The Birth: Jackie Estacado was endowed with the ancient power of The Darkness , the natural adversary of the Witchblade, on his 21st birthday. This supernatural power allows him to create anything he desires... with a couple of drawbacks.
Firstly, anything he creates will be destroyed by the touch of daylight. Secondly, if he impregnates a woman, he'll die, as the The Darkness is passed on from wielder to wielder at the moment of conception.
Credits go to Marc Silvestri, Garth Ennis and David Wohl for giving us The Darkness. His debut was in Witchblade #10 and he got his own issue from Darkness #0.

The Alter Ego: Jackie Estacado was a suave hitman in the employ of the Mafia. He enjoyed a life of sex, violence and.. more sex.. .. violence, fast cars and money before be inherited his birthright and became The Darkness. Now his life revolves around violence, but of a different kind..supernatural. And without sex the man is really trying hard to find an outlet for his raging libido!

The Legend: Since inheriting The Darkness, Jackie's once comfortable life has been invaded by powers such as the Brotherhood of Darkness, who wish to utilize Jackie for their own ends, and The Angelus, who simply wants Jackie dead. However, Jackie is determined to live the life he led before inheriting The Darkness... even if it kills him.