Sorcerer Supreme, Master of the Mystic Arts, Master of Black Magic—Doctor Strangewas created by the legendary Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in 1963, first appearing inStrange Tales #110. After permanently damaging his hands in a devastating car wreck, Stephen Strange seeks healing from any sort of place, venturing the world for anything that will help him regain the use of his hands. This journey leads to a magical being known as the Ancient One, where Stephen learns the ways of magic and the mystical arts.
After coming back to New York, Dr. Strange sets up his base, the Sanctum Santorum, and begins to handle all mystical, magical, and weird threats in the Marvel Universe. The highly-anticipated upcoming sequel,Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, is set to premiere May 6th in the United States, and it’s evendirected by Sam Raimi(who did the original Tobey MaguireSpider-Mantrilogy). What better way to honor the Sorcerer Supreme than list his best comic book villains?
A terrifying, demonic entity, thought to be Marvel Comics’equivalent of the Devil,Mephistofirst appeared inThe Silver Surfer#3 in 1968. Created by Stan Lee and John Buscema, Mephisto is responsible for some of the most controversial moments in Marvel Comics lore (including the dreadedSpider-Man: One More Daystoryline). Mostly a recurring villain for both Dr. Strange and Ghost Rider, including a time when both heroes had to rescue the soul of Dr. Doom’s wife after it was taken by Mephisto, the character is one of the more sinister, hitting close to the heart for most heroes.
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5Baron Mordo
Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko,Baron Karl Mordofirst appeared inStrange Tales #111.After Mordo’s plot to killthe Ancient Onewas stopped by Stephen Strange, he became one of the Sorcerer Supreme’s villains, even working with Dormammu at certain points in canon. A Voldemort-esque character, Mordo’s skills with magic extend to black magic, magical manipulation, astral projection, and a deep knowledge of magic’s lore in Marvel canon. The character was last seen in the Marvel Comics event,The Death of Doctor Strange, where he was accused of killing the Master of the Mystic Arts.
4Mister Misery
A being of nightmares, and possibly the most horrific rogue in Dr. Strange’s gallery,Mister Misery(also known as “The thing in the cellar”) first appeared inDoctor Strange #8by Jason Aaron. What makes Mister Misery a different kind of villain for Strange, is the fact Mister Misery was actually created by Dr. Strange himself. Across most popular fantasy literature, the saying “magic always has a price” is heavily used, and when that price is not paid, bad things happen. Mister Misery is a byproduct of Dr. Strange not paying the magical toll.
To prevent the suffering that would come from his spells, Wong (Strange’s assistant) took the pain from the incantations created by Strange, and sent them to the cellar of the Sanctum Sanctorum. This repeated process led to the creation of Mister Misery, a being who suffers the toll for magic that Stephen Strange did not.
3Shuma-Gorath
First appearing inMarvel Premiere #10from 1973 (and recently in theWhat If?…series), and one ofthe confirmed villainsforDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,Shuma Gorathis one of four, undying “multi-angled” ones (a race of deities from the Cthulhu stories by H.P. Lovecraft) that exist in the Marvel Universe. One of Strange’s most intimidating villains, it is said that Gorath is more powerful than both Satannish and Mephisto, with a set of skills consisting of sympathetic magic, reality-altering, shape-shifting, and more. Due to licensing issues, Marvel Studios cannot use the name “Shuma-Gorath” inDoctor Strange 2. Heroic Signatures own the rights to Robert E. Howard’sConan the Cimmerian, the stories in which the name “Shuma-Gorath” originates.
2Nightmare
First appearing inStrange Tales#10,Nightmareand his power set are very much Freddy Krueger-esque (though Nightmare did appear before Wes Craven’s pocket-faced creation), but on a whole other level. Ruler of the Dream Dimension, and one of the horrific Fear Lords, Nightmare has the power to capture a sleeping person’s astral form and bring it to the dream dimension, where they can be tortured for his own twisted means. Rumored and heavily theorized to be one of, if not themain, villains plannedinDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the character was last seen in writer Gerry Duggan’sSavage Avengers#22.
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The villain of the firstDoctor Strangefilm, and a participant in one the most quotable dialogue exchanges in any Marvel movie (“Dormammu, I’ve come to bargain!"), Dormammu first appearedStrange Tales#126, which was released in 1964. The Lord of the Dark Dimension, Dormammu is widely considered to be Dr. Strange’s main villain and arch enemy. With a power set including matter manipulation, possession, necromancy, and much more, Dormammu is one of the more terrifying villains in Marvel canon. The character was last seen in comics as one of the starring villains in the Guardians of the Galaxy crossover event,The Last Annihilation.
Of course, Dr. Strange has a much deeper rogues' gallery than the five villains listed above. Nonetheless, these are the ones that stand the test of time and have cemented themselves as Strange’s best villains. Hopefully, theseMarvel characters might appear in MCUprojects in the future, and possibleDoctor Strangemovies and sequels, if notDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
