I do not hold any strong opinions in that regard. It's just how it seems to present itself to me.
I view that from a more 'practical angle', if you will: The bible has seen multiple edits at this point and interpretation of religious texts to turn the "word of god" into something that is indistinguishable from the speaker's own views and biases has become the norm to the point that certain religious people seem to believe 'what _they_ believe' to be the fundamental truth of their religion, rather than the words 'as written'. Given that situation, the source material doesn't matter so much and the "agreed upon" fanfiction becomes canon.
Put simply: I think having an 'antagonist' suited the fan base's tastes better. Shifting the blame ("The devil made me do it!") was more convenient than having to be accountable for your own mistakes. And in order to be convincing, Satan has to be devilishly handsome, fiendishly suave, and all that stuff. The antagonist also had to look more powerful in order for god to not come off as a bully. There are probably better interpretations from people who really look into how that phenomenon developed, but 'knowing people' I'd say it's about biging up an antagonist.
Case in point: before finishing this comment I got the chance to ask an adult christian "What do you remember about the devil from the bible?" Their reply: "That's the evil and all that stuff..." (Both sentences were localized into English.)
So yeah: I would claim that by doing 'some' research you are already more of an expert on the matter than the people who "believe" in that stuff. But that doesn't mean they will 'correct' their belief if you inform them about what is is supposed to be. If people think the devil is a person in a suit like it was was depicted in the latest Hollywood movie, then that's what "the devil" is to them.
I'm more of a 'modern' franchises person myself. ;) 'Star Trek - Strange New Worlds' was pretty good.
Yatsufusa
I'm not an expert, but as I understand christian mythology, Satan is the ultimate rebel. (Because: What bigger power could one rebel against than against the source of all creation?)
Satan is basically 'Hyper James Dean'. ;)
SporgyTheMenace
The ultimate rebel? More the ultimate loser, he didn’t even put up a good fight in the Bible and if I can remember, the Devil was a very minor figure in the Bible. It wasn't until 1667 when English poet Jame Milton romanticizes the Devil as Lucifer to be some sort of rebel. I still fail to understand why people fear and why some people idolize him, at least choose a rebel who's an actual badass, put up a good fight, won at the end, and is noble. Like Sun Wukong the Buddha Who Can Win in Every Fight.