The Black or The Rot is a force which is strongly associated with death. The decay and rotting of living things is where it flourishes, with its base being in the "Bone Kingdom" at in the deadlands of the United States.[2] As such, it works in opposition to life forces such as The Red and The Green.
History
Like the other elemental forces of its kind, the Rot is guarded by a Parliament; the Parliament of Decay. Each member of this Parliament is a former Avatar of Death.
The Black has most prominently worked through human agents who belonged to the Arcane family though has other agents:
While Abigail previously resisted the call of the Black because she was protected from it by the strength and power of the Swamp Thing and his connection to The Green, she would eventually become the Avatar of Death in her uncle Anton's place.
During the events of Dark Nights: Death Metal, the giant Castle Bat was shown to possess the Rot Force in his bricks.
Notes
- The Black is analogous with other forces of nature, their elementals, and their dimensions:
- The Grey (which is connected to all fungal life; it is run by no faction to knowledge).
- The Green (which is connected to all plant life; it is run by the Parliament of Trees).
- The Red (which is connected to all animal life; it is run by the Parliament of Limbs).
- The Clear/The Blue (which is associated with aquatic life and water elementals; it is run by the Parliament of Waves).
- The White (which is associated with air elementals; it is run by the Parliament of Vapors).
- An unnamed fire realm (which is associated with fire elementals; it is run by the Parliament of Flames).
- The Melt (which is connected to Earth elementals; it is run by the Parliament of Stones).
- The Metal (which is connected to metal and technological elementals; it is run by The Rithm).
- The Divided (which is associated with bacteria, amoebas, and other microscopic forms of life; it is run by no faction to knowledge).
- Like The Grey, which appeared prominently in Swamp Thing Vol 2, The Black is a force which consumes life. The Grey appears in the New 52 in this capacity on Earth 2.[3]
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See Also