“	We are the things that were and shall be again! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Spirits of the book! We want what is yours... life!	„
	~ Deadite Ed Getley (Evil Dead II)

Deadites are a species of undead parasitic spirits that feed on the souls of the living and possess their bodies. Believed to the be the corrupted spirits of humans from long ago, the Deadites have returned to the mortal plane throughout history, unleashed by various methods such as incantations, artifacts, and the Kandarian Demon, continuing their endless mission to bring chaos and misery to the world of the living.

The Deadites first appeared in the 1981 film The Evil Dead, and were first identified by name in the 1987 film Evil Dead II.

History

Origins

According to one source, the Deadites were said to have been the spirits of deceased humans that had been corrupted within the darkest pits of Hell itself, turning them into maniacal creatures with an eternal hunger for the souls of living beings. The entity which would later be known as the Kandarian Demon discovered these debauched spirits of the underworld through means unknown and learned how to channel them, gaining the ability to directly infect a living creature with a Deadite.^[1] Another source in a different reality implied the Deadites to be the creation of The Dark Ones, with the first being an entity history would christen "The Faceless Man", a damned human whose facial skin would later be used as the cover to the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis.^[2] On Earth-818793, a Deadite itself claimed that they had existed for "millions of years" prior to the 21st Century, and that they had "feasted on the bones of gods".^[3]

Regardless of their origin, it is known that The Dark Ones used the Deadites as soldiers to keep humanity in line during the age in which they held dominion over the world. In two different realities, it was said that the Deadites were cast into a realm known as the Mirror Dimension during the great purging of The Dark Ones from the mortal plane.^[4][5]

Following this, the Deadites would be unleashed upon the world of the living in various times and place, varying from universe to universe, though most seem to occur from the late 20th and into the early 21st Century.

Deadite Outbreaks

Though many instances of Deadites emerging upon the world of the living have been small, isolated incidents typically confined to one location or a general region, there have been several occasions of Deadites escaping from these remote areas which have resulted in apocalyptic scenarios in several realities. In the prime reality, a global Deadite outbreak occurred in 2018 after The Dark Ones escaped from the Deadlands and reclaimed the Necronomicon, bringing about the complete collapse of human civilization shortly after the defeat of Kandar The Destroyer.^[6] The reality designated as Earth-818793 has experienced two world-wide Deadite apocalypses, though both were eventually erased from history.^[7][8] In one alternate universe, Deadites escaped from a rural Michigan town in the late 21st Century, which eventually led to a global nuclear war that had devastated the planet by the 2090s.^[1] Another timeline experienced it's own Deadite apocalypse in the year 1993 after an incantation from the Necronomicon began to circulate via e-mail on the Internet, resulting in evil's century-long reign over the world.^[9] A possible future of Earth-818793 had learned to adapt to the constant threat of Deadites (now reduced to simple-minded "Deaduns") by the year 2501 AD, though the creatures were kept locked away in a region known as "the under city."^[10]

Possession

The signature skill of a Deadite is their ability to possess the bodies of both the living and the dead. While they typically prefer to inhabit the living or the recently deceased, Deadites have been known to possess bodies that have decayed to nothing more than skeletons.^[11][1][12]

Methods of Possession

• Kandarian Demon: The Kandarian Demon can directly "inject" a Deadite spirit within a potential host.^{[13][11][14][15][6][16]}
  • "Touch of Evil": An extension of the Kandarian Demon's abilities is the power to infect a potential host via objects it manipulates. Cheryl Williams was attacked by vines and branches controlled by the Kandarian Demon, which led to her being infected with a Deadite spirit.^[17]
• Taker of Souls: An entity similar to the Kandarian Demon, the Taker of Souls spawned a sentient black root-like object that slithered inside Mia Allen, resulting in her Deadite transformation.^[18]
• Wounded Target: Individuals who sustain injuries in an area experiencing a great amount of supernatural activity are at greater risks of becoming possessed themselves.^[19] In some instances, particular attacks directly from a Deadite can result in a gradual possession, such as the case of Linda being attacked by the Deadite Cheryl Williams,^[17] or Ed Getley attacked by the Deadite Henrietta Knowby.^[13]
• Bite/Scratch: A bite or scratch from an active Deadite can result in a gradual possession/infection process.^{[13][18][20][21][22]} The complete removal of the body part that has been bitten can prevent possession entirely.^[13][23]
• Contaminated Blood Injection: The injection of blood from a Deadite into a non-possessed individual can result in a slow infection process, leading to a full possession.^[24]
• Skin Contact: In one instance on Earth-818793, direct contact with the skin of a Deadite resulted in an instantaneous possession.^[25] Outside of this one known occasion, this method has never been seen again.
• "The Orb": The Orb is a mysterious object which existed in two alternate realities, and is believed to be a creation of The Dark Ones. Both realities in which "The Orb" is known to exist depicted that a single touch on it's glowing surface resulted in instantaneous Deadite possession.^[26]
• Blood of The Necronomicon: On Earth-818793, blood from within the fleshy binding of the Necronomicon (released in the form of a steady stream of "tears") can result in a living or dead subject becoming possessed by a Deadite upon touching or consuming the blood.^[27][25]
• Necronomicon Attack: On Earth-818793, the Necronomicon (taking the form of a scorpion) was able to turn a man into a Deadite with a sting of it's scorpion tail.^[16]
• Necronomicon Incantation: An incantation found within the Ex-Mortis can be used to transform those within the vicinity into Deadites.^[28]
  • In one reality, a mispronunciation of the incantation was still able to summon the Deadites.^[29]
• Curse of The Chosen One: In one alternate reality, the mere mention of a curse related to The Chosen One could turn people in the general area into Deadites.^[30]

Permanent Contamination Contradiction

In the reality known as Earth-818793, it was said that individuals who had once been possessed by a Deadite spirit were permanently tainted and "spoiled" by the demons, which made their flesh and blood inedible to the likes of werewolves and vampires.^[20] However, this claim is contradicted by an event which had occurred earlier in the history of Earth-818793, where Madeline "Sugarbaby" Rothleschilde was bitten and turned into a vampire not long after a trip to the Knowby Cabin had resulted in a temporary Deadite possession.^[31][32] While it is possible that Rothleschilde's knowledge of sorcery could have caused her to perform a cleansing ritual of the spiritual or physical nature after her Deadite possession (which would have then allowed her vampire transformation shortly thereafter), this has never been confirmed.

Other Powers & Abilities

• Enhanced Strength: Deadites can lift large heavy objects without considerable strain.^[11][33][34]
• Levitation: While some Deadites choose to manipulate the host bodies to grow wings, many (if not all) Deadites are capable of levitation for short periods of time.^{[17][13][11][1][6][24]}
• Extreme Durability: Deadites are extremely durable, and can withstand serious injury before finally falling.^[11][34][12]
• Shape-Shifting: Deadites can revert a host's body back to it's appearance prior to possession.^{[17][13][11][18]} The longest known time a Deadite has maintained it's deceptive form was several hours, as seen in the case of Suzy Maxwell.^[14][35] In instances where a Deadite's head has been severed from the body, the body will remain in it's possessed/decayed form, while the head can return to it's pre-possessed appearance.^[13][24]
• Super-Speed: Deadites can run, climb, and seemingly "vanish" at great speeds.^[14][36]
• Independent Limb Control: Deadites can control limbs that have been separated from the main body.^[13][37]
• Body-Jumping: In one unique instance, a single Deadite spirit (manifesting itself as a fine mist) was able to jump from host to host in a very short amount of time.^[38]
• Body Merging: There have been two instances of a group of Deadites merging their bodies together to form a larger entity. In one reality, the Deadites licked the blood-stained pages of the false "flying" Necronomicon located in the cursed graveyard, and morphed into a giant doppelganger of Ash Williams.^[39] In another, three Deadites (Ellie, Danny, and Bridget) combined their flesh to form a ghoulish creature known as "The Marauder".^[24]
• Space Survival: In one reality where Ash Williams battled Deadites hidden aboard a space shuttle, the creatures were able to move and function in the cold void of space without difficulty.^[40]
• Energy Projectile Creation: In one alternate reality, Deadites could create green fire-like energy projectiles, which they could throw towards their enemies.^[33]
• Electrical Manipulation: One Deadite in an alternate reality was seen manipulating electricity.^[33]
• Blood & Bile Regurgitation: Deadites have been known to spew both blood and other fluids onto targets.^{[13][18][24][41][34]}
• Temporary Heightened Awareness: In moments before a Deadite spirit completely takes over a host, some experience a very brief moment of "heightened awareness", allowing the host (and then the Deadite itself) to observe their surroundings without having to physically look around.^[17][24]

Characteristics

Physical Characteristics

Following possession over a living creature, Deadites manipulate the body of the host to reflect a more inhuman appearance. Though it varies from individual to individual, there are a small amount of physical traits that seem to be shared by all Deadites. These traits include (but are not limited to):

• Solid White Pupilless Eyes^{[17][13][11][14][24]}
  • While the white pupilless eyes are the most common, some Deadites have been seen with gold and crimson pupils,^[18][24][42] red bloodshot pupils,^[24] solid glowing blue eyes,^[28][42] solid glowing red eyes,^{[43][44][45][46][47][42]} solid glowing yellow eyes,^[5][48] or no alteration to their eyes at all.^[49]
    • When the medieval maiden Sheila was possessed by a Deadite, her eyes became light blue and retained their pupils, marking the first known instance of a possessed individual with unique eyes (as no other Deadite active during that time displayed such a trait).^[11]
• Skin Tone Change ("Rotting Flesh"): Ranging from grey,^[17] green,^[13][45][46] yellow,^[3] light red,^[5] or white colors.^[11] In many instances, the individual's original skin tone can remain mostly the same.
• Blood/Bodily Fluid Color Change: Black, green, white, and blue being some common known blood color alterations.^[17][13][11]
• Claws: Sharp fingernails are used not only for slashing and digging into a target's body, but also for climbing along walls and ceilings like insects.^[13][14][24]
• Rotten/Disfigured Teeth^[13][11]

Hive Mind

The Deadites possess a group consciousness, as indicated by their constant usage of "we" or "us", never referring to themselves in the first-person unless they are using their deceptive ability to make the host's body appear normal.^[17][13][35] The knowledge and memories of an individual who is possessed by a Deadite is instantly shared with the Deadite hive mind.^[37]

Fears

Though the Deadites are often considered one of the most dangerous forms of demons due to their wide range of abilities and tendency to spread like a virus, there are creatures that even the Deadites themselves fear to cross paths with. On Earth-818793, it was said that Deadites feared vampires, as vampires could not be possessed or turned.^[20] In another reality, despite being hailed as the "King of the Deadites" by the creatures themselves, The Faceless Man was so feared by his underlings that simply seeing his name written sent them into a state of panic.^[2]

Weaknesses

Dismemberment

While there is no known way of destroying an actual Deadite spirit, the most well-known method to end the continued usage of an individual host body is through the act of bodily dismemberment.^[17][13][18] Upon capturing or incapacitating a Deadite, the host must be dismembered limb by limb, and the head severed from the neck.^[11][50] Some sources have even stated that simply destroyed a possessed host's brain (without full body dismemberment) is enough to stop a Deadite.^[51] Failure to destroy the head can result in the Deadite still being able to operate the host body, as was the case with Ash's girlfriend Linda.^[13] Upon the destruction of the body, the Deadite spirit is sent back into whatever strange realm in which they dwell, although a spirit can eventually return to the world of the living following expulsion from a host, and even recall events from their "previous life".^[52]

Book of The Dead Connection

The full extent of the connection between the Deadites and the various iterations of the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis/Naturom Demonto remains unknown, though it has been seen that the Deadites can feel it's pain, and even die if the book is not "saved" in time.^[17] There are exceptions to this "weakness" as well: In one instance, a copy of Ex-Mortis was destroyed by an oncoming New York City subway train, and the single active Deadite host was released of his possession unscathed.^[53] In another situation, a man named Eric tried burning a copy of Naturom Demonto to no avail, all while the Deadite Mia Allen sensed and shared the agony the book itself was feeling, though she was physically unharmed.^[18]

Objects

Object	Image	Description
Kandarian Dagger		The Kandarian Dagger is extremely lethal to Deadites and Dark Ones alike, as a single touch from it's blade has been seen to burn the skin of all manner of demons, or cause a Deadite to explode completely.
Deadite Off		Available as a liquid spray or in cream form, the mysterious Deadite-Off product functioned similarly to insect repellent, but only worked for a limited time following application to the skin.[42]
Talismans		There have been several instances of various talismans protecting a wearer from Deadite possession, including El Brujo's amulet, a Native American dream-catcher,[38] and a chicken foot.[54]
Smiley Pucks		In one reality, the Deadites were attracted to the scent of "Smiley Pucks", a puck-shaped red glob of flesh made from grounded-up Deadites that "smelled like freeze-dried death". Annie Knowby and the simulacrum Ash Williams used the pucks to capture the Deadites which they had inadvertently unleashed upon the world.[5]
Holy Water		At a time in which Earth-818793 had experienced a Deadite apocalypse, holy water was used to test humans for Deadite possession. While the full extent of holy water's effect on Deadites is unknown, a few droplets would cause a Deadite to cry in agony upon direct contact with it.[20]
Holy Bible		On Earth-818793, the Mutant Priest was able to channel holy powers from his copy of the Bible, and unleash a beam of pure blue energy which instantly decimated the Deadites into dust (though it also killed him in the process).[55]

Deadite Spirit Expulsion Methods

There are several known ways in which a Deadite spirit can be removed from a host's body should death and dismemberment of the possessed not be an option for those around them.

Sunlight

There is conflicting information regarding sunlight as a weakness for Deadites, as it seems to vary from universe to universe and person to person. In at least two known instances, the Deadite within the host was seen melting or burning away by the purifying rays of the sun.^[13][56] Contrary to these two examples, there has also been several documented instances in which daylight has no effect on the Deadites.^{[57][58][59][24]}

"Power of Love"/Emotional Connection

One of the more uncommon ways a host has been released from Deadite possession involves the remembrance of love, or a deep emotional connection to someone else. The first known instance of this method was when the Deadite Ash Williams was getting ready to attack a wounded Annie Knowby, and found the necklace he gave his (now deceased) girlfriend Linda. Overwhelmed with grief, Ash was quickly transformed back into human form.^[13] Another lesser-known instance happened to the Sheila of Earth-818793, who was released of her possession when Ash reminded her of their love.^[3]

Vortex Extraction

Another rarely seen method involves the opening of a time-rift (also known as a time-vortex). In the one known instance of this, Ash's girlfriend Jenny was placed directly in front of an open vortex and had the Deadite spirit swiftly extracted from her body without harm.^[12]

Necronomicon Spell

A passage found on a page of the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis had the ability to instantly de-possess any active Deadites.^[60]

Deadite Spirit Suppression Methods

Method		Description
"Magic Powder"		A strange crimson powder was in the possession of The Wise Man of one alternate reality. Upon inhaling this dust, the Deadite would temporarily allow the human host's soul to return.[61]
Ankh Amulet		The Ankh Amulet was an ancient golden necklace charm that could suppress a Deadite spirit, although it's power could be overridden by the Deadite if the wearer was extremely agitated.[62]
Sigil of The Destroyer		The time-lost rock band KISS used face-paint to mark the Deadite-possessed Ash Williams with a magic sigil of The Destroyer (the entity which gave the band their powers), which could hold back the dark spirit inside him.[63]

Deadite Variants

Name		First Appearance	Description
Deaduns		Army of Darkness: Shop 'Till You Drop Dead #3	In a possibile future of Earth-818793, Deaduns were a variation of Deadite found in the ruins of the "under city" below Deca City One in the year 2501 AD.[10][3] Though they were still hungry for souls and human flesh, the Deaduns behaved more like shambling, mindless zombies than the original Deadites.
Digital Deadites (Version 1)		Army of Darkness: Shop 'Till You Drop Dead #3	In the same possible future of Earth-818793 in the year 2501 AD in which the Deaduns roam the world of the living, more traditonal Deadites have evolved into digital avatars stored within the Necronomicon program hidden in the under city mainframe.[10][3]
Digital Deadites (Version 2)		Army of Darkness #1992.1 ("Ash Beyond")	In one futuristic reality, Deadites are spread throughout the PathWeb virtual reality world through a malware file called "Nekron0micon", which not only takes over a the digital avatar of a user, but can infect and control the cybernetic implants which most inhabitants of this world possess.[64]
Deadite Animals		Evil Dead II	Animals (both living and taxidermied) can be possessed by a Deadite spirit, as seen in many realities.[13][65][66][33][67][68] In two realities, the possessed animals gained the ability of speech.[39][69]
Brute Deadites		Evil Dead: Endless Nightmare	Brute Deadites mutated their human hosts into enormous, grey-skinned muscular forms.[42] While they were most commonly seen with glowing red veins and eyes, there was also a rare neon blue variation.
Lord Deadite		Death To The Army of Darkness #3	In one reality, a mysterious "Lord Deadite" existed in ancient Egypt. Very little is known about him or the full extent of his powers, though he was able to mutate his form and expelled a swarm of poisonous wasps from his stomach.[70]
Deadite Queen of Darkness		Darkman Vs. Army of Darkness #1	The Deadite Queen of Darkness was a spirit that had more powers and abilities than that of a standard Deadite, though this "uniqueness" meant that it could be safely exorcised from a host's body via an incantation found within the Necronomicon.[71][72] The one known host of the Deadite Queen spirit was Julie Hastings.
Deadite/Human Hybrids		Evil Dead Regeneration	Unique instances where a human can have both be a Deadite while still retaining a predominantly human appearance has occurred several times in various realities. Some known examples include Sam DeLuca,[33] Ted,[73] a simulacrum copy of Ash Williams,[74] and Adolf Hitler.[75]
Deadite/Insect Hybrids		Army of Darkness (Volume 3) #1	Much like Deadite/human hybrids, highly evolved insect creatures can also be turned into Deadite hybrids, the most well known of the bunch being "Deadbug", a variant of Ash Williams originating from an alternate universe where insects became the dominant life form on Earth.[26]
Deadite Aliens		Evil Dead 2: Revenge of The Martians	In one reality, the corpse of a long-dead Martian invader was resurrected as Deadite, confirming that extraterrestrial beings are susceptible to Deadite possession.[76]
Deadite Germs		Evil Dead 2: Revenge of The Martians	Using the Necronomicon, a vial of germs were able to be infected with Deadite essences. These germs were used to combat a loose Deadite Martian.[76]
Irradiated Deadites		Army of Darkness Roleplaying Game	Irradiated Deadites were found in a post-apocalyptic London in the year 2093 AD. Mutated by the nuclear bombs which devastated the city, this new breed of Deadite spewed glowing nuclear vomit, and had their own "radiation field", which made those who dared approached them very sick.[1]

References