his soul, first in "The Devil and Mandy Bream" in which a woman has sold her own soul to the Devil to save her husband's life and then in "Devil and Mr. Roarke" in which Mephistopheles uses Mr. Roarke's assistant Julie to force Roarke into another confrontation.
Highway to Heaven 1985 Michael Berryman The Devil After Mark is involved in a car-bicycle collision that seriously injures a 5-year-old boy, a despondent Mark is tricked into selling his soul. Jonathan risks his own soul by recruiting a con artist to help Mark get over his self-pity and get past what happened, but the Devil and his own earthly cohort have plans of their own to acquire Jonathan's wings. The Devil makes a cameo appearance in the later Halloween episode "I Was a Middle-Aged Werewolf" in which he sells Mark a special sandwich.
Northern Exposure 1991
The Devil Northern Exposure season 3 episode 5 "Jules et Joel" features an adult male Halloween trick-or-treater dressed as the Devil who demands Joel Fleishman give him a treat, which he refuses to do. The man sprays Joel with silly string and runs off, being chased by Joel who does not make it past his porch before running into a support and getting knocked out.
Star Trek: The Next Generation 1991 Marta DuBois Ardra The Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Devil's Due" includes a character pretending to be Satan with both the traditional image and the Klingon version. Throughout the episode, she appears in a default form of an attractive mischievous woman. She is eventually revealed to be a con artist attempting to exploit a planet's mythology to take control of it.
Touched by an Angel 1994 Various Satan Touched by an Angel has Satan occasionally appear in the guise of a human being. Each time, he manipulates people around him in an attempt to thwart the angels Monica, Tess and Andrew in their efforts to work for God. John Schneider, Todd Rulapaugh and Mandy Patinkin each portrayed Satan in one episode, and David Ogden Stiers appeared as Satan in the two-episode series finale.
Stargate SG-1 1997 David Palffy Sokar Stargate SG-1 has an alien character, Sokar, who adopts the persona of Satan, possessing a great army with which he wants to take control of all other System Lords, and ultimately of the galaxy itself. He creates his own Hell on Ne'tu, the satellite of his homeworld, where he sends his enemies for torture and punishment.
Brimstone 1998 John Glover Lucifer John Glover portrayed the Fallen Angel Lucifer in the short-lived series Brimstone.
The Powerpuff Girls 1998 Tom Kane HIM HIM is a powerful, flamboyant demon and a reoccurring antagonist in the series. He is strongly implied to be the series representation of the Devil. His name was originally going to be Devil, but Cartoon Network wouldn't allow it due to being a name featuring a religious word.
Jesus 1999 Jeroen Krabbé
Manuela Ruggeri 		Satan The Devil tries to tempt Jesus but fails in two different forms.
Angels in the Infield 2000 Colin Fox The Devil The Devil is the main antagonist of the film.
Xena: Warrior Princess 2000 Zeus Mendoza Lucifer Xena: Warrior Princess season 6 episode "Heart of Darkness" shows Lucifer as a fallen archangel after Xena causes him to commit all seven deadly sins. After his transformation into Satan, she promptly shoves him into a portal to Hell, taking the place of the former leader of Hell, Mephistopheles, whom Xena has killed.
The Collector 2004–2006 Various The Devil The Collector has the Devil as a major antagonist, portrayed by a different actor in each episode. To identify him (or her) to the viewer, his eyes appear to fill with fire at times.
Reefer Madness 2005 John Mann Satan The Devil is shown as a minor character in the film.
Doctor Who 2006
The Beast The two-part Doctor Who story "The Impossible Planet"/"The Satan Pit" features a version of the Devil called "the Beast", who claims to have served as a subconscious basis for devil-like entities in religions throughout the universe. This depiction places more emphasis on the Devil's monstrous appearance, depicting him as a gargantuan, red-skinned beast with horns and a skeletal face.
Fallen 2006 Bryan Cranston Lucifer Fallen, the ABC Family trilogy, shows Lucifer as a major character.
Reaper 2007 Ray Wise Satan Reaper portrays Satan (played by Ray Wise) as a smooth-talking gentleman, often with a jocular manner, making contact with Sam Oliver to inform Sam of his missions as Satan's bounty hunter due to a deal his parents made prior to his conception.
Supernatural 2007–2020 Mark Pellegrino Jared Padalecki

Misha Collins

Lucifer Lucifer is stated to be the god of the demons in the season 3 episode "Sin City", later stories revealing that he created the first demon by corrupting a human soul as part of his rebellion against God. He is presented as less evil and more of a tragic villain, claiming that he was condemned to Hell because he defied God's commandment to love humanity over him and claiming that their actions since he fell have merely proven him correct in his disdain of them. The archangel Gabriel and Death both dispute this, saying that humans replaced Lucifer as God's favorite and describe his rebellion as nothing more than a temper tantrum of the former favorite child complaining that 'Daddy' (God) preferred 'the new baby' (humanity) more. He served as the main antagonist in the show's fifth season after he was released from Hell, attempting to take protagonist Sam Winchester as his vessel so that he could battle his brother Michael and fulfil his role in the Apocalypse, but he was eventually returned to his cage. He is released again in the eleventh season when he convinces the brothers that he is their best chance at defeating their new foe, Amara-essentially God's 'sister'-but after Amara departs, Lucifer revels in chaos and death until he is banished after taking the President as a vessel. Lucifer is eventually banished to a parallel universe following the birth of his Nephilim child, Jack Kline, and forms a back-and-forth 'alliance' with the Winchesters in the 13th season to oppose the Michael of that parallel world, until he is finally killed when Dean Winchester agrees to act as the vessel for the alternate Michael after Lucifer recharges himself with Jack's grace. In Season 15, Lucifer reappears after being resurrected by God, and attempts to trick the Winchester brothers into allowing him to assist with their battle against God. After revealing his true intentions were to steal God's death book, he engages in a brief fight against Sam, Dean, and the archangel Michael. He is then killed a second time by Michael with an archangel blade.
Torchwood 2007
Abaddon Torchwood episode "End of Days" features a gigantic demonic being named Abaddon, called the "Son of the Great Beast" (a reference to the aforementioned Doctor Who episodes). Abaddon kills people by casting his shadow over them to absorb their life energy, which becomes his downfall when he absorbs the immortal Captain Jack Harkness and chokes to death on him.
Ashes to Ashes 2008 Daniel Mays Jim Keats The third series of Ashes to Ashes introduces the character Jim Keats (played by Daniel Mays), a Discipline and Complaints officer sent to audit the Fenchurch East police station. Fenchurch East is revealed as a Purgatory for police officers, with Gene Hunt essentially acting as an "archangel" saving souls and sending them to Heaven, and Keats as the Devil taking souls to Hell.
Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell 2011 Matt Servitto "Satan", a.k.a. Darren Farley Originally presented as the Satan, who rules all of Hell, in seasons 1–2, in season 3 it is revealed that he is a mortal by the name of Darren Farley, Senior Vice President of the 11th Circle of Hell, "Miscellaneous". Farley rose up the demon ranks to middle management, and that "Satan" is a title given by the real Satan to such subordinates.
Being Human 2013 Phil Davis Captain Hatch / the Devil The fifth season of BBC supernatural drama Being Human reveals that the Devil was trapped in a human form in 1918 as part of a plan to kill him—the devil having apparently triggered the First World War as part of a plan to provoke a vampire/werewolf conflict so that he could feed on the resulting energy—but the ritual was disrupted, and the Devil was bound but not completely weakened or killed. Surviving into the present day, the Devil attempts to manipulate Hal Yorke (the vampire who originally participated in the ritual to bind him) and Tom McNair (a werewolf who now shares a house with Hal) into conflict with each other so that he can feed on the energy they create. Although he eventually gains enough power to manifest his full powers, he is seemingly killed in the series finale when Hal, Tom and their ghost friend Alex Millar perform the binding ritual once more, the Devil's death apparently restoring them to humanity (although other evidence hints that this may be another illusion).
Rick and Morty 2014 Alfred Molina Mr. Lucius Needful In the episode "Something Ricked This Way Comes", Summer reports to her first job as an assistant in an antique shop run by the Devil that sells cursed novelty items for free. (The shop and the Devil's name, Mr. Needful, are both references and parodies of the Stephen King novel Needful Things). Rick sets up another business across the street that removes the curses and runs the Devil out of business. The devil is so dismayed that he tries to kill himself, but Summer finds himself in the middle of his suicide attempt and revives him. They relaunch with a new dot-com company that becomes wildly successful. As it turns out, the Devil had no plans to include Summer in reaping the profits and has her hauled off by security. Betrayed by the Devil, she and Rick build muscle mass to get physical revenge.
Salem 2014–2017 Oliver Bell Samael The Devil makes pacts with witches in exchange for diabolical power. The coven eventually brings the Devil to Earth by having him possess the body of a young boy.
The Messengers 2015 Diogo Morgado The Man The Messengers shows the Devil as a major antagonist.
Lucifer 2016-

2021

Tom Ellis Lucifer Morningstar / Samael God's most powerful son and archangel, Samael, falls into Hell and becomes the Devil and the punisher of evil for all eternity after his rebellion against his Father. Now known as Lucifer Morningstar, he abdicates his role from the underworld and moves to Los Angeles as the owner of the nightclub Lux. His brother, Amenadiel, consistently pursues Lucifer to return to Hell and do his job, but he only shrugs it off and expresses that he does not want what their Father has "forced" him to do. Lucifer cuts off his angel wings to show his anger for God, however, he does not want to be completely removed of his angel identity despite being the Devil. One day, a celebrity and close friend was killed in front of him, forcing him to team up with the Los Angeles Police Department, and later the official consultant and partner of Detective Chloe Decker.
The Vampire Diaries 2016 Wolé Parks Arcadius / Cade Cade is ruler of hell, also known as the Devil. In the series, he moves to Earth, specifically in Mystic Falls, to take souls of "the worst of the worst." Tasking 2 sister sirens to do the job of killing humans who have done extremely terrible things, Cade takes the souls of those who are assigned to do their jobs, making them completely unkillable. He threatens to destroy the entirety of Mystic Falls by releasing hell fire.
Hazbin Hotel 2019 Jeremy Jordan Lucifer Morningstar Despite being the ruler of Hell, Lucifer doesn't seem to affect much of life in Hell, it being within the universe of the show being a place of punishment due to the self inflicted torture of its, mostly, twisted formerly human residents. He is also married to the Queen of Hell, named Lilith, and has a child named Charlotte, who, despite being the daughter of the Devil himself, aims to get people out of Hell and into Heaven via redemption, causing a brief conflict between them on their differing views until she managed to change his mind.
Helluva Boss
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina 2019 Luke Cook Lucifer Morningstar

Good Omens 2019 Niall Greig Fulton
Benedict Cumberbatch (voice) 		Satan

The Sandman 2022 Gwendoline Christie Lucifer Morningstar / Samael God's most powerful archangel, Samael, falls into Hell and becomes the Devil and the punisher of evil for all eternity after their rebellion against their Father. Taking the name of Lucifer Morningstar, they became Hell's ruler, eventually coming into conflict with Dream/Morpheus. This incarnation is depicted as androgynous.
Hazbin Hotel 2024 Jeremy Jordan Lucifer Morningstar He is the main character Charlie Morningstar's father and makes his Debut in Episode Five "Dad Beat Dad"

Animation

The Devil has been a popular recurring character in many animated films, either theatrical shorts, animated TV series and/or in anime. When a character has to take a moral choice a tiny-sized angel and devil often appear on both sides of his shoulders, representing the two possible choices he can take: the "good" path or the "bad" one. Demon-like characters have been featured as an occasional character in several animated series, either under the name Satan or as the Devil. When the Hays Code censorship was still in effect between the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s the Devil sometimes went nameless or received a different name referring to diabolical characters from other mythologies to avoid offending religious viewers. Examples of this practice are for instance Chernobog in Fantasia or the description of Hell as Hades in the Looney Tunes short Satan's Waitin' (1954). Even though these demons and their environment were not specifically identified as Satan and Hell, viewers still would make the connection based on the visual representation. Another way to avoid connotations with Satan was to make the demonic character an anthropomorphic cartoon animal.

Film / TV episode Year Animation director/ studio Description
Hell's Bells 1929 Walt Disney Company In this cartoon a demon named Hades gathers all devils to Hell for a wild party. His three-headed dog named Cerberus (a character from Greek mythology) also appears.
Red Hot Mamma 1934 Fleischer Studios In this Betty Boop cartoon Betty enters the underworld where she sings "Hell's Bells' for Satan and his minions and makes Hell literally freeze over.
Pluto's Judgement Day 1935 Walt Disney Company Pluto is sent off to a Hell-like place where cats put him on trial and torture him for all the crimes he ever committed against cats. One cat wears a red robe and leads the proceedings, heavily implying that he is the Devil himself. At the end of the cartoon it turns out to have all been a dream.
Sunday Go to Meetin' Time 1936 Warner Bros. cartoons In this Merrie Melodies cartoon a black man, Nicodemus, dreams that he is sent off to Hell for stealing chickens. Once again Hell and the Devil are described as the "Hades Court of Justice".
Donald's Better Self 1938 Walt Disney Company Donald Duck is guided by his good and evil conscience on his way to school. Both characters are represented as an angel and a demon who share a physical resemblance to him. At first Donald listens to the demon, but in the end the angel triumphs again.
Fantasia 1940 Walt Disney Company In the segment Night on Bald Mountain set to the eponymous orchestral piece by Modest Mussorgsky a character intended to be Satan (and indeed introduced as Satan in the introduction to the segment by Deems Taylor) gathers all demons together for a Black Mass. To avoid offending Christian viewers the character was later officially named after Chernobog, from Slavic mythology.
Donald's Decision 1942 Walt Disney Company In this World War Two propaganda cartoon Donald Duck is guided by his good and evil conscience in his choice of buying war bonds. The cartoon re-uses footage in some scenes from the 1938 short Donald's Better Self.
Stop That Tank! 1942 Walt Disney Company In this World War II instructional film, as the Canadian gun hit Adolf Hitler's tank as Hitler tumbles straight down to hell all the way to the Satan.
Heavenly Puss 1949 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio In this Tom & Jerry short Tom will be sent to Hell if he does not manage to make Jerry sign a certificate of forgiveness. The Devil in this cartoon is depicted as Spike the Bulldog. In the end everything turns out to have been a dream.
Satan's Waitin' 1954 Warner Bros. Cartoons In this Tweety and Sylvester cartoon a Satanic bulldog, hoping to acquire the cat's nine lives, goads Sylvester the Cat into chasing his prey, Tweety, into a number of violent situations.
The Hole Idea 1955 Warner Bros. Cartoons In this Looney Tunes cartoon, Calvin Q. Calculus, a scientist with a nagging wife, invents portable holes. At the end of the cartoon he throws her into one of them, causing her to end up in Hell. Satan then throws her back and replies: "Isn't it bad enough down here without her?"
Devil's Feud Cake 1963 Warner Bros. Cartoons A Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam short in which Yosemite is sent off to Hell. There Satan gives Sam several opportunities to bring Bugs to Hell, in exchange for Sam's own soul.
The Adventures of Mark Twain 1985 Will Vinton One segment of the film, based on Mark Twain's short story "The Mysterious Stranger", has the protagonists meet an angel who introduces themself as Satan. They have the children create a miniature kingdom with people from clay, which they then bring to life and eventually destroys again in an attempt to show the children the meaninglessness of life. Freightened, the children leave and Satan is not shown again. Interestingly, Satan is voiced by both a male and a female voice actor simultaneously.
Bart Gets Hit by a Car 1991 The Simpsons At the start of the episode Bart falls into a coma and dreams he has died. As he goes up on the Heavenly escalator he spits over the side, despite being told not to do so and as a result is sent off to Hell. There he is greeted by the Devil who eventually sends him back to Earth after a quick computer check which learns him that Bart has entered Hell too early in his life. This version of the Devil depicts him in the traditional way, as a goat-like character with a pitchfork. He would return in brief cameos in the episodes Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment (1991) and Rosebud (1993).
Treehouse of Horror IV 1993 The Simpsons In the first segment, The Devil and Homer Simpson, Homer sells his soul for a donut to the Devil, who is revealed to be his Christian neighbour Ned Flanders, since "it's always the one you least suspect."
The Devil 1993 The Nightmare Before Christmas The Devil is one of the residents of Halloween Town, unlike other demons, this version was depicted as a hero.
The Red Guy 1997–1999 Cow and Chicken The Red Guy is the recurring antagonist in the series. He is a red demon who often tries to trick the main protagonists.
Satan 1998 South Park Satan is a recurring character in the series and made his first appearance in the episode Damien. Several episodes and the 1999 film adaptation, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999), depict him as a sensitive and emotionally vulnerable person.
The Robot Devil 1999 Futurama In the episode Hell Is Other Robots (1999) it turns out there is a Robot Hell in New Jersey, where the Robot Devil resides. He would become a recurring character in several other episodes, playing major roles in the episodes The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings (2003) and Ghost in the Machines (2011).
The Devil 1999 The God & Devil Show The Devil was a recurring character in this Adobe Flash Internet cartoon series and was depicted as a promiscuous woman.
The Devil 2000 God, the Devil and Bob An animated sitcom which was prematurely cancelled after offending too many religious viewers. In the series God (depicted as a hippie) and the Devil make a bet over whether Earth is worth saving. The Devil is depicted as being jealous of God and often feels that He does not respect him enough. The Devil also has a small sidekick-demon named Smeck.
Treehouse of Horror XI 2000 The Simpsons In the first segment, G-G-Ghost D-D-Dad, Homer ends up in Hell where he is tortured by a muscular devil.
Metalocalypse 2006 Williams Street The episode "Dethreligion" has William Murderface joins the Church of Satan after nearly dying in a drunk driving crash. During a mass, one of the priests tries to summon Lucifer, along with Belial, Beelzebub, and Mephistophiles, by shouting out their names in an obnoxious, loud tone. He later appears along with the other three demon lords (with only his arm visible) to murder the church members and its inhabitants.
Treehouse of Horror XXV 2014 The Simpsons In the first segment, School Is Hell, Bart spents school in literal Hell, where the Devil also resides.
Lucifer Magne, Satan, and Beazlebub 2019 Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss Lucifer appears as the king of Hell and the husband of Lilith as well as the father of Charlie. Satan and Beezlebub appear as separate entities.
Legend of the Three Caballeros (ep. 2 & 10) 2021 Disney Digital Network The same demon duck from Donald's Better Self appear as Donald's bad side while the minotaur chase the Three Caballeros. He also appeared as the leader of the underworld that he was angry at Felldrake and Baron Von Sheldgoose that they let three "souls": the Three Caballeros (Donald Duck, José Carioca, and Panchito Gonzalez) to escape from his underworld. So he fired them and kicked out of the underworld back to the Earth for being bad employees.
Little Demon 2022 Atomic Cartoons Satan is one of the shows main characters.

Anime and manga

  • The Devil Is a Part-Timer! (はたらく魔王さま!, Hataraku Maō-sama!); the main protagonist of anime and manga series is Satan Jacob ("Sadao Maou"). Lucifer also appears in the series as a separate character.
  • Black Clover (ブラッククローバー, Burakku Kurōbā); Devils are an ancient race of magical and malevolent beings that dwell in the Underworld and serve as major antagonists of the series. As they originate from the Underworld, their mana are sinister in nature, giving rise to demonic magic attributes that are superior to their ordinary counterparts. Most devils are animalistic and monstrous in appearance and behavior, though higher ranking devils are more humanoid and intelligent.
    • Supreme Devils/Highest-ranking Devils of the Tree of Qliphoth are based on and share the names of demons and devils in real world mythology.
      • The Supreme Devil of the first layer of the Underworld are the twins Lilith and Nahamah/Naamah, who are wielders of Demon Ice Magic and Demon Fire Magic respectively.
      • The Supreme Devil of the second layer of the Underworld is Adrammelech, who has supposedly betrayed the King of Devils by stealing his heart.
      • In the lowest layer resides the three rulers of the Underworld: Beelzebub, the devil of Spatial Magic, Astaroth, the devil of Time Magic, and finally, the King of Devils, Lucifero, the devil of Gravity Magic.
  • Blue Exorcist Lucifer is one of the Eight Demon Kings and also the strongest among all of them in the story. He is also the leader of the group 'Illuminati', which researches immortality to find a way to create a strong host for Lucifer to possess.
  • Demon Lord Dante (魔王ダンテ, Maō Dante), Demon Lord Satan helps Dante in his battle against God and his angels.
  • Devilman, Satan, an angel who formerly served God, defects to the side of the demons and leads a war against his old master, but loses. As part of a plan to resume the war in the future, he has his memories suppressed and his army frozen in ice. After having his memories suppressed, he assumes the identity of a young man named Ryo Asuka, who leads Akira Fudo on the route to becoming a Devilman.
  • Digimon, known as Lucemon and one of the franchise's Seven Great Demon Lords, is based upon Lucifer; this character's backstory is similar to Lucifer's fall from grace. Digimon possesses numerous forms of increasing power, including his Chaos/Falldown Mode, Shadow Lord/Satan mode, and Larva Mode.
  • High School DxD Devils are a supernatural species of demons spawn from Lilith, the wife of the Devil King Lucifer. The Devils were ruled by their kings Lucifer, Beelzebub, Leviathan and Asmodeus. Desiring world domination, the Devil Kings led the devils to fought in Armageddon against God, Angels and Fallen Angels which lead to their deaths, countless devils also died to the point they became an endangered species.
    • Lucifer is one of the four original Devil Kings who ruled the Devils and died in Armageddon against God, Angels and Fallen Angels. His cambion great-grandson Vali Lucifer is the archrival of the protagonist Issei Hyodou. His son Rizevim Livian Lucifer whom he sired with Adam's ex-wife, Lilith became one of the main antagonists of the series, who sought to invade another world by reviving the Beast of Revelation using the Devil technology Lucifer had left behind, causing immense chaos to the world greater than what his father the original Lucifer had originally planned for world domination.
    • Beelzebub is one of the four original Devil Kings who ruled the Devils and died in Armageddon against God, Angels and Fallen Angels. His son, Bidleid Bashalun Beelzebub who inherited his father's arrogance also desired world domination, had tried to restart Armageddon but was killed by Sirzechs Gremory in the Devil Civil War. Another of Beelzebub's descendants, Shalba became one of the main antagonists as he also desired world domination by joining the supernatural terrorist organization the Khaos Bridgade. After being defeated by Issei, Shalba went insane as he sought to destroyed the Underworld and all Devils for denying him as their true ruler.
  • Beelzebub (manga); The Devil King's child is watched over by the Tatsumi Oga until he is old enough to rule Hell.
  • Mobile Fighter G Gundam The word, "Devil" was used on the Devil Gundam, which the name is changed to "Dark Gundam" in the English Dub, due to Sunrise's fears about Christian-related/Bible references, since the God Gundam was changed into "Burning Gundam".
  • In Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, Zorc Necrophades the Dark One/Yami Bakura, was resurrected by combining the Millennium Items back together, which even resembles a demon of Hell, (in the English dub, he is the creator and ruler of the inter-dimensional Shadow Realm) and it had a Dragon Head on its crotch.
  • In the manga of The Betrayal Knows My Name, Lucifer was/is the ancient demon king and the most feared and strongest of the duras whose tremendous demonic powers and strength was secretly coveted by the ancestors of the Giou Clan who desired to control it but failed. The anime "concludes" before the discovery of Lucifer.
  • In Soul Cartel, Lucifer was the former Archangel that fell and became the very first Fallen Angel. When Lucifer was slayed by Michael, he split into 4 parts ( Mephistopheles, Beelzebub, Mastema, and Astaroth ), creating the 4 Archdevils. Further in the series Mephistopheles the first archdevil summoned Lucifer's alter ego Asmodeus to fight an enemy.
  • In Beyblade Burst, 4 characters use devil-themed beys; Silas Karlisie, in the second and fifth seasons (Satan/Satomb); Delta Zakuro, in the fourth season (Diabolos/Devolos); Lain Valhalla, the main antagonist of the fifth season (Lucifer/Lucius) and Bel Daizora, the main protagonist of the sixth and final season (Belial/Belfyre).
  • In Record of Ragnarok Beelzebub is an eighth round fighter, he is the representative of the gods team. Satan and Beelzebub are different characters, but they both share the same body (in this case, Beelzebub's). Lucifer, Samael and Azazel are figures from Beelzebub's past.

Advertising

  • Clavin, a Czech supplement for erectile dysfunction, achieved notoriety in the country for its television commercials, which feature a devil alongside scantily clad women. The commercials caused controversy in 2014 after viewers complained about them airing during Ice Hockey World Championships games. Because of this, the Czech parliament banned commercials for adult products from airing before 10pm.
  • A viral 2020 Match.com ad created by Ryan Reynolds featured Satan matching with a woman named "2020", and the pair partaking in 2020 experiences such as toilet paper hoarding and dating in empty venues.

Radio

The BBC Radio 4 comedy show Old Harry's Game features Andy Hamilton in the leading role as Satan; in the first episode of Series Six, Satan states that he has gone by many names over the centuries including Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, Old Nick, Old Harry and Simon Cowell (one of his Satanic guises).

David Suchet played Satan in a radio adaptation of the play The Devil's Passion by Justin Butcher, broadcast on 3 December 2017.

Trevor Spencer voices Lucifer in the BBV Productions series Hellscape (created as well by Trevor Spencer) which is part of the extended Faction Paradox & Doctor Who universe.

Literature

Many writers have incorporated the character of Satan into their works. Among them are, in chronological order:

Comics

In DC and Vertigo comics, the Devil is represented by Lucifer "Samael" Morningstar, the Fallen Angel, former ruler of Hell, and leader of the Unholy Trinity - although other figures, such as Neron and the First of the Fallen, sometimes portray the devil. It is the same Lucifer Morningstar from the Netflix series Lucifer. In Underworld Unleashed, Neron gives enhanced powers to numerous supervillains. Darkseid is also associated with the Devil in the forms of Lucifer, Hades, the Greek God of the underworld, and the Hindu goddess Kali.

In some Marvel Comics publications, a "Lucifer" has been mentioned as being a Hell-lord with the same "fallen from Heaven" backstory. In the Ghost Rider series, Johnny Blaze faces a demon who claims to be Lucifer. In other Marvel plotlines, several high-level demons, such as Mephisto, Azazel, Marduk Kurios, and Satannish, have claimed to be the biblical Satan. In Marvel Comics, the Norse trickster-god Loki is shown as the main adversary of his adopted brother Thor and a common enemy of both Earth and Asgard. Although Loki has conjured up somewhat demonic magic, he is not a demon, but a misshapen frost giant. Among the characters related to Norse mythology, the fire giant Surtur is more reminiscent of a demon. The Egyptian demon-god Seth and the Japanese demon-god Amatsu-Mikaboshi have Satan-like roles in Marvel Comics.

Satan is a main character in the manga Devilman by Go Nagai.

Jio Freed, the main character from the manga, O-Parts Hunter, contains Satan, the most powerful demon in the series.

In the manga series Bastard‼: Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy by Kazushi Hagiwara, Satan appears as a large monster that has destroyed the Milky Way Galaxy by flying across it. Satan also helps Dark Schneider by telling him that he is a major part of the end times prophecy, who will lead demons and mankind to war against God and his army.

In the Image Comics comic book series Spawn, Satan is depicted as the twin brother of God. Both God and Satan are depicted as having squandered their powers as creator gods in endless fighting and were punished for it by the Mother of Creation. In the resurrection one shot and the later issues, God was now more benevolent and less hostile while Satan was still the Supreme ruler of Hell and the third primary antagonist of the series the first being Malebolgia and the second being Mammon.

The title character of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac is sent to Hell and has an extensive conversation with Señor Diablo (Spanish for Mr. Devil). In the spinoff series Squee!, the Devil is married to a Christian woman and has a son, Pepito the Antichrist, who befriends the unwilling Squee. Squee is invited to Satan's house for dinner, where Satan and Pepito both try to get Squee to join them, but he refuses and leaves after finishing dinner.

Satan is the main character in Normal Bob Smith's satirical Satan's Salvation.

In the manga series Blue Exorcist by Kazue Kato, the main character, Rin Okumura, is Satan's son and emits blue flames, a sign of Satan. His twin, Yukio, is also a son of Satan, but does not bear the flames.

Lucifer appears in the Saint Seiya anime and manga series.

Video games

  • Satan also appears as the main antagonist in Night Schools side-scrolling adventure video game Afterparty, he is referred to by the names Lucifer, "Luc", Satan and Morning Star and is portrayed as a more laid-back, party enjoying entity.
  • Lucifer is portrayed as a game developer in the 2016 metafictional video game Pony Island, who has been trapping players' souls inside the game.
  • The Dark Prince (known as Satan in Japan) is a green-haired demon that serves as the comical villain in the Puyo Puyo series.
  • Satan is the main antagonist and final boss in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. He appears as a long-haired, nearly naked man.
  • Satan returns as the main antagonist in the sequel Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2.
  • Satan is the name of one of the Seven Sisters of Purgatory in the series Umineko: When They Cry.
  • In the Megami Tensei series, Lucifer, Satan, and Beelzebub appear as separate entities.
    • Lucifer first appeared in 1987's Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei as the game's final boss. He appears throughout the series as a Chaos-aligned character. He also has a human avatar named Louis Cyphre that takes the form of either a child, a young man, an elderly man, or, in Louisa Ferre's case, a woman. He is shown as an enemy of Satan and YHVH. He also appears in the Devil Survivor spin-off, as one of the most powerful monsters in the game. In Shin Megami Tensei IV, Lucifer is the final boss of the Law and Neutral paths, opposing Merkabah.
      • In Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Children Light & Dark Versions, there exists a parody of Lucifer named LuciFroz (also known as Lucifrost and Lucifer Frost). LuciFroz is a Jack Frost demon that impersonated Lucifer to gain power. Afterwards, he tried to join Lucifer's ranks but was unsuccessful due to Lucifer's absence from Hell.
      • The Persona video game series depicts three separate versions of Lucifer. The seraphim version of Lucifer is known as Helel while the demonic version is known as Lucifer. A third variation of Lucifer appears in Persona 5 under the name Satanael, the form of Lucifer before his fall from Heaven. This variation differs from Helel.
    • Satan first appeared in 1990's Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II as one of the game's final bosses. Often a law aligned character, Satan serves YHVH as the accuser. Serving an important role in Shin Megami Tensei II, Satan is tasked to bring judgement to those not worthy of the Millennium Kingdom. Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse based Satan off his appearance in the Book of Revelation while older entries used the Hebrew Bible's interpretation of Ha-Satan for his design.
      • Satan frequently appears in the Persona video game series as a high-ranking member of the Judgement arcana.
  • The Ghosts 'n Goblins series have a recurring motif thorough the series in which main characters in each game uses a name given to the biblical Satan, although they are all different characters. In Ghouls 'n Ghosts, the character is named Lucifer. The character was renamed Loki in the international versions of the Sega Genesis port and Rushifell (a misromanization of Lucifer) in Gargoyle's Quest.
  • In El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron, Lucifer (referred to as Lucifel) assists Enoch in his battle against the fallen angels. Lucifel is portrayed as a wisecracking trickster like character who shares a comical, friendly relationship with God.
  • In Dante's Inferno, Lucifer appears as a shadowy spirit at the start before Dante Allighieri faces him in his physical form, only to be revealed as a shell-like imprisonment that holds the real Lucifer: a malformed angel with his wings ripped off, having been banished from Paradise after his failed rebellion against the Creator. It is revealed that he needs Dante to free him so he can have his revenge on God, but ultimately fails, and is sealed back into his icy prison by the holy power of Dante's cross, combined with every single soul that Dante absolved in Hell.
  • Devil May Cry 4 features a demonic weapon known as Lucifer that Dante obtains after he kills Berial. The weapon is depicted as a skull holding a rose in its mouth. The weapon is capable of firing infinite explosive mini-swords.
  • In Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Lucifer (under the alias of Lou) is shown as a manager for the player's band. It is later revealed that the band inadvertently sold their souls to him.
  • In Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, the character Roberto Frois uses gauntlets featuring the names of several archangels of Abrahamic myth with the Lucifer Gauntlets being his strongest darkness based weapon.
  • In Mega Man X8, the character Lumine is based on Lucifer, and includes a final attack called Paradise Lost.
  • He makes an appearance as the King of Dem in the video game series DemiKids.
  • Lucifer appears in the Painkiller video game series, where he is shown as a classical red demon.
  • Lucifer appears in Rage of Bahamut as both an Archangel, called a Seraph, and a Fallen Angel. His Fallen Angel form is the most prominent portrayal of him. Satan also makes an appearance as a separate entity.
  • Lucifer and Satan appear in Granblue Fantasy as separate entities, but they are connected as Lucifer holds the seal that keeps Satan (renamed “Black Beast”) from terrorizing the world.
  • Lucifer also appears as a secret boss in Final Fantasy II in the palace of Arubboth.
  • The devil is the final boss in Tekken 2. In the following games of Tekken, the character of Jin Kazama has an alter ego and alternative playable character Devil Jin, who is an inheritor of his father Kazuya's Devil Gene. In the game series, the "Devil" is described as a curse, rather than a single evil entity.
  • Lucifer, or alternatively, "Doom Bringer", is a playable character in Defense of the Ancients.
  • In Monster Retsuden Oreca Battle, there is a card called Fallen Angel Lucifer, as well as her false form Lucif.
  • Satan appears in the roguelike game The Binding Of Isaac, and its remake, The Binding Of Isaac: Rebirth. In the game, you can, if you don't take damage in a level, deal with him, sacrificing some of your health in exchange for items. He can also be fought as a boss in the game, not only in his regular form, but also as Mega Satan.
  • Satan, referred to as "The Devil" appears as the main antagonist in the game Cuphead, and as the final boss, as well as the owner of the Inkwell Hell casino. Unlike other depictions, he has no wings, and is depicted as a large, imposing, furry demon, with horns, and a trident.
  • In the game Genshin Impact, one of the element ruling Archons' name is Beelzebul (variant of Beelzebub). She is also the God of Eternity.
  • Satan appears in Broforce as the main antagonist. In the game's story, Satan is the boss of the terrorists trying to take over the United States, and appears at the end of most levels, though he can be easily defeated in a single blow. When the Xenomorphs attack America and infect the country, Satan and the terrorists put their plans for world domination on hold until they're defeated, where Satan becomes more powerful, with an undead army of terrorists and is then the final boss when he unlocks his true potential. However, he's defeated and Rambro eventually pees on his grave after the visit to the White House. There are two Trophies regarding killing Satan two different ways with The Brode and Brommando.
  • Lucifer appears in the game Helltaker as the CEO of Hell, and Beelzebub, a separate entity, appears as a minor character who was banished to the Abyss.
  • In Hades by Supergiant Games, the fourth and final aspect for the Adamant Rail is the Aspect of Lucifer.
  • In the visual novel game, Obey Me!, Lucifer and Satan appear as two separate brothers.
    • Lucifer is the eldest among the seven demon brothers as the Avatar of Pride and hence is the leader of the household.
    • Satan is the 4th oldest and physically the youngest among the seven demon brothers as the Avatar of Wrath. He is the only brother who wasn't originally an angel. Satan also has a surprising affinity with cats.
  • Void Stranger depicts several archdemons with abbreviated names as Void Lords. One of these characters is Cif, which is a nickname for Lucifer.
  • In the visual novel game A3!, Lucifer, Satan, and Beelzebub appear as characters in one of the game's original plays, "Stray Devil Blues".

Role-playing games

The Devil's Dictionary

Ambrose Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary gives a satirical view of Satan as "one of the Creator's lamentable mistakes". When expelled from Heaven, he asks that mankind be allowed to make its own laws, and the request is granted.

In 1971, Gerald Mayo brought a civil rights action in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania against Satan and his servants, who allegedly placed deliberate obstacles in Mayo's path. In its written opinion, the Court did not deny Satan's existence, but asserted that it was unlikely that Satan was ever present in the Western District of Pennsylvania, stating, "We question whether plaintiff may obtain personal jurisdiction over the defendant in this judicial district."

In a jocular reference to The Devil and Daniel Webster, the court implied that Satan might live in New Hampshire, stating, "While the official reports disclose no case where this defendant has appeared as defendant there is an unofficial account of a trial in New Hampshire where this defendant filed an action of mortgage foreclosure as plaintiff." This appears to be the only published legal case in the U.S. concerning Satan, thus the present U.S. official position seems to be that Satan may exist and, if so, might be found in New Hampshire.

In Sweden, at least four people have had their application to use the name Lucifer rejected, either to change their legal name or to name their child, because the Swedish Tax Agency considered the name to be "strongly associated with the Devil or Satan and therefore capable of causing offence". Names that, among other things, can cause offence, cannot be chosen according to naming law in Sweden.

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