FATHER AS LUCIFER
Father, the first Homunculus
As a complete antagonist to Van Hohenhiem, is the character Father also known as the first Homunculus. As such, it is Father that can be seen symbolically as Lucifer in Christian mythology. Initially, Lucifer was an angel and revered for his wisdom, but he was kicked out of Heaven after God decided he was too ambitious and proud. Rather than accepting his banishment and retreating into the shadows, Lucifer proceeded to tempt humans with forbidden knowledge, and eventually went on to rule over Hell, where he is known as Satan. This is deeply similar to the rise of the character Father in Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood where he deceives humanity and attempts to take over the world. Thus as the series progresses, it is clear to see that his character is based on that of Lucifer.
As mentioned, in the analysis of Hohenheim as a Christ figure, Father, then known as the Homunculus, is born out of a medical experiment from Hohenheim. It is Father who provides the knowledge for Hohenheim to free himself from slavery and rise through the ranks of society to be at the side of the king. However it was all for personal gain, as Father was able to achieve immortality and the humanoid body to serve as a vessel to achieve greater goals. After parting ways with Hohenheim, Father left west to found the nation of Amestris and taught its people the powers of alchemy but only to further his ultimate goal; to repeat his previous actions and become the perfect ultimate being by absorbing the power of “God”. Thus leading up to the events of FMAB, Father had engineered every war in the country's history to bring it into the form of a perfect transmutation circle. This is extremely similar to the role of both Lucifer and then Satan, as the great deceiver whose ultimate goal is to defeat God and rule the earth.
Father's original form
Father's humanoid form
Father, laughing as the people of Xerxes die to serve his purpose
The nationwide transmutation circle Father creates in order to absorb the souls.
As the viewer progresses into the timeline of the FMAB series, more examples of Father being a symbol of Lucifer and Satan appear. Firstly is the location of Father, which was revealed to be hidden underneath the capital city of Amestris so that he could not only influence the new nation but as well hide his plans from any suspecting alchemists. There is also the creation of his own homunculi, where Father in an attempt to purge his cardinal sins, creates seven new servant homunculi based on the seven deadly sins. As previously mentioned when discussing Hohenheim, Father’s ultimate plan is the Promise Day, where he absorbs all the souls of Amestris to gain power greater than “God” and rule a new earth. Lastly, is the hatred Father shows for humans, designating them weak and useless compared to him and his homunculi. These are all similar traits to those of Lucifer and Satan in Christian mythology, of which the most important is the shared vision that both Father and Lucifer wish to surpass God and become the new ruler of earth.
