DARK ONES

Classification: Extra-terrestrial life form

Location/Base of Operations: The Cosmos

Known Members: A Dark One

Enemies: Synthia's crystalline race

Appearances: X-Factor: Prisoner of Love (1990)

Powers/Abilities: Undefined. The Dark Ones are able to alter their form to interact with other races. They are able to sense and track certain forms of energy, such as those given off by their crystalline enemies. For whatever reason, the Dark One who stalked Synthia was unable to sense the energy of mutants

They are able to survive in the vacuum of space, or virtually any environment. They possess certain energy manipulative powers, both for offensive and defensive use, but these are undefined.

History: Unrevealed. According to Synthia, they encountered her race at some point in the past. The Dark Ones hated and feared the light and pleasure of the crystalline beings, and sought to annihilate them. The Dark Ones were successful in wiping out the majority of the crystalline beings, causing them to flee. The Dark Ones continue to stalk the crystalline beings.

A Dark One stalked Synthia to Earth, where it was destroyed when suddenly ambushed by the mutant known as the Beast.

Comments: Created by Jim Starlin and Jackson Guice

There are two sides to every story, and everything we know about the Dark Ones comes from Synthia. It may be that the Dark Ones are simply malevolent beings bent on the destruction of creatures of light, as she said. They could just as easily be soldiers in a two-sided war. It also strikes me that the Dark One could be a single being, a jillted lover seeking vengeance on Synthia.

Clarifications: The race of the Dark Ones has no known connection to:

• The Dark Ones, two robots serving Mikas the Soulfather, @ Iron Man I#43