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However, the character is frequently undone by his own impatience and arrogance, enabling his nemesis to triumph by means of superior strategy, skill, or even trickery.<ref>''Amazing Spider-Man'' #500 (Dec. 2003)</ref><ref>''Doctor Voodoo'' #1 (2009)</ref> The character has also been shown as extremely vulnerable to environments without any fuel for the mystical "Faltine flames" of which he is composed.<ref name="hellcat"/>
However, the character is frequently undone by his own impatience and arrogance, enabling his nemesis to triumph by means of superior strategy, skill, or even trickery.<ref>''Amazing Spider-Man'' #500 (Dec. 2003)</ref><ref>''Doctor Voodoo'' #1 (2009)</ref> The character has also been shown as extremely vulnerable to environments without any fuel for the mystical "Faltine flames" of which he is composed.<ref name="hellcat"/>

Marvel's editorial department has produced various "Official Handbook" publications, wherein long, technobabble based explanation of the character's powers and equipment have been outlined. While this information was provided in an in-universe tone, it has not always been covered in-story, and is recurrently ignored or revised by writers as they feel the need. Within these, the character has been described as "one of the most powerful known mystical beings" in existence,<ref name="Handbook2">''Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Deluxe Edition'' #4 (1985)</ref> with "virtually unlimited" ability to manipulate the forces of magic,<ref name="Handbook3">''Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Master Edition'' (1991)</ref> and stated to possess "more raw power than even the most skilled sorcerer".<ref name="Handbook4">''All-New Official Handbook Of The Marvel Universe A To Z'' #3 (March, 2006)</ref>


==Other versions==
==Other versions==

Revision as of 03:44, 20 December 2009

Dormammu
The warlord Dormammu in a panel from Defenders vol. 3, #1 (Sep. 2005).
Art by Kevin Maguire.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceStrange Tales #126 (Nov. 1964)
Created byStan Lee
Steve Ditko
In-story information
Team affiliationsMindless Ones
PartnershipsUmar
Loki
Notable aliasesThe Dread One
AbilitiesMystic energy
Immortality

Dormammu is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #126 (Nov. 1964), and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

Debuting in the Silver Age of comic books, Dormammu has appeared in over four decades of Marvel publications, featuring prominently in the Doctor Strange titles and limited series as the recurring nemesis of the mystic hero. The character has also appeared in associated Marvel merchandise including animated television series; toys; trading cards and video games.

Publication history

Origin

Dormammu first appeared in Strange Tales #126 - 127 (Nov. - Dec. 1964), but had in fact having already been mentioned, as was his realm the "Dark Dimension", in passing in the title.

Writer Mike Conroy stated

To Lee and Steve Ditko, the Lord of the Realm of Darkness and the associated invocations were just another piece of business, another way of adding depth to the otherwordly nature of Strange's adventures. However, the readers were intrigued. They wanted to know more. "It seems there was something about that nutty name, Dormammu, that was keeping Doc's devoted disciples awake at nights trying to figure out who Dormammu was," Lee explained. "I knew I was in big trouble. I had made up the name - now I had to dream up a character to go with the name. But who? How? Ditko visualized the answer. "He gave the demoniac DD...a visage totally different from any villain I had ever seen in comics before," proclaimed Lee.[1]

After being established as a warlord from a alternate dimension, Dormammu became a perennial foe of Sorcerer Supreme and maverick Dr. Strange, who until this time had dealt almost exclusively with off-beat "one-off" mystical threats in Strange Tales #110 - 125 (July 1963 - Oct. 1964). Strange's first encounter with Dormammu in the "Dark Dimension" also introduced Clea - eventually revealed to be the niece of the villain (like Clea's name, this was not initially revealed in Strange Tales #126 (Nov. 1964)) and the monstrous and imprisoned Mindless Ones.

Notable appearances include starring in an epic fifteen issue storyline in Strange Tales #131 - 146 (April - 1965 - July 1966); the discovery that Dormammu has a sister, Umar, and both are in fact mystical beings called Faltine in Strange Tales #150 (Nov. 1966); teaming with fellow villain Loki to instigate the "Avengers-Defenders War" in Avengers #115 - 118 (Sep. - Dec. 1973) and Defenders #8 - 11 (Sep. - Dec. 1973); Thor Annual #9 (1981); Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #1 - 2 (Nov. 1988 & Jan. 1989) and the limited series Doctor Strange: The Flight of the Bones #1 - 4 (Feb. - May 1999) and Hellcat #1 - 3 (Sep. - Nov. 2000).

After a major appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #498 - 500 (Oct. - Dec. 2003), Dormammu became the patron of small-time villain the Hood in New Avengers #46 (Dec. 2008).

Biography

1960's

Identifying Strange as a major threat, Dormammu allies himself Baron Mordo (a former pupil of Strange's master, The Ancient One)[2] and after another abortive battle with Strange[3] competes with the sorcerer to find the cosmic entity Eternity, wishing to usurp the character's place in the universe.[4] The character captures Clea and attempts to destroy Strange, but is defeated, being forced to vow that he would never invade Earth.[5]

1970's

Dormammu enters into an alliance with the Asgardian god Loki (adopted brother of the Thunder God Thor) and tricks super teams the Avengers and Defenders into fighting each other for components of the artifact the Evil Eye. The Eye is reassembled, and allows Dormammu to merge his dimension with Earth without breaking his vow. Despite this, both villains are defeated, with Dormammu being absorbed into Eye courtesy of a hex cast by Avenger the Scarlet Witch.[6]

After being seen in flashback,[7] the character manages to reintegrate himself on Earth. Together with sister Umar, Dormammu captures the elder goddess Gaea.[8] Dormammu seeks revenge against the Scarlet Witch by interrupting her intended marriage to the android Avenger the Vision. The character kidnaps the Scarlet Witch and her mentor Agatha Harkness, but is defeated by Wanda and the Avengers.[9] Although thwarted, Dormammu attempts to destroy Dr. Strange and Clea, but is betrayed by Umar who steals his power, allowing the character to be banished from Earth.[10]

Dormammu tricks Strange into battling both the demon Ghost Rider and the Bounty Hunter in an unsuccessful attempt to kill the hero,[11] and appears in the alternate universe story.[12]

1980's

Dormammu acts as the envoy of Lord Chaos by playing King of the Norse gods Odin in a cosmic chess match.[13] The character reappears during the "Inferno storyline and after trapping one of the Elder Gods - Gaea - in the body of a rat, attacks Strange, temporarily assuming his title of Sorcerer Supreme.[14]

1990's

The character attempts to regain control of the Dark Dimension from Clea, and empowers sometime-pawn Baron Mordo in another bid to murder Dr. Strange. Dormammu also attempts to invade Earth, but is defeated (as is Mordo) by Strange.[15] After two brief appearances[16] Dormammu travels back in time to the year 1943 and, after possessing the body of an aristocrat, attempts to change the timeline, but is stopped and ultimately banished by Dr. Strange and his allies the Silver Surfer, Hulk, and the modern Ghost Rider.[17]

The character observes the Guardians of the Galaxy - adventurers from the 31st century of Earth-691 - travel to the mainstream era of Earth-616. Now curious, Dormammu follows them back to their dimension and attacks their headquarters, demanding the presence of the Dr. Strange of their time. Strange, called the Ancient One in this timeline, arrives with his disciple, the alien Krugarr, and battles Dormammu with the Guardians and the cosmic entity the Phoenix Force. Although Dormammu murders the now weakened Strange, the character is defeated by Krugarr and the Guardians and banished to his home dimension.[18]

Dormammu appears as the guiding force behind an attack on the self-titled Goddess[19] during the "Infinity Crusade" storyline. During The Flight of the Bones storyline the character is revealed as the instigator behind a series of spontaneous combustions of criminals and an attack on an ally of Strange by cultists.[20]

2000's

Dormammu uses the demon lord Satannish (apparently a creation of Dormammu) and warlock Nicholas Scratch to lead his armies to capture five of the inter-dimensional places of Hell, in a plot to eventually conquer all life and afterlife. Dormammu, however, is thwarted when the heroine Hellcat rallies the powers of Hell to weaken the character by engineering a complete absence of mystic flame.[21] Dormammu also allies with the entity Mephisto to drive an attacking force out of their respective dimensions.[22]

Dormammu sends an army of Mindless Ones to attack the city of New York, and trick several prominent Marvel superheroes into unintentionally making him materialize on Earth. Dr. Strange engages Dormammu in combat, and sends the hero Spider-Man back in time to a critical moment to stop his enemy from being able to re-enter Earth's universe.[23]

Dormammu returns with Umar and together they overcome an avatar of the entity Eternity and use the acquired power to remake the universe in their image. The pair are opposed by a reuniting of some of the original Defenders (Strange; the Hulk;and Namor the Sub-Mariner, with Dormammu retreating when Umar steals his power.[24] The character also appears briefly during a storyline in which Strange contemplates his past.[25]

Acting in secrecy, Dormammu empowers criminal mastermind the Hood, who in turn resurrects several dead supervillains and forms a crime army.[26] Dormammu also takes advantage of the fact that Strange loses the title of Sorcerer Supreme, but the latter eventually exorcises his influence from the Hood together with Daimon Hellstrom and Doctor Voodoo.[27] Dormammu also temporarily takes control of the "zombie" virus that decimates Earth-2149.[28]

Powers and abilities

Doctor Strange has referred to Dormammu as his "most terrible foe",[29] and a threat to "the life of the universe itself", that "when at full power no one could stand against".[30] The character is composed of pure magic energy, and is capable of feats including energy projection; matter transmutation; size shifting; teleportation; body possession,[31] resurrection of the dead,[32] and bestowment of sufficient power to dwarf that of a Sorcerer Supreme.[33] Dormammu is considerably more powerful within the "Dark Dimension", and can draw upon its power. He can be further empowered through worship.[34]

Among other examples, the character has engaged, and in one case defeated, avatars of Eternity;[35] created a demonic entity at the scale of Satannish as an extension of his own power;[21] imprisoned or transformed the elder goddess Gaea against her will;[36] bested a host to the Phoenix Force;[37] reached a draw against the Norse god king Odin in an abstract chess match that controlled the universal balance of chaos and order, despite being within the latter's seat of power at the time;[13] and through aid from the "Evil Eye" merged his dimension with the Earth of the mainstream Marvel Universe, and forced Thor to change into his mortal Donald Blake persona against Odin's enchantment.[6]

However, the character is frequently undone by his own impatience and arrogance, enabling his nemesis to triumph by means of superior strategy, skill, or even trickery.[38][39] The character has also been shown as extremely vulnerable to environments without any fuel for the mystical "Faltine flames" of which he is composed.[21]

Other versions

The Ultimate Marvel title Ultimatum introduces an alternate universe version of the character who succeeds in killing Doctor Strange (actually the son of the original) during the limited series Ultimatum.[40]

In other media

Dormammu appears in an episode of the animated Spider-Woman (1979); the Spider-Man series (1994) voiced by Ed Gilbert and the The Super Hero Squad Show voiced by Robert Englund (2009). Dormammu also features in the animated Direct-To-DVD film Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme (2007) voiced by Jonathan Adams.

Footnotes

  1. ^ Conroy, Mike. 500 Comicbook Villains, Collins & Brown, 2004.
  2. ^ Strange Tales #130 (March 1965)
  3. ^ Strange Tales #140 (Jan. 1966)
  4. ^ Strange Tales #131 - 146 (April - 1965 - July 1966)
  5. ^ Doctor Strange #171 - 173 (Aug. - Oct 1968)
  6. ^ a b "Avengers/Defender War: Avengers #115 - 118 (Sep. - Dec. 1973) & Defenders #8 - 11 (Sep. - Dec. 1973)
  7. ^ Doctor Strange #3 (Sep. 1974)
  8. ^ Doctor Strange vol. 2, #6 - 7 (Feb. & April 1975)
  9. ^ Giant-Size Avengers #4 (June 1975)
  10. ^ Doctor Strange vol. 2, #8 & 9 (June & Aug. 1975)
  11. ^ Ghost Rider #30 - 31 (June & Aug. 1978)
  12. ^ What If? #18 (Dec. 1979)
  13. ^ a b Thor Annual #9 (1981)
  14. ^ Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #1 - 2 (Nov. 1988 & Jan. 1989)
  15. ^ Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #21 - 23 (Oct. - Dec. 1990)
  16. ^ Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #28 (Apr. 1991) & Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme Annual #3 (1993)
  17. ^ Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #50 (Feb. 1993)
  18. ^ Guardians of the Galaxy #34 - 36 (Mar. - May 1993)
  19. ^ Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #55 (July 1993)
  20. ^ Doctor Strange: The Flight of the Bones #1 - 4 (Feb. - May 1999)
  21. ^ a b c Hellcat #1 - 3 (Sep. - Nov. 2000)
  22. ^ Magik II #1 - 4 (Dec. 2000 - March 2001)
  23. ^ Amazing Spider-Man #498 - 500 (Oct. - Dec. 2003)
  24. ^ Defenders vol. 3, #1 - 5 (Sep. 2005 - Jan. 2006)
  25. ^ The Oath #1 - 5 (Oct. 2006 - March 2007)
  26. ^ New Avengers #46 (Dec. 2008)
  27. ^ New Avengers #51 - 54 (May - Aug. 2009)
  28. ^ Marvel Zombies 4: Midnight Sons #2(May 2009)
  29. ^ Amazing Spider-Man #498 (Oct. 2003)
  30. ^ Amazing Spider-Man #499 (Nov. 2003)
  31. ^ New Avengers #46 (2008)
  32. ^ Punisher vol.7, #2-7
  33. ^ Strange Tales vol.1, #132 (May 1966)
  34. ^ Strange Tales #126 - 127 (Nov. - Dec. 1964)
  35. ^ Strange Tales #131 - 146(Apr. - 1965 - July 1966); Defenders vol. 3, #3
  36. ^ Doctor Strange vol. 2, #6 - 7 (Feb. & Apr. 1975); Doctor Strange vol.3, #2
  37. ^ Guardians of the Galaxy #34 - 36 (Mar. - May 1993)
  38. ^ Amazing Spider-Man #500 (Dec. 2003)
  39. ^ Doctor Voodoo #1 (2009)
  40. ^ Ultimatum #1 (Dec. 2008); #2 (Jan. 2009); #3 - 4 (May 2009); #5 (Sep. 2009)

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dormammu&oldid=332792683"