A preview for The Darkhold Alpha #1 sees Scarlet Witch form an uneasy alliance with a major Marvel villain.
According to the solicitation for the issue, the one-shot story will see Wanda Maximoff gather the heroes of the world and "unleash their inner darkness" to fight a looming threat. The preview sees Wanda wake up from a nightmare vision of Earth's mightiest heroes overwhelmed by demonic creatures in Times Square. The next page of the preview sees Wanda reunite with a former flame: Doctor Doom.
At one point in time, Doctor Doom and Scarlet Witch were not only in a relationship, but engaged. After Wanda went missing following House of M #8 in 2005, she was found five years later in the pages of Avengers: The Children's Crusade #3 as Doctor Doom's fiancé. As readers might expect, their romance did not end well.
In fact, Doom has not seen much luck with finding love since then either. The "Bride of Doom" arc of Fantastic Four saw his bride-to-be become initiate with the Human Torch, Johnny Storm, with Doom being publicly embarrassed by revelation on the altar. There is a great threat from the Darkhold to bring this former couple back together though.
The Darkhold, or the "Book of the Damned," has immense mystical knowledge and power for whoever holds it. It has been adapted into live action three times now, being seen in ABC's Agents of Shield, Hulu's Runaways and Disney+'s WandaVision. In each of these series, the book was responsible for a portion of the protagonists' problems.
In this one-shot, heroes will be seen as horrific versions of themselves. Iron Man will be seen as an ungodly mix between flesh and machine, while Blade will appear as a more monstrous vampire with exaggerated fangs and features. The last page of the preview sees this transformation start to take hold over Marvel's heroes.
Based on the main and variant covers for the issue, it is implied that Doom and Wanda will be the central protagonists for the one-shot. The two and the other heroes will be going up against someone who has collected the complete text of the Darkhold, which spells trouble for the world. The preview and solicitation for the issue can be found below.
THE DARKHOLD ALPHA #1
- STEVE ORLANDO (W) • CIAN TORMEY (A) • Cover by GREG SMALLWOOD
- Variant Cover by SUPERLOG
- Variant Cover by GREG SMALLWOOD
- DESIGN VARIANT COVER BY CIAN TORMEY
- STORMBREAKERS VARIANT COVER BY JUANN CABAL
- ENTER THE PAGES OF THE DARKHOLD — AND LOSE YOUR MIND IN MIGHTY MARVEL FASHION!
- Critically acclaimed writer Steve Orlando joins forces with extraordinary artist Cian Tormey for a story that will delight and terrify! For hundreds of years, scholars and heroes alike have searched for the complete text of the Darkhold — a.k.a. the Book of the Damned, written by the elder god Chthon. Now one of the greatest sorcerers in the Multiverse has found it — and Chthon has found him. To save them all, the Scarlet Witch must gather the world’s greatest heroes…and unleash their inner darkness. Witness the Marvel Universe’s descent into chaos!
- 40 PGS./ONE-SHOT/Rated T+ …$4.99
- RETAILERS: Please note that previous orders have been cancelled. New solicitation codes must be used to order this issue.
The Darkhold Alpha #1 is written by Steve Orlando with interior art by Cian Tormey and main cover art by Tormey and Greg Smallwood. Variant covers were created by Tormey, Smallwood, Juann Cabal and Superlog. The issue goes on sale Sept. 29, 2021 from Marvel Comics.
Source: Marvel