One of the most ancient evils in the Marvel Universe may have just made a clandestine MCU debut, and the dark god has a major Scarlet Witch link.
Over the course of its first season, WandaVision bought a whole new dimension to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. One major aspect of WandaVision‘s unique brand of magic is the Darkhold, a spellbook full of dark magic that originally entered the MCU through Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and it still stands as one of the most dangerous objects in the MCU.
The Darkhold was originally written on flesh and scribed by the Elder God Chthon. First introduced as The Other in 1975’s Marvel Chillers #1 by Marv Wolfman, Bill Mantlo, Ed Hannigan and Yong Montano, Chthon was the most malicious of his siblings. He was also the most dedicated, soon becoming the Earth’s first dark mage after millions of years spent studying mystical forces. Over time, all of the Elder Gods save for Gaea herself would devolve into less powerful demonic forms. Fearful for the safety of life on Earth, Gaea gave birth to the Atum as a means of vanquishing them. Chthon was able to escape by creating a new dimension known as the Flickering Realms to hide away in, but not before writing the Darkhold to serve as his physical link to Earth should he ever decide to return.
Though Chthon had been banished to his own dimension by the threat of total annihilation, he did not strictly adhere to that agreement. Through the Darkhold, Chthon continued to exert influence over humanity by trading the souls of those who came across its writings for an iota of his demonic power. Chthon also spawned multiple demonic races that he would occasionally send to terrorize the planet on his behalf, never having to leave his own realm nor face true retaliation.
Eventually, Chthon would find his way back to Earth properly when invited there by Morgan Le Fay during the medieval era. Once the sorceress realized she could neither control nor banish Chthon, she bound him to Mount Wundagore instead. After hundreds of years, the High Evolutionary would choose Mount Wundagore to build his citadel upon, and there he received warning of the Elder God’s power. The High Evolutionary was able to defeat Chthon when he resurfaced, but not before the ancient evil could leave his mark on another unfortunate soul.
As an infant, Wanda Maximoff was blessed by Chthon, which both giving her access to the magics that the Elder God commanded as well as marking her as his future vessel. Chthon first attempted to possess the Scarlet Witch after driving Modred the Mystic to kidnap the Avenger for him. This attempt was thwarted, but it wouldn’t be the last. Before finally getting another shot at Scarlet Witch, Chthon had run-ins with everyone from Spider-Woman to Blade, both of whom became quite literally transformed by their interactions. Neither of these compared to his ultimate target, which he narrowly missed during Dark Reign when Chthon inhabited Quicksilver’s body. The Elder God would once again taste defeat, this time being imprisoned in the Darkold itself by the least expected Avenger – Vision.
Following this period of exile, Chthon was freed by Carnage, though even in his truest Eldritch form, Chthon was not long for our world before being banished yet again by the power of his own ancient tome. The last time that Chthon was seen was when he finally caught back up with Scarlet Witch during the events of Secret Empire. Under Chthon’s influence, Wanda became a member of Hydra’s Avengers where she stole the limelight in some truly horrific ways. Of course, Wanda would be freed, this time by Doctor Strange, during the final battle against Hydra’s forces.
Chthon has had a long and winding history in the Marvel Universe, making him one of the most complicated characters ever. While it’s unlikely that Chthon would receive a backstory or origin anywhere near as convoluted as the one he has in the comics, he still seems set tp bring an Eldritch twist to the ever-growing mystic corner of the MCU.
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