Shadowlands

"It's called the Shadowlands, nitwit, a void created by the darkness inside humanity. Fear, rage, guilt, a perfect place for something to feed on it all."

- Cindy Burman to Courtney Whitmore

The Shadowlands is an extra-dimensional realm created by the darkness inside humanity including fear, rage and guilt. The void also serves as the power source of Eclipso and the Shade.

Botched Ritual
In the 1800s, the Men of Tears hired a con man named Richard Swift to procure the Black Diamond to summon a god from the Shadowlands. However, Swift betrayed the cabal and ordered a forgery, creating a replica of the mystical Black Diamond and completed his mission. The Men of Tears then started a dark ritual and used Swift as the sacrifice for the summoning. Since the diamond was merely a replica, the energy from the doorway to the Shadowlands was unable to be contained and required a vessel. Swift soon became the vessel and obtained his abilities of immortality as well as the ability to control the shadows.

For more than a century, Swift utilized his abilities and operated as the Shade, eventually joining the Injustice Society of America in the 1900s, despite only having their goals aligned for a short period. On December 24, 2010, Swift fought against the Justice Society of America and protected Charles McNider from danger by sending him into the Shadowlands.

Return of The Devil
After the newly formed Justice Society defeated the Injustice Society, Cindy Burman searched for the Black Diamond in William Zarick's storage facility, meeting Eclipso. In summer 2021, Cindy returned to Blue Valley and attempted to create Injustice Unlimited with Eclipso's powers. When the team was overpowered by the new Justice Society, Swift appeared after expressing concerns over the Black Diamond and hoping to hide the diamond, demanding Cindy to hand over the powerful artifact. Cindy refused and allowed Eclipso to take over her body before he manipulated Stargirl to destroy the diamond with the Cosmic Staff. Eclipso was liberated and soon murdered Isaac Bowin while sending Cindy to the Shadowlands. During the battle, Swift was also severely injured and escaped.

Days later, Swift reappeared and asked for the Whitmore-Dugans' assistance, sending Courtney and Pat Dugan to search for Jennie-Lynn Hayden to reforge the diamond with the Power Ring. Unbeknownst to the heroes, Swift was, in fact, trying to reopen the door to the Shadowlands to heal his injuries. Unfortunately, Courtney was sent to the Shadowlands by Eclipso in the process.

Escaping "Hell"
Arriving in the Shadowlands, Courtney was tortured with painful memories and confronted Cindy, who brought her to safety and introduced her to the Shadowlands. While separated in the void, Courtney was rescued once more, by Charles McNider, who survived the decade by seeing the true form of the Shadowlands with goggles. Meanwhile, on Earth, the Whitmore-Dugans followed McNider's instructions through Beth Chapel's goggles and used the Power Ring to search for any "dark energy", locating Swift in the theater. They demanded Swift to send their friends and family back to the real world, with Courtney and McNider bringing Cindy to the portal through Swift's sacrifice. After escaping their tortures, the Justice Society of America returned to the Whitmore/Dugan Residence, planning for a way to stop Eclipso.

Killing The Devil
With the Justice Society back together, they prepared for the battle and were ambushed by Eclipso, posing as a young Bruce Gordon and taking control of James and Bridget Chapel. Thankfully, Swift appeared and revealed that he did survive the sacrifice, rescuing the Chapels from danger while the JSA battled Eclipso's illusions. As predicted by the team, they were outmatched and Eclipso began to open the portals to the Shadowlands, bringing his home world to Earth. With the help of Sylvester Pemberton, the Crocks and the Thunderbolt, they were able to destroy Eclipso with the power of the light, turning The Devil in the Shadows into a piece of toast.

Former Residents

 * Eclipso
 * Charles McNider

Current Users

 * Richard Swift

Former Users

 * Eclipso