Background

After losing fights with Spider-Man and the second Green Goblin (Harry Osborn), the Jason Macendale Hobgoblin took advantage of the Inferno crisis by following several demons back to their lair and confronting their demonic lord, N'Astirh. Macendale wanted enough power to defeat his enemies, and offered his soul to N'Astirh in exchange for such power. When N'Astirh stopped laughing, the demon lord decided that Macendale's effrontery was worth something even if his soul wasn't, and had him possessed by a particularly unstable demon. This gave Macendale the physical strength he craved, coupled with superhuman speed and endurance. Unfortunately, he proved to be an incompatible host for the demon. The two fought many a battle for control of Macendale's physical form until the demon literally ripped away and began a separate existence as the Demogoblin.

Demogoblin was a religious fanatic who had no interest in personal wealth or position. He claimed to be a member of a group of demons called the "Righteous," who were determined to destroy all sinners and thus gain redemption. Since his definition of sinner was rather strict and exempted only children, he found himself in continual conflict with Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, Venom and even his former host, Macendale. His interest in purifying New York City caused him to join with Carnage and Co., although he deplored Carnage's lack of discipline.

At one point he tried to make the vigilante known as Moon Knight his new host. Moon Knight had met the demon previously, when it was still possessing Macendale. Moon Knight only regained control of his own body with the help of Reed Richards and Doctor Strange.

Demogoblin met his end at the hands of Switchblade, the name briefly taken by Blade, the vampire hunter. Blade had gotten his hands on a magical book that gave him the power to destroy all supernatural creatures. He hunted down Demogoblin, Morbius, Ghost Rider and others during the Midnight Massacre. However, the spell was eating at Blade from the inside and it became necessary to remove his new powers. This also brought the dead creatures back to life.

Demogoblin eventually forgave Macendale, which annoyed the Hobgoblin so much he decided to rid the world of his other half once and for all. The final battle took place in a church. When a pillar in the church started to give way and threaten a nearby child, Demogoblin held the pillar up long enough for the child to escape, but was crushed to death when his strength gave out.

Thanks To:

The assistance of the Marvel Chronology Project is gratefully acknowledged.

Some of the above information is extracted from the various versions of the Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe and the more recent Marvel Encyclopaedias.