Comic-Con 2020: Will 'Helstrom' mark Marvel's move into the darker parts of its universe?
There's a strom coming, fellows....uh no, we didn't get the spelling wrong. Marvel has decided to break away from its usual conventions for some hell, and that's in the form of their Hulu show 'Helstrom', which will premiere in October. Marvel's new slate of films and shows such as 'The Eternals', 'WandaVision' and 'Dr Strange Into The Multiverse Of Madness' suggest that the studio is keen on experimenting and branching out. Putting aside the superhero capes for a bit, Marvel is determined to explore new genres and dabble in some dark horror. They seem to be taking the horror genre very seriously, as 'Moon Knight', another similar show seems to be in the works too. Have the days of snippy superheroes and Marvel-esque humor gone, only to be replaced by something new and unworldly? Never mind, sign us up.
That's what Helstrom suggests. Meet Daimon Hellstrom, who is the spawn of Satan. He is every bit as diabolic as you would want him to be, though he spends a lot of his time trying to be the good guy. The character was brought to life in the 1970s comics when Marvel decided to experiment with the occult and arcane. As per every comic story tradition, the character was re-written and retconned several times, but that still couldn't take away from his essence, and he makes for one of the most intriguing Marvel characters.
He is the most powerful in his own realm of hell, as his power is nearly infinite. When he is outside his dimension, he has strength, agility, and has destructive magic at his helm. And if that isn't enough, he has a trident that's made of netheranium that gives him power. Moreover, he has the power of 'soulfire', which can burn people's souls. Yes, this is Marvel, let's remind you. Forget Earth and Space, let's take that bus ride to hell.
But of course, this is still Marvel, so he isn't *actually* evil. In fact, he's the Defender Of The Earth and has even put a stop to his father Satan's plans to destroy the Earth. Dr Strange is known to have consulted Daimon when warring with demonic forces because he has all the knowledge of the realms of hell.
And this time at the virtual Comic-Con 2020, we're going to have a 'Helstrom' panel. The discussion will be held on Friday, July 24, between 3-4 pm. It will feature the cast and creators of the Hulu series, including lead actor Tom Austen, Sydney Lemmon, Elizabeth Marvel, Robert Wisdom, Ariana Guerra, June Carryl, Alain Uy, and showrunner Paul Zbyszewski. Hopefully, we'll get more insight into the character, and how Marvel has dealt with this hellish change....okay, we'll stop with the puns now.
