Darkholders (Earth-616)

Darkholders
Name	Darkholders
Aliases	Cult of the Darkhold, Chthonic Brotherhood, the Brotherhood
Members
Team Leader(s)	Formerly DeGuzman
Current Member(s)	Tony Hubris Jr., Reaver, Morgan Le Fay, Eka
Former Member(s)	DeGuzman, Brother Gregori, Barry Gleason, Jenkins, DeSalle
Affiliation and Identity
Identity	Secret
Allies	Chthon, Thulsa Doom, Dracula, Lilith, Broodlings of Chthon
Enemies	Varnae, Darkhold Redeemers, Victoria Montesi, Carnage
Origin and Status
Origin	Cult worshiping the demon Chthon through the Darkhold
Reality	Earth-616
Base of Operations	Mobile
Creators and Appearances
Creators	Mark Gruenwald, Steven Grant, David Michelinie, John Byrne
First	Avengers #187 (September, 1979)
First	Avengers #187 (September, 1979)

History

Origin into the Pre-Cataclysmic Age

The Darkholders started out as Thulsa Doom's followers. After Doom's death at the hands of Kull, they used the Darkhold to create the first vampire, Varnae. Varnae turned some members into vampires. Other vampires were Nosferatu, Verdelet, Saracen, Maracen, and Boy.

Some of the first vampires, such as Boy, Maracen, Saracen, Verdelet, and presumably Lamia became known as the Ancient. It is unknown whether all or any of those were themselves Darkholders.

Surviving Darkholders managed to make off with the Darkhold before Atlantis sank.

Modern Age

The Darkholders resurfaced. Led by DeGuzman, they secured a temporary alliance with Lilith, despite the opposition of other leaders (Lilith herself kept an open perspective on the use of the cult for her own purposes).

Under Lilith's instructions, they attacked Victoria Montesi, who was a reluctant heir to the Montesi responsibility of safeguarding the Darkhold, and seen by Lilith as a threat to it. As the assassins failed to kill Montesi, they were given to Lilith, who had the Lilin Doc reshape them to be faster and stronger. Their next attack on the "Darkhold Redeemers" (joined by John Blaze and the Ghost Rider (Dan Ketch)) was repelled as well.

After Lilith's defeat, the Darkholders sent hitmen to Washington to kill the Darkhold Redeemers (somehow knowing they were going there).

The Red Slayer

They later took interest in Carnage. Barry Gleason orchestrated Cletus Kasady's meeting with them. It was later revealed that he was planned as a sacrifice to awaken Chthon, based on the prophecy in the Darkhold that stated "When the Red Slayer spills blood on sacred stone, he who sleeps shall wake and what walked will walk once again."

Paraphernalia

Weapons

Darkhold: An ancient book containing a number of powerful black magic spells.

Notes

• The Darkholders, especially in their depiction in Carnage Vol. 2, are seemingly based on the secret societies and hidden cultists of the Cthulhu Mythos, working to awaken slumbering eldritch deities, such as the cultists of Cthulhu in H.P. Lovecraft's "The Call of Cthulhu".

See Also

• 23 appearance(s) of Darkholders (Earth-616)
• 1 minor appearance(s) of Darkholders (Earth-616)
• 7 mention(s) of Darkholders (Earth-616)
• 6 image(s) of Darkholders (Earth-616)
• 8 member(s) of Darkholders (Earth-616)
• 1 item(s) used/owned by Darkholders (Earth-616)

Links and References

Footnotes

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