Hey everybody, welcome to another great character spotlight, right here in Marvel Snapshot! In this week’s installment, we’ll be taking a look at a villain who’s popped up in a few different titles, but always remained very consistent. I’m talking about the Dweller-in-Darkness! This demonic looking alien has fought against Thor, Dr. Strange, and even the X-Men! The Dweller was created by Gerry Conway and Rich Buckler (mentioned – Thor #229, 1974), Roger Stern, and Tom Sutton (full appearance – Dr. Strange #30, 1978).
When this Fear Lord was first mentioned in Thor, it was quite a mystery, but when things were revealed in Dr. Strange a few years later, we began to see that this Dweller was part of a race of Fear Lords, and their job was to instill fear in humanity. This gives them ultimate power, and with that, they try to kill, and take over dimensions. A being that’s part of that race you might have also heard of is Nightmare! The entity D’Spayre was also created by the Dweller.
Initially, Strange is beset on multiple sides by demons of unknown origins. We later find out that the Dweller is behind all of this, and wants to vanquish Strange for meddling in his affairs. The Dweller chose to use demons and such to strike at Strange. Later (in Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme -1988), Strange battled Scarecrow (Straw Man), and learned more about the Fear Lords.
The Dweller and the Fear Lords have made a more recent appearance, in the pages of Journey Into Mystery (#633, 645 – 2012). During a Thor story (The Black Galaxy Saga) we saw another extraterrestrial being calling itself a “Dark Dweller.” He didn’t really resemble the Dweller in Darkness that much, but did seem to have some traits similar to the Dweller. Whether or not they are connected remains a mystery.
As usual, check out my recommended reading list, and some great covers from back in the day! Enjoy!
Recommended Reading
Thor #229 & 230 (vol. 1 – 1962)
Dr. Strange #30, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37 (vol. 1 – 1974)
Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme #32, 33, 38, 39, 40, Annual #2 (vol. 2 – 1988)
Journey Into Mystery #633, 645
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net