Devil in the arts and popular culture
The Devil, (Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles) appears frequently as a character in literature and various other media. In Abrahamic religions, the figure of the Devil, Satan personifies evil. 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 represented as a red-skinned man with horns or pointed ears on his head, hooves or bird-legs, a forked tail (or one with a stinger), and a pitchfork. When trying to blend in or deceive somebody, he is often represented as an ordinary human being, and sometimes only his voice is heard. 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. 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. 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. 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 "" 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. 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. Section::::"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. Legal matters. 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, and 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.