Mundus (Devil May Cry)

"So sad that humans will always be humans, no more. Has the Sparda blood been spoiled over the ages?"

- Mundus

Mundus (ムンドゥス Mundusu) (Latin for "world"), also known as the Dark Emperor, is the ruler of the demonic underworld and the main villain of Devil May Cry.

He was originally defeated by the legendary Dark Knight Sparda after the great demon had a change of heart, then betrayed and fought the entire armies of the demon world for the sake of the human race. Then centuries later Mundus was yet again defeated and vanquished, only this time by Sparda's own son Dante.

Life before Devil May Cry
Little is known about Mundus's past, except that he was a Devil Prince born in the depths of the netherworld 2 millenia ago. He soon rose to power and lead an invasion on the human world, until he was betrayed by one of his chief generals, Sparda, who managed to defeat both Mundus and his army and sealed them all back into the demon world.

At the end of Devil May Cry 3, he encountered Vergil and corrupted him, transforming the half-demon into Nelo Angelo.

Devil May Cry
Mundus eventually planned his escape back into the human world by creating a gateway inside a castle on Mallet Island. He later used his minion, Trish, to draw Dante, the son of his old enemy, Sparda, there so he could kill him at the same time. After Mundus sent his various demonic servants to kill Dante, only for each to fial, he eventually took on Dante himself when the half-demon found his way to his throne room in the demon world. The two engaged in a titanic battle, with Dante unleashing the Devil Trigger of his father's sword in its true form, the Sparda. He finally succeeded in defeating Mundus, but as he attempted to escape Mallet Island, the dark emperor engaged him in a final battle, where Dante, with help from Trish, defeated him and drove him back into the demon world. However Mundus swore that he would return and Dante told him to give his regards to his son.

DMC
In the videogame DmC: Devil May Cry, Mundus who is the game's main antagonist, much different and hides behind his human disguise by the name "Kyle Ryder" and he is the absolute ruler of the twisted demonic world Limbo. In the game his war with angels as well as the human world he seeks to conquer was over 10,000 years ago and both he and the demons have been secretly living among an unsuspecting mankind and controlling the entire Earth, but he was stopped and vanquished in the end by both part angel/part-demon brothers Dante and Vergil, the sons of Mundus' blood-brother and former lieutenant, the great demon warrior Sparda.

Powers and Abilities
Being the ruler of demons, Mundus possesses great demonic powers and seems to be able to control the demon world, since he changed his "temple" into an outer space-like void. Mundus is able to fly using his wings and his attacks include firing red javelin-like projectiles from his eyes or wings (in his winged form), creating lighting bolts and fireballs to strike down on his foes, and sending out a powerful sweeping energy beam. Mundus possesses great strength and durability from most attacks, but the gap in his chest has proven to be his weakpoint.

Appearance
Mundus appears in a variety of forms throughout Devil May Cry.

The first is a trio of glowing red spheres arranged in a triangle. It is unknown if this is a transformation or simply an avatar of himself. This avatar of Mundus possesses the powers of lightning.

The second is that of a statue of a celestial winged young man with three eyes and long hair. This form eventually transforms into an older version with a beard, angel wings, and a large hole in his chest. This is most likely a scar from his battle with Sparda so many years ago.

In his final battle with Dante, the stone on his body is continually blasted away, revealing a writhing creature made from lava with three eyes and a mouth on stalks, along with dozens of hands sprouting from his facial area. Upon his defeat, Mundus turned into an ethereal avatar of his head before being sent back to the demon world.

Trivia

 * Mundus may have been worshipped by the inhabitants of Mallet Island, since statues of him appear everywhere and items suggesting demonic rituals are found throughout the game. But it is possible that these were constructed by the demons found on the island.


 * Mundus's three eyes may be a reference to the three faces of Satan in Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy.
 * His angelic appearance may also be a reference to Dante's version of Satan, since in the poem, Satan (Lucifer) is a fallen angel.


 * In the opening to Devil May Cry 2, a statue resembling Mundus' non-transformed statue form is seen when there is a narration recounting Sparda's history.
 * Before and during the fight with Berial in Devil May Cry 4, a wooden sign with "Mundus" on it can be seen, first falling from its post and again on the ground. The words "Mundus vivendi" on the sign means "Mundus lives" in Latin.
 * His name comes from the Mundus Ceresis, a pit that contained an entrance into the Underworld in Roman mythology, which was ruled by Pluto. Mundus himself is referred to as Pluto several times in Devil May Cry.
 * Mundus is mentioned by Ghost Rider in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Before the battle between Trish, he will say "I eat demons like Mundus for breakfast.". Also, Phoenix (Jean Grey) after defeating Vergil will say "Perhaps if I'm not too busy, I'll take care of Mundus, too.". Dormammu also says to Dante that he should stick to combating Mundus, because he implies that Dante is not powerful enough to beat Dormammu.