Blackheart

Blackheart
Blackheart as he appears in "Marvel vs Capcom 2".
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Daredevil (vol. 1) #270 (Sept. 1989)
Created by	Ann Nocenti John Romita Jr.
In-story information
Team affiliations	Hellfire Club
Notable aliases	Black King, Voice, Son of Satan, Legion
Abilities	High intelligence Energy manipulation Reality warping Magical and mystical powers Shape-shifting Telepathy Telekinesis Accelerated Healing Factor Superhuman physical attributes

Blackheart is a fictional demon in the Marvel Comics Universe. The character was created by Ann Nocenti and John Romita, Jr., and first appeared in Daredevil (vol. 1) #270 (Sept. 1989).

Fictional character biography

Centuries of murder in a locale named Christ's Crown, New York, draws the attention of a demon-lord, Mephisto, who created a "son", Blackheart, from the energy of the accumulated evil. Blackheart explored the nature of evil under his father's tutelage, clashing with and failing to corrupt Daredevil and Spider-Man.^[1] Mephisto and Blackheart once tormented Daredevil, Brandy Ash, the genetically engineered Number Nine, and the Inhumans Gorgon, Karnak, and Ahura, manipulating their emotions and tricking them. They were soon drawn into hell for worse torments. Brandy Ash did not survive.^[2]

Later, in an attempt to be free of captivity, Blackheart makes contact with Misha from the group Warheads and becomes the source of her pre-cognitive visions. Eventually Misha's squad, Kether Troop, invades Hell itself and frees Blackheart, who was temporarily in the disguise of Doctor Strange. Blackheart's plan to have the Troop slay Mephisto falls apart.

Mephisto sent Blackheart to Earth with diminished powers to learn humility. Blackheart returns to Christ's Crown and tempts Ghost Rider, Punisher, and Wolverine to the town itself in an attempt to corrupt them. Blackheart brainwashes the entire town and kidnaps a young girl all three men had befriended. His stated goal was to get the three men to cross their own personal line of not harming the innocents; Blackheart states crossing this line would soon allow the trio to destroy Mephisto. The group eventually follows Blackheart and the girl back into his own realm for a final confrontation. Blackheart is defeated and everyone leaves safely.^[3]

He later again attempts to commission their services, using them to help him finally destroy Mephisto, and taking over his portion of Hell. ^[4]

Alongside the Grim Reaper, Blackheart brings Wonder Man to Mephisto's realm to battle Mephisto.^[5]

Blackheart is killed during the final issues of the second volume of Ghost Rider. Blackheart had created a group of Spirits of Vengeance, in order to oppose the Ghost Rider, who he recently found out was Noble Kale. Blackheart tricked Kale and tried to make him as a member of his group of Spirits of Vengeance, promising Kale the power to rule in Hell alongside Blackheart. In the end, The Ghost Rider double crossed Blackheart and killed him, freeing the other Spirits of Vengeance, and gaining rule over Blackheart's portion of Hell.^{[volume & issue needed]}

He is later seen alive and attending a meeting with Mephisto, Satannish, Hela and Dormammu about a disturbance created by the newly resurrected Magik, who is looking for the soulsword and the original Bloodstone amulet. Belasco's daughter, Witchfire appears during the meeting and reveals she is now the current owner of the original amulet and vows to take her father's place as ruler of Limbo and seat at their table.^[6]

Powers and abilities

Blackheart is a powerful demon created by Mephisto, possibly from the essence of Darkforce. He possesses vast inherent supernatural powers, including superhuman strength, speed, and endurance which are magical in nature. He also has telekinetic and telepathic powers, and can levitate, teleport inter-dimensionally, change his size and physical form, enter and leave different planes of existence and dimensions at will, heal himself at the sub-molecular level, and has the ability to generate various forms of energies for destructive purposes such as powerful concussive blasts of black energy. He also possesses very high intelligence. Blackheart has demonstrated the ability to call forth armies from the pits. He has also shown his telekinetic powers by ripping an entire planet apart by the force of will.^{[volume & issue needed]} He can teleport himself and others to the Darkforce Dimension where he is at his strongest.

In other media

Film

In the 2007 film Ghost Rider, directed by Mark Steven Johnson and starring Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider, Blackheart is portrayed by Wes Bentley. He is the main villain, alongside his father Mephisto (portrayed by Peter Fonda).

Unlike his comic book-counterpart, in which he is a large black-skinned demon with quills on his head, a tail and red eyes, in the film Blackheart assumes his human form, with pale white skin and black hair, though at many points in the film, he briefly shows his demonic facial features (having black eyes and large fangs). Despite having many presumed supernatural powers, he mainly uses his hands to kill people with a 'lethal touch', its effects having the characteristics of sulfur poisoning, (hellfire). He also reveals the ability to sense people by 'smelling' their fear.

Though he has all of his father's powers, Blackheart is unaffected by anything holy, as he entered both a church and later sacred funeral ground, allegedly due to him having been 'born' in Hell and hence never having fallen from Heaven in the first place. He is immune to the Ghost Rider's Penance Stare, as he has "no soul to burn". At the end of the film, when he becomes Legion, his skin turning dark blueish with red eyes and his powers are greatly enhanced, becoming nearly invincible with the ability to regenerate from even being blown to pieces.

Blackheart first appears in the film, searching for the Three Fallen Angels a.k.a. The Elementals (a.k.a., The Hidden), Abigor (Wind Demon), Wallow (Water Demon) and Gressil (Earth Demon), in a bar, where he kills all the humans. He aligns The Hidden with him on a quest to obtain the contract of San Venganza (that allows the user access to the power of a thousand evil souls). But when Mephisto finds out about his son's search for the contract, he forces Johnny Blaze to serve his purpose as his Ghost Rider to track down and kill Blackheart and his minions.

The Rider overcome each of the Hidden by attacking the element they each hide in with his 'fire element', first he kills Grissel (by baking him,) at an empty train station, and then kills Abigor (by using his chain to create a fiery tornado which sucks Abigor inside, superheats the air and disperses him,) on top of a building. However, when Blackheart killed Johnny's manager/friend Mack and kidnapped Roxanne Simpson, Johnny was forced to travel to San Venganza to give him the contract. By the time he arrived, the sun rose within minutes of the ensuing struggle, Blaze having been ambushed by Wallow outside the town (whom he killed under water by boiling the lake).

Once gaining the contract, Blackheart calls for all one thousand cursed souls to enter his body, taking on the name of Legion, proving powerful enough to pull himself back together even after being shot apart by a Hellfire-enhanced shotgun. However, Blaze took advantage of this, as Blackheart/Legion was now vulnerable to the Penance Stare a thousand-fold due to the souls he had absorbed. Mephisto took Blackheart's body presumably back to Hell.

Video games

• In Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, and Marvel Super Heroes arcade fighting games, Blackheart is a playable character.

• Blackheart appears as a boss in Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems.

• Blackheart appears in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance voiced by David Sobolov. He confronts the heroes during their attempt to rescue Nightcrawler and Jean Grey.

• In the Ghost Rider video game, Blackheart (voiced by Robin Atkin Downes) is the final boss. In this game, he appears in both his movie form and comic book form.

References

1. ^ Daredevil #270
2. ^ Daredevil #278-282
3. ^ Heart of Darkness
4. ^ The Dark Design graphic Novel
5. ^ Wonder Man #22
6. ^ X-Infernus #1

External links

• Blackheart at Marvel.com
• MDP: Blackheart - Marvel Database Project