INFERNO

Real Name: Slifer

Identity/Class: Demon

Occupation: Agent of Satan/Mephisto

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Agent of Satan/Mephisto; former ally of Roulette (Dude Jensen) and the One-Man-Zodiac

Enemies: Ghost Rider/John Blaze/Zarathos

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Fear-Monger

Base of Operations: Hell (Mephisto's realm)

First Appearance: (Slifer) Ghost Rider II#4 (April, 1974); (Inferno) Ghost Rider II#8 (October, 1974)

 

 

 

Powers: Inferno possesses superhuman strength (Class 5) and durability, but his primary ability is to generate fear in others. He can send crowds of people into a state of frenzy, and can even direct them to attack a specific individual while in such a frenzied state. He can generate convincing illusions, and can take human form (whether this is metamorphosis or illusion is unclear). His powers are directly derived from Mephisto, and can be increased as needed.
Slifer can transport to Hell and back (literally). He can take human form, and he can fly a helicopter.

 

 

History: Slifer is a demon from the realm of Mephisto.

 

 

 

 

(Ghost Rider II#4-5) - Slifer was dispatched to Earth by Satan/Mephisto to assist the efforts of Roulette against John Blaze/Ghost Rider.

(Ghost Rider II#7(fb)) - Under direction from Mephisto, Slifer made a deal with Darren Bentley, aka Aquarius, to become the One-Man Zodiac.

(Ghost Rider II#6-7) - Slifer, under direction from Satan/Mephisto, assisted the One-Man Zodiac against Blaze/Ghost Rider.

 

 

(Ghost Rider II#8-9) - Satan/Mephisto summoned Slifer back to Hell, and then empowered him further and transformed him into Inferno. Inferno then returned to San Francisco, where he used his power to whip the people of San Francisco into a panic and send them after Ghost Rider. Blaze fought off the people without injuring them, and then after blinding Inferno with a flare, he managed to beat him into submission.

(Ghost Rider II#11) - During a desert marathon cycle race involving Blaze, Inferno found the Hulk wandering the area and manipulated him into attacking the cyclists (and Ghost Rider specifically). Ghost Rider fought off the Hulk by burning up the oxygen around him, and Inferno wandered off, plotting anew...

Comments: Created by...oh, where to start? Slifer was seen in the background (unnamed and in human form) in a story by Gary Friedrich and Jim Mooney. He was fully seen and named (both in human and in demon form) in a story by Marv Wolfman, Doug Moench, and Jim Mooney. Inferno was created by Tony Isabella and Jim Mooney (who is the only common strand in his story).

 

 

Roger Slifer was a writer (?) or something at Marvel back in the 1970s, and I remember that his name was used for the demon as some sort of in-joke. I don't remember any more than that, but I'll add in any more information I receive.

The Roulette stories made it seem like Roulette had transformed Slifer into a demon. Later stories made it apparent that Slifer was a demon, sent to serve Roulette by Satan/Mephisto.

 

 

 

Clarifications: No known connection to:

SATAN-this should be Mephisto, according to current continuity


Appearances:
Ghost Rider II#4 (February, 1974) - Gary Friedrich (writer), Jim Mooney (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Ghost Rider II#5 (April, 1974) - Marv Wolfman & Doug Moench (writers), Jim Mooney (pencils), Sal Trapani (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Ghost Rider II#6 (June, 1974) - Gary Friedrich & Tony Isabella (writers), Jim Mooney (pencils), Sal Trapani (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Ghost Rider II#7-9 (August-December, 1974) - Tony Isabella (writer), Jim Mooney (pencils), Jack Abel (#7) & Sal Trapani (#8-9) (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Ghost Rider II#11 (April, 1975) - Tony Isabella (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), John Tartaglione & George Roussos (inks), Len Wein (editor)


Last updated: 08/02/02

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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