Warning! Spoilers for Darkhold: Alpha #1 by Marvel Comics below
The elder god Chthon has just been reawakened and it's up to five heroes from across the Marvel Universe to stop him. But, how did Scarlet Witch choose five heroes to take on one of the most powerful evil deities ever? There's a very particular reason she summoned the likes of Blade, Black Bolt, and Spider-Man, and it has to do with the Darkhold.
In the new Darkhold: Alpha #1 crossover event, Scarlet Witch feels a surprise connection to Chthon, the elder god who originally wrote the Darkhold. After having nightmares about Earth's Mightiest Heroes dying at the hands of the Demon of the Darkhold's forces, Wanda Maximoff discovers someone is after his lost book of evil spells. Doctor Doom and Victorious have located the book with the former using Doombots to read it for him so that he wouldn't succumb to madness. Unfortunately, Doom foolishly goes on a quest inside the Other-Realm to stop Chthon, leading Scarlet Witch to assemble her own team of heroes to stop the elder god before he destroys the entire Marvel Universe.
In Darkhold Alpha #1 by Steve Orlando, Cian Tormey, Jesus Aburtov, and VC's Clayton Cowles, Scarlet Witch learns about the Darkhold Defenders, a group of Chalcolithic warriors who once stopped Chthon and drove him back into imprisonment. Wanda decides the best way to stop Chthon again is to form a modern version of the team, consisting of heroes with specific roles. Scarlet Witch teams up with Victorious to cast a spell with her Power Cosmic to bring five heroes who fit the bill as Darkhold Defenders to her. Ultimately, Iron Man (The Dreamer), Blade (The Hunter), Wasp (The Artist), Black Bolt (The Stoic), and Spider-Man (The Fool) are transported to the Darkhold's location.
It doesn't take much convincing to get the heroes to join her quest, but things quickly go sour. After Scarlet Witch reveals each hero needs to read a small portion of the Darkhold to temper potential madness, the group ends up reading too much and are transformed into monsters. Instead of the Darkhold Defenders, they become the Darkhold Defiled.
Defiled or not, the group of transformed heroes is Scarlet Witch's best chance at stopping Chthon and protecting the Marvel Universe from the elder god's destruction. It was fun to see how each hero fit a specific role on Scarlet Witch's team to become a version of the Darkhold Defenders, but it remains to be seen how such drastic transformations will impact their powers and actions. Darkhold Alpha #1 is in comic book stores now.