History Main / SatanIsGood

* While not quite calling him good Creator/MarkTwain opined in one of his essays that Satan had never gotten a fair trial and deserved to be able to tell his side of the story.

* In ''[[Literature/TheVampireChronicles Memnoch the Devil]]'' by Creator/AnneRice, {{Satan}} empathizes intensely with the pain of human existence, (particularly before there was a heaven and souls simply continued existing between worlds for all eternity) and frequently accused God of being arrogant and uncaring towards his creations. God eventually agreed, but gave Memnoch a job he despises; punishing the wicked and purifying them so they can enter Heaven. Granted, we only have Memnoch's word for this and he [[UnreliableNarrator turned out not to be entirely trustworthy]].

* ''Film/JacobsLadder'' does this is the stick/carrot interpretation. The demons ''are'' angels, depending on the perspective of the person encountering them. If they don't want to die, they're demons trying to take their life away - if they're at peace, they're angels freeing them from the Earth.

* Voltaire's "Almost Human" is, essentially, the Devil's lament about being cast from heaven and being constantly despised by angels (or TheFundamentalist; it's not exactly clear), despite being basically [[NotSoDifferent the same as humanity]].

** In [[Film/{{Bedazzled 1967}} the original film]], Satan (Creator/PeterCook) isn't really evil, just kind of irritating in the pranks he pulls; he only tempts people to win a bet with God (first one to get 100 billion souls) and get back into Heaven. In the end, God is shown to be something of a JerkAss when he denies poor old Lucifer access back into heaven on a technicality, and ''laughs about it''. When Satan starts ranting about how much worse he's going to be from now on and how bad he's going to make the world, this seems to be [[GodIsEvil exactly what God wants.]] He even explains that he's only a fallen angel because God was being such a dick, he just said [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere "Well, screw this!"]].

* In White Wolf's ''TabletopGame/DemonTheFallen'', the {{Player Character}}s are part of TheLegionsOfHell, and Lucifer is presented as the sympathetic leader of LaResistance. And not merely "sympathetic": Lucifer loves humanity probably more than anyone else ever did in the world's history, including the {{Jerkass}} God (and possibly [[JesusWasWayCool even Jesus]]). It is exactly because he loved humans more than God that the Rebellion (later labeled "the Fall") happened, but this being [[TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness the World of Darkness]], it didn't work as planned. After Lucifer tried summoning his former comrades, not knowing that time spent in the Abyss had caused them to become {{Eldritch Abomination}}s, he ''created Christianity'' in order to fight them.

** This also applies to some of the less outright malevolent [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Princes]]. Unlike the Aedra, who made sacrifices during creation, the Daedra made no sacrifices and thus remain truly immortal. The Daedric Princes are an extremely varied group, with some being [[JerkassGod almost exclusively malevolent]] toward mortals ([[DestroyerDeity Mehrunes Dagon]], [[GodOfEvil Molag Bal]]), some generally being more benevolent toward mortals (but [[GoodIsNotNice not always "nice"]], such as [[TheChessmaster Azura]] and [[FallenAngel Merida]]), some varying wildly with the Prince's motivations [[BlueAndOrangeMorality beyond mortal understanding]] ([[EldritchAbomination Hermaeus]] [[KeeperOfForbiddenKnowledge Mora]], [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Boethiah]]), and some who toy with mortals simply to [[ForTheEvulz amuse themselves]] ([[MadGod Sheogorath]], [[FunPersonified Sanguine]]). Like Lorkhan, the worship of the Daedric Princes varies in the religions of different races. For example, Azura is a major deity in the religions of the Dunmer (Dark Elves) and the [[CatFolk Khajiit]]. Similarly, [[AllTheOtherReindeer Malacath]] is despised by most races, but is considered the patron deity of the [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Orcs (Orsimer)]].

* Satan from ''VideoGame/{{Sam and Max}}'' is actually kind of nice, especially compared to someone like [[EldritchAbomination Junior]].

The important distinction between Satan Is Good and VillainProtagonist or SympathyForTheDevil is that, while the latter cases may make him ''sympathetic'', in this case he's actually ''heroic''. Depending on how [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism idealistic]] the world is, he may be an AntiHero (he probably is) or even a NobleDemon, but he's definitely on the better side. In other words, Satan making an honorable decision, letting someone go because he has nothing against them, or helping the protagonist with something that is mutually beneficial does not immediately make for a Satan is Good situation. Note as well that just because GodIsEvil it doesn't necessarily follow that Satan Is Good. He can just as easily be as bad as his counterpart, [[ByronicHero ineffectual]], or absent. By the same token, just because Satan Is Good does not necessarily imply GodIsEvil; HaveYouSeenMyGod situations in particular allow for Satan Is Good without going in for GodIsEvil. If this trope co-exists with GodIsGood, then you would have a GoodVersusGood scenario and/or a WhiteAndGreyMorality setting.

* In Creator/ErnstLubitsch's ''Film/{{Heaven Can Wait|1943}}'', the recently deceased protagonist goes straight to the gates of Hell, thinking that his disolute life has doomed his soul; Satan himself makes him see all the good he's done in his life and convinces him to try his chances with Heaven.

Another variation is that {{God}} isn't necessarily ''evil''; he and {{Satan}} may just have CreativeDifferences. Or perhaps Satan is willing to play a ZeroApprovalGambit and be a DarkShepherd to help keep people in line, the "stick" to God's "carrot". Or maybe [[NeglectfulPrecursors God]] just doesn't [[TheGodsMustBeLazy care]], or, similarly, he vanished from the universe sometime after making it, and the other angels are evil. It's even possible that he and {{Satan}} are actually [[GodKartingWithBeelzebub good buddies]]. In these versions, if the reasons behind it are mentioned at all, {{Satan}}'s bad reputation may be chalked up to misinterpretation on the part of [[HumansAreBastards mankind]]; particularly if he and {{God}} don't really have anything against each other. It could even be that the entire "warring angels" part never really happened. "Demonizing" the, well, demons could be the work of a CorruptChurch.

* Elven mythology of the ''Franchise/DragonAge'' universe tells of an old god known as Fen'Harel, a.k.a. "The Dread Wolf", who brought on the fall of the Elven Gods and subsequently the loss of elves' immortality, seemingly ForTheEvulz. The [[PlayableEpilogue "Trespasser"]] DLC of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' reveals that [[spoiler:your party member Solas IS Fen'Harel, and while he was responsible for the fall of the Elven Gods, and Elves losing much of their power, he did so to put a stop to the empire of cruelty built by the [[AbusivePrecursors immensely powerful mages]] who had [[AGodAmI styled themselves]] as gods. Still, as with most things in ''Dragon Age'', there's a lot of moral ambiguity in play, as Solas is now trying to destroy the world so a new, better one can be made, even though everyone living in the current one would have to die first]].

The important distinction between Satan Is Good and VillainProtagonist or SympathyForTheDevil is that, while the latter cases may make him ''sympathetic'', in this case he's actually ''heroic''. Depending on how [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism idealistic]] the world is, he may be an AntiHero (he probably is) or even a NobleDemon, but he's definitely on the better side. In other words, Satan making an honorable decision, letting someone go because he has nothing against them, or helping the protagonist with something that is mutually beneficial does not immediately make for a Satan is Good situation. Note as well that just because GodIsEvil it doesn't necessarily follow that Satan Is Good. He can just as easily be as bad as his counterpart, [[ByronicHero ineffectual]], or absent. By the same token, just because Satan Is Good does not necessarily imply GodIsEvil; HaveYouSeenMyGod situations in particular allow for Satan Is Good without going in for GodIsEvil. If this trope co-exists with GodIsGood then you have a GoodVersusGood scenario.

* Shan-wei is the Literature/{{Safehold}}ian Church of God Awaiting's equivalent of Satan. However, what only a select few know is that Pei Shan-wei was an actual person who tried to deflate the AGodAmI ambitions of her fellow "Archangels" Eric Langhorne and Adorée Bédard and was murdered for her trouble.

* Music/MortGarson use the pseudonym Lucifer for his 1971 album Black Mass, and si also a good person.

* Real-life Satanists and Luciferians hold up the major antagonists of Christianity and other major world religions as role models whose values that humans should look up to.
** Generally speaking, Satanists emphasize Satan's disobedience to God and his laws in order to stress the importance of challenging authority and moral mores, engaging in desired carnal behaviors, and feeling unashamed of being unconventional as a way of leading a personally fulfilling life. The few rules that exist in [=LaVeyan=] Satanism are mostly safeguards protecting the personal freedoms of others from outside interference. There are also commandments specifically protecting children and animals from undue harm.
** Meanwhile, Luciferians more heavily stress the illuminating aspects of Lucifer, particularly that of striving to acquire knowledge and truth. This extends to things considered forbidden or taboo by culture or by other religions. Modern Luciferians generally support the rational scientific method and tolerance for people of other persuasions.
* Adonism is a Neopagan belief that believes the GodOfEvil, Molchos, [[GodIsEvil founded monotheism]], while the primary good god, Adonis, is identified with figures like Satan, Iblis and Ahriman.

* [[SheIsTheKing The Demon King]] from ''LightNovel/MaoyuuMaouYuusha'' just wants to end the war in such a way that everybody wins, bringing peaceful coexistence between humans and demons, and is perfectly happy to work with [[TheHero Yuusha]] for that purpose.

* ''The Ancient Gods Part 1'' DLC of ''VideoGame/DoomEternal'' finally introduces ''the'' GreaterScopeBigBad of the entire franchise, Satan in all but name, and the supreme leader of Hell: Davoth, the Dark Lord. Sure, he caused all of the suffering throughout the franchise, but then it is for one reason: [[LoveMakesYouEvil love.]] Davoth and his demons (and by extension, Hell) were once an ambitious, benevolent race of beings created by [[TopGod The Father]] in Urdak. The Father created Davoth with boundless ambition and love for his people, but this love was so great that Davoth never wished for any of them to die, and so begins his downward spiral as he futilely seeks immortality. As time went on, Davoth starts to become increasingly deranged, and started to use more and more [[MoralEventHorizon depraved methods]] to seek limitless life. His corruption caused his people to start changing as well, turning to the demons that we know today. Sure, Davoth isn't exactly ''good'' anymore, but in complete contrast to every other antagonist before him, who are either mindless beasts or vile, self-serving OmnicidalManiac, Davoth only did it because he didn't want his people to die out before him.

:: In "Nobody Got Cereal?", he [[spoiler: performs a HeroicSacrifice and [[AscendedDemon goes to]] ''Heaven'']].

** In the series' primary CreationMyth, this is the case for Lorkhan, the [[GodIsDead "dead" creator god]]. To most of the [[OurElvesAreBetter races of Mer (Elves)]], especially the ancient Aldmer and current Altmer, Lorkhan is a [[SatanicArchetype Satanic figure]]. Their religious beliefs state that, before the creation of the mortal world, they were all immortal spirits in the pre-creation universe. Creation was then a malevolent act which robbed them of their divinity and forced them into "a mortal prison", where they experience death and suffering. To them, he is "[[GodIsEvil the most unholy of all higher powers]]". The other spirits who he "tricked" into aiding him in creation (the Aedra) lost their CompleteImmortality and "killed" him as punishment, tearing out his "heart" (divine center) and casting it down into the world he created. However, to most of the races of Men (especially [[HornyVikings Nords]] and [[HumansAreDiplomats Imperials]]), Lorkhan ([[IHaveManyNames known alternatively as Shor, Shezarr, Sep, etc.]]) is the [[HumansAreSpecial champion of mankind]] who ''freed'' their spirits from [[HellOfAHeaven the unchanging stasis of pre-creation]]. Prior to the formation of the Alessian Empire in the 1st Era, most races of Men followed the Nordic pantheon, which treated Lorkhan (under the name Shor) as their TopGod and most beloved benefactor. The Elves, on the other hand, ''hated'' Lorkhan to the point that worship of him was out of the question. Even after Alessia conquered the [[AbusivePrecursors Ayleids]], her empire was threatened to be torn apart due to religious in-fighting. Her solution was to group the most important Aedra into the [[SaintlyChurch Eight Divines]], with Lorkhan only partially acknowledged as the "Missing Ninth God". This appeased both the Men and Mer within her empire.

* In UsefulNotes/{{Judaism}}, Satan is not a fallen angel, the serpent in the Garden, or Lucifer. He's a regular angel submissive to God's will, though his job is still to spread sin, which he heavily implies he does not enjoy. He distinguishes himself by being critical of humanity's capacity for evil, and specifically proposes a test of faith for Job. His name comes from the word for "adversary" or "accuser" and his role is more like that of God's prosecuting attorney, the "devil's advocate." In fact, the title of Adversary does not necessarily belong to one angel; it could be the title of whichever angel is being argumentative at the moment.

* Satan in ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' is a rather [[AffablyEvil nice]] PunchClockVillain. He tortures people, sure, but mostly he is portrayed as naive and needy; his apparently-darker moments seem to mostly be an act. His boyfriend [[JerkAss Saddam Hussein]] on the other hand... Furthermore, while we see more than a few people getting tortured, we also see plenty of people just wandering around doing their thing without hassle in parks and town squares that seem quite nice, considering the fire and brimstone surrounding them. Considering that only Mormons get into heaven in ''South Park'', hell is filled with perfectly good people, so there's no reason for Satan to be mean to them. They might even get a chance at one of those nice condos out by the lake of fire! And don't forget the costume parties and Hawaiian-themed hula-dancing! And on one occasion, he even visited Heaven temporarily to ask God for advice.

** In "Nobody Got Cereal?", he [[spoiler: performs a HeroicSacrifice and [[AscendedDemon goes to]] ''Heaven'']].
** Averted with the Canadian Devil from "Freemium Isn't Free", who is genuinely evil.

Appears often in RageAgainstTheHeavens plots, although it doesn't have to - it's easy to portray {{God}} as the BigBad without bringing {{Satan}} into it at all, usually by portraying humans as the [[HumansAreSpecial good side]]. Also seen in settings with BlackAndGrayMorality, where {{Satan}} may not be ''good'', but he's ''better''. This kind of one-two punch is a red flag that you're living in a CrapsackWorld. There's no telling what TheLegionsOfHell will be like in a Satan Is Good setting; they may or may not even work for him, and if they do they may be just as WronglyAccused as their leader or he may be just barely keeping them in check. In an OrderVsChaos conflict, Satan will lead Team Chaos, often opposing the [[OrderIsNotGood tyranny (real or perceived) presented by God and Team Order]].

Appears often in RageAgainstTheHeavens plots, although it doesn't have to - it's easy to portray {{God}} as the BigBad without bringing {{Satan}} into it at all, usually by portraying humans as the [[HumansAreSpecial good side]]. Also seen in settings with BlackAndGrayMorality, where {{Satan}} may not be ''good'', but he's ''better''. This kind of one-two punch is a red flag that you're living in a CrapsackWorld. There's no telling what TheLegionsOfHell will be like in a Satan Is Good setting; they may or may not even work for him, and if they do they may be just as WronglyAccused as their leader or he may be just barely keeping them in check. In an OrderVsChaos conflict, Satan will lead Team Chaos, opposing the [[OrderIsNotGood tyranny (real or perceived) presented by God and Team Order]].

Appears often in RageAgainstTheHeavens plots, although it doesn't have to - it's easy to portray {{God}} as the BigBad without bringing {{Satan}} into it at all, usually by portraying humans as the [[HumansAreSpecial good side]]. Also seen in settings with BlackAndGrayMorality, where {{Satan}} may not be ''good'', but he's ''better''. This kind of one-two punch is a red flag that you're living in a CrapsackWorld. There's no telling what TheLegionsOfHell will be like in a Satan Is Good setting; they may or may not even work for him, and if they do they may be just as WronglyAccused as their leader or he may be just barely keeping them in check.

** In the ''DevilChildren'' spinoffs, Lucifer seems evil in Generation 1 [[spoiler:But it's actually Azel impersonating him after trapping and imprisoning him. The '''real''' Lucifer was a straight-up nice guy who was as good a father to Setsuna and Mirai as circumstances allowed up until his imprisonment, helps guide them on their journey even when imprisoned, and wants to use the Ragnarok and Hoshigami to make a better world for everyone.]] In Gen 2, he's a straight-up good guy. Saving him from being killed by a manipulated Shin and his second-in-command Forlo is a key part of Jin's story in Light Book, and he ends up setting Akira on his journey in Dark Book. Remarkably, this was ''not'' changed in any way for the Western release of Gen 2, despite numerous name changes throughout the game.