The Darkholders
Marvel has told some amazing stories over the years, and the
MCU has done an amazing job of bringing many of those characters to the big and small screen. Granted, some films and shows have been better than others. But I think it's safe to say that most fans have been satisfied with where things have gone so far. Still, in many ways this level of fan service is a bit bittersweet as some characters' stories have come to an end while other look as though they will never crossover to the live action realm in any significant way. Being a fan of the seldom used "D-List" comic book characters, I thought I would do a little "fan-pitching" for some characters that I think should make the jump to the
MCU. This week,
The Darkholders - a group of
Marvel villians that have been associated with
The Nightstalkers,
The Midnight Sons, and/or
The Darkhold Redeemers in various ways. In this portrayal, they are a cult called the
The Dark and Winding Way who have yet to gain possession of
The Darkhold.
This fancast presupposes 1) a
Ghost Rider (Robbie Rayes) series on
Hulu that introduces the characters
Elsa Bloodstone and
Victoria Montesi and a
Blade TV movie and series on
Netflix that introduces
Hannibal King, Jakob Russoff (Werewolf By Night), and
Darius Venginian (Venginian).
Be warned, this is a
VERY detailed write-up (i.e. a long read).
Major Characters
Actor James Callis
Personality - Very ambitious. Singularly committed. Highly intelligent. Self-confident. Determined. An uncompromising taskmaster. Authoritarian. Manipulative.
Enhanced Abilities - Possesses a high level of mastery over various forms of magic, including: the ability to manipulate the elements of earth, air, fire, and water; illusion casting; offensive and defensive spell casting; the ability to discharge destructive blasts of energy; a limited degree of self-propelled flight; and telekinesis. In addition, Modred possesses a degree of superhuman strength, stamina reflexes, and durability.
Background - Victor Modred was born in Chislehurst, England in 1924. He was born into a strict Protestant family and spent a great deal of time studying to become a vicar in The Church of England. He would abandon his studies, however, after becoming fascinated with various types of occult studies and esoteric philosophies while traveling to different parts of the world as a missionary. During the counterculture movement of the 1960's, Modred became a central figure in a centuries-old secret society called "The Winding Way" - which was an order of well-meaning magic practitioners who drew their power from a fractured but immensely powerful dimension called The Splinter Realm. As a rite of passage to become a Master-Teacher in the group, Victor underwent a ceremony where disciples traveled to the The Splinter Realm and trekked through a dark and hostile labyrinth (which was dubbed The Winding Way by the group's founder) in order to pass through a power-imbuing pillar of light at its center and return to the Earthly Plane empowered with newfound magical abilities. After spending what felt like several days navigating the realm and its labyrinth, Modred eventually made his way to its center and was moments away from reaching the end goal. Before he could walk into the light pillar, however, he saw a demonic being threatening the life of a realm inhabitant and guide who had helped him during his journey. The guide's name was Janice and she claimed to be a former Winding Way member who had found herself unable to exit the realm after a magical attack resulted in her being anchored to the labyrinth itself. Having grown close to the young woman during his time in the realm, Modred offered to switch places with the young woman if the demon-lord would allow her to safely walk into the light pillar and return to Earth. After the demon agreed to his terms, Victor began to walk away from the light source, only to discover that Janice was actually a succubus who had used his feelings for her as a means of escaping to Earth. Enraged by "Janice" deception, Modred cast an archaic love spell on "Janice" which bound his soul to the succubus moments before she entered the light. After passing out from the immense pain created in the wake of the spell, Modred awoke some time later in the medical ward back at The Winding Way compound in the care of a nurse. She explained to him that, to the surprise of everyone, he had returned from his trek to The Splinter Realm just a few moments after embarking on his journey. She further explained that, on arrival, he appeared to be suffering from severe exposure to harsh elements, dehydration, and malnutrition and needed immediate medical attention. After taking a couple of days to regain his strength, Modred quickly discovered that his ability to harness the magical energies of The Splinter Realm was exponentially stronger than anyone else who had made the journey. Unfortunately, Victor was unaware of the fact that the more he used his newfound powers the more the demon "Janice" corrupted his mind and spirit. Over time, a power hungry Modred forcefully gained control over The Winding Way magical order (which he often called The Dark and Winding Way) and became a cruel and sadistic overlord to the group. In 1967, a few members of the secret society who still believed in its potential to do good in the world opposed Modred's rule and were able to banish him and his most devoted followers to The Splinter Realm moments before he discovered the location of a powerful magical item called The Darkhold. Shortly after banishing their tyrannical leader, the remaining members of the magical order vowed to severe all of their connections to The Splinter Realm for fear of accidentally releasing Modred and eventually disbanded. However, in 2012 Victor Modred was unintentionally brought back to The Earthly Plane when a pair of inexperienced occultists successfully invoked the name of the demonic entity that is tied to his soul, and were entirely unprepared to deal with the powerful sorcerer that appeared before them. After easily bending the couple to his will and taking stock of just how much the world had changed since his banishment, Modred decided that he needed to take time and gather his resources before attempting to possess the Darkhold again. Over a relatively short amount of time, Victor began rebuilding his powerbase (under the false identity of an antiquities dealer named Victor Gervasse) and secretly prepared to take on anyone who would stand between him and The Darkhold.
Serves as
■ A direct antagonist to Robbie Reyes and the Spirit of Vengeance (Ghost Rider) as he knowns/they know the precise location of The Darkhold.
■ A direct antagonist to Doctor Strange and the Masters of the Mystic Arts as his pursuit of The Darkhold poses a significant mystical threat to the Earth.
■ A direct and indirect antagonist to Eric Brooks (Blade), Elsa Bloodstone, Hannibal King, Victoria Montesi, and Jakob Russoff (Werewolf By Night) as he and his sect continually comes into conflict with their makeshift group of magical defenders.
■ A cautious partner to a Splinter Realm being named Lilith.
Why I chose James Callis for this role - Ideally, Victor Modred would be portrayed as a "corrupted villain", who was once a good man but has become a twisted version of his former self and is now completely dedicated to possessing The Darkhold in order to acheive a level of power close to godhood. In my mind, he would be a mix of Walter White ("Heisenberg") from the show "Breaking Bad" and Saruman from "Lord Of The Rings" in that his pursuit of absolute power has completely corrupted him. The actor taking on the role should convey the character as guarded, methodical, subtly paranoid, and constantly holding onto an intense inner rage. In my opinion, James Callis has shown that he can convincingly convey those traits in a role - with his work as Dr. Gaius Baltar on the sci-fi drama "Battlestar Galactica" and as FBI Agent Vaughn Killinger in the crime drama "The Hollow" being two great examples.
Actress Stephanie Corneliussen
Personality - Cunning. Sophisticated. Charming. Deceptive. Exceedingly manipulative. Sadistic. Narcissistic. Sociopathic.
Enhanced Abilities - Possesses a high level of mastery over various forms of magic, including: discharging destructive energy blasts; telekinesis; limited telepathy; darkforce manipulation; chaos magic manipulation; force-field generation; the ability to track and manipulate others via blood magic; the power to temporarily reanimate corpses and other forms of necromancy; the ability to summon and control succubi (female demons) and incubi (male demons) to any realm that she happens to inhabit - but only under a very specific set of circumstances.
Background - To the casual observer, Lilith Krueger appears to be little more than a beautiful piece of eye-candy. In reality, however, the being calling itself "Lilith Krueger" is an ancient entity that had been imprisoned in The Splinter Realm for centuries before being freed by Modred. She was discovered by Victor in a remote section of The Splinter Realm Labyrinth - chained to a glyph-covered obelisk that steadily siphoned off her energy in ghostly waves. In her weakened state she was unable to harness any form of magic without causing herself an immense amount of pain. Using his enhanced abilities, Modred was able to free Lilith from the obelisk and carry her to an area of the realm that he held dominion over. Over time Lilith was able to regain some of her former power by recuperating under Modred's protection and feeding off of his uniquely empowered life-force. In exchange, she shared with Victor her vast amount of knowledge about the mystic arts and various dimensions that she had traveled to. When Modred was mistakenly brought back to Earth, one of his first acts was to summon Lilith to the Earthly Realm and have her by his side as he ascended to power. She proved instrumental in helping him establish his life as "Victor Gervasse" as she seduced a wealthy and well connected antiques dealer named Phillip Cussler and had him make Victor an equal partner in his various business interests shortly before his untimely death. While her mysterious nature makes it hard to determine her true intentions, for the moment Lilith does appear to be a loyal supporter of Modred and his bid to possess The Darkhold.
Serves as
■ A powerful - and possibly duplicitous - partner to Victor Modred who assists him in his campaign to possess The Darkhold.
■ A direct antagonist to Robbie Reyes and the Spirit of Vengeance (Ghost Rider) since he knows the precise location of The Darkhold.
■ A direct antagonist to Doctor Strange and the Masters of the Mystic Arts as her actions as a leader in The Dark and Winding Way and her continued existence outside of The Splinter Realm poses a mystical threat to the Earth.
■ A direct antagonist to Elsa Bloodstone, Hannibal King, Jakob Russoff (Werewolf By Night), and Victoria Montesi, as her plans continually comes into conflict with the makeshift group of magical defenders.
■ An suspicious admirer of Eric Brooks (Blade) who seems to have her own plans for the notorious vampire hunter.
■ The leader and "mother" of her own faction of The Dark and Winding Way called The Lilin (a small group of demons that she is symbiotically connected to).
Why I chose Stephanie Corneliussen for this role - Ideally, Lilith Krueger would be portrayed as a conniving "femme fatale" type of character, who is thoroughly seductive, enjoys playing Machiavellian head-games with those around her, and is often cruel to both her enemies and her allies. In my mind, she would be a mix of Catherine Tramell from "Basic Instinct" and Kasius from the show "Agents of SHIELD" in that her enigmatic demeanor makes it hard to be sure of her real motives. The actress taking on the role should convey the character as overtly sexy, constantly manipulating those around her, vampy, and somewhat alien-like. In my opinion, Stephanie Corneliussen has shown that he can convincingly convey those traits in a role - with his work as Joanna Wellick on the psychological thriller "Mr Robot" being a great example.
Actor Adan Canto
Personality - Intuitive. Observant. Subjectively loyal. Exceedingly cunning. Devious. Desperate. Misguided.
Enhanced Abilities - Possesses a moderate level of mastery over a chaotic form of elemental magic that grants him the ability to create, shape, and manipulate electrified flames that paradoxically leave his victims cryogenically burned, severely disfigured, or frozen to death (depending on the length of exposure). In addition, DeGuzman is able to harness the magical energy of The Splinter Realm to cast various offensive and defensive spells.
Background - Chris DeGuzman was an decorated FBI agent working in the International Operations Division of the FBI when his path first crossed that of Victor "Gervasse" in 2014. As part of an investigation involving The FBI and Interpol, DeGuzman was part of a team trying to collect evidence of Victor's involvement in an international contraband smuggling ring. One night while reviewing surveillance photos and notes from the case, Victor and Lilith unexpectedly assailed the government agent in his hotel room and brutally interrogated him for several hours to find out just how much law enforcement officials knew about them and their cult. Satisfied that their identities and plans were still relatively safe, the couple came close to simply killing Chris, but instead decided to give him a harrowing choice: become their informant or die. Choosing to live, DeGuzman hoped that he could bide his time and signal for help as soon as the opportunity presented itself. But his subsequent enthrallment by a beautiful succubus named Neena kept him firmly aligned with Modred and Lilith's wishes. And once he completed the power-instilling Winding Way ceremony, DeGuzman found himself completely committed to The Dark and Winding Way cult.
Serves as
■ A loyal follower of Victor Modred and Lilith who uses every resource available to him to help his secretive order stay out of the crosshairs of the authorities as they pursue The Darkhold.
■ A direct antagonist to Robbie Reyes and the Spirit of Vengeance (Ghost Rider) as he knows/they know the precise location of The Darkhold.
■ A direct antagonist to Gabe Reyes as DeGuzman plans to use his connection to Robbie Reyes as leverage in Modred's campaign to possess The Darkhold.
■ A direct antagonist to Doctor Strange and the Masters of the Mystic Arts as his actions as a member of The Dark and Winding Way pose a mystical threat to the Earth.
■ A direct and indirect antagonist to Eric Brooks (Blade), Elsa Bloodstone, Hannibal King, Victoria Montesi, and Jakob Russoff (Werewolf By Night) as his magical order continually comes into conflict with the makeshift group of magical defenders.
■ A traitorous member of the FBI who leads covert network of cult members who have infiltrated various law enforcement agenc in order to keep The Dark and Winding Way off of the government's radar
■ A potential antagonist to other enhanced individuals - such as Michael Peterson (Deathlok), Jose "Joey" Gutierrez, Jericho Drumm (Brother Voodoo), Elizabeth Twoyoungmen (Talisman) and more - as he covertly keeps track of them for Lilith.
Why I chose Adan Canto for this role - Ideally, Chris DeGuzman would be portrayed as something of a "high functioning addict", who - like Modred - was once a good man but has become a treacherous double agent that's hooked on the power that his connection to Modred affords him. In my mind, he would be similar to Jackie Peyton from "Nurse Jackie" and Nicholas Brody from "Homeland" in the sense that he is a self-serving and slightly unhinged character who has occasional moments of clarity where he can see just how far he has fallen. The actor taking on the role should convey the character as being subjectively loyal - in that he appears to be a really devoted FBI agent when he's on the job while also appearing to be a really loyal cult member that's constantly undermining some of the work being done by his fellow FBI agents. In truth, DeGuzman would only be dedicated to making sure that the things that make him feel powerful are always in his life (i.e. hobnobbing with high ranking government officials, working closely with Modred and Lilith, coming home to the beautiful and adoring Neena, etc.). But once those two worlds start to collide we would see his tightly controlled persona start to crack. In my opinion, Adan Canto has shown that he can convincingly convey that sort of character - with his work as Paul Torres/Billy Thomas on the psychological drama "The Following" and as National Security Advisor Aaron Shore on the political drama "Designated Survivor" being two great examples
Actor Heather Page Cohn
Personality - Confident. Alluring. Predatory. Seductive. Derives pleasure from inflicting agony in others.
Enhanced Abilities - Possesses the ability to drain the life-energy and health of certain beings (mainly humans) and use that collected energy to strengthen and enhance herself and her creator Lilith Kruger. The ability often proves fatal to her victims if he or she doesn't prove to be especially useful to Surisha or if she believes their death wouldn't draw any unwanted attention. In addition, Surisha possess the ability to overide the willpower of certain beings, track entities via blood magic, and take on various attributes of her "true" demonic form - such as superhuman strength and reflexes, night vision, razor sharp claws and fangs, and other physical enhancements.
Background - Surisha is one of the first succubi to be created by Lilith on the Earthly Plane. In her role as one of The Lilan (a small group of demons created by and symbiotically connected to Lilith Kruger), Surisha stalks U.S. cities, siphoning life-force energy from unsuspecting humans and using it to strengthen both herself and her "mother" Lilith. While most of her prey are fatally drained of all life, in some cases her victims are left with fragmented memories of a hedonistic night spent partying with an amazing one-night-stand and are left alive to tell their half-remembered tales. In reality, those victims only spent a few hours in some hotel room with Surisha's hands wrapped firmly around their throat as she drained significant amounts of their life-force away. If a victim proves to be particularly useful to her and/or The Dark And Winding Way, she may even choose to establish a tightly controlled on again/off again relationship with him or her. In her travels across the country, Surisha has come into conflict with the vampire hunter Blade (who she especially hates) and the supernatural hunter Elsa Bloodstone.
Serves as
■ A loyal servant to Victor Modred and Lilith Kruger.
■ A source of restorative power for Lilith Kruger in her position as one of The Lilan.
■ An emissary to other supernatural groups and secret societies working throughout the United States.
■ A direct antagonist to Robbie Reyes and the Spirit of Vengeance (Ghost Rider) since he knows the precise location of The Darkhold.
■ A direct antagonist to Doctor Strange and the Masters of the Mystic Arts as her actions as a leader in The Dark and Winding Way and her continued existence as a succubus poses a mystical threat to the Earth.
■ A direct antagonist to Elsa Bloodstone, Hannibal King, Jakob Russoff (Werewolf By Night), and Victoria Montesi, as her plans continually comes into conflict with the makeshift group of magical defenders.
Why I chose Heather Page Cohn for this role - Ideally, Surisha would be portrayed as a classic "succubus" who uses her sexiness as a weapon and is viciously effective in her role as an enforcer for The Dark and Winding Way and a line of power for Lilith. The actress taking on the role should convey the character as well aware of her sexiness and very dangerous. Admittedly, I am not very familiar with Heather Page Cohn's work, but to me she absolutely looks the part and would be a fresh face that could potentially deliver a standout performance.
Actor Eric Balfour
Personality - Arrogant. Hostile. Impulsive when stressed. Elitist in his views about the hierarchy of supernatural beings.
Enhanced Abilities - Like all vampires, Venginian possesses superhuman strength, speed, senses and stamina. He also possesses a rapidly regenerative healing factor - although it appears to have somehow been weakened by Blade during their last battle as he still hasn't fully recovered from the wounds he suffered during their battle months after the fact. He is also immune to most of the diseases, poisons, and toxins that would harm a normal human. Additionally, he has a moderate level of mind control over normal humans through hypnotism, and the ability to shapeshift into a gaseous mist (which has also been significantly altered since his last encounter with Blade).
Background - Darius Venginian is the current leader of a centuries old vampire house, based in upstate New York, that has lost many of its members at the hands of Eric Brooks (Blade) as his campaign against vampires has ran practically unchecked for some time now. During one of his last encounters with "The Daywalker", Venginian was seriously injured by Blade and narrowly escaped the attack. Through his connection to Surisha, Venginian begged Modred and Lilith for their protection from Blade and has since pledged his allegiance to The Dark and Winding Way and their mission to recover The Darkhold.
Serves as
■ A tense but effective ally to The Dark and Winding Way cult - serving as a source of information about other supernatural forces at play throughout the world and as an occasional enforcer for the cult.
■ An influential connection to the various vampire clans located throughout the United States and other parts of the world.
■ A direct antagonist to Eric Brooks (Blade) due to his longstanding feud with the vampire hunter.
■ A indirect antagonist to Robbie Reyes and the Spirit of Vengeance (Ghost Rider) since he knows the precise location of The Darkhold.
■ A indirect antagonist to Doctor Strange and the Masters of the Mystic Arts as his allegiance and assistance to The Dark and Winding Way poses a mystical threat to the Earth.
■ A indirect antagonist to Elsa Bloodstone, Hannibal King, Jakob Russoff (Werewolf By Night), and Victoria Montesi, as his allegiance to The Dark and conflict with the makeshift group of magical defenders.
Why I chose Eric Balfour for this role - Ideally, Venginian would be portrayed as a "desperate survivor" clawing wildly for a lifeline as the cultured and superior status that he has enjoyed for so long has basically crumbled. The actor taking on the role should convey the character as something of a arrogant and craven elitist who still hasn't accepted just how far down the supernatural pecking order he has fallen. Admittedly, I can't think of a specific instance where Eric Balfour has shined in this sort of role, but he is probably one of my favorite character actors and has turned in solid performances in a variety of roles in the past.
Minor Characters
Actor Claire Holt
Who is she?- Neena is a succubus created to seduce and beguile Special Agent Chris DeGuzman and sway him to the side of The Dark and Winding Way. In a very real way, it is Neena that keeps DeGuzman from turning against Modred and Lilith, as he is madly in love with the blonde beauty - or at least he thinks he is.
Actor Meghan Ory
Who is she?- Janice is the succubus that was bound to The Splinter Realm Labyrinth for unknown reasons prior to Modred's first trip to the realm. She successfully tricked Victor Modred into gifting her his hard-earned reward at the end of his Winding Way journey. Before she could enjoy her freedom, however, Modred used a long-forgotten spell to latch his soul to the demoness as a means of escaping the realm. While her physical body was destroyed during the teleportation back to Earth, her spirit survived deep within Modred's subconscious where she slowly corrupted the soul of the young wizard.
Dorian
Actor Ryan Corr
Who is he?- Dorian is an incubus and member of The Lilan who travels the world siphoning life energy from unsuspecting humans in order to strengthen and enhance himself and his mother/creator Lilith Kruger.
Sammy Barone (Black Talon)
Actor Darrin Dewitt Henson
Who is he?- Sammy Barone is an skilled houngan (voodoo priest) who aligned himself with The Dark and Winding Way after the serpent-god Damballah approached him during a series of dreams and set him on tasks that put him on a direct course to meet the sorcerer Modred
Notable Cameos
Dr Strange 2
During the opening action sequence of
Doctor Strange 2, we see
Strange and
Wong - dressed in their signature
Tibetan robes - making their way through an
New York night club filled with amped up partygoers and pulsing music. After drawing more than a few stares and laughs, the duo makes their way to a private area overlooking the club where we see the clubs beautiful club owner surrounded by unimpressed model types and dangerous looking thugs. After some introductions and small talk,
Strange reveals that he is aware that the woman is a succubus and commands her to release the inducement spell that she has placed on the unknowing patrons of the club, allow them to return to their homes in peace, then immediately return to whatever hell pit she crawled out of
. We now see that the club is actually filled with a large group of humans, standing motionless on the club's dancefloor, as a small group of succubi and incubi drain life energy from them in various ways (i.e. kissing, breath stealing, hands around a body part, phasing through their body). Overhearing the insult, the demons begin attacking
Strange and
Wong, who masterfully mow down the entities one by one. Deciding that her forces are no match for the pair, the succubus club owner attempts to escape only to find her arms bound by a pair of fiery
Eldritch Whips created by
The Sorcerer Supreme. Screaming in agony as more and more of her skin begins to burn, we hear a booming voice yell a spell in an archaic language which disintegrates
Strange's weapons and frees the now demonic looking club owner. From the shadows,
Modred and
Lilith enter the fight - with
Lilith opening several portals that allow the remaining succubi/incubi to flee while
Modred skillfully holds off
Strange and
Wong. Once all of his servants have left, a slyly smiling
Modred gives the two men a slight nod and disappears in a cloud of black smoke -leaving the two sorcerers about as confused as the now freed club patrons. Afterwards we see the pair back at the
New York Sanctum running through theories about who the unknown sorcerers could have been (name dropping a few other magic users from
Marvel Comics before movies into its real story.
Blade: Daywalker
During the end-credit scene of the
Netflix Original Movie "Blade: Daywalker" we see a gravely injured
Darius Venginian sitting before
Surisha and
Lilith in dark room as he curses
Blade in a foreign language, writhes in pain from his nasty looking wounds, berates the pair for simply staring at him and not doing anything to help him, and demands that
Modred doesn't keep him waiting any longer. As the pair continue staring at him, unmoved, we see
Modred quietly walk up behind the injured vampire and place his hands on his shoulder - a feat that genuinely surprises the centuries old vampire. After a little bit of monologuing,
Modred finally faces
Venginian with the two women standing by his side. He agrees to help
Darius, but only if the prideful vampire agrees to drop to his knees and pledge his allegiance to
The Dark and Winding Way. When the vampire laughs at such a proposal, we see cult members appear from shadows and start drawing back thick drapes which reveal a brightly lit and beautiful day just outside. As the sunrays get closer and closer to his chair we see
Venginian attempt to get up, but mystical chains appear from spots on either of
Darius' shoulders (where
Modred had placed his hands just moments prior) and firmly secure the vampire to his chair. As
Lilith orders one of the henchmen to open a window as she doesn't want the smoke and ash from
Venginian's impending demise to linger in the room any longer than is necessary, the panicked vampire pledges his allegiance to
Modred and begs for his (undead) life. The torturous scene ends with
Modred smiling and saying "
Now tell me about this man Blade...".
Daredevil Season 4
We see
Lilith approach
Wilson and
Vanessa Fisk at a function being held in
Vanessa's honor and present her with an ornate and very old vase that she really admired while visiting an antiques gallery that
Modred owns. After apologizing for
Victor's absence, she tells the pair that he was busy personally overseeing the delivery of a very rare and special item from
London - something that
Wilson seems very happy to hear. After the pair thank her for her gift and send their regards to
Victor, Lilith saunters back into the crowd as both
Wilson and
Vanessa keep their eyes fixed on mysterious woman as if subtly transfixed.