Great Evil Beast
Encyclopedia
The Great Evil Beast, also known as The Great Darkness or The Ultimate Darkness, is a powerful cosmic entity that appeared in the DC Comics
Swamp Thing
storyline, "American Gothic."
or Leviathan
, this is the soul of darkness itself. A complete absence of divine light. This being is in every way equal to the power of the Presence, but his opposite who existed before Creation.
When the earth-shattering events of the Crisis on Infinite Earths
struck, a group of mystic madmen calling themselves the Brujeria attempted to conduct a mystic ritual to contact the Great Darkness; unsurprisingly, it went awry and instead the entity awoke as a furious beast, unknowing of its own power and confused about its existence.
It ended encountering a number of mystical heroes (Etrigan, Doctor Fate
, the Spectre
), who unwittingly angered the being and directed it against Heaven
, leaving only the defeated heroes behind. They did this unknowingly, despite their best intentions; Etrigan taught it Darkness was Evil, Dr. Fate told him that Evil was Despisable, and the Spectre instructed it with the concept of Revenge. Infuriated, the being sought to assault Heaven to demand answers from the Presence as to its existence, trampling all it crossed paths with. This power was so huge, it caused Hell
's main three figures - Lucifer
, Azazel
and Beelzebub
- to form a triumvirate to defend themselves should the Great Darkness decide it wanted Hell as its realm. A different faction, led by the Demons Three
, banded together to follow the Darkness, whom they saw as the ultimate sin and evil.
However, before the Great Darkness reached the gates of the Silver City
of Heaven, it encountered Swamp Thing
, who taught it the concept of evil and good, life and death, intertwined so that one could not survive without the other. The Great Darkness then extended its hand, and something happened that nobody had foreseen; the Presence extended His. When both Hands touched, both the ultimate light and the supreme dark merged together, forming the perfect balance as a form of Yin/Yang.
The realm of the Great Darkness, an expanse of complete and utter darkness known as the Sunless Sea or the Shadowlands, has been referred to as the power source for shadow-manipulating characters like Richard Swift (the Shade
), his archenemy Culp, Shadow-Thief
, Nightshade
, Ian Karkull
, and Alan Scott
's son Obsidian
.
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing, a fictional character, is a plant elemental in the created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson. He first appeared in House of Secrets #92 in a stand-alone horror story set in the early 20th century . The Swamp Thing then returned in his own series, set in the contemporary world and in...
storyline, "American Gothic."
Fictional character biography
This being is outside of The Presence's creation. This is no fallen AngelAngel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
or Leviathan
Leviathan
Leviathan , is a sea monster referred to in the Bible. In Demonology, Leviathan is one of the seven princes of Hell and its gatekeeper . The word has become synonymous with any large sea monster or creature...
, this is the soul of darkness itself. A complete absence of divine light. This being is in every way equal to the power of the Presence, but his opposite who existed before Creation.
When the earth-shattering events of the Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
struck, a group of mystic madmen calling themselves the Brujeria attempted to conduct a mystic ritual to contact the Great Darkness; unsurprisingly, it went awry and instead the entity awoke as a furious beast, unknowing of its own power and confused about its existence.
It ended encountering a number of mystical heroes (Etrigan, Doctor Fate
Doctor Fate
Doctor Fate is the name of a succession of fictional sorcerers who appear in books published by DC Comics. The original version was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, and first appeared in More Fun Comics #55...
, the Spectre
Spectre (comics)
The Spectre is a fictional character and superhero who has appeared in numerous comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a next issue ad in More Fun Comics #51 and received his first story the following month, #52...
), who unwittingly angered the being and directed it against Heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
, leaving only the defeated heroes behind. They did this unknowingly, despite their best intentions; Etrigan taught it Darkness was Evil, Dr. Fate told him that Evil was Despisable, and the Spectre instructed it with the concept of Revenge. Infuriated, the being sought to assault Heaven to demand answers from the Presence as to its existence, trampling all it crossed paths with. This power was so huge, it caused Hell
Hell (DC Comics)
Hell is a fictional location, an infernal underworld utilized in titles published by DC Comics. It is the locational antithesis of the Silver City. The DC Comics location known as Hell is based heavily on its depiction in Judeo-Christian mythology...
's main three figures - Lucifer
Lucifer (DC Comics)
Lucifer is a DC Comics character that starred in an eponymous comic book published under the Vertigo imprint, whose entire run was written by Mike Carey...
, Azazel
Azazel (DC Comics)
Azazel is a fictional demon published by DC Comics. He debuted in The Sandman #4 , and was created by Neil Gaiman and Sam Kieth...
and Beelzebub
Beelzebub
Beelzebub -Religious meaning:Ba‘al Zəbûb is variously understood to mean "lord of flies", or "lord of the dwelling". Originally the name of a Philistine god, Beelzebub is also identified in the New Testament as Satan, the "prince of the demons". In Arabic the name is retained as Ba‘al dhubaab /...
- to form a triumvirate to defend themselves should the Great Darkness decide it wanted Hell as its realm. A different faction, led by the Demons Three
Demons Three
Abnegazar, Rath and Ghast are three fictional characters in the DC Universe who are collectively known as the Demons Three. They first appeared in Justice League of America #10 , and were created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky....
, banded together to follow the Darkness, whom they saw as the ultimate sin and evil.
However, before the Great Darkness reached the gates of the Silver City
Silver City (comics)
The Silver City is a fictional location in stories published DC Universe. It is the home of beings known as Angels and of the The Presence, the primary deity of Judeo-Christian theology in the DC Universe...
of Heaven, it encountered Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing, a fictional character, is a plant elemental in the created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson. He first appeared in House of Secrets #92 in a stand-alone horror story set in the early 20th century . The Swamp Thing then returned in his own series, set in the contemporary world and in...
, who taught it the concept of evil and good, life and death, intertwined so that one could not survive without the other. The Great Darkness then extended its hand, and something happened that nobody had foreseen; the Presence extended His. When both Hands touched, both the ultimate light and the supreme dark merged together, forming the perfect balance as a form of Yin/Yang.
The realm of the Great Darkness, an expanse of complete and utter darkness known as the Sunless Sea or the Shadowlands, has been referred to as the power source for shadow-manipulating characters like Richard Swift (the Shade
Shade (comics)
The Shade is a comic book character developed in the 1940's for National Comics. Debuting as a villain, the Shade was best known for fighting against two generations of superheroes, most notably the Golden Age and Silver Age versions of the Flash...
), his archenemy Culp, Shadow-Thief
Shadow-Thief
Shadow Thief is the name of two fictional supervillains published by DC Comics. The first is a recurring foe of Hawkman named Carl Sands. He was created by Gardner Fox and Joe Kubert, and first appeared in The Brave and the Bold # 36...
, Nightshade
Nightshade (comics)
Nightshade is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics. Created by Joe Gill and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in Captain Atom v2 #82 originally published by Charlton Comics.-Charlton Comics:...
, Ian Karkull
Ian Karkull
Ian Karkull is a fictional supervillain in some comic-book titles published by DC Comics. He first appeared in More Fun Comics #69 as a foe of the sorcerer Doctor Fate...
, and Alan Scott
Alan Scott
Alan Scott is a fictional character, a superhero in the and the first superhero to bear the name Green Lantern.-Publication history:The original Green Lantern was created by young struggling artist Martin Nodell, who was inspired by the sight of a New York Subway employee waving a red lantern to...
's son Obsidian
Obsidian (comics)
Obsidian is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in All-Star Squadron #25 , and was created by Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway. According to an Infinity, Inc...
.