O Dark Gods --You Who Stand Astride Time and Tempest-- We seek an answer ---a reckoning-- but for that answer, you have demanded-- a human life! But whose, mighty ones? WHOSE? 
- —Cultist of the Dark Gods[src]
The Dark Gods are eldritch demons, who may or may not be the Great Old Ones, the N'Garai or the Undying Ones.
At the dawn of time, Earth was ruled by an insectoid race that worshiped the Dark Gods, until they fell out of favor and were punished with eternal sleep. In the Modern Age, Psyklop attempted at multiple times to gather souls and life-forces to feed them and redeem himself and his people.
On Earth-4080, they were tied to the Microverse world of K'ai, a gateway from their cosmos to other worlds, and where they were worshiped and had a foothold at Wol Ulrai.
History
Origin[]
The Dark Gods' origins are unknown.[5] They are unidentified, and might the N'Garai, the Undying Ones, any of the Great Old Ones, or another race of demons.[6][8]
Early years[]
The Dark Gods ruled Earth at the dawn of time,[7] and were worshiped by the highly intelligent, technologically advanced, bipedal humanoid insect race of Psyklop that ruled Earth,[6] leaving beneath it long before the apish ancestors of humanity walked the Earth.[1]
Those worshipers eventually fell out of favor of the Dark Gods who punished them with eternal sleep.[1][6] The Dark Gods remained active somewhere in the universe.[5]
Modern Age[]
The slumber of Psyklop's race kept on for millenia, until the Modern Age, during which the Dark Gods revived Psyklop and promised to awaken the rest of his race so that they could rule again Earth after the Gods would be sustained.[1][6] They provided him with an underground lair beneath a Pacific atoll, guarded by a Lemurian slug. The psychic surge caused by Psyklop's awakening and devotion affected a voodoo group in a Louisiana bayou, thus inadvertently creating an entranced cult worshiping the Dark Gods.[6]
As the Hulk defeated Psyklop, foiling his plans to use him to feed the Dark Gods, they intervened in anger at Psyklop's failure to snatch him[2] and banish him to the microscopic world of K'ai. There, he furthered quakes induced by the return of Hulk in K'ai and collected the life-forces of the casualties, awaiting the conjunction of multi-universal energies in order to offer the life-forces to his Dark Gods and cancel his exile.[6] After another failure, the Dark Gods stopped supporting Psyklop.[5]
The Psyklop, who became a hive mind, still intended to feed souls of the people of K'ai to the Dark Gods.[9][10]
Alternate realities versions[]
Earth-4080[]
The Dark Gods' cosmos lied directly adjacent to the "microscopic" world of K'ai, and served as a gateway for them to enter countless worlds. The Dark Gods were worshiped on K'ai eons ago, but their worship was believed to have ended geological ages ago, in a foul time from which almost no records survived.
The Dark Gods were tied to the city of Wol Ulrai, known as the Heart of All Darkness. The city eventually fell into ruins upon the Mount of Wol Ulrai, and was known by few men, mentioned in whispers and legends. The nightmarish Spawn of the Dark Gods were speculated to either be mutated men or pre-men, and dwelt in Wol Ulrai.
The Dark Gods had worshipers on Earth during the Modern Age, including Psyklop. When Psyklop had the Hulk transported to K'ai, the Dark Gods feared the threat that the combination of his unlimited power and Banner's brain posed to them, and that Hulk could shut their door forever. Like on Earth-616, the Dark Gods banished Psyklop to K'ai, to guard against Hulk's return. As he failed them again, they snatched Hulk and Jarella to Earth, had one of their worshipers there revive the Crypto-Man to cause a battle in which Jarella was to die, for Hulk to never return to K'ai.
When Hulk and Jarella were sent back to K'ai, the Dark Gods ordained that Hulk shall die. A mysterious force slowed their course. Upon their return, Jarella felt the presence of evil in K'ai, a fear dismissed by Hulk untilan horrific tentacled amoebae approached Jarella in the night before vanishing. Helped by the legendary, telepathic Spoor-Men of K'ai, Hulk followed the trail of slime and vibrations into the catacombs, where they interrupted a ceremony to the Dark Gods, during which a cultist issued Hulk the Gods' decree of his demise before melting away. Afterwards, K'ai was plagued by strange events: dead rose from their graves, strange fungoid grew to suddenly cover buildings, and mysterious machines ravaged the countryside.
Along with Jarella and the Defenders of K'ai, Hulk investigated Wol Ulrai where they battled and defeated the Spawn of the Dark Gods and then were met by Visis who had become the Voice of the Dark Gods. Visis revealed the Gods' plot and unleashed a Hulk construct upon the heroes but the Hulk defeated the construct, bringing down the side of the mountain and killing Visis and a few demons, though the Gods remained unaffected. Hulk shouted at the Dark Gods, vowing to destroy them on their eventual return.[4]Miscellaneous
Level of Technology
The Dark Gods somehow had access to an underground lair beneath a Pacific atoll, guarded by a Lemurian slug.[6]
From the mystic knowledge of the Dark Gods, Psyklop was a master of science.[6]Notes
- The Dark Gods are seemingly either an alternate name or are inspired by the Old Ones of the Cthulhu Mythos. Their introduction issue, Avengers #88 (May, 1971), includes a few references to the stories of H.P. Lovecraft.
- Though unidentified, they have been mentioned in handbooks as potentially being the N'Garai, the Undying Ones (both inspired by the Cthulhu Mythos), or any of the Great Old Ones.[6][8]
See Also
- 2 appearance(s) of Dark Gods (K'ai)
- 1 minor appearance(s) of Dark Gods (K'ai)
- 5 mention(s) of Dark Gods (K'ai)
- 1 image(s) of Dark Gods (K'ai)
Links and References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Avengers #88
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Incredible Hulk #140
- ↑ Incredible Hulk #203
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 What If? #23 ; What If... Hulk's Girlfriend Jarella Had Not Died?
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition #26 ; Psyklop's profile
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 Marvel Legacy: The 1970s Handbook #1 ; Psyklop's profile
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Marvel Encyclopedia #1 ; 2009 edition
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #9 ; Psyklop's profile
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Realm of Kings: Son of Hulk #1
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Incredible Hulks: Enigma Force #1 ; Dark Son (Book One)
- ↑ Incredible Hulks: Enigma Force #2 ; Dark Son (Book Two)