Darkhold
Encyclopedia
The Darkhold, also known as The Book of Sins, is a fictional book
(a grimoire
) in the Marvel Comics
universe
.
and Mike Ploog
. The Darkhold was first mentioned in Marvel Spotlight #3 (May 1972) but first shown in Marvel Spotlight #4 (June 1972). The book has subsequently appeared in Werewolf by Night #1 (September 1972) and Marvel Chillers #3 (February 1976).
The series Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins ran 16 issues, from October 1992–January 1994.
The Darkhold received an entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89
#2.
who was the Earth's first practitioner of black magic
, was the principal author of the Darkhold. Being academic, Chthon wrote all his collected knowledge of magic into the iron-bound scrolls that served as the first form of the Darkhold. It remained as the Darkhold after most of the Elder Gods were slain (Chthon and Set
managed to escape) by the Demogorge
. The Darkhold’s power is so vast it took the combined strength and will of both Merlin
and St. Brendan to contain it, and even together, they were unable to destroy it or its power. Mordred also seemed to believe that use of the Darkhold would grant him sufficient strength to challenge Merlin himself.
. When Kull slew Thulsa Doom, Doom's followers, the Darkholders, utilized the Darkhold to create the first vampire
, Varnae
, dying due to wounds suffered in battle with Kull. Varnae consumed one of the Darkholders who attempted to command him, and began creating other vampires. Some surviving Darkholders managed to make off with the Darkhold before Atlantis sank.
Varnae, when Atlantis sank, went into hibernation and did not revive until circa 10,000 BCE. He found that some parchments of the Darkhold had been left behind in the Flaming Mountains of Khorasha. Varnae attempted to recover these parchments. In an altercation with Conan
, Red Sonja
, and the sorcerer Zula, Varnae controls the bat-like humanoids the Afterlings. Zula uses a spell from the Darkhold/Chthon Scrolls against Varnae. Zula recites "Shemek Iref Wenek Tjhen Inek It-Ek Chthon Djedeni Emm-Maat Wenen Taeei Hemet Ankh-Ek Isheset Antioo Djedte Nes Sep Iree Nen Renek Anhkhu Wi-Im Valka!" and then notes "I'm sorry the incantation ended where it did-and only hurt Lord Varnae, rather than destroying him." To Zula the words appeared in Stygian, but it has long been known that Chthon cast a spell that makes the Darkhold appear intelligible in any language. In any event, Varnae fled.
, Zamboula serving as the western part of the Turanian empire. Totrasmek, the priest of the deity Hanuman (note that Hindus also worship a simian deity called Hanuman
), came into possession of the Chthon Scroll/Darkhold. Totramesk had been searching for years for the Darkhold. Zula recovered the Darkhold and used the scrolls to transport himself and Sonja away. Zula noted that the scroll disappeared as a result of the spell.
Later historians in the Vatican
would note that at some point scrolls of the Darkhold were taken East during the Hyborian Age
.
, Babylonia
ns, and Hebrews
came to possess the Darkhold scrolls. Morgan Le Fay
bound the scrolls into book form for the first time circa the 7th century. It is around this time they were translated from Chthon's arcane script into Latin
. Saint Brendan
tore them up. Numerous pages from the Darkhold have been scattered across the globe by cults of Chthon-worshipping Darkholders. The usage of a page of the Darkhold would summon the Darkhold Dwarf, a minion or manifestation of Chthon, who would attempt to manipulate and corrupt the page's invoker.
In the 12th century, a heretical monk named Aelfric had reformed the Darkhold. This monk was burnt at the stake, the Darkhold with him. However, the Darkhold reformed itself, and was purchased by a trader, who was then murdered. By the 17th century, the Vatican came to possess the Darkhold. Dracula
sent a thief to acquire it for him, but Cagliostro slew the thief and took it for himself.
At some point the vampire Lord Ruthven
may have possessed the Darkhold.
; an 18th century man named Grigori Russoff had been tainted by the Darkhold, and was subsequently bitten by a werewolf who served Dracula
. Grigori passed this curse of lycanthropy
on to his descendents, including eventually Gregor Russoff and his son Jacob Russoff
. Taboo, the sorcerer, claims to have found the Darkhold in an old Balkan
castle
. He used to taunt Gregor Russoff with a possible cure.
Gregor Russoff came to possess the Darkhold. He would later copy much of its content into the journal of his ancestor, and used it as a journal for himself. Accounts vary as to how he came to possess it. Some say he purchased it, while others say he took it from the sorcerer Taboo. Two accounts say that Russoff bought it. In any event, when he read of the origin of lycanthropy in the Darkhold, Gregor Russoff (whose ancestor Grigori had been a werewolf) also contracted lycanthropy. During this time, Dracula shadowed Russoff.
Gregor Russoff attempted to raise Chthon hoping he could cure him of lycanthropy. Chthon instead apparently struck Russoff dead, though Russoff evidently somehow revived. The High Evolutionary
and Magnus
managed to defeat Chthon at this point. Presumably, the revived Gregor Russoff recovered the Darkhold and somehow managed to hide his activities from the High Evolutionary and Magnus for some time. He was later slain by villagers no earlier than approximately 20 years ago.
Later, Russoff's son Jack also became a werewolf. Recovering the Darkhold from Miles Blackgar, he gave it to a Father Jacquez to translate. Aelfric's ghost possessed Jacquez. At the end of this struggle, Russell erroneously thought that the Darkhold was destroyed. Later, Russoff traveled to Transylvania
with the Indian woman Topaz
to visit Russoff Manor. There they found Gregor Russoff's diary. Dracula came to possess the diary and left it behind in a blizzard in the Alps
(since the diary contained a copy of the Montesi Formula to destroy vampires). However, Morgan Le Fay later recovered the diary.
The Darkhold contains the Vampiric Verses, which were used to create the world's first vampire
, Varnae
, near the end of the time of Atlantis
. It also contains the Montesi Formula, which could destroy one or even all vampires. The formula was named for the medieval Catholic
priest
who discovered it; as only he and his bloodline were immune to the Darkhold's corrupting power (the Church gave him and his male descendants the right to marry while remaining in the priesthood). The Montesi Formula was used by Doctor Strange
in the modern era to destroy all vampires on Earth save for Hannibal King
, who was instead cured of his vampirism. The sorceress Marie Laveau
later used the Vampiric Verses to resurrect Varnae, which apparently negated the Montesi Formula. The Darkhold is currently in the custody of Doctor Strange.
At some point Doctor Doom
found a part of the Darkhold that allowed him to cast a spell to access Belasco
's Limbo. Also at some point, Mephisto
imprisoned a demon called Darklove into a page of the Darkhold. Also called the Shiatra Book of the Damned, the Darkhold has served as the source for the Necronomicon
.
series, specifically in the third issue. In this series, Machine Man
and Howard The Duck
(from the primary Marvel universe) and Jackie Kane (from Earth-483) travel between dimensions collecting samples of the various zombie viruses in order to develop a cure. In this issue, they travel to a universe which contains zombies dubbed "Raimis" (a reference to The Evil Dead
movies by Sam Raimi
). In this universe, though, the zombies are controlled by the Darkhold rather than by the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, which is how they are controlled in the movie series.
. During the crisis known as the "Midnight Massacre" it was Hastings who saved the day by reading from the Darkhold, sacrificing her soul to Chthon. She was killed months later during the "Siege of Darkness" by Morbius
who was possessed by Lilin blood. She is survived by her grandson, Jinx.
agent who is assigned to protect Victoria Montesi after she barely survived an attack by a cult worshipping the Darkhold. After Victoria Montesi disappears and Professor Hastings was murdered, Sam walked away from the occult. He is presumed back at Interpol.
Jinx's mother was killed in a struggle over of the Darkhold pages, and he came to live with his grandmother, Louise. Almost instantly, he became caught up in a Darkhold plot to reassemble the pages. Sam Buchanan was an agent of Interpol and was convinced by his superior, DeGuzman, leader of a Darkholder sect, to betray and bring in the Darkhold Redeemers. Jinx followed Buchanon back to a base in the southwest, where he accessed the energy of a page of the Darkhold to disperse a group of guards and free Victoria Montesi.
An ally of the Darkhold Redeemers, Blade, was temporarily corrupted by a page of the Darkhold, becoming an incarnation of the Demogorge. Modred teleported Jinx back to New Hope to prevent him from being injured in the battle against the Demogorge.
Jinx accompanied the other Redeemers when they investigated Lt. Frank Walsh after he utilized the "Troid" spell of the Darkhold. Following this, Victoria Montesi accessed a page of the Darkhold to gain healing powers. This resulted in the summoning of the creature Monstrosity, which was drawn to follow Victoria and slaughter those it encountered. Jinx attempted to engage the Monstrosity, but was stabbed in the chest by it. He was mortally wounded, but Victoria appeared and used her magics to heal him instantly. It was at this time that Jinx began training as an apprentice to Modred, much to the consternation of the other Redeemers. Jinx demonstrated the ability to focus mystic energy from his right eye while directly participating in the struggle against Spider-X, another Darkhold page user.
Modred's training allowed Jinx to participate in the "Siege of Darkness", amplifying Modred's power to oppose the forces of the demon Lilith I. Internal strife and misunderstandings amongst the Midnight Sons did briefly turn Jinx against Modred, but they soon resolved this. Jinx accompanied the others to the jungles of Central America to locate the Blood member Truth-Sayer. They succeeded, although Truth-Sayer was incinerated by the Fallen member Metarchus. Following this, in order to protect him against the final battle against Lilith and Zarathos, Jinx was sent to the Vatican to remain under the care of Vittorio Montesi.
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
(a grimoire
Grimoire
A grimoire is a textbook of magic. Such books typically include instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms and divination and also how to summon or invoke supernatural entities such as angels, spirits, and demons...
) in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
.
Publication history
The Darkhold was co-created by Gerry ConwayGerry Conway
Gerard F. "Gerry" Conway is an American writer of comic books and television shows. He is known for co-creating the Marvel Comics vigilante The Punisher and scripting the death of the character Gwen Stacy during his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man...
and Mike Ploog
Mike Ploog
Michael G. Ploog is an American storyboard and comic book artist, and a visual designer for movies....
. The Darkhold was first mentioned in Marvel Spotlight #3 (May 1972) but first shown in Marvel Spotlight #4 (June 1972). The book has subsequently appeared in Werewolf by Night #1 (September 1972) and Marvel Chillers #3 (February 1976).
The series Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins ran 16 issues, from October 1992–January 1994.
The Darkhold received an entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...
#2.
Fictional book history
Chthon, a demonic Elder GodElder Gods (Marvel Comics)
The Elder Gods are fictional characters from the Marvel Comics universe. They were the first generation of Earth's gods, apparently inspired by Greek mythology and the Cthulhu Mythos.-Fictional group history:...
who was the Earth's first practitioner of black magic
Black magic
Black magic is the type of magic that draws on assumed malevolent powers or is used with the intention to kill, steal, injure, cause misfortune or destruction, or for personal gain without regard to harmful consequences. As a term, "black magic" is normally used by those that do not approve of its...
, was the principal author of the Darkhold. Being academic, Chthon wrote all his collected knowledge of magic into the iron-bound scrolls that served as the first form of the Darkhold. It remained as the Darkhold after most of the Elder Gods were slain (Chthon and Set
Set (Serpent God)
Set is the name of a fictional demon-god within the continuities of Conan the Barbarian and Marvel Universe.He is apparently an amalgam of the name of the Egyptian god Set and the appearance and characteristics of the Egyptian monster Apep and the Greek mythological figure the Lernaean Hydra. This...
managed to escape) by the Demogorge
Atum (comics)
Atum is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics, based loosely on the Ra of Egyptian mythology. The character first appears in Thor Annual #10 and was created by Alan Zelenetz and Bob Hall....
. The Darkhold’s power is so vast it took the combined strength and will of both Merlin
Merlin (Marvel Comics)
Merlin is the name of multiple fictional characters in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional character biography:The first Merlin of the Marvel Universe is apparently the figure of Arthurian legend, hailing from 6th century A.D. Britain. He was born in Carmarthen, Wales. He was a powerful sorcerer who...
and St. Brendan to contain it, and even together, they were unable to destroy it or its power. Mordred also seemed to believe that use of the Darkhold would grant him sufficient strength to challenge Merlin himself.
First vampire
Humans first found the Darkhold during the time of surface AtlantisAtlantis (Marvel Comics)
Atlantis is a fictional location in the Marvel Universe. It is based on the mythical island of Atlantis first mentioned in Plato's initial dialogue the Timaeus, written circa 360 BC. In the Marvel Universe, Atlantis was a small continent with many human settlements...
. When Kull slew Thulsa Doom, Doom's followers, the Darkholders, utilized the Darkhold to create the first vampire
Vampire (Marvel Comics)
Vampires are fictional characters found in the Marvel Universe.-History:They were created roughly 15,000 years ago when a small band of sorcerers from the legendary city of Atlantis discovered a book known as the Darkhold, an indestructible text filled with arcane lore and dark magic written...
, Varnae
Varnae
Varnae is a fictional villainous vampire in the Marvel Comics universe. He has been an adversary of several of Marvel's supernatural and fantasy-related heroes, and is a major character in Marvel's Dracula mythos...
, dying due to wounds suffered in battle with Kull. Varnae consumed one of the Darkholders who attempted to command him, and began creating other vampires. Some surviving Darkholders managed to make off with the Darkhold before Atlantis sank.
Varnae, when Atlantis sank, went into hibernation and did not revive until circa 10,000 BCE. He found that some parchments of the Darkhold had been left behind in the Flaming Mountains of Khorasha. Varnae attempted to recover these parchments. In an altercation with Conan
Conan (Marvel Comics)
Conan is a fictional character based on Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian. He was introduced to the comic book world in 1970 with Conan the Barbarian, written by Roy Thomas, illustrated by Barry Smith and published by Marvel Comics....
, Red Sonja
Red Sonja
Red Sonja, the She-Devil with a Sword, is a fictional character, a high fantasy sword and sorcery heroine created by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith, and loosely based on Red Sonya of Rogatino in Robert E. Howard's 1934 short story "The Shadow of the Vulture"...
, and the sorcerer Zula, Varnae controls the bat-like humanoids the Afterlings. Zula uses a spell from the Darkhold/Chthon Scrolls against Varnae. Zula recites "Shemek Iref Wenek Tjhen Inek It-Ek Chthon Djedeni Emm-Maat Wenen Taeei Hemet Ankh-Ek Isheset Antioo Djedte Nes Sep Iree Nen Renek Anhkhu Wi-Im Valka!" and then notes "I'm sorry the incantation ended where it did-and only hurt Lord Varnae, rather than destroying him." To Zula the words appeared in Stygian, but it has long been known that Chthon cast a spell that makes the Darkhold appear intelligible in any language. In any event, Varnae fled.
Red Sonja
Zula also used the Darkhold against the Set-worshipping sorcerer Thugra Khothan. Later Red Sonja and Zula traveled to ZamboulaShadows in Zamboula
"Shadows in Zamboula" is one of the original stories by Robert E. Howard about Conan the Cimmerian, first published in Weird Tales in 1935. Its original title was "The Man-Eaters of Zamboula"....
, Zamboula serving as the western part of the Turanian empire. Totrasmek, the priest of the deity Hanuman (note that Hindus also worship a simian deity called Hanuman
Hanuman
Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...
), came into possession of the Chthon Scroll/Darkhold. Totramesk had been searching for years for the Darkhold. Zula recovered the Darkhold and used the scrolls to transport himself and Sonja away. Zula noted that the scroll disappeared as a result of the spell.
Later historians in the Vatican
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
would note that at some point scrolls of the Darkhold were taken East during the Hyborian Age
Hyborian Age
The Hyborian Age is a fictional period within the artificial mythology created by Robert E. Howard, in which the sword and sorcery tales of Conan the Barbarian are set....
.
Morgan Le Fay
After the Hyborian Age, EgyptiansEgyptians
Egyptians are nation an ethnic group made up of Mediterranean North Africans, the indigenous people of Egypt.Egyptian identity is closely tied to geography. The population of Egypt is concentrated in the lower Nile Valley, the small strip of cultivable land stretching from the First Cataract to...
, Babylonia
Babylonia
Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia , with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as a major power when Hammurabi Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq), with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as...
ns, and Hebrews
Hebrews
Hebrews is an ethnonym used in the Hebrew Bible...
came to possess the Darkhold scrolls. Morgan Le Fay
Morgan le Fay (Marvel Comics)
Morgan le Fay is a fictional character in the , based loosely on the Morgan le Fay of Arthurian legend. In this version of the character, she is the half-faerie half-sister of the mythic Arthur. Her elven heritage granted her immortality, and she used this time to master the mystic arts. She...
bound the scrolls into book form for the first time circa the 7th century. It is around this time they were translated from Chthon's arcane script into Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
. Saint Brendan
Brendan
Saint Brendan of Clonfert or Bréanainn of Clonfert called "the Navigator", "the Voyager", or "the Bold" is one of the early Irish monastic saints. He is chiefly renowned for his legendary quest to the "Isle of the Blessed," also called St. Brendan's Island. The Voyage of St...
tore them up. Numerous pages from the Darkhold have been scattered across the globe by cults of Chthon-worshipping Darkholders. The usage of a page of the Darkhold would summon the Darkhold Dwarf, a minion or manifestation of Chthon, who would attempt to manipulate and corrupt the page's invoker.
In the 12th century, a heretical monk named Aelfric had reformed the Darkhold. This monk was burnt at the stake, the Darkhold with him. However, the Darkhold reformed itself, and was purchased by a trader, who was then murdered. By the 17th century, the Vatican came to possess the Darkhold. Dracula
Dracula (Marvel Comics)
Dracula is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. He is based on the vampire Count Dracula from the novel of the same name by author Bram Stoker, and is also influenced by Universal Studios' version of the character.-Publication history:A...
sent a thief to acquire it for him, but Cagliostro slew the thief and took it for himself.
At some point the vampire Lord Ruthven
Lord Ruthven (vampire)
Lord Ruthven is a fictional character. First appearing in print in 1816, he was one of the first vampires in English literature.-Origins:There is a genuine title of Lord Ruthven of Freeland which is a subsidiary title of the Earl of Carlisle in the United Kingdom...
may have possessed the Darkhold.
Werewolves
The Darkhold was also responsible for the curse of the werewolfWerewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
; an 18th century man named Grigori Russoff had been tainted by the Darkhold, and was subsequently bitten by a werewolf who served Dracula
Dracula (Marvel Comics)
Dracula is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. He is based on the vampire Count Dracula from the novel of the same name by author Bram Stoker, and is also influenced by Universal Studios' version of the character.-Publication history:A...
. Grigori passed this curse of lycanthropy
Lycanthropy
Lycanthropy is the professed ability or power of a human being to undergo transformation into a werewolf, or to gain wolf-like characteristics. The term comes from Greek Lykànthropos : λύκος, lykos + άνθρωπος, ànthrōpos...
on to his descendents, including eventually Gregor Russoff and his son Jacob Russoff
Werewolf by Night
Werewolf by Night is a fictional character, an antiheroic werewolf in the Marvel Comics universe. The Werewolf by Night first appeared in Marvel Spotlight vol...
. Taboo, the sorcerer, claims to have found the Darkhold in an old Balkan
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
. He used to taunt Gregor Russoff with a possible cure.
Gregor Russoff came to possess the Darkhold. He would later copy much of its content into the journal of his ancestor, and used it as a journal for himself. Accounts vary as to how he came to possess it. Some say he purchased it, while others say he took it from the sorcerer Taboo. Two accounts say that Russoff bought it. In any event, when he read of the origin of lycanthropy in the Darkhold, Gregor Russoff (whose ancestor Grigori had been a werewolf) also contracted lycanthropy. During this time, Dracula shadowed Russoff.
Gregor Russoff attempted to raise Chthon hoping he could cure him of lycanthropy. Chthon instead apparently struck Russoff dead, though Russoff evidently somehow revived. The High Evolutionary
High Evolutionary
The High Evolutionary is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The High Evolutionary was first mentioned in The Mighty Thor vol. 1 #133 , and first appears in The Mighty Thor vol. 1 #134 , and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
and Magnus
Magnus the Sorcerer
Magnus the Sorcerer is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.The character was an ally of the first Spider-Woman, Jessica Drew.-Publication history:...
managed to defeat Chthon at this point. Presumably, the revived Gregor Russoff recovered the Darkhold and somehow managed to hide his activities from the High Evolutionary and Magnus for some time. He was later slain by villagers no earlier than approximately 20 years ago.
Later, Russoff's son Jack also became a werewolf. Recovering the Darkhold from Miles Blackgar, he gave it to a Father Jacquez to translate. Aelfric's ghost possessed Jacquez. At the end of this struggle, Russell erroneously thought that the Darkhold was destroyed. Later, Russoff traveled to Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
with the Indian woman Topaz
Topaz (Marvel Comics)
Topaz is a fictional character, a sorceress in the Marvel Comics universe. She debuted in Werewolf By Night v. 1 #13 .-Fictional character biography:...
to visit Russoff Manor. There they found Gregor Russoff's diary. Dracula came to possess the diary and left it behind in a blizzard in the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
(since the diary contained a copy of the Montesi Formula to destroy vampires). However, Morgan Le Fay later recovered the diary.
The Darkhold contains the Vampiric Verses, which were used to create the world's first vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
, Varnae
Varnae
Varnae is a fictional villainous vampire in the Marvel Comics universe. He has been an adversary of several of Marvel's supernatural and fantasy-related heroes, and is a major character in Marvel's Dracula mythos...
, near the end of the time of Atlantis
Atlantis (Marvel Comics)
Atlantis is a fictional location in the Marvel Universe. It is based on the mythical island of Atlantis first mentioned in Plato's initial dialogue the Timaeus, written circa 360 BC. In the Marvel Universe, Atlantis was a small continent with many human settlements...
. It also contains the Montesi Formula, which could destroy one or even all vampires. The formula was named for the medieval Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
who discovered it; as only he and his bloodline were immune to the Darkhold's corrupting power (the Church gave him and his male descendants the right to marry while remaining in the priesthood). The Montesi Formula was used by Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
in the modern era to destroy all vampires on Earth save for Hannibal King
Hannibal King
Hannibal King is a fictional character, a supernatural detective appearing in publications from Marvel Comics. He first appeared as a supporting character in the 1970s comic book The Tomb of Dracula.-Fictional character biography:...
, who was instead cured of his vampirism. The sorceress Marie Laveau
Marie Laveau
Marie Laveau was a Louisiana Creole practitioner of Voodoo renown in New Orleans. She was born free in New Orleans....
later used the Vampiric Verses to resurrect Varnae, which apparently negated the Montesi Formula. The Darkhold is currently in the custody of Doctor Strange.
At some point Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom
Victor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
found a part of the Darkhold that allowed him to cast a spell to access Belasco
Belasco
Belasco is a fictional supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe. The character's first appearance was in Ka-Zar the Savage #11; he was created by Bruce Jones and Brent Anderson.-Fictional character biography:...
's Limbo. Also at some point, Mephisto
Mephisto (comics)
Mephisto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Silver Surfer #3 and was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema, loosely modeled on Mephistopheles - a character from the Faust legend.Debuting in the Silver Age of comic books,...
imprisoned a demon called Darklove into a page of the Darkhold. Also called the Shiatra Book of the Damned, the Darkhold has served as the source for the Necronomicon
Necronomicon
The Necronomicon is a fictional grimoire appearing in the stories by horror writer H. P. Lovecraft and his followers. It was first mentioned in Lovecraft's 1924 short story "The Hound", written in 1922, though its purported author, the "Mad Arab" Abdul Alhazred, had been quoted a year earlier in...
.
Marvel Zombies
The Darkhold played a role in the fifth Marvel ZombiesMarvel Zombies (series)
Marvel Zombies is a comic book metaseries published by Marvel Comics. The series features zombie versions of Marvel Universe superheroes who have been portrayed as both protagonists and antagonists through the different limited series within the metaseries....
series, specifically in the third issue. In this series, Machine Man
Machine Man
Machine Man is a fictional character, an android superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe. The character was created by Jack Kirby for 2001: A Space Odyssey #8 , a comic written and drawn by Kirby featuring concepts based on the eponymous Stanley Kubrick film and Arthur C. Clarke novel...
and Howard The Duck
Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck is a comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. The character first appeared in Adventure into Fear #19 and several subsequent series have chronicled the misadventures of the ill-tempered, anthropomorphic, "funny...
(from the primary Marvel universe) and Jackie Kane (from Earth-483) travel between dimensions collecting samples of the various zombie viruses in order to develop a cure. In this issue, they travel to a universe which contains zombies dubbed "Raimis" (a reference to The Evil Dead
The Evil Dead
The Evil Dead is a 1981 horror film written and directed by Sam Raimi, starring Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, and Betsy Baker. The film is a story of five college students vacationing in an isolated cabin in a wooded area...
movies by Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi
Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi is an American film director, producer, actor and writer. He is best known for directing cult horror films like the Evil Dead series, Darkman and Drag Me to Hell, as well as the blockbuster Spider-Man films and the producer of the successful TV series Hercules: The...
). In this universe, though, the zombies are controlled by the Darkhold rather than by the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, which is how they are controlled in the movie series.
Darkhold Redeemers
A group led by Victoria Montesi, the last member of the Montesi family, attempted to curtail the effects of the lost pages of the Darkhold. The group starred in the series Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins. Many pages of the Darkhold were being passed around by a demonic dwarf. The recipients of the page could use them to grant a wish at the cost of their soul; the wish tends to go horrifically wrong.Louise Hastings
A member of the Darkhold Redeemers. Professor Louise Hastings was an expert in the occult. She spent her career fighting occult or demonic forces, usually alongside her peers and the Midnight SonsMidnight Sons
The Midnight Sons is fictional team of supernatural superheroes in the Marvel Comics Universe. The team first appears in Ghost Rider The Midnight Sons is fictional team of supernatural superheroes in the Marvel Comics Universe. The team first appears in Ghost Rider The Midnight Sons is fictional...
. During the crisis known as the "Midnight Massacre" it was Hastings who saved the day by reading from the Darkhold, sacrificing her soul to Chthon. She was killed months later during the "Siege of Darkness" by Morbius
Morbius, the Living Vampire
Morbius, the Living Vampire, is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and penciler Gil Kane, the character, a living human suffering from vampiric abilities resulting from scientific rather than supernatural means, first appeared as...
who was possessed by Lilin blood. She is survived by her grandson, Jinx.
Sam Buchanan
Little is known about Sam Buchanan. He is an InterpolInterpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
agent who is assigned to protect Victoria Montesi after she barely survived an attack by a cult worshipping the Darkhold. After Victoria Montesi disappears and Professor Hastings was murdered, Sam walked away from the occult. He is presumed back at Interpol.
Jinx
Jinx is the grandson of Louise Hastings, an expert in the occult and a mystic of limited power. It is likely that her experiences in the mystic affected her lineage, although her daughter, Caprice, never demonstrated any mystical abilities. Jinx, however, proved able to access magic to perform small feats without any sort of training.Jinx's mother was killed in a struggle over of the Darkhold pages, and he came to live with his grandmother, Louise. Almost instantly, he became caught up in a Darkhold plot to reassemble the pages. Sam Buchanan was an agent of Interpol and was convinced by his superior, DeGuzman, leader of a Darkholder sect, to betray and bring in the Darkhold Redeemers. Jinx followed Buchanon back to a base in the southwest, where he accessed the energy of a page of the Darkhold to disperse a group of guards and free Victoria Montesi.
An ally of the Darkhold Redeemers, Blade, was temporarily corrupted by a page of the Darkhold, becoming an incarnation of the Demogorge. Modred teleported Jinx back to New Hope to prevent him from being injured in the battle against the Demogorge.
Jinx accompanied the other Redeemers when they investigated Lt. Frank Walsh after he utilized the "Troid" spell of the Darkhold. Following this, Victoria Montesi accessed a page of the Darkhold to gain healing powers. This resulted in the summoning of the creature Monstrosity, which was drawn to follow Victoria and slaughter those it encountered. Jinx attempted to engage the Monstrosity, but was stabbed in the chest by it. He was mortally wounded, but Victoria appeared and used her magics to heal him instantly. It was at this time that Jinx began training as an apprentice to Modred, much to the consternation of the other Redeemers. Jinx demonstrated the ability to focus mystic energy from his right eye while directly participating in the struggle against Spider-X, another Darkhold page user.
Modred's training allowed Jinx to participate in the "Siege of Darkness", amplifying Modred's power to oppose the forces of the demon Lilith I. Internal strife and misunderstandings amongst the Midnight Sons did briefly turn Jinx against Modred, but they soon resolved this. Jinx accompanied the others to the jungles of Central America to locate the Blood member Truth-Sayer. They succeeded, although Truth-Sayer was incinerated by the Fallen member Metarchus. Following this, in order to protect him against the final battle against Lilith and Zarathos, Jinx was sent to the Vatican to remain under the care of Vittorio Montesi.