Dweller-in-Darkness
Encyclopedia
The Dweller-in-Darkness is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics
universe
. He is a demon
, one of the Fear Lords, who has clashed with Doctor Strange
.
#229-230 (November-December, 1974), by Gerry Conway
and Rich Buckler
. The character is first fully revealed in Doctor Strange
#30 (August, 1978), by Roger Stern
and Tom Sutton
.
The character subsequently appears in Doctor Strange #32-33 (December 1978, February 1979), #35-37 (June-October 1979), Fantastic Four Annual #23 (1990), Doctor Strange #31-33 (July-September 1991), #38-40 (January-March 1992), and Adventures of the X-Men #11-12 (February-March 1997).
The Dweller-in-Darkness received an entry in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Horror #1 (2005).
. The Dweller became shunned by his people for following "The Way of the Shamblu". Like Nightmare, the Dweller feeds on the fear of living beings; fear both increases his powers and keeps him alive.
In the universe which existed before the current reality, the Dweller caused a fracture in the M'Kraan Crystal
in order to bring about the destruction of the universe and absorb the fear this would cause in every being that existed. Just before the crystal shattered, however, the Phoenix Force telepathically reached out to the minds of all life and united them in peace, foiling the Dweller's scheme. As the universe came to an end, the current Marvel Universe
was born.
In this new universe, when he first came to Earth, the Dweller-in-Darkness fed upon the fears created by the war between the humans of Atlantis
and the Deviants of Lemuria
. The Atlantean sorceress Zhered-Na discovered the existence of the Dweller and banished him with the help of Agamotto
and the Atlantean god Valka. When Atlantis sank, the Dweller absorbed the fear of the inhabitants and used it to create D'Spayre and ordered him to kill Zhered-Na in revenge. D'Spayre manipulated a tribesman to kill Zhered-Na and Zhered-Na's student, Dakimh the Enchanter
would battle D'Spayre over the next millennia, while D'Spayre tried to generate enough fear on Earth to free his creator. During this time the Dweller would create other beings with a similar purpose, including the demoness Spite. D'Spayre would remain his most powerful creation though.
In the 20th century, the Dweller appeared in the dreams of many humans and told them that they would gain eternal life if they died. These humans would then kill themselves but turn into Shade-Tralls, powerful creatures who served the Dweller, but were vulnerable to light. His plan was stopped by the gods Thor
and Hercules
who fought the Shade Tralls and destroyed them. He also inspired Zoltan Drago to become the first Mister Fear
.
The Dweller would create new Shade Tralls. These Shade Tralls were destroyed by Doctor Strange
and Clea
, but not before the Dweller finally freed himself from his prison. The Dweller witnessed the destruction of his Shade Tralls by Strange and Clea and determined that they were the largest threat to him on Earth. Over the next few months he tried to kill Strange using servants like the Dream-Weaver
and several demons, but Strange defeated them all. Still, Strange's resolve was sapped by the Dweller's servants and he was overcome with fear. The Dweller decided that he had defeated Strange and stopped his attacks.
Months later, the Dweller gathered the Fear Lords and told them about his plans to create the Great Fear: a terror which would engulf humanity. In fact, the Dweller hoped that the other Fear Lords would be destroyed during this plan by Doctor Strange. Most of the Fear Lords agreed, but the Straw Man
, who was benevolent to humanity, disagreed with their plan and warned Strange. The Fear Lords destroyed the Straw Man before he could tell Strange too much, but they only killed one of the Straw Man's many bodies. The Great Fear started out as the Dweller had planned; several of the Fear Lords were destroyed by Strange and his allies, but D'Spayre told Nightmare about the Dweller's true plans. Nightmare and the Dweller fought, but during their battle they generated so much fear that humanity stopped fearing and started to despair. The two were unable to feed upon this despair, but D'Spayre was and he become more powerful than the two of them. Realising that D'Spayre had manipulated them, the Dweller attacked him, but D'Spayre destroyed the Dweller's robotic body. His head, the only living part of the dweller escaped.
The Dweller is immortal, doesn't age and even the sorceress Zhered-Na, assisted by powerful beings like Agamotto and Valka, could only banish him, not destroy him.
The "Way of the Shamblu", the Dweller's chosen path in life, involved a ritual where the Dweller removed his head from his own body. His body died, but his head lived on, now as a corporeal being, whereas the other inhabitants of Everinnye are more ethereal. The Dweller's head is attached to a robotic body, which possesses superhuman strength, but it can detach and move with the tentacles near its mouth in case of emergency.
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...
. He is a demon
Demons (Marvel Comics)
The Marvel Comics universe hosts a number of demons, many of whom are at times at conflict with gods and angels. All possess varying degrees of mystical power, feed upon souls for self-sustenance, and are inclined towards dark or “black” magic - evil....
, one of the Fear Lords, who has clashed with 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 ....
.
Publication history
The Dweller-in-Darkness was first mentioned in ThorThor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
#229-230 (November-December, 1974), by Gerry Conway
Gerry 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 Rich Buckler
Rich Buckler
Rich Buckler is an American comic book artist and penciller, best known for his work on Marvel Comics' The Fantastic Four in the mid-1970s and, with writer Doug Moench, co-creating the character Deathlok in Astonishing Tales #25...
. The character is first fully revealed in 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 ....
#30 (August, 1978), by Roger Stern
Roger Stern
Roger Stern is an American comic book author and novelist.-Early career:In the early 1970s, Stern and Bob Layton published the fanzine CPL , one of the first platforms for the work of John Byrne...
and Tom Sutton
Tom Sutton
Tom Sutton was an American comic book artist who sometimes used the pseudonyms Sean Todd and Dementia...
.
The character subsequently appears in Doctor Strange #32-33 (December 1978, February 1979), #35-37 (June-October 1979), Fantastic Four Annual #23 (1990), Doctor Strange #31-33 (July-September 1991), #38-40 (January-March 1992), and Adventures of the X-Men #11-12 (February-March 1997).
The Dweller-in-Darkness received an entry in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Horror #1 (2005).
Fictional character biography
The Dweller-in-Darkness is a demon from the dimension Everinnye, like the demon NightmareNightmare (Marvel Comics)
Nightmare is a fictional character, a supernatural being who has appeared in many Marvel Comics stories, most commonly as one of Doctor Strange and Ghost Rider's major enemies.-Publication history:...
. The Dweller became shunned by his people for following "The Way of the Shamblu". Like Nightmare, the Dweller feeds on the fear of living beings; fear both increases his powers and keeps him alive.
In the universe which existed before the current reality, the Dweller caused a fracture in the M'Kraan Crystal
M'Kraan Crystal
In the fictional Marvel Comics Universe, the M'Kraan Crystal is a gigantic crystalline artifact that lies at the nexus of all realities. The Crystal contains a negative galaxy, a source of near limitless power, which pulls and traps all matter inside. The Crystal plays a prominent role in several...
in order to bring about the destruction of the universe and absorb the fear this would cause in every being that existed. Just before the crystal shattered, however, the Phoenix Force telepathically reached out to the minds of all life and united them in peace, foiling the Dweller's scheme. As the universe came to an end, the current Marvel 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...
was born.
In this new universe, when he first came to Earth, the Dweller-in-Darkness fed upon the fears created by the war between the humans 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...
and the Deviants of Lemuria
Lemuria (comics)
Lemuria is the name of two fictional locations in the Marvel Universe.Lemuria had been a small continent and group of islands in the Pacific Ocean 21,000 years ago, which was ruled by the Deviants. Lemuria became the center of the Deviant empire, and the only remaining free land was Atlantis, the...
. The Atlantean sorceress Zhered-Na discovered the existence of the Dweller and banished him with the help of Agamotto
Agamotto
Agamotto is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. He is known mainly as the source of the Eye of Agamotto—a tool of magical clairvoyance used by superhero sorcerer Doctor Strange.-Publication history:In a preface to the Dr...
and the Atlantean god Valka. When Atlantis sank, the Dweller absorbed the fear of the inhabitants and used it to create D'Spayre and ordered him to kill Zhered-Na in revenge. D'Spayre manipulated a tribesman to kill Zhered-Na and Zhered-Na's student, Dakimh the Enchanter
Dakimh the Enchanter
Dakimh the Enchanter is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional character biography:Dakimh, a wise but eccentric wizard, lived in pre-cataclysmic Atlantis, and was the pupil of the sorceress Zhered-Na. Zhered-Na was banished from Atlantis by King Kamuu for prophesying that the...
would battle D'Spayre over the next millennia, while D'Spayre tried to generate enough fear on Earth to free his creator. During this time the Dweller would create other beings with a similar purpose, including the demoness Spite. D'Spayre would remain his most powerful creation though.
In the 20th century, the Dweller appeared in the dreams of many humans and told them that they would gain eternal life if they died. These humans would then kill themselves but turn into Shade-Tralls, powerful creatures who served the Dweller, but were vulnerable to light. His plan was stopped by the gods Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
and Hercules
Hercules (Marvel Comics)
Hercules is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery Annual #1 and was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby....
who fought the Shade Tralls and destroyed them. He also inspired Zoltan Drago to become the first Mister Fear
Mister Fear
Mister Fear is the name of several fictional characters, all supervillains in the Marvel Comics Universe. Mister Fear first appears in Daredevil Mister Fear is the name of several fictional characters, all supervillains in the Marvel Comics Universe. Mister Fear first appears in Daredevil Mister...
.
The Dweller would create new Shade Tralls. These Shade Tralls were destroyed 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 ....
and Clea
Clea
Clea is a fictional character, a sorceress in the . She is the disciple and lover of Doctor Strange. Created by co-plotters Stan Lee and Steve Ditko , Clea first appeared in the Doctor Strange feature in Strange Tales #126 .Clea is a human-appearing being and maternally related to the...
, but not before the Dweller finally freed himself from his prison. The Dweller witnessed the destruction of his Shade Tralls by Strange and Clea and determined that they were the largest threat to him on Earth. Over the next few months he tried to kill Strange using servants like the Dream-Weaver
Dream Weaver (comics)
Dream Weaver is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Dream Weaver appeared in Doctor Strange #32-33 , and was created by Roger Stern and Alan Kupperberg....
and several demons, but Strange defeated them all. Still, Strange's resolve was sapped by the Dweller's servants and he was overcome with fear. The Dweller decided that he had defeated Strange and stopped his attacks.
Months later, the Dweller gathered the Fear Lords and told them about his plans to create the Great Fear: a terror which would engulf humanity. In fact, the Dweller hoped that the other Fear Lords would be destroyed during this plan by Doctor Strange. Most of the Fear Lords agreed, but the Straw Man
Straw Man (comics)
The Scarecrow, later named Straw Man, is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. He is an extra-dimensional magical entity which takes vengeance on its enemies, and was invited by Dweller-in-Darkness to join the Fear Lords, but he betrayed them to Doctor...
, who was benevolent to humanity, disagreed with their plan and warned Strange. The Fear Lords destroyed the Straw Man before he could tell Strange too much, but they only killed one of the Straw Man's many bodies. The Great Fear started out as the Dweller had planned; several of the Fear Lords were destroyed by Strange and his allies, but D'Spayre told Nightmare about the Dweller's true plans. Nightmare and the Dweller fought, but during their battle they generated so much fear that humanity stopped fearing and started to despair. The two were unable to feed upon this despair, but D'Spayre was and he become more powerful than the two of them. Realising that D'Spayre had manipulated them, the Dweller attacked him, but D'Spayre destroyed the Dweller's robotic body. His head, the only living part of the dweller escaped.
Powers and abilities
The Dweller has the ability to generate fear in other living beings. This fear in turn sustains and empowers the Dweller, allowing him to generate even more fear. He also has other undefined mystical powers: he can create independent creatures out of fear like D'spayre and he can turn humans who die under his influence into Shade-Tralls, beings made of shadow with superhuman strength. Strong light can kill or banish these tralls.The Dweller is immortal, doesn't age and even the sorceress Zhered-Na, assisted by powerful beings like Agamotto and Valka, could only banish him, not destroy him.
The "Way of the Shamblu", the Dweller's chosen path in life, involved a ritual where the Dweller removed his head from his own body. His body died, but his head lived on, now as a corporeal being, whereas the other inhabitants of Everinnye are more ethereal. The Dweller's head is attached to a robotic body, which possesses superhuman strength, but it can detach and move with the tentacles near its mouth in case of emergency.
External links
- Dweller-in-Darkness at the Marvel Universe
- Dweller-in-Darkness at the Marvel Database Project