HOUSE OF SHADOWS

Real Name: Unrevealed (and probably unpronouncable in our feeble Earthly tongues, anyway)

Identity/Class: Extradimensional (a shadow world) entity

Occupation: Residence

Group Membership: Midnight Mission (Hunter's Moon/Dr. Yehya Badr, 8-Ball/Jeff Hagees, Moon Knight/Marc Spector, Soldier, Tigra/Greer Nelson, Reese Williams)

Affiliations: Marlene Alraune, Captain America (Steve Rogers), Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange), Hawkeye (Clint Barton), Mockingbird (Barbara Morse), Moon Knight (Marc Spector), Penny Annie (Colleen Shore), Scout (Kim Hong), Tony Stark, Dr. Andrea Sterman, Clea Strange, Thing (Ben Grimm), Venom (Dylan Brock), the Midnight Mission's multiple unidentified clients, visitors and citizens from Manhattan;
formerly Dire Wraiths (unwitting allies);
potentially Digger (Roderick Krupp)

Enemies: Brandy Clark, Dire Wraiths, Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange), Flying Tiger, Grand Mal, Harlequin Hit Man (Herb & Sheila Hollister), Steve Jackson, Looter (Norton G. Fester), Moon Knight (Max Coleridge), Nemean, New Enforcers (Blitz/Jaime Zimmerman, Eel/Edward Lavell, Tangle/Gina Palumbo, Thermite/Sam Yurimoto), Rintrah, Rom, Scorcher (Steven Jamal Hudak), Squid (Don Callahan), Allan Stevens, Vibro (Alton Vibereaux), Zodiac (unrevealed);
potentially Digger (Roderick Krupp), Robert Paine (later the Black Fox, see comments);
formerly Moon Knight (Marc Spector), Rutherford Winner

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Midnight Mission, the House, the Dweller in Shadows, the Haunted House, the Condo of Shadows

Base of Operations: Midnight Mission in Manhattan, New York City, New York;
   formerly another condminium in Manhattan;
   formerly presumably its shadow world;
   formerly a condominium in Manhattan;
   formerly somewhere in West Virginia;
   formerly presumably somewhere in New York, but who knows?

First Appearance: (As House of Shadows) Strange Tales I#120/2 (May, 1964); (as Midnight Mission) Moon Knight IX#9 (May, 2022)

Powers/Abilities: The House could extend tendrils from its walls to ensnare others and levitate the objects within it. It could transform a gaseous form at will and change its physical appearance from a small house to an entire floor in a condominium or even a four storey building. It can transform and reshape its insides in various ways to become an inescapable labyrinth and trap people inside infinitely or change itself in a way most welcoming to its residents based on their thoughts and wishes. It could form invisible shields around itself and seal all of its doors and windows. It can traverse dimensional barriers under some circumstances. It is telepathic and can read the minds of anyone inside it. It can also banish people within it to its own shadow world and trap them. It could generate mists, which caused hallucinations influenced by the House by tapping into the minds of those affected by the mist.

It presumably draws additional mass from another dimension and/or incorporates existing structures into its own mass.

Height: Variable
Weight: Variable
Eyes: Red
Hair: None

History:
(Strange Tales I#120/2 (fb) - BTS) - The creature known as the House is a native of a shadow world that borders on a pocket realm of Limbo. It came to Earth to learn more of humanity.

(Strange Tales I#120/2) - Some time before the modern era, a "haunted house" made the news when reporter Allan Stevens tried to debunk it, and instead lost contact with his news team. Dr. Strange tried to enter the House in his ectoplasmic form, but found it surrounded by an invisible barrier. Before events could progress any further, Strange forced his way into the House using the power of his orginal amulet. Strange sensed the nature of the House as it shaped mists around him into a prison. Using his utmost concentration and invoking several entities for power, Dr. Strange broke out of its prison and forced it to reveal its true nature. Faced with magical power greater than its own, the House agreed to release Stevens and return to its shadow world, in exchange for him keeping its existence a secret. (Rom#5 (fb)) - Dire Wraiths inadvertently released the House from its shadow world to Earth while trying to free their own comrades from Limbo. The House slew the Wraiths who freed it and took up a new residence in West Virginia (Rom#5) - Fleeing from the police, as well as the Dire Wraiths who pursued him, Rom sought temporary shelter for his human friends who had helped him. He brought them to a lone house in the middle of nowhere, and they all took a much needed rest. While in "rest mode", Rom saw a vision (or a convenient flashback, for the reader) of Dr. Strange's encounter with the House. While they slept, the House released its solidifying mists and created arms to hold Steve and Brandy. Rom broke free and used his trusty Neutralizer to blast the wall, forcing the arms to retract. The House smashed Rom to the ground, but Rom recovered. After analyzing the House, learning its recent history, and hearing its threats, Rom turned his Neutralizer back on full, and banished the House back to its shadow world.

(Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme Annual#2/3) - Under unknown circumstances, the House returned to Earth, and this time took the form of the entire top floor of a condominium. The residents of the condominium began to disappear, and rumors began to circulate of it being haunted. After hearing the rumors, Strange recognized the work of his old foe. In order to test the worthiness of his disciple, Rintrah, to wear his former amulet and cloak, Dr. Strange sent him on his first solo mission: to repel the "House". Rintrah (in the form of the priest from "The Exorcist") confronted the House. Using the same Vapors of the Vishanti that his master had used against it, Rintrah banished the House once again. Upon its disappearance, the residents who had vanished began to phase back into Earth's plane. (Marvel Monsters: From the Files of Ulysses Bloodstone and the Monster Hunters#1 - BTS) - Digger (Roderick Krupp) sent out e-mails (including one to Elsa Bloodstone), offering to find, capture, tame and sell the House of Shadows to the right buyer.

SECRET WARS III HAPPENED

(Moon Knight IX#9 (fb) - BTS) - The House of Shadows became the sixth floor of an old apartment building in Manhattan and soon three people disappeared inside this sixth floor.

(Moon Knight IX#9 (fb)) - Moon Knight was hired by a man to look into the disappearances. He went into the sixth floor of the old building and found nothing out of the ordinary except that the blueprints of the building only had five floors. He soon got trapped in the maze-like sixth floor and wandered the endless corridors for four days without food. He eventually realized that the sixth floor was alive, but wasn't sure what it wanted from him. When Moon Knight was weakened enough the House of Shadows tried to read his mind, but what it found made it scream and eject Moon Knight through a window. Moon Knight promised to return and kill it.

(Moon Knight IX#9) - Moon Knight returned after doing some research and entered the sixth floor again. He confronted the House of Shadows with its past encounters with Doctor Strange and his friends and because he knew no magic instead threatened to blow it up with enough thermobaric explosives to destroy the whole building. Moon Knight then explained that he understood that the House of Shadows was not trying to harm people, but only wanted to be lived in. He felt a kinship with the House of Shadows because they were both unwanted. Moon Knight asked the House of Shadows to release the people it had captured and then come with him to become the Midnight Mission. The House of Shadows took the offer, traveled with Moon Knight as a mist to the heavily damaged headquarter of Moon Knight and then transformed into the new Midnight Mission in front of Moon Knight, Reese and Soldier.

(Moon Knight IX#10) - Rutherford Winner entered the Midnight Mission with a gun and threatened Moon Knight, who attacked Winner and eventually told the Mission to change things up. A surprised Winner fought Moon Knight in the labyrinthine Midnight Mission until Winner realized that Moon Knight had nothing to do with Dr. Andrea Sterman's disappearance and could tell Moon Knight that the person Moon Knight had been visiting was something else.

(Moon Knight IX#11) - Zodiac and his Zodiac Cartel positioned themselves in front of the Midnight Mission and threatened to kill Moon Knight's neighbors if the vampire Reese didn't come out so they could kill her. Moon Knight called Reese and told her to stay inside the Mission because it would keep her safe. He told Soldier to make sure that Reese stayed inside.

   Because Moon Knight was too far away, Soldier posed as him and left the Mission with Reese to confront Zodiac and his Cartel to protect their neighbors.

(Moon Knight IX#12) - In front of the Midnight Mission Zodiac shot through Reese and seemingly killed Soldier. Moon Knight arrived with Tigra and an army of undead Fists of Khonshu to defeat Zodiac and his Cartel.

(Moon Knight IX#13) - Tigra and Reese were in the Midnight Mission talking about Moon Knight. They were soon joined by Soldier, who had been turned into a vampire because the bullet took part of Reese's heart and lodged it next to Soldier's.

   Reese later wanted to talk with Moon Knight in his office at the Mission about his other personality Steven Grant, but he promised to talk to her about it another time.

(Phases of the Moon Knight#1 (fb)) - Max Coleridge knocked on the door of the Midnight Mission, but had second thought about asking Moon Knight for help and left. He was already gone when Reese and Soldier answered the door.

(Strange III#5) - Clea visited Moon Knight at the Midnight Mission to discuss the return from the dead of several heroes and villains. She immediately felt that the building didn't like her and Moon Knight explained that it was just nervous because it had a difficult history with Doctor Strange and his friends.

(Moon Knight IX#15) - In the Midnight Mission Moon Knight looked at the money he had stolen from criminals to finance his operation and later told Reese about his Dissociative Identity Disorder.

(Moon Knight Annual III#1) - Marlene Alraune went to the Midnight Mission to hire Moon Knight to save their daughter Diatrice from Jack Russell and a group of werewolves that sought to use her to kill Khonshu. She stayed behind with Reese in the Midnight Mission while Moon Knight and Hunter's Moon saved Diatrice. Moon Knight returned Diatrice to Marlene at the Midnight Mission and they said their farewells again.

(Moon Knight IX#17) - Riding a motorbike Moon Knight dragged Nemean with a chain into the Midnight Mission. Nemean's partner Grand Mal followed them right inside on her own bike. The Midnight Mission turned into a long corridor upon their arrival. Grand Mal was tossed off her bike while Moon Knight jumped off his bike. Moon Knight fought the two assassins until the Midnight Mission trapped them in individual nightmarish illusions. They were eventually released from their nightmarish situation and cowered before Moon Knight, who allowed the resurrected Hunter's Moon (he had been killed by the assassins the previous issue) to decide if they were allowed to leave.

(Moon Knight IX#20/1) - From the Midnight Mission Reese stayed in contact with Moon Knight, who tried to prevent the deaths of the former members of his Shadow Council. Tigra brought Scout to the Midnight Mission for safety.

(Moon Knight IX#20/1 - BTS) - Soldier brought Penny Annie to the Midnight Mission for safety.

(Moon Knight IX#20/1) - From her office in the Midnight Mission Reese kept Moon Knight updated on the current status of the former Shadow Council members and together with Moon Knight's Jake Lockley personality found out who the next target of the assassins would be. Moon Knight caught the brainwashed Harlequin Hit Men and brought them to the Midnight Mission where he chained them to chairs and left them in the care of to Dr. Andrea Sterman, even though he sought vengeance for them murdering his former allies.

(Moon Knight IX#21 (fb)) - Reese and Soldier drank some blood before leaving the Midnight Mission for a fun night out.

(Moon Knight IX#21) -  Back at the Midnight Mission, after Sarnak had tested his mind-control sounds on the people at the club Reese and Soldier had gone to with their friends, Reese talked to Dr. Sterman and Moon Knight about the event and assumed that this was just a test.

(Moon Knight IX#23) - Dylan Brock aka. Venom went to the Midnight Mission to ask Moon Knight for protection from the New Enforcers. Moon Knight gave them the choice to leave or take Dylan from the Midnight Mission. They chose to enter the Midnight Mission by crashing through the glass door and it immediately pulled the door as far away from the New Enforcers as possible to trap them inside. The New Enforcers then got beaten up by Moon Knight and Venom.

   Moon Knight and Venom returned to the Midnight Mission after they found Sidney Sarnak, who allowed himself to be captured by the police.

(Moon Knight IX#25) - 8-Ball went to the Midnight Mission to ask Moon Knight for help because Black Spectre was trying to recruit him and wouldn't take no for an answer. Moon Knight promised to kill Black Spectre.

(Moon Knight: City of the Dead#1) - Marc Spector was drinking heavily inside his room in the Midnight Mission.

(Avengers Inc.#4) - Janet Van Dyne and "Victor Shade" went to the Midnight Mission to interrogate Moon Knight about his possible involvement in Oddball's murder. He was innocent and joined their investigation of the murder.

(Moon Knight IX#27) - Hunter's Moon took the comatose Vibro to the Midnight Mission. Moon Knight and Vibro then used the mind-controlling sweat of Leonard Hawley to invade the mind of Vibro and find out more about the plans of his employer Black Spectre.

(Moon Knight IX#28 (fb)) - In the Midnight Mission Moon Knight planned the attack on Black Spectre's base the Mount alongside Hunter's Moon, Tigra, Reese and 8-Ball. Moon Knight asked Reese to stay behind and continue the Midnight Mission in case he died on this mission.

(Moon Knight IX#28) - On Black Spectre's order the Zodiac went to the Midnight Mission to kill Reese.

(Moon Knight IX#29) - Zodiac entered the Midnight Mission but couldn't kill Reese, who had the Midnight Mission trap Zodiac inside.

(Moon Knight IX#30) - Zodiac was trapped deep inside the Midnight Mission, but still gloated because he knew Black Spectre (Plesko) was going to drive the whole city insane and kill Moon Knight. Zodiac was shocked to learn from Reese that Moon Knight wouldn't just come back this time, which would ruin all of Zodiac's future plans for him. Zodiac begged the Midnight Mission and after reading Zodiac's mind it allowed him to leave because they both wanted Moon Knight to live.

   After seven days of mourning Reese and her crew emerged from the Midnight Mission to go back to work and keep their territory safe.

   The Midnight Mission continued to be the headquarter of Reese and her team after Moon Knight's death.

(Vengeance of the Moon Knight II#1 (fb)) - In the Midnight Mission Reese, 8-Ball, Hunter's Moon, Soldier and Tigra received help from the Fantastic Four's Thing (Ben Grimm) to hold a Shiva (seven-day period of mourning in Judaism) in honor of the late Marc Spector and make the Midnight Mission a place for Marc's friends and the people in the area to grieve his death. Many of Moon Knight's friends came by, including Captain America, Clea, Doctor Strange, Hawkeye, Mockingbird and Tony Stark, many of whom helped keep the area save while the team of the Midnight Mission mourned and invited families and people Moon Knight had helped to join them.

   Moon Knight (actually Shroud, but we didn't know that yet) beat up 8-Ball and tossed him through the Midnight Mission's glass door to the feet of his teammates Hunter's Moon, Reese, Soldier and Tigra.

(Vengeance of the Moon Knight II#2 (fb)) - Tigra attacked this other Moon Knight in front of the Midnight Mission while Hunter's Moon, Reese and Soldier weren't sure what to do because they thought it was Marc Spector. Moon Knight ordered them to get out of the Midnight Mission because he had work to do. Hunter's Moon tested this Moon Knight in combat and lost before Tigra took another shot and got beaten again due to Moon Knight's Darkforce powers. Reese had enough and told Moon Knight to take the Midnight Mission for his own, but as soon as the new Moon Knight entered the Midnight Mission turned on him and Moon Knight was forced to leave.

(Doctor Strange VI#13) - Doctor Strange's astral form traveled to the Midnight Mission and recruited Hunter's Moon to join his party to beat the living game Cobolorum.

(Vengeance of the Moon Knight II#3 (fb)) - Moon Knight's violent attacks on costumed criminals in the area led to Looter, Flying Tiger, Scorcher and Squid attacking the Midnight Mission. Tigra and Soldier took care of them.

(Vengeance of the Moon Knight II#4 - BTS) - The Midnight Mission looked after 8-Ball, Reese and Soldier during the day while Tigra and Hunter's Moon were out hunting the new Moon Knight (Max Coleridge).

(Vengeance of the Moon Knight II#5) - During the long night Dr. Andrea Sterman had a session with 8-Ball in the Midnight Mission. Sterman was afraid what would happen next, but 8-Ball knew that the Midnight Mission would look after them. 8-Ball, Reese and Soldier later left the Midnight Mission to fight vampires.

(Vengeance of the Moon Knight II#6) - Reese, 8-Ball and Soldier brought as many people as they could find back to the Midnight Mission, which expanded massively to accommodate for all the additional people it now housed. The Midnight Mission became a safe haven from vampires in Manhattan during the long night.

Comments: Created by Stan "The Man" Lee and "Sturdy" Steve Ditko.

    In one of the issues of Marvel: The Lost Generation (#8, I think), Dr. Strange and the Black Fox reminisce about the time they worked together against the Haunted House. They commented in the letter page how several of Dr. Strange's Strange Tales adventures took place prior to the modern era. I'd ASSume that this is the struggle they're talking about, even though I don't see anyone that could have been Paine. He must have been Behind the Scenes...

However, the Black Fox and Dr. Strange never specifically said that they fought the House of Shadows, so their previous meeting could always refer to an "untold tale" wherein the two worked on some other "haunted house" case -- maybe some crooks/spies were using the ol' "Scooby-Doo" plot of making their secret hideout look like a "real" haunted house to frighten away any curious eyes, until the Black Fox and Dr. Strange stopped them..."And it woulda worked, too, if not for those blasted superheroes!"
--John Kaminski

    The House is from some "Shadow World" and can change its shape. If someone wanted to be clever, they could link the House of Shadows to the Shadow Realm of Warlord Kaa and Mister E and use them all in some big Shadow War.

The House of Shadows could be related to the House of Hate (Captain America Comics#58 (September, 1946) ).
On the splash page of a Blonde Phantom story (Blonde Phantom#14 (Summer/1947) ) that mentions Blonde Phantom cases (flashback stories) --- one of them was the House of Horror. Maybe she encountered the House of Shadows or the House of Hate.
The House That Death Built (Marvel Tales#112 (3/53) 1st story) is a hungry house like the House of Shadows, perhaps it is the same house or a member of its race?
--Gammatotem

Clarifications: The Haunted House/House of Shadows has no known connections to:

• House - a living house--Journey Into Mystery II#1
• The House of Blue Lights - a base used by the Asura (warrior angels) on Earth--Hellstorm, Prince of Lies#12
• The House of Correction - a nasty mutant cyborg program--Generation X II#63
• House of Denied Pleasures - 16th century, populated by vampires--Vampire Tales#10
• House of Dust - grave of Gilgamesh--Captain America: Hail Hydra#2
• House of Rave - Rave HQ--Marvel Comics Presents I#141/4
• House of Razor - home of Razor-Fist--Elektra I#5
• House of Wyldwind - hotel in Starkesboro--Secret Defenders I#23
• any other house