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Victoria Montesi
Victoria Montesi
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Victoria Montesi
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceThe Darkhold #1 (October 1992)
Created byChristian Cooper (writer and editor)
In-story information
Team affiliationsDarkholders
AbilitiesMagic of the Darkhold

Victoria Montesi is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Christian Cooper, she first appeared in The Darkhold #1 (October 1992), and is notable for being the first openly lesbian lead character to appear in Marvel Comics.[1]

Publication history

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Victoria Montesi first appeared in The Darkhold #1 (October 1992). Created by writer and editor Christian Cooper, she was the first openly lesbian lead character to appear in Marvel Comics.[1]

Fictional character biography

[edit]

Montesi is the only child of Monsignor Vittorio Montesi; the Montesi line was long ago designated as the guardians of the Darkhold, a tome of ancient black magic which has the potential to summon the Elder God Chthon to wreak havoc upon the Earth, but Victoria, half-American, disbelieves her father's claims and takes up hospital work in Rome, where she lives with her lover, karate instructor Natasha "Nash" Salvato.[volume & issue needed]

However, when pages from the Darkhold are distributed to unsuspecting mortals by a demonic Dwarf and Nash is rendered quadriplegic and comatose following an explosion intended to kill Victoria, she joins with occult expert Louise Hastings and Interpol agent Sam Buchanan to recover the pages as the Darkhold Redeemers.[volume & issue needed]

Montesi, Hastings and Buchanan began working with the Ghost Rider and Johnny Blaze when they discovered Lilith, an ancient demonic entity, had sought Montesi's death. Thereafter, the group was loosely affiliated with Doctor Strange, Ghost Rider, the Nightstalkers, and the other "Midnight Sons".[2]

These alliances draw them into many adventures unrelated to the hunt for Darkhold pages. Their involvement with the forces of darkness had been predicted long ago as part of the 'nine', a group of heroes destined to destroy much evil. Killing one of the group would mean much success for the forces of darkness, even against the eight survivors. In once incident, Victoria and Sam become involved in Lilith's rebirth from the haunted grounds of the Salem Fields Cemetery in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn. A mist seeping from the ground is bringing with it demonic creatures of all sorts. Sam, Victoria, Ghost Rider, Caretaker, the Nightstalkers and other heroes try to their best to stop it but end up on the run and under siege in the storyline appropriately known as Siege of Darkness.[volume & issue needed]

The group, as a trio, hunts down the Darkhold pages whenever they can. In Hawaii, they fight demonic soldiers brought forth from the mind of a Pearl Harbor survivor. In a small mountain town, Victoria helps protect a school full of children from rampaging demonic creatures. She and Sam are assisted by Sabretooth.[volume & issue needed]

In short order, Victoria deals with the apparent betrayal of Sam and the sacrifice of Louise Hastings, who perishes soon after giving her soul to bring to life many of the Midnight Sons, including Victoria herself.[volume & issue needed]

Louise's place in the group is filled by her grandson Jinx, who has the magical ability to nudge luck into his favor. He develops a childish crush on Victoria, but still ends up a trusted ally. She takes him on a trip to New York to hunt down a page, which ultimately leads to a confrontation with Spider-Man, the Paralyzer and Zzzax.[3]

Victoria ultimately becomes entranced by the pages of the Darkhold as the demonic dwarf offers her the chance to restore the vitality and movement of Nash. As with all Darkhold incidents, this becomes corrupted as innocent people are killed in order to steal their vitality. Nash, through her bond with Victoria, convinces her to neutralize the Darkhold spell.[volume & issue needed]

After some months of such adventures, Victoria's life takes an even worse turn when it is revealed that she is in fact Chthon's daughter, created when the sterile Vittorio used magic to guarantee himself an heir, and she is mystically impregnated with Chthon himself; Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange kept Victoria in mystic stasis for a time to delay Chthon's rebirth into the Earth dimension, and he was ultimately able to prevent it. When last seen, Victoria was being spirited away by the Midwife, a creation of Chthon's who nevertheless rebelled against her master's rebirth and sought to help Victoria recover from her ordeal.[volume & issue needed]

The FBI later recruits Victoria to help them track Carnage, who had absconded to the Indian Ocean with the Darkhold.[4]

During the "Blood Hunt" storyline, Victoria Montesi arrives in El Fasha, Iraq to deal with a possessed man. She breaks the possession with help from Lilith. Later, she is visited outside a restaurant by Johnny Blaze who informs her about what Blade has been up to with the vampire invasion caused by the Darkforce blocking the Sun all around the world. She comments that if Blade cannot be reasoned with, "the Midnight Sons" will kill him".[5]

Powers and abilities

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Victoria Montesi can sense when someone has accessed a page from the Darkhold tome. Originally thought to be due to her Montesi family bloodline, Victoria's powers were actually due to her creation through the magic of the Darkhold by her sterile father, Vittorio Montesi. She is also a trained doctor and has limited martial arts training taught to her by her lover, Nash Salvato, and later by her teammate, Sam Buchanan.[volume & issue needed]

References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Victoria Montesi is a fictional superheroine in , best known as a member of the Darkhold Redeemers, a team formed to locate and destroy scattered pages of the Darkhold—a mystical book of evil spells created by the Elder God Chthon—to prevent its corrupting influence and Chthon's invasion of Earth. Born in , , she is the daughter of Monsignor Vittorio Montesi, a Vatican priest, and unknowingly the offspring of Chthon himself, conceived through Darkhold as part of a long-standing family legacy tasked with safeguarding humanity from the tome since the 12th century. Montesi possesses psychic visions that enable her to detect Darkhold pages and supernatural threats, along with proficiency in spellcasting, firearms, , and ; she is also bilingual in English and Italian and holds a . Created by Christian Cooper and artist Richard Case, she debuted in Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins #1 in October 1992, where her orientation was established, making her one of Marvel's earliest LGBTQ+ characters. A teen version of the character appeared in the House of Harkness Infinity Comic in 2024. Throughout her appearances, Montesi has been affiliated with groups such as the Midnight Sons and the Anti-Carnage Taskforce, participating in key arcs including battles against Chthon and the demoness , a confrontation with Carnage over the Darkhold in , and a supernatural pregnancy resolved by .

Creation and Publication

Concept and Development

Victoria Montesi was created by writer and editor as part of ' 1990s revival of horror titles under the Midnight Sons imprint, debuting in Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins #1 in October 1992. The character was conceived as the daughter of Vittorio Montesi, a Vatican and archivist tasked with safeguarding knowledge, positioning her within a lineage dedicated to combating supernatural evils tied to ancient tomes like the Darkhold. This setup drew heavily from Catholic mysticism, emphasizing themes of faith, guardianship, and in the face of demonic forces. The Darkhold itself served as a central device, inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's —a fictional of penned by an Elder God, Chthon, which Montesi's family historically opposed through and vigilance. Cooper developed Montesi to embody internal conflict, blending her scholarly background with emerging sensitivities to the book's corrupting influence, such as visions that guide her against its threats. Her introduction aligned with the broader crossover, launching alongside titles like Nightstalkers to expand Marvel's universe amid the era's interest in horror. A key aspect of Montesi's development was her portrayal as Marvel's first explicitly character, achieved through subtle romantic tensions with her companion, Sam Buchanan, in the pages of Darkhold. Cooper, drawing from his own experiences as a gay editor, aimed to integrate representation into mainstream horror without overt confrontation, reflecting the cultural constraints of early . This nuanced approach influenced her characterization as an intellectual outsider navigating both mystical perils and personal identity.

Key Appearances and Story Arcs

Victoria Montesi made her debut in Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins #1 (October 1992). She later collaborated with the supernatural investigative team the Nightstalkers—consisting of , , and —against vampiric threats, featuring prominently in Nightstalkers #14–15 (December 1993–January 1994) and participating in gatherings and joint operations amid escalating supernatural conflicts. The Nightstalkers run, spanning 18 issues until 1994, highlighted her integration into broader horror-themed narratives involving foes. Montesi played a central role in Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins #1–10 (October 1992–July 1993), a series centered on her prophetic visions and the corrupting influence of the Darkhold's scattered pages, as she joined forces with experts to contain its power. The storyline extended into later issues of the 16-issue run (concluding January 1994), delving deeper into the Darkhold's demonic manipulations and Montesi's pivotal efforts to redeem its wielders. Her involvement expanded through the Rise of the Midnight Sons crossover event in 1993, a multi-title arc uniting Marvel's supernatural heroes against and her Lilin offspring, where Montesi contributed to key battles across Ghost Rider, Morbius: The Living Vampire, and Midnight Sons Unlimited #1–3. This led into the Darkhold Redeemers storyline (1994–1995), framed within the concluding phases of the Darkhold series and tie-ins like Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #60–61, emphasizing her leadership in assembling a team to neutralize the book's lingering threats. Post-Midnight Sons, Montesi had minor appearances in titles such as Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #82–84 (1995–1996) and Witches #1–4 (2004), often in advisory or cameo capacities related to mystical artifacts. Brief nods occur in modern supernatural events like Carnage #6–16 (2016) and Midnight Sons: Blood Hunt #1–3 (2024). As of November 2025, a teenage variant of Montesi appears as a student in the House of Harkness Infinity Comic series (September 2024 onward), marking a recent revival in Marvel's magical storyline.

Fictional Biography

Origins and Family Legacy

Victoria Montesi was born in the 20th century as the daughter of Monsignor Vittorio Montesi, a stationed in the Occult Archives of , and his American wife, in the years leading up to the 1992 events involving the Darkhold's resurgence. Vittorio, being sterile, sought to cure his infertility through a ritual drawn from the Darkhold, the ancient book of dark magic, but was deceived by the Elder God Chthon, who used the spell to father Victoria himself. This conception fulfilled elements of the Malachy Prophecy, which foretold a child born "of no man and of a woman marked by sin" as a harbinger of darkness. The Montesi family traced its lineage back to , serving as Vatican-appointed custodians of the Darkhold since the , when Monk Paolo Montesi first safeguarded the tome to prevent its misuse and protect humanity from ancient evils. Over generations, the family developed the Montesi Formula, a potent within the Darkhold designed to eradicate all vampires on , which was later invoked by to achieve that end temporarily. As the latest in this hereditary line, Victoria inherited the solemn duty to guard against the book's corrupting power, though her father Vittorio grew resentful of her reluctance to fully embrace these responsibilities. Victoria's hybrid nature—half-human, half-Elder God—was a profound revelation tied to Chthon's machinations, endowing her with an innate link to the Darkhold that she initially did not comprehend. This heritage positioned her unknowingly as a key figure in Chthon's long-term plan to return to Earth. Raised in , , Victoria received rigorous training in lore and theology from her father during her early years, fostering a deep scholarly knowledge of supernatural threats despite her personal skepticism toward the family's mystical legacy. She remained unaware of her supernatural sensitivity until visions began activating upon the Darkhold's use elsewhere in the world. During her medical residency at St. Anthony's Hospital in , she lived with her girlfriend, instructor Nash Salvato.

Alliance with the Nightstalkers

Victoria Montesi allied with the Nightstalkers—comprising , , and —during the Rise of the Midnight Sons crossover event in 1993, a sprawling war against Lilith's forces. This alliance formed part of the broader coalition, including the Spirits of Vengeance and Darkhold Redeemers, where Montesi contributed her medical and occult expertise following a attack on her father. The coalition's key missions focused on confronting vampiric and demonic threats, including the hunt for Lilith Drake—Dracula's demonic daughter and mother of the Lilin—who sought to unleash chaos on , as well as efforts to recover scattered pages of the Darkhold to prevent their use in summoning the Elder God Chthon. The alliance reached its climax with the Nightstalkers' dissolution during the Rise of the Midnight Sons crossover event in 1993, where Montesi survived intense battles alongside the broader coalition.

Role in the Darkhold Saga

Victoria Montesi's involvement in the Darkhold Saga centered on her unique psychic connection to the ancient tome, which activated prophetic visions whenever its pages were read aloud. These visions served as harbingers, revealing the locations of scattered Darkhold pages and the ensuing chaos from their use, such as possessions of various hosts by demonic entities. Guided by these insights, Montesi intervened in critical events, including thwarting possessions that threatened to amplify the book's corrupting influence across the globe. To combat the Darkhold's proliferation, Montesi formed the Darkhold Redeemers, a team dedicated to systematically locating and destroying the book's dispersed pages. Initial members included her bodyguard and ally Sam Buchanan, an agent, and occult expert Louise Hastings, with the group later expanding to include former adversaries like from her prior Nightstalkers affiliations. This alliance, forged in the wake of a cultist attack, focused on preventing the Elder God Chthon—the Darkhold's creator—from reassembling the tome and manifesting on . The Redeemers' efforts involved global pursuits of page wielders, emphasizing Montesi's leadership in harnessing her visions for strategic interventions. A pivotal revelation occurred in Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins #10 (1994), where ' research uncovered Montesi's true nature as Chthon's daughter, engineered through a Darkhold spell used by her father, Vittorio Montesi, to sire an heir. This made her the intended vessel for Chthon's rebirth, explaining her unnatural and vulnerability to the book's magic. During the conflict, Montesi was killed by under demonic influence but was resurrected by Hastings using a counter-spell from the Darkhold. In response, the performed a to sever this demonic bond, successfully thwarting the Elder God's summoning and preserving Montesi's autonomy. and assisted in resolving the . Throughout the saga, Montesi engaged in direct confrontations with Chthon's avatars and influenced figures, including battles against minions like the Dwarf—who distributed the pages—and the Midwife, a demonic entity tied to her lineage. These clashes extended to encounters with the demonically corrupted Scarlet Witch in Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins #6, where Montesi's team navigated alliances amid the chaos of page-induced possessions. Her resolve culminated in alliances with sorcerers like Doctor Strange, reinforcing the Redeemers' stand against Chthon's encroaching dominion. Tragically, Nash Salvato entered a after an attack by Chthon's forces and later died, deepening Montesi's commitment to the fight.

Post-Midnight Sons Developments

Following the events of the Darkhold Saga, Victoria Montesi made brief appearances in Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #48-50 (1992-1993), where she aided in combating Dormammu's incursion into the Dark Dimension, leveraging her residual knowledge of Chthonic artifacts to support the sorcerer's efforts against extradimensional threats. Montesi's next significant revival occurred in the Carnage (2015) series (#1-16), in which she tracked the symbiote-enhanced after he acquired the Darkhold as part of the Anti-Carnage Taskforce, ultimately retrieving the tome and using its power to infuse Jubulile van der Merwe with global psychic energies, enabling the defeat of the Dark Carnage entity and preventing Chthon's full manifestation on . Despite these interventions, Montesi has not starred in major solo stories during the or , maintaining a as a Vatican operative focused on containing Darkhold-related relics and demonic incursions, with occasional ties to broader Marvel events involving subplots. Her survival following the severance of her Chthonic ties during the Darkhold Saga has been confirmed in official Marvel handbooks, portraying her as alive and operational, though primarily in a supportive capacity rather than frontline heroism. In a notable 2024 resurgence, Montesi rejoined the original lineup—including , Johnny Blaze, and Danny Ketch—in Midnight Sons: Blood Hunt #1-3, assisting in exorcisms and combating incursions during the larger Blood Hunt crossover, where she employed her spellcasting to oppose demonic possessions in regions like . As of November 2025, she remains an active guardian against eldritch threats within Marvel continuity, with her foundational experiences with the Darkhold informing her ongoing vigilance.

Powers, Abilities, and Characterization

Supernatural Powers

Victoria Montesi possesses a range of supernatural abilities derived from her unique heritage as the daughter of the Elder God Chthon, conceived through a Darkhold spell cast by her human father, Vittorio Montesi. This demonic lineage grants her innate connections to eldritch forces, manifesting as both gifts and burdens in her efforts to combat Darkhold-related threats. One of her primary abilities is precognitive , triggered specifically by the use of Darkhold pages across the world. These visions allow her to locate scattered fragments of the tome and interpret emerging demonic threats, providing vivid glimpses of chaotic events and supernatural dangers. The experiences are intensely painful, often leaving her disoriented as Chthon's influence channels through her as a living gateway for the book's power. She is also able to cast spells from the Darkhold, which enhances her ability to counter threats. Montesi's bloodline also confers enhanced resistance to supernatural corruption, a trait inherited from the Montesi family's historical guardianship of anti-Darkhold lore and amplified by her direct tie to Chthon. This enables her to interact with and wield Darkhold artifacts—such as individual pages—without succumbing to immediate and total possession, though temporary vulnerability to influence can occur during prolonged exposure.

Skills and Resources

Victoria Montesi possesses extensive knowledge of , , and ancient languages, acquired through rigorous Vatican training as a member of the storied Montesi bloodline tasked with safeguarding humanity from supernatural threats. This expertise enables her to decrypt forbidden texts, including those related to the Darkhold, drawing on her family's centuries-old mission initiated by in the to protect against . Her proficiency in matters is further enhanced by collaboration with specialists like Louise Hastings, allowing her to analyze and counter demonic influences effectively. In combat, Montesi demonstrates proficiency with blessed weapons and improvised occult items, honed through field experience battling vampires and demons alongside the Nightstalkers and Darkhold . She is skilled in firearms and swordsmanship, supplemented by hand-to-hand training from instructor Nash Salvato and former CIA agent Sam Buchanan, enabling her to hold her own in close-quarters encounters with adversaries. These abilities are particularly effective when wielding weapons inscribed with Chthonic symbols, which amplify their impact against demonic entities. Montesi has access to substantial Vatican resources, including the archives of supernatural lore housed at St. Gabriel’s Library, where she serves as successor to her father Vittorio Montesi. These archives provide invaluable historical and mystical insights into threats like the Darkhold, while holy relics and incantations—such as the Montesi Formula, a powerful spell derived from the Darkhold itself for the extermination of vampires—bolster her efforts as a guardian. The formula, discovered within the family's purview, underscores the Montesi lineage's pivotal role in combating vampiric and demonic forces. Her investigative skills shine in tracking mystical anomalies, where she employs meticulous research and collaboration with entities like the FBI to locate scattered Darkhold pages and secure them from misuse. This methodical approach often complements her intuitive insights, allowing her to anticipate and neutralize supernatural disturbances before they escalate.

Personality and Relationships

Victoria Montesi is depicted as a resilient and determined individual, initially skeptical of the despite her upbringing in a devout Catholic tasked with safeguarding knowledge. Her personality is marked by and a strong sense of duty, stemming from her role in the Montesi lineage as protectors against demonic forces, though she often conflicts internally with her emerging understanding of her own demonic heritage as the daughter of the Elder God Chthon. Montesi's relationships are deeply influenced by her personal struggles and destiny. Her adoptive father, Vittorio Montesi, served as a mentor in matters of faith and the Church's battle against evil, but their bond fractured when he rejected her for her orientation and deemed her unfit as a woman to inherit the family legacy. Romantically, Montesi's implied orientation is central to her character, highlighted by her relationship with her lover and roommate, Nash Salvato, a instructor who was left comatose after an explosion intended for Montesi and later died following a failed revival attempt. In her alliances, Montesi forms a tense but evolving partnership with , transitioning from wary collaboration in supernatural hunts to a more trusting friendship within teams like the Darkhold Redeemers and . Adversarially, she clashes with , the Mother of Demons, who seeks to eliminate her as a prophesied threat, and with Chthon, her biological father, whose influence forces Montesi to confront her hybrid identity. These dynamics drive her from a conflicted young physician grappling with visions and rejection to a hardened redeemer who leads efforts to banish ancient evils, embracing her role despite personal costs.

Cultural Impact and Legacy

Representation in Media

Victoria Montesi holds a significant place in ' history as one of the publisher's earliest LGBTQ+ characters, debuting in Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins #1 (October 1992) as the first woman explicitly implied to be through textual references in her narrative. Her portrayal challenged traditional gender and sexual norms within the superhero genre, marking a milestone for representation in mainstream American and paving the way for more diverse characters in Marvel's publications. This aspect of her character has been highlighted in discussions of Marvel's evolving inclusivity, with her rejection of patriarchal religious structures tied to her identity as a key element of her story. Beyond comics, Montesi's presence in other media remains limited, with no live-action or animated adaptations as of November 2025. In merchandise, Montesi is featured in collectible trading cards, including the 1994 Marvel Universe Siege of Darkness set (#39) and the 2023 Ultra Marvel Midnight Sons series (#93), which celebrate her role in horror and storylines. These items reflect renewed interest in the era amid recent comic revivals, including her appearance in Midnight Sons: Blood Hunt #1-3 (2024). but no Pop figures or other major consumer products have been produced featuring her as of November 2025.

Influence on Marvel Horror Lore

Victoria Montesi's involvement in the Darkhold series significantly expanded the Darkhold's role as a central within Marvel's supernatural mythology, positioning it as a persistent conduit for the Elder God Chthon's influence across various titles. Her efforts, alongside allies like Sam Buchanan and Louise Hastings, to collect and safeguard the book's scattered pages directly tied Chthon's ancient malevolence to modern threats, including incursions into Avengers narratives where the Darkhold targeted the team at . This linkage extended to storylines, particularly in the "Darkhold Saga," where Wanda Maximoff assembled Avengers members such as and the Wasp to counter Chthon's corruption through the tome, reinforcing the Darkhold's enduring narrative weight in cosmic horror elements. Montesi's alliance with the further solidified the group's framework as a cornerstone of Marvel's horror team dynamics, emphasizing collaborative defenses against demonic incursions. As a key figure in the Darkhold Redeemers, she joined forces with Midnight Sons members like and to combat Chthon and Lilith's Lilin, integrating her page-tracking abilities into broader supernatural coalitions. This reinforcement influenced subsequent horror ensembles, such as the , which drew on the ' model of assembling misfit antiheroes like and to tackle undead and mystical perils, including the zombie virus from Earth-2149. Thematically, Montesi embodies a hybrid guardian that fuses Catholic traditions—rooted in her family's priestly legacy of protecting sacred texts—with Lovecraftian cosmic horror, as exemplified by the Darkhold's role as Marvel's equivalent to the . Her psychic visions and use of Chthonic symbols on weapons highlight this blend, portraying guardians who wield against eldritch entities while grappling with personal corruption. Montesi's narratives also revitalized the Montesi Formula's significance in Earth-616 vampire lore, a Darkhold incantation discovered by her ancestor Giuseppe Montesi that temporarily eradicated all vampires, including Dracula. As a descendant tied to the book's guardianship, her confrontations with vampire threats—such as aiding Blade against Darkhold-induced transformations and allying with Morbius—reintegrated the formula into ongoing continuity, underscoring its potential to weaken Dracula's forces despite later reversals like Varnae's resurrection.

References

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