The alien original
Dead Space's Black Marker is the alien artifact discovered on Earth before the events aboard the Ishimura. Michael Altman's investigation into its signal becomes central to the origin story of Unitology, the religion that treats the Marker as a promise of transformation.
The shape behind Unitology
The Marker's intertwined spires and strange inscriptions become recurring religious imagery. Human-made Red Markers copy the alien original; the artifact on Aegis VII in the first Dead Space belongs to that replica lineage, rather than being the original Black Marker.