All The Spells Contained In Scarlet Witch's Darkhold In The Comics

WandaVision introduced the MCU's version of the Darkhold, a book of dark magic containing the secrets of the Scarlet Witch - and here are all the dark spells and prophecies the Darkhold contains in the comics. The Darkhold is Marvel's most dangerous magical book, originated from scrolls that predate humanity itself. The magic contained within its indestructible pages is linked to the Elder God named Chthon, intended to serve as a conduit for his power and ultimately allow him to return to Earth. According to The Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe, "Any who read [the Darkhold's spells] endanger their very souls and risk becoming Chthon's pawns for eternity. Chthon both supplies the power for the Darkhold's spells and gains power from those under his sway, which also weakens the dimensional powers preventing his return to Earth." Little is currently known about the MCU's version of the Darkhold, but it's surely no coincidence that it has already taught Wanda Maximoff about her Chaos Magic - a dangerous type of sorcery that is also rooted in the power of Chthon.

In the MCU, the Darkhold contains an entire chapter dedicated to the Scarlet Witch. Wanda retrieved it after defeating Agatha Harkness, and she's been studying it, learning secrets of the mystic arts. Unfortunately, that's probably not wise; assuming the MCU's Darkhold is anything like the one seen in comics, the knowledge it grants tends to corrupt. Scarlet Witch is quite possibly being positioned as the villain of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the one whose magic tears the fabric of reality apart.

But what sort of magic can we expect to see from the Darkhold? With Scarlet Witch and her Chaos Magic set to play a larger role in Phase 4 of the MCU, looking to the comics the universe is based on can supply some hints as to where the story will go. Here's a guide to all the spells and prophecies the Darkhold has been associated with in the comics themselves to give you an idea of just what could be coming.

Prophecies of Chthon's Return

There are multiple prophecies that foretell the day when Chthon will return to Earth, and some - such as the Saeculum Atrum and the Malachy Prophecy - were apparently linked to the Scarlet Witch. The Malachy Prophecy was apparently written in Latin and was translated by Agatha Harkness as reading:

"A child born of no man and no woman marked by sin; Daughter becomes mother; Then will the great return begin."

In reality this referred to Victoria Montesi, born into the Montesi family, a special bloodline of Catholic priests given dispensation to marry so the family line would be able to protect the Darkhold. Vittorio Montesi was sterile, and in a moment of weakness he used a spell of fertility from the Darkhold to grant himself a daughter. Victoria was the key to Chthon's plan, for he impregnated her with his own essence; fortunately Doctor Strange managed to intervene and avert the prophecy.

Another prophecy pointed to the psychopathic serial killer named Carnage, whose killing sprees were destined to open a portal that allowed Chthon to return to Earth in corporeal form. "When the Red Slayer spills blood on sacred stone, he who sleeps shall wake and what walked once will walk again. When what dwells beneath strides the earth again, those who denied him will suffer torment beyond description... while those who praise him will be raised to glory in the shadow of his majesty." Naturally, Carnage was delighted at the prospect of wreaking havoc on a global level when he heard this prophecy. He was a lot less happy when he learned it was his own blood that needed to be spilled.

Spells To Bring The Dimensions Together

Chthon roaring in anger in Marvel Comics.

Carnage followed the Darkhold's guidance to an ancient temple in Indonesia, where he performed a blood sacrifice - slaughtering Chthon's own servants - and then uttered a dark spell that used their fading life force to open a portal between the dimensions. The area around the temple was transformed into a nether region between our reality and that of the Elder God Chthon, with the basic laws of physics no longer applying. As Victoria Montesi put it, "We stand in the presence of cosmic madness." Other spells contained within the Darkhold allow sorcerers to create openings to the various Hell Dimensions, and even to establish a foothold for these dimensions upon the earth.

Spells to Summon a Range of Demonic Beings

Chthon is largely outside of time, and so he was able to perceive the rise of a number of powerful mystical entities. He placed enchantments within the Darkhold to create or summon these, and also prophecies pertaining to creatures he suspected could threaten him; Chthon knew there is power in naming a thing, and that by doing so he would place an enchantment upon all these beings so they would be bound to his will. As seen in the Darkhold series in the '90s, the creatures that can be summoned through the Book of Sins include:

The demonic N'Garai, a monstrous enemy of the X-Men who invaded their dimension through mystical cairns that can be formed by using an enchantment from the Darkhold
Hell-hounds from Mephisto's domain
A mist that dissolves human bodies, leaving just skeletons and clothes behind
Twisted genies who corrupt the wishes they grant, turning them into something devastating and evil
Even a new version of the Demogorge, a cosmic entity that is driven to consume magic

Spells To Create & Destroy Vampires - And Possibly Werewolves

As recounted in Doctor Strange #61, in ancient times a band of sorcerers on ancient Atlantis sought to use the Darkhold to conquer the world. They created a spell that caused their fallen enemies to rise again, intending them to serve as their pawns, but they had instead created the race of vampires - who promptly turned on these early Darkholders, feeding on their blood. The first vampires left the doomed continent of Atlantis and scattered across the globe. "Ever since that time," Dracula observed, "the Earth has known the touch of vampirism." Given the Darkhold is certain to appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it is quite possible Doctor Strange 2 will set up Blade. The Darkhold also contains spells to destroy vampires, including one enchantment known as the Montesi Formula that unfortunately has only a temporary effect. The origin of werewolves is something of a mystery in the Marvel Comics universe, but some passages in the Darkhold suggest they too were created by sorcerers using a passage from the Darkhold.

Other Powerful Spells

In addition to these powerful enchantments, the Darkhold also contains a range of more common spells - all of which are given a dark twist.

One spell boosts the psychic abilities of other mystical abilities, but there's a catch; it draws the power by absorbing the mental energy of those in the immediate vicinity.
An enchantment that, while active, allows a werewolf to retain its human consciousness.
When the sorcerer named Modred the Mystic was bound to the Darkhold, he claimed to possess access to all its power - and his party trick was mastery of the four elements. He could summon devastating fire- and windstorms, horrific floods, and destructive earthquakes.
Vittorio Montesi used a fertility spell from the Darkhold to have a child with his wife, but the child, Victoria, was actually the daughter of Chthon himself, and her spirit was bound to its dark magic until she was eventually freed by Doctor Strange. It is quite possible a number of Chthon's Darkholders, his servants who seek to use the Darkhold's power, are descended from children born under similar circumstances.

The Darkhold has only been briefly glimpsed in WandaVision so far, but it's certain that this introduction is just the start of something huge in Phase 4 of the MCU and, if its comics history is anything to go by, the movies from Marvel Studios are likely to get much darker and more magical from hereon out.

More: WandaVision Ending Explained: Biggest Reveals & MCU Future Setup