Warning: Spoilers for Poison #38!Marvel has a lot of big bads, and some of them have finally made their way into the MCU – like Chthon. Yet I feel like I’ve been waiting too long Mephisto or even the power of the Living Court. There are a number of magical beings waiting to be lifted straight from the comics and put into the movies, and like me, some fans are getting a little irritated by the wait. But recently, thanks to Venom and Doctor Strange, I discovered a powerful comic villain – and he’s already snuck into the MCU.
While Old Venom, or Future Eddie Brock, attempts to rectify the timeline during the Poison War event, he seeks Doctor Strange’s help in Poison #38 by Torunn Grønbekk, Germán Peralta, Cafu, Frank D’Armata and Clayton Cowles. Together, they descend into the Flickering Realms to meet one of Marvel’s most powerful villains, who is the only being who can help forge the weapon that can save Eddie Brock’s dystopian future.
And yet it was Strange’s silent confession that interested me most: “Chthon is more than a demon. He is to demons what the universe is to humanity.” With this definition of the demon Chthon, I see a tease of the future of the MCU with Mephisto levels of destruction, considering Chthon has already made it to the silver screen.
Chthon is the first major magical villain with influence on the MCU
Her ties to Scarlet Witch are even stronger in the comics
Thanks to Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of MadnessChthon has already been released in the MCU. Chthon is more than just a powerful demon in the comicsbut one of the first black magicians in history, and Doctor Strange’s description shows how he is on a separate level from Mephisto. He has important ties to Darkhold, being its own author, and even built Darkhold Castle atop Mount Wundagore.
Both this place and this book are major plot points for Scarlet Witch in the film. But in the comics, their bond goes even further: he is the source of her powers, granting them to her when she was a baby to use as an avatar.
Considering how much influence the dark demon has in the comic book world, it’s a wonder it took the MCU this long to introduce one of my favorite villains.
Mephisto has also been long-awaited in the MCU. Show after show, I waited to hear his name mentioned or see him use his devilish magic in the background. Finally, thanks to Ágatha all the time, Mephisto’s existence has finally been confirmed. Considering how much influence the dark demon has in the comic book world, it’s a wonder it took the MCU this long to introduce one of my favorite villains. And yet this latest description of Chthon makes Mephisto pale in comparison. For me, The long-awaited demon is nothing compared to the god of depths and darkness.
Chthon has a real mythological history beyond his presence in Marvel Comics
There is no being as deadly as Chthon in his underworld
Chthon is a name that has great influence in the historical world. The word chthonic means underground or is concerned with the underworld. Most often a descriptor that refers to the dark deities of mythology who have a numinous mystery surrounding them, the word itself chthonic represents all the monsters in humanity’s closet, as well as the demons that lurk in its shadow. Still in Greek mythology, Hades, the god of the underworld, had the epithet of Zeus Ctoniosmeaning he was the Zeus of his own kingdom and its only king.
I can clearly see this human story at play in the demon Chthon. Old Man Venom and Doctor Strange are descending the stairs to the Underworld, performing an ancient and archetypal rite. In the Flickering Realms, Chthon is an ancient god, and none of these heroes’ magic or technology can help them here in a world where the laws of the overworld mean nothing. Mephisto has Hell, which, as scary as it may be to a comic book fan like me, he can never give me the feeling of utter dread that the mysterious underworld of Chthon can offer.
Chthon is almost ready for his official MCU debut
Chthon sits on his throne in the Flickering Realms
In the comics, Chthon, as an elder god, has a wide range of influences. He has important ties to Darkhold as well as Wanda Maximoff, and yet his comic book history is much richer considering she broke ties with him and sealed the demon in her own body. This just makes me think that while Chthon’s eventual appearance in the MCU has been teased, there can’t be Chthon without the teased return of Scarlet Witch.
If he appears, just like he did in the comics, the entire Marvel Universe will be at stake, because this is not a demon like Mephisto. As Doctor Strange says, Chthon It is to demons what the universe is to humans. And that definitely scares me.
Poison #38 is now available from Marvel Comics!