WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for King Thor #4 by Jason Aaron, Esad Ribic, Ive Svorcina, Gabriel Hernandez Walta, Chris O'Halloran, Andrea Sorrentino, Dave Stewart, Chris Burnham, Nathan Fairbairn, Nick Pitarra, Michael Garland, Aaron Kuder, Laura Martin, Olivier Coipel, Russell Dauterman, Matthew Wilson, Mike Del Mundo and VC's Joe Sabino, on sale now.
Daimon Hellstrom has been getting a lot more attention from Marvel. The son of Satan is a member of the new Strikeforce team headed up by Blade and, of course, there is also the upcoming live-action series from Hulu starring the diabolical duo of Hellstorm and the Ghost Rider. Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic's King Thor #4 also features an appearance from the character and gives him a substantial increase in power, making him the Sorcerer Supreme.
For those unfamiliar with the character, Daimon Hellstrom is the son of Satan and a human woman named Victoria Wingate. He was born in Massachusetts and has one sister, Satana. He has a large pentagram-shaped birthmark on his chest and, at one point in his history, his hair was even spiked into faux horns -- but these days he's rocking more of a cue ball look. He was initially created after as such other occult comics like The Tomb of Dracula, and Ghost Rider succeeded. Although the satanic hero was met with trepidation by the staff at Marvel, Hellstrom was created anyway -- a move that undoubtedly caused the Comics Code Authority to roll over in its institutional grave.
As the offspring of the Prince of Darkness, Hellstrom has certain infernal abilities. Armed with a trident made from netheranium -- a psychosensitive metal found only in Satan's extra-dimensional realm -- he's also capable of wielding soulfire. His soulfire is a multipurpose ability in that it can cause excruciating pain by striking a being's very life force. It can also be used by Daimon to propel himself into flight. Hellstorm is also capable of potentially any feat of magic. As a magic user he is technically in the running for the title of Sorcerer Supreme, and that's exactly what he becomes in the dark future of the Marvel Universe.
King Thor #4 sees the God of Thunder facing off against Aaron's seminal baddie, Gorr the God Butcher, in a showdown of cosmic proportions. By the end of the arc Gorr has become a near cosmic entity and it takes everything that Thor has to take him out. With the Odinson victorious, the story pulls back and reveals a creature named Shadrak -- who looks a good deal like Gorr -- reading of Thor's exploits in a massive library which is called The Halls of all Knowing. The librarian tells the reader that some of the books tell of events yet to come, as well as different versions of Thor. These include Cop Thor and Caveman Thor, but it is in a section entitled Thor the Thunder World (in which Thor becomes a planet that shoots uru moons) that we get to see Daimon Hellstrom in the position once held by Stephen Strange.
The scene opens on the Arganall system, which is engulfed flame, as a wisened Hellstorm swoops in trident held in front of him. Not only does Hellstorm look a good deal older, he also has the Eye of Agamotto hung around his neck. He informs us that the system is under "spiritual quarantine" because the stars themselves have been possessed by neo-demons from Arganaal 5, and that he must perform a solar exorcism with the help of his fellow Avenger and expert in sentient satellite relations. This moment unveils Thor the Thunder World -- eat your hearts out Mogo and Ego -- which (who?) helps the "Satanic Sorcerer Supreme" begin a very smashy exorcism.
Although there's no good indication Daimon Hellstrom, Sorcerer Supreme, will ever come to be in future comics, there's certainly something satisfying about seeing the character becoming so powerful in the future, especially considering his rising presence in Marvel's various media enterprises. Regardless, Marvel's dark future is all the better for its most demonic Sorcerer Supreme.