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Marvel’s monstrous villain featured in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has a history of battling and defeating another MCU hero.
The Dweller-In-Darkness, the nightmarish beast released upon the world in the final act of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, is a creature of unimaginable power. While it still possesses the strength to destroy the entire world, it’s origin and fate in the MCU is wildly different from that of its comic counterpart. Where the Dweller-In-Darkness was defeated by Shang-Chi in the film, the Dweller-In-Darkness was much more formidable when it battled another powerful MCU hero, Doctor Strange.
The Dweller-In-Darkness debuted in Thor #229 (by Gerry Conway and Rich Buckler) where it assumed the shape of a solid black figure. It’s appearance was brief yet dangerous as it was able to defeat Hercules single-handedly with its dark magic. It wasn’t until Doctor Strange #30 (by Roger Stern and Tom Sutton) that the Dweller-In-Darkness would be fully introduced. Doctor Strange and Clea, his half-Faltine half-Dark Dimensional love interest, are pulled violently into the sewers of New York City by creatures born of shadow and darkness. The creatures that accosted them would be revealed to be the servants of the Dweller-In-Darkness.
As an entity the Dweller-In-Darkness is unfathomable in its tremendous power. Born from Cthulu, the Dweller originated in the dimension known as Everinnye. Unlike the MCU Dweller that feeds off of souls, the version seen in comics feeds off of fear. The Dweller notably attempted to destroy the multi-reality anchor that held all of existence in place so that it could feed off of an entire plane’s fear.
It was later revealed that the Dweller-In-Darkness was a member of the Fear Lords, great demons that existed solely to create and feed off of fear. In Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #38-40 (by Roy & Dann Thomas, Geof Isherwood, and Jim Sanders III), the Dweller summoned the other Fear Lords D’Spayre, The Lurking Unknown, and Nightmare. As the Fear Lords plotted to plunge the entire world into fear, Doctor Strange sought to disrupt their plans. The Fear Lords battled amongst themselves nearly as much as they fought the Sorcerer Supreme, but Doctor Strange was struck down and defeated in battle. Strange was eventually rescued from his demonic tormentors by the combined efforts of Daredevil and Straw Man.
As different as the Dweller-In-Darkness appears in the MCU, the question remains as to whether or not Doctor Strange would be able to defeat him. Despite his appearance being very different from the comics, the MCU Dweller is still a terrifying opponent. Consuming souls by touch is arguably more terrifying than consuming fear. The beast and its kin were also only vulnerable to attacks imbued with magic thus making it a battle well-suited for Strange. The MCU Strange was able to stand toe-to-toe with Thanos while he was equipped with most of the Infinity Gems, which is no small feat. On the other hand, the Mad Titan was a humanoid relative in size to Strange as opposed to a massive flying dragon.
If Doctor Strange fought the Dweller-In-Darkness the battle would in all probability be as awesome as it was with Shang-Chi. While the Dweller-In-Darkness was killed quite spectacularly at the conclusion of the film, there still is the possibility of him returning in the upcoming film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, where almost anything will be possible.
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