The next big bad of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has thrown up a number of speculative candidates including Norman Osborn, Galactus, Doctor Doom and many more, but could the franchise’s new Avengers-level threat be a book? Perhaps, if insider Daniel Richtman’s latest report is anything to go by, with the tipster claiming the Darkhold will have a huge impact on the future of the interconnected superhero series.
Admittedly, Richtman offers nothing further to support an inherently vague statement regarding a MacGuffin we only found out about at the end of WandaVision, but we do at least know it’ll be integral to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and maybe even Spider-Man: No Way Home. The post-credits stinger of the MCU’s first episodic Disney Plus exclusive saw Scarlet Witch doing a spot of light reading, and from that brief scene alone it looks as though the Sorcerer Supreme’s sequel will see Wanda tearing apart the multiverse to try and find a reality where her children are not only real, but alive and well.
In the wild and wacky world of Marvel Comics, the Darkhold was created by demonic Elder God Chthon, who wrote his knowledge of dark magic into the book, making it one of the most dangerous trinkets around. Over the years, it’s been in contact with wizards Merlin and Mordred, while it’s also crossed paths with vampires, werewolves and zombies.
A cursed book with the power to end the world doesn’t appear to tie in with what we’re expecting to see from the likes of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Black Panther II, Armor Wars and other grounded MCU outings, but it could still be positioned as a major factor across the more fantasy-orientated Captain Marvel 2, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 or Fantastic Four.
