The Devil (Cuphead)

"Welching on me like all the others, eh? I'll teach you for backing out of a deal! HAVE AT YOU!"

- The Devil after the player refuses to give him the contracts.

The Devil is the main antagonist of the run-and-gun video game Cuphead. He forces the game's protagonists Cuphead and Mugman to collect Soul Contracts from various inhabitants of Inkwell Isles, or he will take their souls should they fail.

Appearance
The Devil has black fuzzy skin, yellow eyes with red pupils, two horns on his head, gray hands and feet, a long, pointy tail, and large ears. He also appears to be tall and huge.

Personality
Much like many depictions of Satan, the Devil is a cruel, arrogant, blasphemous, and malevolent being who grants deals to anyone who asks in exchange for their soul and servitude. He can be a clever and manipulative trickster as well, turning Cuphead and Mugman into his slaves despite agreeing to spare them if they hand over all of the soul contracts. He also lacks empathy towards everyone, including his own minions, as evident by him calling King Dice a "good-for-nothing lackey" after he has been beaten. The Devil's main trait is that he is incredibly prideful and egotistical of himself, believing that he will always win in the end as he brushes King Dice off when he tries to warn him about the brothers becoming stronger.

Biography
After they disobey Elder Kettle and they end up in the Devil's Casino, Cuphead and Mugman were on a winning streak while playing at the Craps table. Suddenly, the Devil approach them and, impressed by their streak, he offered the pair all the loot in the casino if they win the next roll, however, if they lose, he would take their souls.

Cuphead, blinded by greed, threw the dice before Mugman could stop him and came up snake-eyes. Having lost, the brothers begged the Devil not to take their souls and if there was anything else they could give him in exchange. The Devil told them if they can gather the Soul Contracts from his other debtors before midnight he would spare them and booted them out of his casino. He then sent out his right-hand man King Dice to make sure the pair fulfill their end of the bargain.

It soon becomes evident that the Devil has control over parts of Inkwell Isles and that all of the debtors he has presumably made deals with have become aggressive and violent monsters that Cuphead and Mugman will be forced to fight. Eventually, the brothers obtain all the contracts and confront the Devil in his throne room. The Devil congratulated the pair and tells them to give him all the contracts plus offers in joining him to wreak some havoc.

Bad Ending
In the Bad Ending, Cuphead and Mugman accept the Devil's offer. The Devil, delighted with their choice, turns the pair into Demons and watches happily as they both maniacally laugh. Along with the phrase "Your mine now! And we are gonna have a hell of a time down here...!!" Its unknown what happened to the Debtors, or even King Dice.

The credits roll, with a much more somber tune, nailing down the seemingly stupid decision the player made.

Good Ending
In the Good Ending, Cuphead and Mugman refuse the Devil's offer, enraging him and prompting him to fight the brothers. In the end, the Devil is defeated and all the Soul Contracts are destroyed by Cuphead and Mugman, thus freeing Inkwell Isles and its inhabitants from the Devil's clutches.

Trivia

 * Considering that King Dice is often mistakenly thought to be the main antagonist, it is possible that the Devil is mistaken to be the secondary antagonist, or perhaps the Bigger Bad, neither of which is true.
 * Out of all the bosses, the Devil is probably the only one who is truly evil. All the other bosses have clear motivations (such as either reluctantly making deals with the Devil or working for him, at least when King Dice is concerned) and redeemable qualities. The Devil, on the other hand, posesses very little of these traits.