In the vibrant landscape of 1990s gaming, just after the widespread success of Doom, a fascinating chapter unfolded for the popular trading card game, Magic: The Gathering. August 1994 saw the release of a significant expansion, The Dark. Comprising a concise 119 cards, this set didn’t just add new content; it radically reinterpreted the game’s traditional mana colors. Most notably, White mana cards, typically associated with themes of angels and peace, were jarringly depicted with imagery of intense religious fanaticism and violence—a stark, unsettling departure that baffled players and critics alike.
The Satanic Panic’s Influence Confirmed
For nearly three decades, speculation simmered around whether the controversial designs within The Dark expansion were a direct response to the Satanic Panic—a widespread moral panic that cast its shadow over popular culture, including Magic: The Gathering itself since its 1993 debut. This long-held theory was recently unequivocally confirmed by Jesper Myrfors, the game’s original art director. Myrfors explicitly revealed on social media that *The Dark* was, in fact, a deliberate commentary on the “evils and hypocrisy of bigoted right wing Christians.” He recounted enduring the “idiotic satanic panic of the ’80s” and the “moronic and unfounded pearl clutching arguments” falsely accusing Magic: The Gathering of promoting “devil worship.” His aim, he stated, was to “hold up a mirror” to these accusers. Consequently, the depiction of White mana in the set was intentionally crafted to be “dangerous, dogmatic and unempathetic,” glorifying “ignorance, mob mentality and violence against those who are different.” This bold artistic statement reveals a fascinating intersection of game design and social commentary.
Personal Impact of the Panic
In a poignant interview, Myrfors further elaborated on the profound personal toll the Satanic Panic took during his formative teenage years. As an avid fan of tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, he tragically found himself a target of accusations of Satanism, leading to significant social alienation. He vividly recalled a painful experience at age 15 where friends’ parents, swayed by the pervasive fear, forbade their children from associating with him. Facing such baseless accusations at a young age, Myrfors found himself in an impossible situation to defend.
The Catalyst: Stephen Dollins’ Accusations
A particularly galling catalyst for Myrfors’ artistic reprisal was the public accusations hurled by Stephen Dollins, a former pro-wrestler and self-proclaimed “prophet.” Dollins singled out Magic: The Gathering, notoriously interpreting the game’s mana circle on the reverse of the cards as irrefutable evidence of hidden pentagrams. Myrfors clarified that Dollins’ inflammatory claims suggested “what ‘they’ did” regarding Magic’s supposed devil-worshipping design team. However, Myrfors adamantly stressed that “there is no ‘they,’” firmly asserting his sole artistic control and ultimate responsibility for the game’s distinctive visual identity. This highlights the intense scrutiny game designers faced during this era.
Bringing ‘The Dark’ to Life
Myrfors’ burgeoning frustration with the religious right finally “bubbled up,” crystallizing into a resolve to “poke back.” A serendipitous opportunity to do so arose when Wizards of the Coast experienced an “internal panic” following the explosive popularity of Magic’s third expansion, Legends. This created an urgent and immediate need for new content. Seizing this critical window, Myrfors rapidly conceived and produced *The Dark*, confident that Wizards of the Coast would greenlight it given the pressing deadlines. The set’s provocative underlying message resonated deeply with other team members, many of whom had also personally experienced the baseless accusations and societal anxieties of the Satanic Panic, fostering a shared appreciation and understanding for its audacious direction.
A Timely Revelation
Myrfors’ decision to finally reveal this fascinating backstory three decades later is driven by a profound and urgent concern that history might be repeating itself. He powerfully emphasized the perceived dangers of self-righteous groups, warning that those who view themselves as “virtuous and righteous can be as deadly and dangerous as any blood sacrificing devil cult when they forget the message of love.” Drawing a direct and pointed parallel to contemporary political contexts, he specifically cited “MAGA,” underscoring his deep worry that similar divisive societal dynamics are alarmingly at play today. This revelation serves as a potent reminder for tech enthusiasts and developers to always question prevailing narratives.
The very title of the expansion, *The Dark*, holds profound symbolic weight. Myrfors elaborated that it serves as a direct reference to historical periods reminiscent of the Dark Ages—eras characterized by suffocating religious authoritarianism and brutal persecution, where institutional power wielded absolute control, and dissenters or those outside the rigid norm were savagely suppressed. He issues a stark warning against any societal return to such “dark days,” expressing his enduring intent with the set to “shine a light on them” and, by extension, on the perpetual vigilance required to protect freedom of expression, a core value in the digital and gaming communities alike.