The first Dark Lord Melkor

"I am the Elder King: Melkor, first and mightiest of the Valar, who was before the world, and made it. The shadow of my purpose lies upon Arda, and all that is in it bends slowly and surely to my will."

Melkor (Quenya: "He who arises in might"), predominantly known as Morgoth (Sindarin: "Black Foe of the World"), was the rebel Vala, the first Dark Lord, and the prime mover of evil in Eä in the Elder Days. Since he could not control Arda, he sought to reduce it to a formless chaos. Defying his creator, Ilúvatar, and sowing discord among the Ainur, Melkor amassed many forces to achieve his vision.