Item from Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
The corruption that turns every Epic evil — not a side effect of superpowers, but a cosmic entity's hatred for humanity projected onto anyone who receives his gifts.
The Darkness is the central mystery and the central tragedy of the Reckoners universe. Every person who receives Epic powers becomes evil. No exceptions — or so it seems. The corruption is total, immediate, and apparently irreversible. The truth is worse: the Darkness isn't a natural consequence of power. It's Calamity's hatred for humanity, projected onto every Epic he empowers. The weaknesses — those specific, personal vulnerabilities every Epic has — are fragments of Calamity's own fears distributed across his recipients. The Darkness is one being's prejudice made contagious. Two methods of resistance exist. Prof's method: gift your powers to others through technology, never using them directly. This delays but doesn't prevent corruption. Megan's method: face your weakness instead of fleeing it. This is the real solution — the fear that powers the Darkness can be overcome through courage. When an Epic faces their deepest fear, the Darkness loosens its grip. After Calamity is defeated and leaves Earth, the Darkness vanishes. Every surviving Epic regains the choice to be good or evil. The corruption was never about power. It was always about fear.
Not visible. The Darkness manifests as personality change: paranoia, cruelty, megalomania, the certainty that humans are beneath you. Corrupted Epics often undergo physical changes too — Prof's force fields shift from controlled tools to aggressive weapons, his posture changes from protective to predatory. The Darkness is invisible but its effects are unmistakable.
Also known as: The Corruption, Epic Corruption, The Darkness