Chthon (Marvel)
Chthon is a comic being who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Chthon was a member of the Elder Gods where he was formed fully grown during the primeval era on Earth when the Demiurge procreated thus bringing ethereal life on the planet. He was among the many powerful deities that formed where over time they began to battle one another for supremacy as they degenerated into demon gods. (Thor Annual v1 #10) During these years, cruel Chthon was said to had devoted himself to the control over the mystical forces of the universe leading to him becoming the first master of black magic. (Silver Surfer Annual v1 #3) It was said that early mankind worshipped Chthon and in turn he would lap up their fears and dine on their screams. (Mighty Avengers v1 #23) This saw Gaea conceive a champion who was Atum who turned into the Demogorge, the God Eater to slay the fallen Elder Gods. After many of them were slain, Chthon inscribed an indestructible parchment that would serve as his touchstone to Earth before departing into a rift that led to a nether-dimension allowing him to escape destruction at the hands of the Demogorge. (Thor Annual v1 #10) In the aftermath, mankind's spellcasters attempted to deny Chthon any further power by trying to claim the beings nature of a chaos god and wielder of chaos magic was a lie. (Mighty Avengers v1 #23)
After destroying numerous Elder Gods, only the likes of Chthon and Set alongside his spawn survived. Chthon fled after creating his indestructible tome of knowledge whereupon he left for a nether-dimension. Upon seeing this, Set followed his example and created his own portal to escape the God Eater. (Silver Surfer Annual v1 #3) In this time a million years ago, the two groups of gods fought one another with Chthon leading the one side that was defeated with the victors locking the defeated away. Despite his defeat, the war between these interdimensional beings continued even to the modern day. (Carnage v2 #14)
The Vodu god Sagbata made a pact with Chthon on behalf of the witch doctor Schango that the powerful Elder God honoured for his own dark reasons with the creation of a new race of slaves without free will thus leading to the rise of the first zombie. (Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme v1 #17)
During one of his attacks, he assaulted Wundagore alone but came to be vanquished by a combination of 6th century sorcery and 20th century science. However, he placed the seeds for his future victory in a new born child in the mountain called Wanda Maximoff who had powers born from science. Chthon imposed on the child latent magical potential and kept a watch over her as she grew to adulthood. He was noted for being responsible for dampening her science related inherent powers in an effort to turn her more to her sorcerous abilities. This was with the intention of her becoming a host to his power in the future. (Avengers v1 #187)
Modern
Modred eventually succumbed to the influence of Chthon where he captured the Scarlet Witch and performed a ritual to turn Wanda into a vessel for his master on Earth. Upon taking her body, he came to be opposed by the Avengers when the superhero team arrived to rescue their comrade. Despite their aid, they were imprisoned within a mystical circle that Chthon intended to use to fully manifest on the Earthly plane. However, he was thwarted when a disguised Beast distract Chthon and seized the Darkhold before the ritual could be completed. Meanwhile, Django Maximoff used a doll in Wanda's image to serve as a conduit for her soul which she used to regain her body by displacing Chthon into the doll. With Chthon defeated, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch buried the doll in an avalanche thus leaving the Elder God trapped in his dimension once again. (Avengers v1 #187)
With Atum's death in the Skrull Secret Invasion, the greatest danger to Chthon was eliminated and he made his preparations for manifesting on Earth once again. (Mighty Avengers v1 #23) Modred the Mystic came to be corrupted by the power of the god of chaos where he sought to reassemble the Darkhold leading to him finding the pages of the tome around the world. The Knights of Wundagore came to learn of this and sought to stop him alongside the aid of Quicksilver. Despite Pietro Maximoff's efforts, he failed in stopping Modred who came to inscribe the verses of the book onto his flesh making him a living manifestation of the dark book. He teleported to Mount Wundagore where Modred slayed the Knights of Wundagore and when Quicksilver arrived at the scene his body was used as a vessel for Chthon's power. Within his mortal body, Chthon sought to control the Chaos Cascade that he had created around the planet that was reshaping reality and sought to focus it to turn the Earth into his domain. Opposing him was a team of Mighty Avengers assembled by the Scarlet Witch's astral form with the heroes being led by Hank Pym. (Mighty Avengers v1 #22) After sensing their attempts at stopping him, Chthon returned to Transia to the site of Mount Wundagore to battle the Avengers who unleashed the Hulk against him. However, the fear felt by people around the world made the god of chaos even more powerful allowing him to defeat the Jade Giant. It was only through Hank Pym targeting Chthon's human hosts language centres were they able to get an advantage over the deity who could not cast his magic. They then tricked Chthon into leaving Quicksilver's body and got him imprisoned within the pages of the Darkhold once again. This caused an end to the Chaos Cascade and returned everyone in the world back to normal. (Mighty Avengers v1 #23)
Following the prophecy of the Red Slayer, Carnage travelled to the temple of Chthon with the Darkhold and used an incantation to allow the Elder God to begin to manifest on Earth. (Carnage v2 #15)
During Hydra's takeover of America, occultists within the group were responsible for getting Chthon to possess the Scarlet Witch where the Elder God was only able to access a portion of her power. However, he managed to keep her under control and commanded the host body to serve the Supreme Leader's Avengers team. (Secret Empire v1 #5)
Overview
Personality and attributes
One of his manifestations was the Other that was a fearsome host for his power. (Avengers v1 #187)
He was regarded as the god of chaos and the wielder of chaos magic. (Mighty Avengers v1 #23)
It was said that Chthon used truth to hide his lies. (Mystic Arcana Sister Grimm v1 #1)
Powers and abilities
One account that he was a being capable of rewriting reality whereby he was able to create a Chaos Cascade. This allowed him to alter the environment around him thus creating a replicating organism resembling a monstrous tidal wave of tentacles that represented chaotic life. (Mighty Avengers v1 #23)
Among his servants were the Broodlings of Chthon that were frog-like humanoids that were half-humans and were products of interbreeding with sailors over many years. Similar to his other followers, they desired to break the bonds holding their master and release his evil into the world. (Carnage v2 #14)
Between his reality and the mortal world was a nether region that served as a barrier to the Elder God. Within this area, the rules of physics and Euclidean geometry no longer applied with mortals at this point standing before cosmic madness. (Carnage v2 #15)
One item related to him were the Scrying Stones of Chthon that were large floating black rocks and part of dark magic with existent entities able to manifest through them unless they were shielded behind a phantom wall. (Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural v1 #1)
Notes
- Chthon was created by Marv Wolfman, Bill Mantlo, and Yong Montano where he made his first appearance in Marvel Chillers v1 #1 (October, 1975).
In other media
Television
- In Blade: The Series, Chthon himself did not appear in the live-action television series but there was a Vampire family known as the House of Chthon that served as antagonists on the show.
Video games
- In Marvel Heroes, Chthon was referenced in the setting of the MMORPG video game with an artefact called the Relic of Chthon making an appearance with its description saying that he was an Elder God, the demon of the Darkhold, the Great Shadow, He Who Holds the Darkness and an enemy to the world
Books
Appearances
- Marvel Chillers v1:
- Thor Annual v1:
- Darkhold v1:
- Mighty Avengers v1:
- Carnage v2:
External Links
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