|
| |
|
| Enhanced Abilities: Darkoth’s body is cybernetically enhanced and his skeleton replaced by a steel alloy. He has superhuman strength, and endurance. |
| Body Armour: Darkoth’s skin has been replaced with a thick purple hide giving a high degree of protection from physical and energy attacks. |
| Claws: Darkoth has steel talons that he often coats with poison. |
| Prehensile Tail: Darkoth has a tail which he uses as a weapon. |
| Firehorns: Darkoth’s horns emit heat ray’s, force blasts and can disrupt an opponents mind. |
| Winged Flight: Darkoth can fly thanks to his ankle wings. |
| Phasing: Darkoth is able to become intangible. |
| |
|
| |
|
| Desmond Pitt was a major in the United States Air Force when he met test pilot, Ben Grimm. In short order, he and Grimm, who would later become the Thing, a member of the super team Fantastic Four, became close friends. During a brief return to civilian life, Pitt married and had a son. |
| Eventually, Pitt rejoined the Air Force and was assigned to the Kennedy Space Centre in Houston, Texas. There he was placed on the staff of a research project designed to develop the solar shuttle (a variant on the space shuttle.) As Pitt became involved with the early stages of the project, his wife was diagnosed as suffering form a terminal illness. The prognosis gave her only a few months to live. While under the great emotional stress which accompanied knowledge of his wife's condition, Pitt also discovered that agents of Victor von Doom, absolute monarch of the Balkan state Latveria, had infiltrated the solar shuttle project. |
| In an effort to learn the extent of the infiltration and its purpose, Pitt decided to present himself as a willing collaborator. Fearful that the spy network may well have extended into other areas of NASA, Pitt told no one of his plans, not even his superiors. Attempting to gather as much information as possible, he became the confidante of the ring's leaders. They were so impressed by Pitt that they brought the major to the attention of Dr. Doom himself. To all appearances, Pitt was a loyal spy. He soon learned that Doom's men meant to utilize the awesome powers of the solar shuttle to energize solar panels in Latveria. |
| Before Pitt could expose the plan to United States government officials, his wife died. Grief-stricken, Pitt became careless with his ruse and Doom discovered that he was a double agent. Doom's operatives in high NASA positions denounced Pitt as a traitor. Before he could be arrested, Pitt disappeared. U.S. officials deduced that he had been killed. |
| In reality, Pitt had been kidnapped and brought to Latveria. Doom wised to make an example of Pitt to other individuals who might dare to might dare to consider betraying him. Pitt was forced to undergo chemical and cybernetic transmutation. Under Doom's direct supervision, Pitt's body was reformed to resemble a legendary demon that supposed haunted the mountains of Latveria. Code-named Darkoth the Death Demon, Pitt was given extraordinary strength, agility, and limited psionic powers. The final process in the creation of Darkoth was exposure to Doom's vibration device, erasing his personality and memories. Doom also implanted a hypnotic suggestion that Pitt was in reality a demon, which had been rescued from the Netherworld by Doom to be his personal warrior. As such, Pitt became the most loyal servant of the man who made him a monster. |
