Darkholders (Earth-616)

Darkholders

Gallery

Official Team Name

Darkholders

Team Aliases

Cult of the Darkhold,^{[citation needed]} Chthonic Brotherhood^[1]

Identity

Secret

Universe

Earth-616

Base of Operations

Mobile

Affiliations

Team Leader(s)

Formerly DeGuzman^[2]

Current Members

Tony Hubris Jr., Reaver, Morgan le Fay, Eka

Former Members

DeGuzman,^[2] Brother Gregori, Barry Gleason, other members

Allies

Chthon, Thulsa Doom, Dracula, Lilith, Broodlings of Chthon

Enemies

Varnae, Darkhold Redeemers, Victoria Montesi, Carnage

Origin

Origin

Cult worshiping the demon Chthon through the Darkhold^[2]

Creators

Mark Gruenwald, Steven Grant, David Michelinie, John Byrne

First appearance

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.^{[citation needed]} Varnae turned some members into vampires.^{[citation needed]} Other vampires were Nosferatu, Verdelet, Saracen, Maracen and Boy.^[3]

Some of the first vampires,^[3] such as Boy, Maracen, Saracen,^[4] Verdelet,^[5] and presumably Lamia became known as the Ancient.^[3] It is unknown whether all or any of those were themselves Darkholders.

Surviving Darkholders managed to make off with the Darkhold before Atlantis sank.^[6]

Modern Age

The Darkholders resurfaced to attack Victoria Montesi, who was a reluctant heir to the Montesi responsibility of safeguarding the Darkhold.^[7]

They later took interest in Carnage. Barry Gleason orchestrated Cletus Kasady's meeting with them. It is later revealed that he is to be made as a sacrifice to awaken Chthon, based on the prophecy in the Darkhold that stated that "When the Red Slayer spills blood on sacred stone, he who sleeps shall wake and what walked will walk once again."^[8]

Paraphernalia

Weapons: Darkhold: It contains 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

• 7 Darkholders (Earth-616) Members
  
• 24 Appearances of Darkholders (Earth-616)
• 1 Minor Appearances of Darkholders (Earth-616)
• 2 Media Darkholders (Earth-616) was Mentioned in
• 6 Images that include Darkholders (Earth-616)
• Team Gallery: Darkholders (Earth-616)

Links and References

Footnotes