Master Darque is a fictional character, a Valiant Comics villain that first appeared in Shadowman #8 (December 1992) and later became a staple villain in both the Shadowman and Second Life of Dr. Mirage comic books. He may be the most powerful villain in the comics' fictional universe, responsible for the creation of several others. When Acclaim Entertainment bought Valiant for $65 million, they changed the Master Darque character, along with most for the Valiant universe, and gave him his own series (Darque Passages) under the Acclaim Comics banner.