Synopsis / Summary / Plot
In the ruins of Abysmia beneath the USA Doombots unearth a book more than a million years old, bound in flesh and wrapped in chains which a voice declares as the true Darkhold, the Chthon Scrolls.
The we see a vision of Chthon in chains looming over Times Square where demons attack Hulk, Iron Man, Spider-Man (Peter Parker) and Wolverine. Captain America is defeated. Valeria Richards within a forcefield bubble runs to stop the invasion but is killed by her possessed brother Franklin. Chthon feels his chains weakening ...
... and Wanda Maximoff wakens from that dream shouting the 1st words of the book, knowing that someone *has* found the book and Chthon is coming.
The 1st paragraph was indeed happening and armoured Victorious, Dr Doom's right-hand woman Zora Vukavic, watches as a Doombot looks inside the book and its metal head melts. Doom is in remote contact with the expedition and warns Zora not to read it. He explains its history. The Elder God Chthon skinned his own brother to provide the pages for it before he was banished to Other-Realm by his fellow Gods who placed magic wards on the book to keep it from him. Eventually the contents were copied to stone and then to parchment which is the version known today. Victor Von Doom adds that anyone who reads from the original book ...
... but his sentence is finished by Scarlet Witch that such a person would be driven mad. Wanda claims that her past dealings with Chthon and her magic abilities mean that only *she* can control it. Victorious suggests that Maximoff is really driven by the fact the Victor once rejected her love. They clash but the Witch's magic easily defeats Zora's Power Cosmic.
Then Dr Doom himself teleports in to confront SW. He too claims to be the best person to be the steward of the book. Wanda says unearthing it has given Chthon a chance to escape his imprisonment. Victor says Chthon is a dangerous rival for power, and having the book means he can *ensure* that he never breaks free. In honour of their past relationship he *asks* her to step aside rather than just killing her. Wanda reminds him that their 'relationship' (in Avengers: Children's Crusade) was when he stole her power to try to control the Life Force. He failed then and he'll fail with the Darkhold. Doom says he already succeeded. He read in the book through the Doombot's eyes, and he hasn't gone mad. Wanda is shocked. She tells him that reading the book has wakened the demon, who came to her in a nightmare of what he intends for the world. But if he *can* read the book then they should team up. Doom says he doesn't need allies. However he admits to having visions lately too so he agrees.
Victor leads Wanda and Zora to an underground lab. He explains that the Abysmians were a subterranean human culture with advanced science but have been wiped out. Here there is a vibrograph which used vibrational energy to spy on the surface through solid rock. He has modified it to pierce dimensional barriers, and he will use it to take them to Other-Realm where they will defeat Chthon. Wanda says if he will read the book for her she will interpret the stories until they find their for's weak points.
They come across a tale of the 5 Darkhold Defenders of the Chalcolithic or Copper Age (between Stone Age and Bronze Age), a dreamer, a fool, a stoic, a hunter and an artist. They once defeated Chthon and drove him back to the Other-Realm, but at the cost of their sanity. Scarlet Witch reckons she could use a divining spell to gather a modern equivalent of 5 persons with those aspects and ask them to risk it. But Doom says that he himself combines all 5 aspects. So he prepares to go alone, trusting that his ability to survive reading the book will enable him to return sane. Victorious wants to go with him, as does the Witch. But Victor leaves them both behind with the book.
Wanda then allies with Zora. Her seeking spell and Zora's cosmic awareness enable them to find and bring 5 candidate Darkhold Defenders:- Iron Man the dreamer, Blade the hunter, Wasp the artist, Black Bolt the stoic and Spider-Man the fool. Scarlet Witch explains about the Chthon/Darkhold/Dr Doom situation. Victorious wants to *compel* them to follow Doom and aid him. Blade opts to destroy the book and then neither Chthon or Doom can get to Earth, but SW says the flesh of the Elder God is indestructible. The only viable plan is for them each to read just a little *bit* of the Darkhold to 'temper' themselves to face Chthon. Read too much and they'll go mad. 4 of them agree for various reasons but Black Bolt says via sign language that the Inhumans need him here.
But then Dr Doom returns much the worse for wear. He refuses help and also refuses to say what happened to him. But we see that he arrived in a ruined city strewn with strange bodies. He was immediately attacked and overwhelmed by sheer numbers of demons. However we also see a probably-robotic masked observer noting that Chthon's army is growing restless and turning on itself. It also says something cryptic about the designated mother head being at risk. Doom himself says Chthon *let* him live to consider. But now he leaves Victorious to help them while he goes to prepare for Chthon's invasion.
Ex-leader of the Avengers Wasp rallies the troops including Black Bolt, and the 5 Defenders all read a bit from the book. Wanda tells them they will each see an alternate history for themselves leading to their worst nightmare. But as they read our viewpoint is led towards Chthon. At 1st all seems well, but then all 5 are transformed into the evil counterparts the Darkhold Defiled.