Dark Reign (comics) - Main Characters

Main Characters

• Norman Osborn is the former Green Goblin and central focus of "Dark Reign". He is featured in most of the ongoing series and mini-series linked to the "Dark Reign" storyline. Brian Bendis notes that "people know he's a bastard, but ignore it as long he gives them safety." The character is shown as willing to destroy anything that would threaten his new status as public hero. Writer Matt Fraction has commented that as the Iron Patriot, he is a "showman in armor". Osborn keeps the more volatile members of the Cabal in line with a "secret weapon" which is revealed to be the Void. Across multiple titles, the character is shown to have retained his mental instability from his days as the Goblin.
• The Hood is featured heavily during the "Dark Reign" storyline in both New Avengers and Punisher. In the first, writer Brian Bendis explored the character's relationship with Dormammu and his quest to become the new Sorcerer Supreme. Rick Remender, writer of Punisher, focused more on his activities as a gangster and criminal. During the event, the character also features in the Dark Reign: The Hood mini-series, written by Jeff Parker, and has a major role in Marvel Zombies 4. Writer Fred Van Lente explains that, "The Hood, of course, may not be acting of his own volition, since he has an unholy alliance with the Dread Dormammu, who may want the zombies and the virus that creates them for his own nefarious purposes. Plus, the Hood doesn't just bring any group of villains with him on this jaunt. He brings a very horror-oriented group of villains with him." This group is the Night Shift.
• Doctor Doom hopes to use the Cabal to conquer the world and, aided by his ally Namor, seize power when Osborn implodes, preferring to consider the Cabal as an association rather than as partners. A short story written by Jonathan Hickman reveals that he plans to kill or enslave all of his current Cabal allies in the near future. Doom is shown almost killing the Black Panther when the latter rejects a chair in the Cabal. Doom also uses Latveria to house the Asgardians as part of an agreement with Loki, which allowed them to get rid of Thor. However, Doom has made it clear that he trusts neither Loki nor Namor, but merely finds them useful for his own designs. In Siege: The Cabal, Doom leaves the Cabal after one of his Doombot duplicates he sent in his place is attacked by Osborn's secret weapon.
• Loki is often written as a great manipulator. He uses Osborn's help to make Thor kill Bor (Odin's father), and cause Thor's banishment. Then, with Doom's help, Loki realizes his plan of taking the throne of Asgard. However, during Chthon's attack on Earth, Loki, disguised as the Scarlet Witch, gathers a new Mighty Avengers team, which defeats the evil god. Loki has since subtly manipulated them to endanger Osborn's mental state and quicken his fall.
• Namor has possibly the smallest role in the Cabal, appearing mostly in titles written by Matt Fraction. Fraction shows him as a warrior with great pride, and builds a sexual relationship between him and Emma Frost. Namor becomes one of the leaders of the Dark X-Men, as shown in Fraction's Uncanny X-Men as well as their own "Dark Reign" tie-in series. Namor was written as a loyal member of the Cabal until "Utopia", where he and Emma Frost betrayed Osborn and helped the X-Men create their own island.
• Emma Frost wants the mutant community to have a position of power in Osborn's new world order. Matt Fraction has written a number of stories which indicate her relationship with Cyclops has suffered because of secrets they keep from each other. Frost and Namor become the leaders of the Dark X-Men. She helps lead the Dark X-Men until the regular X-Men are captured. She and Namor turn against Osborn and help establish the Utopia island. During a battle with the Dark Avengers, Frost uses her telepathy to defeat the Sentry by taking part of the Void into herself and frightening him away. Until recently, she had to remain in her diamond form in order to keep the Void trapped.
• Ms. Victoria Hand was a former S.H.I.E.L.D. Business Affairs Operative. She is now Osborn's Deputy Director of H.A.M.M.E.R. Osborn has given her a list of jobs for building "a new world peacekeeping task force from scratch," including, but not limited to: creating an acronym for H.A.M.M.E.R., writing a full report on the Fifty State Initiative, and stripping down and rebuilding Camp Hammond. Osborn calls her "my eyes and ears and mouth," and names her his second-in-command over his team of Avengers. She is sent by Osborn himself to take on Bruce Banner and his son, Skaar, where she shows great battle skills.