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Darkoth (a.k.a. Darkoth the Death Demon) is a fictional character, a
supervillain A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero. Supervillains are oft ...
appearing in
American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...
s published by
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
. His first appearance was in ''
Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...
'' #142 (Jan. 1974), and he was created by
Gerry Conway Gerard Francis Conway Thomas, Roy. "Roy's Rostrum" ("Bullpen Bulletins") in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #43 and other Marvel Comics cover-dated May 1974. (born September 10, 1952) is an American comic book writer, comic book editor, screenwriter, t ...
and
Rich Buckler Rich may refer to: Common uses * Rich, an entity possessing wealth * Rich, an intense flavor, color, sound, texture, or feeling ** Rich (wine), a descriptor in wine tasting Places United States * Rich, Mississippi, an unincorporated commun ...
.


Fictional character biography

Major Desmond Pitt of the United States Air Force was from
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
. He has a degree in
aeronautical engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: Aeronautics, aeronautical engineering and Astronautics, astronautical engineering. A ...
and was a test pilot like his friend,
Ben Grimm Benjamin Jacob Grimm, also known as The Thing, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a founding member of the Fantastic Four. The Thing was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and ...
. Pitt discovers that agents of
Doctor Doom Doctor Victor Von Doom is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and first appeared in ''The Fantastic Four'' #5 in July 1962. The monarch of the fi ...
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 The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
. 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 is a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is depicted within the storylines of Marvel's comic titles as an isolated European country ruled by the fictional Supreme Lord Doctor Doom, suppose ...
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 or The Thing may refer to: Philosophy * An object * Broadly, an entity * Thing-in-itself (or ''noumenon''), the reality that underlies perceptions, a term coined by Immanuel Kant * Thing theory, a branch of critical theory that focuses ...
, 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 The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...
. 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 (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred groves ...
, and ends up in Belasco's Realm, the dimension known as
Otherplace The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. There follows a list of those features. Places Certain places fe ...
. There he fights Belasco's servant
S'ym Sabra Sabreclaw Sabreclaw is a character in the MC2 universe who first appeared in '' J2'' #8 (May 1999). He is the half-brother of Wild Thing and the son of Wolverine. The character has claws (similar to Sabretooth), a healing factor, enh ...
for possession of the
Soulsword Magik (Illyana Nikolaievna Rasputina) (Russian: Ильяна Николаевна Распутина) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted most often in relation to the ...
. 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 West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in ''The West Coast Avengers'' #1 (Sept. 1984), created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall. It was the fir ...
, the superhero team
Excalibur Excalibur () is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes also attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. It was associated with the Arthurian legend very early on. Excalibur and the Sword in th ...
and once again, Doctor Doom.''Excalibur'' #38-39


Notes

* Darkoth had a wife and son. When his wife died Desmond's son was placed in an orphanage. Later Thor in his guise of Dr. Donald Blake ensured that Desmond's young son would be raised by Tom and Brenda Barclay. Brenda had a consultation with Blake earlier about having a child but Blake informed her that she was unlikely to become pregnant. The couple had tried for many years to have a child with no success.


Powers and abilities

Desmond Pitt was transformed into the creature called Darkoth through bio-engineering and cybernetic implantation by
Doctor Doom Doctor Victor Von Doom is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and first appeared in ''The Fantastic Four'' #5 in July 1962. The monarch of the fi ...
, 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 Force 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.


References


External links


Rapsheet: Darkoth profile
*{{Marvunapp, http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix3/darkoth.htm, Darkoth Comics characters introduced in 1974 Fictional African-American people Fictional aviators Fictional characters from Missouri Fictional characters who can turn intangible Fictional characters with energy-manipulation abilities Fictional majors Marvel Comics characters who are shapeshifters Marvel Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Marvel Comics cyborgs Marvel Comics male supervillains Marvel Comics military personnel Marvel Comics mutates