Aelfric

Aelfric was a heretical monk and villain from Marvel comics who opposed the werewolf hero known simply as Werewolf By Night.

History
Aelfric was originally a monk serving in the Abbey of St. Michael in 12th Century Spain. He somehow came under the sway of the Elder God/Demon Chthon, who directed him to re-gather the dispersed fragments of the Darkhold (The scrolls had been dispersed by St. Brendan six centuries before). By 1149, Aelfric had succeeded in re-gathering and restoring the scrolls, but his work was discovered by his fellow monks, and he was recognized as an agent of Satan. Aelfric took his scrolls and fled, but did not get far before a soldier struck him down with his sword. However, Aelfric could not be killed by such means, and he rose to his feet and obliterated the soldier with a burst of magical force. However, the townspeople then swarmed over him and he was captured and burned at the stake. He vowed that his soul would live on and return to rule evermore! Aelfric's trunk and the sorcerous items it contained (including the "Werewolf Rings" )were either not found by the monks or were found but, for some reason, not destroyed. For eight hundred years the trunk and its contents passed from person to person until, in the late 20th century, they came into Joshua Kane's possession. The scrolls were passed through many hands over time, and in the 20th Century, they were obtained by Baron Gregor Russoff. Russoff bound the parchments into book form, and his reading of the book awakened the hereditary curse of lycanthropy (werewolf-ism) in him. However, Aelfric proved unable to take control of Russoff. Jack Russell brought the Darkhold, his legacy from his father, to the priest Father Ramon Joquez to translate (from Latin). Joquez did so, but his summoned Aelfric's spirit back to the mortal plane. Joquez was on the phone with Russell, notifying him of his completion when Aelfric appeared before him. As Aelfric possessed Joquez, his screams of terror caused Russell to travel to his rectory to help him. Russell, of course, transformed into the Werewolf during the trip and arrived to confront the Mad Monk. Aelfric magically bound the Werewolf to the wall, and then encountered Lissa Russell, who had followed her brother. Lissa fainted upon seeing th Mad Monk, who brought her into the rectory for Chthon only knows what. Recognizing the danger his sister was in, the Werewolf tore free from his bonds. Aelfric then summoned Dragonus to protect himself from the Werewolf. However, in the course of the battle, Dragonus was tripped up by the Werewolf in mid-lunge, and he was sent careening into Aelfric/Joquez, goring him. Aelfric's form was cast out of Joquez' body as he lay dying.