Affiliations: See above

Enemies: Clea, Dr. Strange, Jane Foster, Leah, Loki, Mephisto, Sif, Thor, all the other Fear Lords

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: The Unknown

Base of Operations: Currently unknown; formerly the Halls of Fear dimension and Asgard

First Appearance: Thor I#136 (January, 1967)

Powers: The Lurking Unknown's powers are entirely dependent on the emotions of its adversary. If it can generate fear in its foes, it possesses virtually unlimited raw power and is almost invincible. It is normally about 10' tall and possesses 4 arms. It can rise to Class 100 strength and become virtually invulnerable. However, if its foe manages to conquer his fear, the Unknown's power then fades, and it may even shrink down to miniscule size. Any foe not afraid of it can overcome it.
It does not possess any inherent ability to generate fear, but prefers to live off of its reputation, and stay hidden within shadows or darkness.
It can be summoned by a certain note, which it can sense even if it is light-years away or in another realm. It also once demonstrated the ability to generate flames from its fingertips.

Height: 10'4" (variable)
Weight: 532 lbs. (variable)
Eyes: Black
Hair: Bald

History: The origins of the Lurking Unknown are...unknown...which is the way he likes it. It has a reputation as one of the most feared entities in existence throughout the universe and across various dimensions. He is most likely some form of extradimensional demon.

Based on the conversation of Odin and his Vizier, it is clear that the Asgardians have encountered the Unknown in the past, but this is not detailed.

(Thor I#136) - Odin sought to test the worthiness of Jane Foster to wed his son, Thor. He granted Jane the powers of an immortal, but then sent her to face the challenge of the Unknown. Despite protest, Odin had his Vizier summon the Unknown. Jane Foster was then locked in a darkened chamber with the Unknown. She was instantly terrified of the monster lurking in the shadows, and cried for help from Thor. Thor burst into the room, and dispatched the Unknown. Jane was banished from Asgard for failing the test, and Thor was forbidden to continue to see her.
Minutes later, a Rock Troll struck the tuning fork that summoned the Unknown. It again appeared, and no longer filled with the fury of defending his loved one, Thor fully appreciated its size and might, and knew some fear. Thor began to fall under its power, but he was assisted by Sif. Together, they rallied and again fought off the Unknown, causing it to return to its realm.

(Dr. Strange III#31/2-33/2) - The Unknown was summoned to the Halls of Fear, to join the other Fear-Lords in a plot to gain control of Earth. Each Fear-Lord revealed his origins, although the Unknown refused to reveal its "secret genesis." It did claim to have brought many worlds to their knees, and only to have ever met defeat in Asgard.

(Dr. Strange III#38) - The Straw Man warned Dr. Strange of the actions of the other Fear-Lords. The Lurking Unknown was then sent to stop him. It set the Straw Man on fire, destroying his "grain body." Dr. Strange also recognized the feeling of despair in the room, and ordered D'Spayre to show itself. The Unknown was furious that D'Spayre was assisting him, and demanded that he be allowed to destroy Strange and Clea on his own. The struggle was evenly matched, until during the battle the two heroes became more angry than afraid, and the Unknown's power began to fade. It dwindled down to a tiny size, and Strange imprisoned the almost powerless Unknown within a magical shield.

(Journey into Mystery I#633) - The Fear Lords met to discuss the Serpent's recent attacks on Earth. Nightmare was not present at the meeting as he planned to harvest the fear left behind by the Serpent for himself.

(Journey into Mystery I#636) - Loki and Leah tricked the Fear Lords into a meeting to tell them about Nightmare's scheme to harvest fear the Serpent brought to Earth in a crown to become the King of Fear. The diminutive Lurking Unknown entered the fight for the crown after growing to giant proportions due to the fear of a small pixie race. The battle over the crown between the Fear Lords in Nightmare's realm resulted in a stalemate.

(Journey into Mystery I#645 (fb) - BTS) - Loki tipped of Mephisto to the predicament of the Fear Lords. Mephisto interfered and overpowered the Dweller-in-Darkness, the current holder, to take the crown for himself. He secured the Fear Lords' alliance and subservience by feedig them a ration of the fear collected by the crown. Mephisto hoped to gain enough power to fill Satan's empty throne eventually.

(Journey into Mystery I#645 - BTS) - Loki sacrificed his thoughts and dreams to destroy the crown as it had been created hy his mind in the first place. Without the crown the Fear Lords no longer served Mephisto and chased him away.

Comments: Created by Stan "The Man" Lee and Jack "King" Kirby.

What, if any, connections exist between the Unknown or the other Fear-Lords and the manifestation of Fear seen in Thor#323, is unknown.

In Thor#136, Thor and Sif were reintroduced, after years apart, and she replaced Jane as his love interest for a time. Jane, meanwhile, was sent back to Earth to work for Keith Kincaid, with whom she, of course, fell instantly in love.

The Lurking Unknown is probably good for an appearance every 25 years -- 1967, 1992...2017. Reserve your copy now!

The Lurking Unknown's appearance is very similar to shadowy forms of the Dark Dweller and the Shade Thralls of the Dweller-in Darkness. Coincidence? Perhaps.

Lurking Unknown has an entry in Marvel Zombies: The Book of Angels, Demons & Other Monstrosities.

Clarifications: The Lurking Unknown has no known connections to:

• The Unknown, an alias used by the manifestation of Death, @ Marvel Super-Heroes: Contest of Champions I#1
• The Crawling Unknown, Morton Clegstead, @ Incredible Hulk II#150, 151

Appearances:
Thor I#136 (January, 1967) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Jack Kirby (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks)
Dr. Strange III#31-33 (July-September, 1991) - Jean-Marc Lofficier, Roy & Dann Thomas (writer), Larry Alexander (pencils), Tony DeZuniga (#31) & Tim Dzon (#32-33) (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Dr. Strange III#38 (February, 1992) - Jean-Marc Lofficier, Roy & Dann Thomas (writer), Geoff Isherwood (pencils), Jim Sanders III (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Journey into Mystery I#633 (March, 2012) - Kieron Gillen (writer), Ricahrd Elson (artist), Lauren Sankovitch (editor)
Journey into Mystery I#636 (June, 2012) - Kieron Gillen (writer), Ricahrd Elson (artist), Lauren Sankovitch (editor)
Journey into Mystery I#645 (December, 2012) - Kieron Gillen (writer), Stephanie Hans (artist), Lauren Sankovitch (editor)

Last updated: 11/20/16

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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