Zarathos

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

Zarathos is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is depicted usually as a villain in stories featuring the character Ghost Rider. A demonic being who tortures and devours souls, he first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #5 (August 1972), and was created by writers Roy Thomas and Gary Friedrich, and artist Mike Ploog.

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

As explained in Ghost Rider #77 (1973 series), 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, flourishes and 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).

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 (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, 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. As time progresses, Zarathos would occasionally from time to time assert his control over Johnny Blaze's body. Zarathos was temporarily separated from John Blaze by the Crimson Mage. Zarathos gained additional control over the Ghost Rider, becoming more violent. As the Ghost Rider, he re-encountered Centurious. 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. Before it can reach that point, Centurious (Mephisto's champion who defeated Zarathos thousands of years before) returns and has his pawn 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.