Victoria Montesi
Encyclopedia
Victoria Montesi is a fictional Italian-American doctor and occult investigator in the Marvel Comics
universe, who first appeared on the pages of the comic book, The Darkhold
#1 (October 1992).
, a tome of ancient black magic which has the potential to summon the Elder God Chthon to wreak havoc upon the Earth, but Victoria, half-American, disbelieves her father's claims and takes up hospital work in Rome
, where she lives with her lover, karate instructor Natasha "Nash" Salvato.
However, when pages from the Darkhold are distributed to unsuspecting mortals by a demonic Dwarf and Nash is rendered quadriplegic and comatose following an explosion intended to kill Victoria, she joins with occult expert Louise Hastings and Interpol
agent Sam Buchanan to recover the pages as the Darkhold Redeemers.
and Johnny Blaze
when they discovered Lilith, an ancient demonic entity, had sought Montesi's death. Thereafter, the group was loosely affiliated with Doctor Strange, Ghost Rider, the NightStalkers
, and the other "Midnight Sons
".
These alliances draw them into many adventures unrelated to the hunt for Darkhold pages. Their involvement with the forces of darkness had been predicted long ago as part of the 'nine', a group of heroes destined to destroy much evil. Killing one of the group would mean much success for the forces of darkness, even against the eight survivors. In once incident, Victoria and Sam become involved in Lilith's rebirth from the haunted grounds of the Salem Fields Cemetery in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn. A mist seeping from the ground is bringing with it demonic creatures of all sorts. Sam, Victoria, Ghost Rider, Caretaker
, the Nightstalkers and other heroes try to their best to stop it but end up on the run and under siege in the storyline appropriately known as Siege of Darkness.
The group, as a trio, hunts down the Darkhold pages whenever they can. In Hawaii, they fight demonic soldiers brought forth from the mind of a Pearl Harbor survivor. In a small mountain town, Victoria helps protect a school full of children from rampaging demonic creatures. She and Sam are assisted by Sabretooth
.
In short order, Victoria deals with the apparent betrayal of Sam and the sacrifice of Louise Hastings, who perishes soon after giving her soul to bring to life many of the Midnight Sons, including Victoria herself.
Louise's place in the group is filled by her son Jinx, who has the magical ability to nudge luck into his favor. He develops a childish crush on Victoria, but still ends up a trusted ally. She takes him on a trip to New York to hunt down a page, which ultimately leads to a confrontation with Spider-Man, the Paralyzer and Zzzax
.
Victoria ultimately becomes entranced by the pages of the Darkhold as the demonic dwarf offers her the chance to restore the vitality and movement of Nash. As with all Darkhold incidents, this becomes corrupted as innocent people are killed in order to steal their vitality. Nash, through her bond with Victoria, convinces her to neutralize the Darkhold spell.
kept Victoria in mystic stasis for a time to delay Chthon's rebirth into the Earth dimension, and he was ultimately able to prevent it. When last seen, Victoria was being spirited away by the Midwife, a creation of Chthon's who nevertheless rebelled against her master's rebirth and sought to help Victoria recover from her ordeal; what has become of her since then, as well as whether or not Nash ever recovered, is unknown.
tome. Originally thought to be due to her Montesi family bloodline, Victoria's powers were actually due to her creation through the magic of the Darkhold by her sterile father, Vittorio Montesi. She is also a trained doctor and has limited martial arts training taught to her by her lover, Nash Salvato, and later by her teammate, Sam Buchanan.
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, who first appeared on the pages of the comic book, The Darkhold
Darkhold
The Darkhold, also known as The Book of Sins, is a fictional book in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:The Darkhold was co-created by Gerry Conway and Mike Ploog. The Darkhold was first mentioned in Marvel Spotlight #3 but first shown in Marvel Spotlight #4...
#1 (October 1992).
Fictional character biography
Montesi is the only child of Monsignor Vittorio Montesi; the Montesi line was long ago designated as the guardians of the DarkholdDarkhold
The Darkhold, also known as The Book of Sins, is a fictional book in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:The Darkhold was co-created by Gerry Conway and Mike Ploog. The Darkhold was first mentioned in Marvel Spotlight #3 but first shown in Marvel Spotlight #4...
, a tome of ancient black magic which has the potential to summon the Elder God Chthon to wreak havoc upon the Earth, but Victoria, half-American, disbelieves her father's claims and takes up hospital work in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where she lives with her lover, karate instructor Natasha "Nash" Salvato.
However, when pages from the Darkhold are distributed to unsuspecting mortals by a demonic Dwarf and Nash is rendered quadriplegic and comatose following an explosion intended to kill Victoria, she joins with occult expert Louise Hastings and Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
agent Sam Buchanan to recover the pages as the Darkhold Redeemers.
Midnight Sons
In Darkhold #1, Montesi, Hastings and Buchanan began working with the Ghost RiderGhost Rider (comics)
Ghost Rider is the name of several fictional supernatural antiheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Night Rider and subsequently to Phantom Rider.The first supernatural Ghost Rider is...
and Johnny Blaze
Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze)
Ghost Rider is a fictional character, an antihero in the Marvel Comics Universe. He is the second Marvel character to use the name Ghost Rider, following the Western hero later known as the Phantom Rider, and preceding Daniel Ketch.Johnny Blaze was portrayed both in the 2007 film Ghost Rider and...
when they discovered Lilith, an ancient demonic entity, had sought Montesi's death. Thereafter, the group was loosely affiliated with Doctor Strange, Ghost Rider, the NightStalkers
Nightstalkers (comics)
The Nightstalkers is a fictional trio of preexisting characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. A team of occult experts, they reluctantly banded together to fight supernatural threats....
, and the other "Midnight Sons
Midnight Sons
The Midnight Sons is fictional team of supernatural superheroes in the Marvel Comics Universe. The team first appears in Ghost Rider The Midnight Sons is fictional team of supernatural superheroes in the Marvel Comics Universe. The team first appears in Ghost Rider The Midnight Sons is fictional...
".
These alliances draw them into many adventures unrelated to the hunt for Darkhold pages. Their involvement with the forces of darkness had been predicted long ago as part of the 'nine', a group of heroes destined to destroy much evil. Killing one of the group would mean much success for the forces of darkness, even against the eight survivors. In once incident, Victoria and Sam become involved in Lilith's rebirth from the haunted grounds of the Salem Fields Cemetery in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn. A mist seeping from the ground is bringing with it demonic creatures of all sorts. Sam, Victoria, Ghost Rider, Caretaker
Caretaker (comics)
Caretaker is a fictional Marvel Comics character. There have been two incarnations of the character, The first version appeared in Ghost Rider vol. 2 #28 in the Rise of the Midnight Sons storyline. After this version died his granddaughter assumed the role. She debuted in Ghost Rider vol...
, the Nightstalkers and other heroes try to their best to stop it but end up on the run and under siege in the storyline appropriately known as Siege of Darkness.
The group, as a trio, hunts down the Darkhold pages whenever they can. In Hawaii, they fight demonic soldiers brought forth from the mind of a Pearl Harbor survivor. In a small mountain town, Victoria helps protect a school full of children from rampaging demonic creatures. She and Sam are assisted by Sabretooth
Sabretooth (comics)
Sabretooth is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne. The character first appeared in Iron Fist #14...
.
In short order, Victoria deals with the apparent betrayal of Sam and the sacrifice of Louise Hastings, who perishes soon after giving her soul to bring to life many of the Midnight Sons, including Victoria herself.
Louise's place in the group is filled by her son Jinx, who has the magical ability to nudge luck into his favor. He develops a childish crush on Victoria, but still ends up a trusted ally. She takes him on a trip to New York to hunt down a page, which ultimately leads to a confrontation with Spider-Man, the Paralyzer and Zzzax
Zzzax
Zzzax is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in The Incredible Hulk #166 and was created by Steve Englehart and Herb Trimpe.-Fictional character biography:...
.
Victoria ultimately becomes entranced by the pages of the Darkhold as the demonic dwarf offers her the chance to restore the vitality and movement of Nash. As with all Darkhold incidents, this becomes corrupted as innocent people are killed in order to steal their vitality. Nash, through her bond with Victoria, convinces her to neutralize the Darkhold spell.
Doctor Strange
After some months of such adventures, Victoria's life takes an even worse turn when it is revealed that she is in fact Chthon's daughter, created when the sterile Vittorio used magic to guarantee himself an heir, and she is mystically impregnated with Chthon himself; Sorcerer Supreme Doctor StrangeDoctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
kept Victoria in mystic stasis for a time to delay Chthon's rebirth into the Earth dimension, and he was ultimately able to prevent it. When last seen, Victoria was being spirited away by the Midwife, a creation of Chthon's who nevertheless rebelled against her master's rebirth and sought to help Victoria recover from her ordeal; what has become of her since then, as well as whether or not Nash ever recovered, is unknown.
Sexual orientation
Victoria Montesi is one of the few Marvel characters identified as lesbian.Special powers/abilities
Victoria Montesi can sense when someone has accessed a page from the DarkholdDarkhold
The Darkhold, also known as The Book of Sins, is a fictional book in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:The Darkhold was co-created by Gerry Conway and Mike Ploog. The Darkhold was first mentioned in Marvel Spotlight #3 but first shown in Marvel Spotlight #4...
tome. Originally thought to be due to her Montesi family bloodline, Victoria's powers were actually due to her creation through the magic of the Darkhold by her sterile father, Vittorio Montesi. She is also a trained doctor and has limited martial arts training taught to her by her lover, Nash Salvato, and later by her teammate, Sam Buchanan.