What Is The Darkhold In The Marvel Universe?
The Darkhold got name-dropped in the WandaVision finale and it has Marvel fans going nuts.
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The Darkhold got name-dropped in the WandaVision finale and it has Marvel fans going nuts. This actually isn’t the first time the legendary dark book has made an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A copy of the book actually appeared in the television show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which is already bringing into question some very intriguing prospects with this very important book.
But what is the Darkhold? In the Marvel comics, it is the ultimate grimoire of dark magic. The spells in the book were gathered together by the Elder God Chthon, a malevolent being who actually embued Wanda Maximoff with his power at the time of her birth. This was done in order to make her a potential vessel that he would be able to possess at some point in the future. Even though Chthon has yet to be mentioned in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including his infamous book of spells seems to be the first big piece of setup to bring him into the fold.
There is a very good chance that the introduction of the Darkhold into the Marvel Cinematic Universe means that this is setting up the arrival of Chthon as a major antagonist in the future. He could even be revealed to be a key player in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness since we know that Wanda is going to be a major character in that sequel. Could it be a combination of Wanda’s magic and the influence of Chthon that causes the multiverse to splinter? And will Doctor Strange be the one to reveal the identity of Chthon and what his machinations are? Is Wanda being used as a tool for Chthon to destroy all of reality?
And it is pretty clear that the Darkhold has a huge role to play in the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The post-credits teaser of the WandaVision finale saw the Scarlet Witch studying the book by using her astral form. We know that the multiverse is going to be featured in both Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. There is a very good chance that the Darkhold will reveal to Wanda the secrets of the multiverse and open up a gateway to infinite realities. Basically, this book is easily the most significant trinket since the Infinity Stones as it holds the fate of all reality in its pages.
We wonder just how much of the Darkhold will be revealed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the comics, it is littered with incredibly powerful spells. Some of them include the ability to access Limbo, conjuring a powerful energy known as Darkforce, and the ability to originate monsters such as werewolves and vampires. The fact that it can create vampires could actually be how vampires enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Essentially, the Darkhold could be how we get the origins of Blade and the rest of the vampire race in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The possibilities are limitless.
But, what about the other Darkhold that was seen in the Marvel series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Was that simply a copy? In the comics, Chthon etched his spells and part of his essence onto many pages that came to be known as the Chthon Scrolls. Could there be two different versions of the Darkhold out there in the world? Is one more powerful than the other? Will Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness acknowledge these two versions of the grimoire? Lots of questions and we will not have the answers until this magical storyline finally comes to a close.
Regardless of what their explanation might be, the Darkhold is one of the most dangerous pieces of magic in the entirety of the Marvel universe. As Agatha Harkness said, there is an entire chapter in it that is devoted to Wanda as the Scarlet Witch. The prophecy states that she will destroy the world. The fact that she is now studying the book and will use its dark powers to rescue her children from non-existence means that we are likely going to see magic on a scale we could never have conceived of in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Bad times are on the horizon.
