Darkoth
Encyclopedia
Darkoth is a fictional character
, supervillain
appearing in the Marvel Comics
universe
. His first appearance was in Fantastic Four
series 1 #142, (January 1974), and he was created by Gerry Conway
and Rich Buckler
.
. He has a degree in aeronautical engineering and was a test pilot like his friend, Ben Grimm
.
Pitt discovers that agents of Doctor Doom
have infiltrated a solar shuttle project he is assigned to. Pitt passes himself off as a willing accomplice in order to discover the extent of their infiltration into NASA
. He is so convincing that Doom himself takes an interest. However, due to the recent death of his wife, Pitt makes an error of judgment, and is discovered to be a double agent. Doom's operatives have Desmond denounced as a traitor, and kidnapped. The government thus considers him a potential spy, although he disappears before formal charges can be brought against him.
Doom makes an example of Desmond by using genetic surgery and mutagenic compounds to radically alter his body until he resembled a legendary Latveria
n mountain demon and codenamed him Darkoth the Death Demon. Doom wipes his memories, and implanted the hypnotic suggestion that Darkoth is really a demon that had been rescued from the Netherworld. Darkoth then attacks the Thing
, and lures him into the underground fortress of Doctor Doom. Darkoth is taken captive, and then regains his memory and betrays Doctor Doom, allying himself with the Fantastic Four
. He helps them thwart Doom's Vibro-Bomb.
Darkoth is later enhanced by Diablo, who recruits him as a pawn to attack Doom. Darkoth stows away aboard a space shuttle piloted by the Thing. His plan is to redirect the solar generators at Doom. However, Darkoth betrays Diablo when he learns the Thing would also be hurt. Darkoth is apparently killed in a solar generator explosion while in near Earth orbit.
However, Darkoth is actually transported away by Mephisto and becomes his pawn. He is killed in a battle with Thor
, and ends up in Belasco
's Realm, the dimension known as Otherplace
. There he fights Belasco's servant S'ym
for possession of the Soulsword. Darkoth kills S'ym and takes control over the Soulsword, thereby becoming the embodiment of Otherplace, which he transforms into a realm of peace. This incident also involved a conflict with the West Coast Avengers
, the superhero team Excalibur
and once again, Doctor Doom.
, and later alchemical potions by Diablo. As Darkoth, he had superhuman strength, stamina, durability, and agility, and a demonic appearance, with purple skin, a prehensile reptilian tail, small wings on his feet, fangs, and antennae. He was also able to fire fatigue-causing energy blasts from his "firehorn" antennae. He also used poisoned steel talons.
As a result of Diablo's further mutations, he gained the ability to fly, and become intangible.
Pitt was a skilled pilot and had earned a degree in aeronautical engineering, and was an Air Academy graduate with flying combat training and 1200 hours flight time, and qualified for multi-engine rating. He also learned his fighting skills through military training.
After his resurrection in Otherplace, Darkoth gained the ability to shape-shift.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
appearing in the Marvel Comics
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...
. His first appearance was in Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
series 1 #142, (January 1974), and he was created 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...
.
Fictional character biography
Major Desmond Pitt of the United States Air Force was from St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. He has a degree in aeronautical engineering and was a test pilot like his friend, Ben Grimm
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
.
Pitt discovers that agents of Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom
Victor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
have infiltrated a solar shuttle project he is assigned to. Pitt passes himself off as a willing accomplice in order to discover the extent of their infiltration into NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
. He is so convincing that Doom himself takes an interest. However, due to the recent death of his wife, Pitt makes an error of judgment, and is discovered to be a double agent. Doom's operatives have Desmond denounced as a traitor, and kidnapped. The government thus considers him a potential spy, although he disappears before formal charges can be brought against him.
Doom makes an example of Desmond by using genetic surgery and mutagenic compounds to radically alter his body until he resembled a legendary Latveria
Latveria
Latveria is a nation in the . It is an isolated European country ruled by the supervillain Doctor Doom, supposedly located in the Banat region. It is surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains, and also borders the Symkaria to the south. Its capital is Doomstadt.-Publication history:Latveria first...
n mountain demon and codenamed him Darkoth the Death Demon. Doom wipes his memories, and implanted the hypnotic suggestion that Darkoth is really a demon that had been rescued from the Netherworld. Darkoth then attacks the Thing
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
, and lures him into the underground fortress of Doctor Doom. Darkoth is taken captive, and then regains his memory and betrays Doctor Doom, allying himself with the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
. He helps them thwart Doom's Vibro-Bomb.
Darkoth is later enhanced by Diablo, who recruits him as a pawn to attack Doom. Darkoth stows away aboard a space shuttle piloted by the Thing. His plan is to redirect the solar generators at Doom. However, Darkoth betrays Diablo when he learns the Thing would also be hurt. Darkoth is apparently killed in a solar generator explosion while in near Earth orbit.
However, Darkoth is actually transported away by Mephisto and becomes his pawn. He is killed in a battle with 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 ends up in Belasco
Belasco
Belasco is a fictional supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe. The character's first appearance was in Ka-Zar the Savage #11; he was created by Bruce Jones and Brent Anderson.-Fictional character biography:...
's Realm, the dimension known as Otherplace
Otherplace
Otherplace, is a fictional location in titles published by Marvel Comics. The concept debuted in Uncanny X-Men #160, and was created by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson.-History:...
. There he fights Belasco's servant S'ym
S'ym
S'ym is a fictional supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe, a demon of Limbo who served as a frequent enemy and sometimes supporting character in The Uncanny X-Men and The New Mutants...
for possession of the Soulsword. Darkoth kills S'ym and takes control over the Soulsword, thereby becoming the embodiment of Otherplace, which he transforms into a realm of peace. This incident also involved a conflict with the West Coast Avengers
West Coast Avengers
The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. The team first appear in The West Coast Avengers #1 and was created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall.- Publication history :...
, the superhero team Excalibur
Excalibur (comics)
Excalibur is a Marvel Comics superhero group, an off-shoot of the X-Men, usually based in the United Kingdom. Conceived by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer Alan Davis, the original Excalibur first appeared in Excalibur Special Edition , also known as Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn.The...
and once again, Doctor Doom.
Powers and abilities
Desmond Pitt was transformed into the creature called Darkoth through bio-engineering and cybernetic implantation by Doctor DoomDoctor Doom
Victor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
, and later alchemical potions by Diablo. As Darkoth, he had superhuman strength, stamina, durability, and agility, and a demonic appearance, with purple skin, a prehensile reptilian tail, small wings on his feet, fangs, and antennae. He was also able to fire fatigue-causing energy blasts from his "firehorn" antennae. He also used poisoned steel talons.
As a result of Diablo's further mutations, he gained the ability to fly, and become intangible.
Pitt was a skilled pilot and had earned a degree in aeronautical engineering, and was an Air Academy graduate with flying combat training and 1200 hours flight time, and qualified for multi-engine rating. He also learned his fighting skills through military training.
After his resurrection in Otherplace, Darkoth gained the ability to shape-shift.