Dormammu
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Dormammu () is a character appearing in
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s published by
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. Created by
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and
Steve Ditko Stephen John Ditko. Page contains two reproductions from school yearbooks. A 1943 Garfield Junior High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen Ditko". A 1945 Johnstown High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen J. Ditko" under extracurricular ac ...
, the character first appeared in '' Strange Tales'' #126 (November 1964). He is the extra and inter-dimensional demonic entity and deity brother of
Umar Umar ibn al-Khattab (; ), also spelled Omar, was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () and is regarded as a senior companion and father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Mu ...
and the uncle of
superheroine A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses Superpower (ability), ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, t ...
Clea Clea is a female given name. Clea may refer to: People with the given name * Clea DuVall (born 1977), actress * Clea Hoyte (born 1981), West Indies cricketer * Clea Koff (born 1972), British-born American forensic anthropologist and author * ...
who rules over the Dark Dimension. The character has endured as a recurring
antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
Doctor Strange Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...
. Dormammu has appeared in associated Marvel merchandise including
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s,
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,
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s,
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s, and
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s. He made his live-action debut in the 2016
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film ''
Doctor Strange Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...
'', performed through motion capture by
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and voiced by a mixture of Cumberbatch and an unidentified British actor.


Publication history

Dormammu first appeared in '' Strange Tales'' #126–127 (Nov.–Dec. 1964), but had been mentioned previously in dialogue, along with his realm the "Dark Dimension". Writer Mike Conroy said: After being established as the ruler of an alternate dimension (later described as the god-tyrant of its denizens), Dormammu became a perennial foe of Sorcerer Supreme Doctor 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 Clea is a female given name. Clea may refer to: People with the given name * Clea DuVall (born 1977), actress * Clea Hoyte (born 1981), West Indies cricketer * Clea Koff (born 1972), British-born American forensic anthropologist and author * ...
, 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. The character's major appearances include starring in an epic fifteen issue storyline in ''Strange Tales'' #131–146 (Apr. 1965 – July 1966); the discovery that Dormammu has a sister,
Umar Umar ibn al-Khattab (; ), also spelled Omar, was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () and is regarded as a senior companion and father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Mu ...
, and both are in fact mystical beings called ''Faltine'' in ''Strange Tales'' #150 (Nov. 1966); teaming with fellow villain
Loki Loki is a Æsir, god in Norse mythology. He is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mythology), Laufey (a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to the goddess Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi (son of Lo ...
to instigate the "Avengers-Defenders War" in '' The Avengers'' #115–118 (Sept.–Dec. 1973) and '' The Defenders'' #8–11 (Sept.–Dec. 1973); ''
Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...
'' 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 (Sept.–Nov. 2000). After a major appearance in ''
The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American superhero American comic book, comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its title character and main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of t ...
'' #498–500 (Oct.–Dec. 2003), Dormammu became the patron of small-time villain the Hood in '' The New Avengers'' #46 (Dec. 2008).


Fictional character biography


1960s

Dormammu is first mentioned by Karl Amadeus Mordo, senior apprentice of the
Ancient One The Ancient One is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, ...
, who serves as the "Sorcerer Supreme" and protector of Earth. Secretly in the entity's service, Mordo attempts to slowly weaken the Ancient One as a means of enabling Dormammu to finally extend his rule to Earth, but is stopped when his fellow pupil Stephen Strange alerts his master to the betrayal. The character later appears in person when sending a messenger to boast his renewed intentions of conquering his universe before his aging adversary. In response, Doctor Strange travels to Dormammu's " Dark Dimension" as the Ancient One does not consider himself powerful enough to defeat Dormammu and manages to overcome all supernatural servitors sent against him. Dormammu engages Strange in mystic combat and shows himself to be far more powerful, but, when drawing upon the realm's energies, inadvertently weakens the barrier containing the horde of Mindless Ones. Since they threatened Dormammu's subjects, Strange helped his enemy to re-seal the juggernauts by letting power from his amulet flow into Dormammu. Indebted to Strange for his help, Dormammu ends the fight, and in return Strange demands a binding vow to never enter the "Earth realm" again and to not harm Clea. Dormammu complies, but gains a burning hatred against Strange for the humiliation. Dormammu uses a loophole to his oath by granting Mordo vast power, whereupon the sorcerer leads his minions on a lengthy hunt for Strange and abduct the Ancient One as a bargaining chip. Dormammu's niece,
Clea Clea is a female given name. Clea may refer to: People with the given name * Clea DuVall (born 1977), actress * Clea Hoyte (born 1981), West Indies cricketer * Clea Koff (born 1972), British-born American forensic anthropologist and author * ...
, assists Strange by weakening the barrier of the Mindless Ones, forcing her uncle to focus elsewhere. Dormammu learns of her betrayal, brings all three Earth sorcerers to a neutral realm, to let her see his disciple destroy Strange, and summons fellow "Lords of the Netherworlds" to watch the spectacle. When Strange begins to get an advantage against Mordo, Dormammu decides to face the sorcerer in a contest of pure hand-to-hand-combat. The physically stronger entity eventually falls to his foe's greater familiarity with
martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...
. To Dormammu's humiliation, before the gathered Lords, Strange forces him to vow not to menace the Earth even by proxy. The villain strikes a parting blow by banishing Clea and inciting another lord to attack Strange. In an apparent bid for power the character engages the universal embodiment,
Eternity Eternity, in common parlance, is an Infinity, infinite amount of time that never ends or the quality, condition or fact of being everlasting or eternal. Classical philosophy, however, defines eternity as what is timeless or exists outside tim ...
, in single combat, but is defeated and banished. Dormammu captures Clea, and overpowers and imprisons Strange. The sorcerer manipulates Umar into freeing him, and then surprises Dormammu by pushing him through a portal to the Earth. This makes the entity wither from the curse cast by his own power, when vowing to never enter the Earth realm, and he departs to his own plane.


1970s

Dormammu enters into an alliance with the Asgardian
Loki Loki is a Æsir, god in Norse mythology. He is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mythology), Laufey (a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to the goddess Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi (son of Lo ...
and tricks superhero teams the Avengers and
Defenders Defender(s) or The Defender(s) may refer to: * Defense (military) * Defense (sports) ** Defender (association football) Arts and entertainment Film, television, and theatre Film * ''The Defender'' (1989 film), a Canadian documentary * ''The D ...
into fighting each other for components of the artifact known as the
Evil Eye The evil eye is a supernatural belief in a curse brought about by a malevolent glaring, glare, usually inspired by envy. Amulets to Apotropaic, protect against it have been found dating to around 5,000 years ago. It is found in many cultures i ...
. The Eye is reassembled, and allows Dormammu to merge his own universe with all the planets of the "regular" Marvel Universe without breaking his vow. Dormammu imprisons the traitorous Loki and effortlessly overwhelms all of his other opponents, leaving only the
Scarlet Witch The Scarlet Witch is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The X-Men #4 in March 1964, in the Silver Age of Comic Boo ...
. When Loki escapes and distracts Dormammu, the Scarlet Witch casts a hex on the Eye that causes it to absorb Dormammu, and costs Loki his sanity."Avengers/Defenders War" from: * * After being seen in flashback, the character manages to reintegrate himself on Earth, but is recovering slowly to full strength. Together with Umar, Dormammu captures the elder goddess Gaea, and seeks revenge against the Scarlet Witch by kidnapping her and her mentor Agatha Harkness from her wedding to the
Vision Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...
. After Wanda and Agatha remove the heat needed for his regeneration, he departs for his own realm. Immediately afterwards, he attempts to destroy Doctor Strange and Clea. He is betrayed by Umar, who steals his power and allows the character to be banished from Earth. Dormammu tricks Strange into battling both the demon Ghost Rider and the Bounty Hunter in an unsuccessful attempt to kill Strange. Dormammu appears in a "'' What If...?''" alternate universe story as Strange's master in that reality.


1980s

Dormammu acts as the envoy of Lord Chaos and plays against
Odin Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...
in a cosmic chess match whose outcome decides the universal balance of chaos and order. Umar attempts to rig the game in her brother's favor by manipulating Odin's son Thor unsuccessfully, and the game ends in a draw. Dormammu's agent Baron Mordo travels back in time to
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
in the year 1943, where he allies with the
aristocrats Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense economic, political, and social influence. In Western Christian co ...
Viscount Krowler and Sir Anthony Baskerville. Dormammu possesses Krowler, and begins to manifest on the Earth plane by absorbing power from the destruction of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, but he is banished by Doctor Strange. The character reappears during the " Inferno" storyline. Strange, following an arduous confrontation with
Shuma-Gorath Shuma-Gorath () is a character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner, the character first appeared in ''Marvel Premiere'' #10 (September 1973). Shuma-Gorath bel ...
, heals through a process that takes him through various mystical realms. This allows Dormammu to attach himself to his foe, and possess the sorcerer's body, which exempts him from the vow to not directly enter the Earth-realm. Summoning extraterrestrial sorcerers as his lieutenants, Dormammu vows to "burn" and replace the
Celestials The Celestials are fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Depicted as cosmic beings, they debuted in the Bronze Age of Comic Books and have reappeared on numerous occasions. They also appeared in the ...
as the greatest power in the Earth's universe, but is distracted and tricked by Clea and Strange (his consciousness occupying a
rat Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include '' Neotoma'' (pack rats), '' Bandicota'' (bandicoo ...
), while their ally
Topaz Topaz is a silicate mineral made of aluminium, aluminum and fluorine with the chemical formula aluminium, Alsilicon, Sioxygen, O(fluorine, F, hydroxide, OH). It is used as a gemstone in jewelry and other adornments. Common topaz in its natural ...
exorcises Dormammu's presence.


1990s

The character reconstitutes again, regains control of the Dark Dimension from Clea by subverting her will, and summons her parents, Umar and Orini, from exile. Umar and Baron Mordo join forces with Clea and Doctor Strange. The enraged Dormammu threatens to completely destroy the "Dark Dimension" in retaliation, but Umar convinces him to accept a compromise as the ruler of a sub-realm, whereas his sister takes over rulership from Clea, with Mordo as her consort. Clea agrees to abdicate rather than see all of her people killed, but promises to return if Umar becomes a tyrant again. Dormammu finds that he has been tricked into becoming the ruler of the realm of the Mindless Ones. After two brief appearances, Dormammu, in the guise of another of the Faltine, manipulates Clea into recruiting allies from the Lords of the Netherworlds to depose her mother. This frees Dormammu to reclaim his realm. He absorbs Umar and Mordo into himself, becoming more powerful than ever before, and he disintegrates the assembled entities. Strange, at the time weakened without support from the "Principalities", confronts Dormammu with his allies Clea, the
Silver Surfer The Silver Surfer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character also appears in a number of movies, television, and video game adaptations. The character was created by Jack Kirby and first a ...
,
Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...
, and Ghost Rider, but they are unable to cause any injury to the villain. Strange journeys into the core of Dormammu's essence and uses the Eye of Agamotto to strip away his self-delusion, and make him acknowledge that his thirst for chaos, power, and conquest are unworthy of a being of his stature. Dormammu is momentarily shaken, and appears to be defeated, but this is only a mirage. The villain gloats that he has not shown "one tenth" of his true power against the heroes, but that he now realizes that rulership of "one puny" universe is beneath his notice, as he now has far greater and "more interesting" ambitions, and contemptuously dismisses the "insignificant mortals". The character observes the
Guardians of the Galaxy The Guardians of the Galaxy are a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Comic book teams 1969 team The 1969 version of the Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), Guardians of the Galaxy were the origi ...
—adventurers from the 31st century of Earth-691—travel to the mainstream era of
Earth-616 In the fictional Multiverse (Marvel Comics), Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 is the primary continuity (fiction), continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place. Origins of the term The designation "Earth-616" has its origins in ...
. Dormammu follows them back to their
dimension In physics and mathematics, the dimension of a mathematical space (or object) is informally defined as the minimum number of coordinates needed to specify any point within it. Thus, a line has a dimension of one (1D) because only one coo ...
, merges with his counterpart in this timeline, doubling his power, and attacks their headquarters, demanding the presence of the Doctor Strange of their time. Strange, now called the Ancient One, arrives with his disciple, the alien Krugarr, and battles Dormammu, assisted by the Guardians, the "Galactic Guardians", and the
Phoenix Force The Phoenix Force is a fictional entity appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum, the Phoenix Force is famous for its central role in ''The Dark Phoenix Saga'' storyline, and is in ...
. Dormammu kills the elderly Strange, and almost overwhelms his other foes, but is defeated when Krugarr summons the spirit of Strange, and they channel the combined power of everyone in the assembly to banish Dormammu to his home dimension. Dormammu appears as the guiding force behind an attack on the self-titled
Goddess A goddess is a female deity. In some faiths, a sacred female figure holds a central place in religious prayer and worship. For example, Shaktism (one of the three major Hinduism, Hindu sects), holds that the ultimate deity, the source of all re ...
during " The Infinity Crusade" storyline. During ''The Flight of the Bones'' storyline the character is revealed as the instigator behind a series of
spontaneous combustion Spontaneous combustion or spontaneous ignition is a type of combustion which occurs by self-heating (increase in temperature due to exothermic internal reactions), followed by thermal runaway (self heating which rapidly accelerates to high tem ...
s of criminals and an attack on an ally of Strange by cultists.


2000s

Dormammu uses the demon lord
Satannish Satannish is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history Satannish first appeared in ''Doctor Strange'' #174 and was created by writer Roy Thomas artist and Gene Colan. Fictional char ...
(revealed as his creation) and
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Nicholas Scratch to lead his Demonic armies to capture five of the inter-dimensional places of
Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...
, 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. Dormammu also allies with the entity Mephisto to drive an attacking force out of their respective dimensions. 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 by tricking them into combining dimensional energies in an attempt to dispel the Mindless Ones. Doctor Strange engages Dormammu in combat, and sends the hero
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
back in time to a critical moment to stop his enemy from being able to re-enter Earth's universe, Spider-Man warning the heroes to delay in their attempts to stop the Mindless Ones long enough for the younger Strange to show up and banish them himself. Dormammu returns, now in a symbiotic link with Umar. Together they petition the "''Pan-dimensional Oversight Council''" (counting Strange and Nightmare among its members) to perform a preemptive strike against Earth's superhumans, as "potential
weapons of mass destruction A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a Biological agent, biological, chemical weapon, chemical, Radiological weapon, radiological, nuclear weapon, nuclear, or any other weapon that can kill or significantly harm many people or cause great dam ...
", and when the petition fails, Dormammu eats most of the present council-members, whereas Umar reduces the rest to "screaming blobs of mindless jelly". The siblings then attack and overcome the entity Eternity, and use the acquired power to remake all universes in their hellish image. The pair are opposed by a reuniting of some of the original Defenders (Strange, the Hulk, and
Namor Namor McKenzie (), also known as the Sub-Mariner, is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-artist Bill Everett for comic book packager Funnies Inc., the character first appeared in '' Moti ...
the Sub-Mariner), with Dormammu retreating when Umar steals his power. The character also appears briefly during a storyline in which Strange contemplates his past. Acting in secrecy, Dormammu empowers criminal mastermind the Hood, who in turn resurrects several dead supervillains and forms a crime army. When the Hood asks for information about his "benefactor" from the demoness Satana, she claims that Dormammu disposed of his sister off-page.''Dark Reign: The Hood'' #3 (2009). Marvel Comics. The character temporarily takes control of the "zombie" virus that decimates Earth-2149, and also takes advantage of the fact that Strange loses the title of Sorcerer Supreme, but the latter eventually
exorcise Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be do ...
s his influence from the Hood together with
Daimon Hellstrom Daimon Hellstrom, also known as the Son of Satan and Hellstorm, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Daimon made his live action debut in the television series ''Helstrom (TV series), Helstrom'', ...
and Doctor Voodoo.


2010s

Dormammu briefly appears when the newly appointed "Sorcerer Supreme" Doctor Voodoo enters his domain. The villain dismisses Voodoo as an "unworthy" opponent and refers to his vastly inferior "gutter gods". This, however, causes Voodoo to strengthen the seals to the entity's realm. The character also appears as one of the prospective "suitors" (holders of a slave-contract) for the hand of Satana. During the " Fear Itself" storyline, Dormammu attended the Devil's Advocacy where they talked about the threat of the Serpent on Earth. Dormammu appears in ''
Uncanny X-Men ''Uncanny X-Men'', originally published as ''The X-Men'', is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics since 1963, and is the longest-running series in the List of X-Men comics, X-Men comics franchise. It features a team of super ...
''. After Illyana Rasputin is pulled into Limbo it is revealed that Dormammu is responsible for taking over the realm. Dormammu is apparently killed by Illyana off-page. The entity reappears with a plot to turn humanity into Mindless Ones, but is thwarted by the plans of
Phil Coulson Agent Phillip J. "Phil" Coulson ( ) is a fictional character portrayed and voiced by Clark Gregg in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise. Coulson is depicted as a high-ranking member of the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. and longt ...
, with help from the Absorbing Man and the
Howling Commandos The Howling Commandos is the name of several fictional groups appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team also appears in the franchises developed for other media. Fictional team history Original Incarnation (1963) T ...
. During the "
Damnation Damnation (from Latin '' damnatio'') is the concept of divine punishment after death for sins that were committed, or in some cases, good actions not done, on Earth. In Ancient Egyptian religious tradition, it was believed that citizens woul ...
" storyline, Doctor Strange's soul comes across Dormammu in the Realm Between at the time when Mephisto is causing trouble in
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
.


2020s

During the " One World Under Doom" storyline, Dormammu learns that Doctor Doom has become the new Sorcerer Supreme in the aftermath of the " Blood Hunt" storyline. Noting that Doctor Doom is shirking on some of the responsibilities of a Sorcerer Supreme, Dormammu states that now is the time for him to start an invasion from the Dark Dimension.


Characteristics


Personality

Dormammu has been described as "something worse than a demon." It is unknown exactly how ancient he is, as he inhabits a wholly alien realm, separate from the rest of the
Marvel Universe The Marvel Universe is a fictional shared universe where the stories in most American comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Comics take place. Superhero teams such as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Guardia ...
, that defies the laws of physics as understood on Earth. He is known to have already existed at the creation of the current demonic netherworlds; to have clashed with Agamotto hundreds of millions of years ago; to have served as the primary enemy of the Vishanti ever since; and to have been considered an extreme threat by the mages of " pre-cataclysm"
Atlantis Atlantis () is a fictional island mentioned in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and ''Critias'' as part of an allegory on the hubris of nations. In the story, Atlantis is described as a naval empire that ruled all Western parts of the known world ...
. Dormammu is presented as the most powerful and malevolent of "the Faltine", higher-dimensional mystical energy beings. Not native to the "Dark Dimension", Dormammu and "his" sibling Umar were exiled for slaying their progenitor "Sinifer" and for their morbid/unclean obsession with physical matter. They journeyed to the Dark Dimension in search of experience, and assumed corporeal forms. Dormammu merged with the local "Flames of Regency" to further enhance his power, and returned to an energy state, whereas Umar had grown accustomed to physical pleasure. After imprisoning the horde of marauding virtually unstoppable Mindless Ones, Dormammu enslaved the entire realm and demanded worship as its sole deity. He continued to gradually merge other mystical universes to his own, while spreading his worship to any sorcerers throughout the multiverse who invoked his powers. The character is sometimes shown as incredibly patient, with certain plots to achieve his goals spanning billions of years, whereas others are planned far more recently or even improvised through opportunity. Although extremely intelligent, with tremendous knowledge of the mystic arts, he is overwhelmingly arrogant, generally does not adapt well to sudden confusion and unexpected developments, and has a tendency to gloat over technically outmatched foes rather than swiftly finish them off.''Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural'' #1 (2010). DC Comics. What makes Dormammu different from other prominent Marvel supervillains is that he has been shown as fully capable of personally defeating cosmic entities, even without external power sources and outside of the "Dark Dimension". Dormammu and his sister Umar have an unpredictable love-hate relationship. Sometimes loyal and collaborative, other times they gladly betray each other or take the other's power for themselves. Umar has an occasional tendency to sarcastically puncture her brother's obsessive histrionics with more pragmatic sadistic hedonism. Writer
Keith Giffen Keith Ian Giffen (November 30, 1952 – October 9, 2023) was an American comics artist and writer. He was known for his work for DC Comics on their ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' and ''Justice League'' titles as well as for being the co-creator of ...
has described them as "Donnie and Marie from hell. The brother-sister sibling rivalry relationship blown up to nightmarish, universe-shattering proportions." Nevertheless, Dormammu is "completely inhuman", the kind of character that "commits mass murder... on a whim".


Powers and abilities

Dormammu is acknowledged by Doctor Strange as his "most terrible foe." He is described as a threat to "the life of the universe itself" that "at full power no one could stand against." He has been displayed approaching a universal or even multiversal scale of influence. The character can project energy bolts and beams. He is able to alter his size and teleport across dimensions. He can use his powers to travel through time. Dormammu can give a portion of his powers to others and turn them into powerful beings. The Hood tapped the powers of Dormammu to resurrect the dead. He is able to manipulate matter to alter and shape objects. Dormammu has the power to manipulate reality. The character can possess the body of another being. He also appears to be immortal. Dormammu is seemingly stronger in the Dark Dimension, as he is empowered by the worship of his followers.


Reception


Critical response

Adam Holmes of '' CinemaBlend'' included Dormammu in their "10 Awesome Marvel Villains We Need To See In The MCU" list. Jamie Lovett of '' ComicBook.com'' ranked Dormammu first in their "5 Greatest Doctor Strange Villains" list. Trey Pasch of ''
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'' ranked Dormammu first in their "Doctor Strange: His Best Comic Book Villains" list. Rachel Ulatowski of '' The Mary Sue'' ranked Dormammu fourth in their "Strongest Marvel Villains" list. Chris Heasman of '' Looper'' ranked Dormammu fourth in their "Doctor Strange's Most Powerful Villains" list. ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' ranked Dormammu 56th in their "Top 100 Comic Book Villains" list. ''
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'' included Dormammu in their "10 Best Characters Who Made Their Debut In Doctor Strange Comics" list, in their "Ghost Rider's 10 Greatest Enemies In The Comic Books" list, in their "10 Most Terrifying Demons In Marvel And DC Comics" list, and in their "15 Most Powerful Magical Beings In Marvel Comics" list. '' CBR.com'' ranked Dormammu second in their "11 Strongest Doctor Strange Villains" list, eighth in their "10 Most Powerful Comic Book Villains With Demonic Origins" list, and ninth in their "9 Darkest Characters Doctor Strange Fought In The Comics" list.


Other versions


Marvel Mangaverse

An alternate universe variant of Dormammu from Earth-2301 appears in '' Marvel Mangaverse''.


Ultimate Marvel

An alternate universe variant of Dormammu from Earth-1610 appears in ''
Ultimate Marvel Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe, later known as the ...
''. After killing Doctor Strange's son, he is confronted by the
Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...
and transformed into a powerless human.


In other media


Television

* Dormammu appears in the '' Spider-Woman'' episode "Realm of Darkness". * Dormammu appears in '' Spider-Man: The Animated Series'', voiced by
Ed Gilbert Ed Gilbert (born Edmund Francis Giesbert, June 29, 1931 – May 8, 1999) was an American actor, with extensive credits in both live-action roles and voice work in animation, although he was better known for the latter. He is also credited, under ...
. This version uses his servant
Baron Mordo Baron Karl Amadeus Mordo (known as Baron Mordo) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly as an adversary of Doctor Strange. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first ...
in attempts to free himself from the Dark Dimension, one included possession of
Mary Jane Watson Mary Jane "MJ" Watson is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, making her first appearance in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #25 (June 1965), and subsequent ...
. The other includes Mordo bringing the
Venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...
symbiote back to Earth and re-bonds it to Eddie Brock to assist Mordo. When Venom and Brock have a change of heart however, Dormammu turns
Cletus Kasady Cletus Cortland Kasady is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer David Michelinie and artist Erik Larsen, the character first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #344 (March 1991) as the ...
into Carnage to take Venom's place. Ultimately,
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
,
Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...
, Brock, and Venom join forces to foil Dormammu's plans, with Brock and Venom sacrificing themselves to do so. * Dormammu appears in ''
The Super Hero Squad Show ''The Super Hero Squad Show'' is an American superhero animated series produced by Marvel Animation that aired from 2009 to 2011. It is based on the Hasbro toyline " Marvel Super Hero Squad", which portrays the Avengers, the X-Men, and various ...
'', voiced by Robert Englund. * Dormammu appears in ''
Ultimate Spider-Man ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate Ma ...
'', voiced by
Phil LaMarr Phil LaMarr is an American actor and comedian. He was one of the original featured cast members on the sketch comedy television series '' Mad TV'', where he stayed for five seasons. His voice acting roles in animated series include the Sam B of ' ...
. * Dormammu appears in '' Avengers Assemble'', voiced again by Phil LaMarr. * Dormammu appears in '' Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.'', voiced again by Phil LaMarr. * Dormammu appears in '' Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers'', voiced by
Neil Kaplan Neil Charles Kaplan is an American voice actor, audiobook narrator, entertainer, and comedian. His most well known voice roles are Hawkmon from ''Digimon'', Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto from ''Bleach (TV series), Bleach'', Emperor Zarkon from ' ...
.


Film

* Dormammu appears in '' Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme'', voiced by Jonathan Adams. This version seeks to gain access to the "main" reality via the Sanctum Santorum via comatose children and Mordo's help. After the Ancient One's death, Dr. Strange absorbs Dormammu and his army into the Eye of Agamotto, defeating him. *
Dormammu Dormammu () is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #126 (November 1964). He is the extra and inter-dimensional demonic e ...
appears in ''
Doctor Strange Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...
'', voiced and motion-captured by
Benedict Cumberbatch Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (born 19 July 1976) is an English actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Benedict Cumberbatch, various accolades, including a BAFTA TV Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Laurenc ...
, blended with the voice of an unidentified British actor that director
Scott Derrickson Scott Derrickson (born July 16, 1966) is an American filmmaker. He is known for his work in the horror genre, directing films such as ''The Exorcism of Emily Rose'' (2005), ''Sinister (film), Sinister'' (2012), and ''The Black Phone'' (2021). He ...
could not recall the name of. This version appears as a massive face made of rippling mystical energy who seeks to absorb all other universes into his Dark Dimension. Misinterpreting this eternal existence as longevity, Kaecilius and his zealots contact Dormammu for the use of his power and bring Earth into the Dark Dimension. However,
Doctor Strange Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...
uses the Time Stone to trap himself and Dormammu in a time loop until the latter agrees to leave Earth and take the zealots with him in exchange for Strange breaking it.


Video games

* Dormammu appears as a playable character in '' Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds'', voiced by Michael T. Weiss. * Dormammu appears as a playable character in '' Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3'', voiced again by Michael T. Weiss. * Dormammu appears in '' Marvel Super Hero Squad Online'', voiced again by Robert Englund. * Dormammu appears as a non-playable character in '' Marvel: Avengers Alliance''. * Dormammu appears in '' Marvel Heroes'', voiced by Robin Atkin Downes. * Dormammu appears as a playable character and boss in '' Lego Marvel Super Heroes'', voiced by
Travis Willingham Travis Willingham is an American voice actor known for his character portrayals in video games and English anime Dubbing, dubs. His notable roles include Roy Mustang in the ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' franchise, Cleo in ''Glass Fleet'', Ginko in ''L ...
. * Dormammu appears in '' Lego Marvel's Avengers'' via the "All-New All-Different Doctor Strange Pack" DLC. * Dormammu appears as a playable character in '' Marvel: Future Fight''. * Dormammu appears as a playable character and boss in '' Marvel Contest of Champions''. * Dormammu appears as a playable character in '' Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite'', voiced again by
Phil LaMarr Phil LaMarr is an American actor and comedian. He was one of the original featured cast members on the sketch comedy television series '' Mad TV'', where he stayed for five seasons. His voice acting roles in animated series include the Sam B of ' ...
. In the story mode,
Ultron Ultron () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, the character first appeared as an unnamed character in ''The Avengers (comic book), The Avengers'' #5 ...
Sigma Sigma ( ; uppercase Σ, lowercase σ, lowercase in word-final position ς; ) is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 200. In general mathematics, uppercase Σ is used as an operator ...
fuses the Marvel and
Capcom is a Japanese video game company. It has created a number of critically acclaimed and List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil'', ''Monster ...
universes. After the Dark Dimension is fused with the '' Darkstalkers'' Makai Kingdom to form the Dark Kingdom, Dormammu allows
Jedah Dohma This is a list of characters from Capcom's '' Darkstalkers'' media franchise, who are either based on various literary and cinematic monsters or inspired by international mythology and fairy tales. Consisting of supernatural creatures engaging in c ...
to rule in his place; unwilling to confront him in battle for supremacy due to the merger weakening Dormammu. * Dormammu appears as a non-playable character in ''Marvel Powers United VR'', voiced again by Phil LaMarr. * Dormammu appears as a playable character and boss in '' Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2''. * Dormammu appears as a boss in '' Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order'', voiced again by Phil LaMarr. After the Reality Stone falls into his dimension, Dormammu uses it to brainwash Doctor Strange into opening rifts from the Dark Dimension to Earth. However, he is ultimately defeated and loses the Reality Stone and his physical form. * Dormammu appears in ''Marvel Dimension of Heroes'', voiced again by Phil LaMarr. * Dormammu appears as a non-playable character in '' Marvel Future Revolution''. * Dormammu appears as a playable character in '' Marvel Strike Force''.


References

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