HELLFIRE
Real Name: Mikal Drakonmegas
Identity/Class: Half-Human/Half-Demon
Occupation: Former Stage Magician, television personality
Affiliations: Maximillian (agent), Brother Randi, Terror
Enemies: Beelzeboul, Sabaist
Known Relatives: Beelzeboul
(father),
Cassandra Drakonmegas (mother), Jessie (wife);
quasi-sibling of Daimon (Hellstorm) and
Satana
Hellstrom;
other Hell-Lords (quasi-paternal relationship)
Aliases: Brother Mikal, Mikey, "One Son of the Satanic"; "Mr. Mystic"
Base of Operations: A monastery in Greece;
formerly San Francisco, CA
First Appearance: Terror INC#1 (July, 1992)
Powers/Abilities: With his Darksoul, Mikal Drakonmegas possessed a high level of magical power. He could shoot energy blasts from his hands and had heightened strength. He also stole a gun of his father's creation from a demon working for him. The gun could not fire unless willed so by his father (or him) It's likely he has many more powers than he has shown, but just isn't experienced enough to use them yet. Without the Darksoul, Mikal is naturally very charismatic and has a decent knowledge of the basics of the occult, though he was very surprised when he found out much of it is true.
Weaknesses: Hellfire's power depended entirely on his possession of the Darksoul. If it's taken from him, he is returned to his state as Mikal Drakonmegas.
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 185 lbs.
Eyes: (Mikal) Green; (Hellfire) Yellow (no visible iris)
Hair: Red
History:
(Terror INC#5 (fb) - BTS) - Beelzeboul, one of the demons to use the name Satan
(see comments), sought to create a son via a human woman, intending that this
son would serve as a living battery drawing in the black energy (sin) of
mankind, storing it up as a charge of pure evil. This would give the Hell-Lords
the power to break through the walls of reality in force and lead to an
unstoppable assault on man.
(Terror INC#3 (fb) - BTS / Terror INC#5 (fb) - BTS) - Mikal is the son of Cassandra Drakonmegas and Beelzeboul. However, Cassandra had discovered her husband's true nature and obtained a magical dagger that allowed her to drive Beelzeboul from the earthly plane. Beelzeboul slew Cassandra as he vanished.
(Terror INC#2 (fb) / Terror INC#5 (fb)) - Cassandra fought to survive, lasting long enough for Mikal to be delivered in some fashion.
(Terror INC#1 (fb) - BTS) - Mikal Drakonmegas was a world famous occultist with his own TV show, Past Mysteries. He also had appeared on the cover of NOW Magazine. However, Mikal grew sick of the fakes and liars in the business, and set out to disprove all of the lies, so that true occultism could return to the people. This plan made him very popular with critics, but ended up insulting the majority of his fans.
(Terror INC#1) - Mikal's agent, Maximillian, tries his best to talk Mikal out of his new direction, but he won't budge. Because of this, the two got into an argument, which his wife later joins in on. Later, he was a guest on a talk show, but it quickly became obvious he was being used as a freakshow, and he stormed off the set.
(Terror INC#2) - While watching a report on his failing career, Mikal got into another argument with his wife, and this time she left him. While he slept, Terror crept into his room, and using the borrowed fangs of the Hellfire Serpent, bit into Drakonmegas' hand. The next day, Mikal and his agent, Maximillian, inspect the scene of their next show, Alcatraz. Down on the lawn, Mikal used Max as a "patient", as he tried to explain "psychic surgery". But something went wrong, and he actually did start to pull apart his agent's insides... Terror, swooping down from a guardtower, pulls Mikal to safety, and onto a boat, where they make their escape. On the boatride, Mikal doubles over in pain, and is suddenly transformed into Hellfire.
(Terror INC#3) - Hellfire begins to go into a rage, but Terror uses the hand of his dead mother to soothe him. Terror then explained his situation to him. An arms dealer who Terror was contracted to hit named Barbatos made a deal with Hellfire's father, and Terror offered him a deal. A return to normalcy for Hellfire, for his help in defeating Barbatos. Hellfire reluctantly agreed. Terror then got an idea. Sticking Hellfire's hand underwater, he subconsciously shot at the police boat that was following them, blowing it up. They then were attacked from a helicopter, which Terror commandeered, and Hellfire followed. Back in semi-safety, Hellfire tried to call his wife, but only got her answering machine, where his wife left a message saying there were no chances left, they were over.
Later, Terror and Hellfire go to Cassandra's grave, to give Terror more to work with in their situation. Picking out her eye and ears, Terror begins to tell the story of Hellfire's parents, but before he could finish, several of Beelzeboul's demons interrupted him.
(Terror INC#4) - Terror and Hellfire did their best to fight the demons off, but the eye and ears were lost in the battle, and Hellfire was caught by surprise by some of the demons. While one held him, the other prepared to shoot him with a special gun given to her by Beelzeboul. Terror saved Hellfire, then, using Hellfire's power, shot the demons with it, sending them back to Beelzeboul's Hell. One was left, however, and Terror used it's death to open a portal to Beelzeboul's dimension.
(Terror INC#5) - In Beelzeboul's Hell, Terror regains Cassandra Drakonmegas' eye and ears, and finishes the story to Hellfire. Telling him how his mother fought back against the demon and sent him back to his dimension, then died giving birth to him. Suddenly, Beelzeboul appears, and Terror once more bites into Hellfire with the Hellfire Serpent's fangs, turning him back into Mikal Drakonmegas. Beelzeboul hands Terror his contract with Roger Barbatos, and Terror turns his back on Mikal, leaving him alone with his father, powerless.
Beelzeboul prepares to tear into his son, when Terror, who has changed his mind, swoops in for the save, biting Mikal for the third time and returning his Darksoul to him. As Beelzeboul descends on him, Hellfire uses the same knife his mother used to vanquish his father with, opening a portal to Earth, where Terror and him are able to escape through. Back home, Dr. Strange is waiting, and when they arrived, he gives them a good lecture about opening gates to Hell dimensions.
BTS - Hellfire moves into a monastery, where he learns to use his Darksoul for good, not evil.
(Terror INC#10) - A monk at the monastery, Brother Randi, asks Hellfire to contact Terror to help him find the Carnal Serpent.
(Terror INC#11) - Hellfire convinces Terror to help Brother Randi, after a little fight.
BTS - A cultist named Sabaist kidnapped a girl from around Hellfire's monastery to sacrifice to his god, Culex. Realizing this could be trouble, Hellfire got into contact with Terror and hired him for help.
(Terror INC#13) - Hellfire joins Terror on the raid of Sabaist's cult. After defeating Sabaist and saving the girl, Hellfire offers Terror a chance to join the monastery, but Terror replies "If I'm going to find forgiveness, it won't be on a fabricated world across the solar system."
Comments: Created by DG Chichester and Jorge Zaffino.
Hellfire's origin is about as confusing as you can get. Originally, he was meant to be Hellfire and Satana's half-brother, as he even had nightmares of Victoria Wingate's life. But Terror's information led him to Cassandra Drakonmegas as his mother.
It is highly unlikely Beelzeboul is really
Daimon Hellstrom's father, though it is possible that Beelzeboul
is just another alias of Marduk Kurios. I personally believe that
Rekrab was just mixing his myths up, and Beelzeboul is just the
ruler of a (much) smaller Hell dimension who also claims to be
Satan (it's all the rage with demon types), thus leading to
confusion (Hellstrom = the Son Of Satan, after all)
See also the comments on the entry on Marduk Kurios for
discussion (ad nauseum) on this issue--Snood.
Another good idea is that Satan is actual a conglomeration of
demons who merge and split off from each other at different
intervals, taking on aspects like Mephisto, Satannish, Thog,
Marduk Kurios, Beelzeboul, etc. Thus there could be SOME
relationship b/t Hellstorm and Hellfire.
The Marvel Zombie/Continuity Freak in me was
and is most appreciative of the use of the hellfire serpent in
Terror INC#1-5. This serpent is the same creature to which the
darksoul was cast after it was forced out of the Miracle Man, who
had usurped it from Daimon Hellstrom in Defenders I#120, 121.
Daimon Hellstrom, of course, retook his darksoul in Hellstorm#1.
The fate of Hellfire has not been revealed, and is not likely to
be, either.
Hellfire has an entry in Marvel Zombies: The Book of Angels, Demons & Other Monstrosities.
Profile by: Zerostar
CLARIFICATIONS:
Hellfire should not be confused with...
Appearances:
Terror INC#1-5 (July-October, 1992) - D.G. Chichester (writer), Jorge Zaffino (artist), Marc McLaurin (editor)
Terror INC#10-11 (April-May, 1993) - D.G. Chichester (writer), Richard Pace (pencils), Temujin (inks), Marc McLaurin (editor)
Terror INC#13 (July, 1993) - D.G. Chichester (writer), Richard Pace (pencils), Temujin (inks), Marc McLaurin (editor)
First Posted: 03/17/2003
Last updated: 05/23/2005
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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