Doctor Strange 2 is looking like a pretty safe bet. In the good Doctor’s film debut, Marvel fans witnessed the arrival of mysticism and magic as the gates were opened to some odd places in the Marvel (say it with me) Multiverse. That’s right kids, it’s not a universe anymore, it’s a multiverse. Now that the world of magic has arrived in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, expect demons, wizards, and beasties of all shapes and sizes to arrive on Marvel’s many media platforms. We already have Ghost Rider and the Book of the Darkhold on Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD and we can expect so much more to come (if I don’t see Brother Voodoo soon, I’m gonna smack somebody).
And with this multiverse will come new threats and new villainy. We have already seen the coming of Dormammu and his puppet Kaecilius, and we have seen the darkness descend upon the soul of one Baron Mordo. But thanks to the great writers and artist that have guided the adventures of Doctor Strange throughout history, there are many more magical rogues that can potentially bedevil Stephen Strange in future films.
Let’s take a look at a few…
Doctor Strange 2 Villains
Satannish
First appearance Doctor Strange #174 (1968)
Created by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan
He’s not Satan, he’s only Satan adjacent. He’s a little bit Satan. He’s Satannish!
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In all seriousness, Satannish is one of the biggest, baddest devils in the Marvel Universe. Many believe that Satannish is the biblical devil given form, but whether this devil was the one that gave the fruit to Adam and Eve or not, he’s certainly a devil that has driven Doctor Strange to the edge of sanity. Satannish is a liar of the highest order and he has two mouths to lie with. One in his demonic visage, the other bisecting his corded and deadly torso. Now, that’s freakin’ creepy.
Satannish likes nothing better than to devour the souls of the living and he would make a potent film foe for Stephen Strange. Imagine, the twisted anatomy of this beast come to life in the MCU. Terrors would abound.
Silver Dagger
First appearance Doctor Strange #1 (1974)
Created by Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner
Now that there is established magic in the MCU, you know there’s going to be those that oppose mysticism in all its forms. Silver Dagger was a religious crusader who felt it was his sworn God given duty to eradicate magic and the supernatural from the world. Silver Dagger is a charismatic orator who can sway people to his crusade.
In the comics, Silver Dagger has taken on vampires, werewolves, and came a bee’s eyelash away from slaying Doctor Strange. Once, Dagger even replaced his own eye with the Eye of Agamotto. Now that’s dedication to a cause.
Chthon
First appearance (as The Other): Marvel Chillers #1 (1975)(as Chthon): Avengers #186 (1979)
Created by Marv Wolfman and Bill Mantlo
Chthon has a long and storied history in the Marvel Universe and may just have already appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well. First introduced as The Other, Chthon is an elder god that made Wundergore Mountain his home. Chthon first fought the Arthurian era sorcerer Mordred the Mystic but also had a hand in the creation and origins of many other Marvel heroes and villains. For example, the Fantastic Four’s foe the Puppet Master uses arcane enchanted clay that was created by Chthon.
Chthon also once imbued part of his life essence into the Scarlet Witch, causing her mutation to be magically altered. Man, that would explain a lot about Wanda’s powers in the MCU, huh? Most of all Chthon is a dark elder god that has manipulated mankind since before the rise of human civilization.
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Many have speculated that the cloaked figure that can be seen with Thanos in The Avengers movie could be Chthon. Thanos’s companion wears a similar hooded cloak, has six fingers on each hand like Chthon, and the Avengers’ credits list that particular hooded character as The Other. So Chthon may have been menacing the MCU without us even realizing it.
And hey, Agents of SHIELDfans, Chthon has long sought the Darkhold, the dark tome of magic that has played a major role on Marvel TV this season. So Chthon could seamlessly fit into the MCU and now we have a Sorcerer Supreme to combat this wicked god’s dark might.
Lilith, Mother of All Demons
First appearance Ghost Rider #28 (1992)
Created by Howard Mackie and Andy Kubert
Doctor Strange now stands between reality and any and all monsters, devils, demons, and dark gods that want to unmake reality. Doctor Strange is going to need monsters and demons to fight and Lilith is the Mother of All Demons. She exists to populate reality with her wicked children. Her spoiled womb is a nightmare factory that has birthed countless bundless of wickedness into the world.
So far, Marvel really hasn’t had a worthy female antagonist in any film. Lilith is the Mother of antagonists and a nightmarish foe worthy of Stephen Strange’s attention. Lock up Angelina Jolie for this role. Hell man, she nearly already played this role in Beowulfso sign her up Marvel and let’s make the MCU a wicked place.
Shuma-Gorath
First appearance Marvel Premiere #5 (1972)
Created by Robert E. Howard, Steve Englehart, and Frank Brunner
Hang onto your sacrificial daggers kids, it’s going to get all sorts of Robert E. Howard up in here. The cosmic god Shuma-Gorath was first mentioned in a Robert E. Howard King Kull story. Marvel used Shuma-Gorath in a Kullcomic and then shunted him over into the Marvel Universe proper in Doctor Strange.
Shuma-Gorath ruled the Earth while man still huddled cold and afraid in caves. It is an entity that wields a vile power and is always ready to retake the world and remake it in its own image. For real, the unblinking eye of Shuma-Gorath would make Sauron piss himself (can’t even find a Hobbit, what kind of eye are you).
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In recent years, it has been revealed that Shuma-Gorath has been a cosmic threat as well. As one of the multi-angled ones of the Cancerverse (AWESOME!), Shuma-Gorath has long desired to return to the universe to a state of primordial chaos. Shuma-Gorath feeds on life and joy and Marvel could really create a modern day pulp horror film if it looks to Shuma-Gorath as a potential villain. Hell man, get Guillermo Del Toro to direct that shit and you have a license to print money. Very, very evil money.
Morgan Le Fay
Black Knight #1 (1955)
Created by Stan Lee and Joe Maneely
Let’s get all Arthurian with the world’s original femme fatale, the wicked Morgan Le Fay. Now that magic is in the MCU, perhaps it’s time to bring in some classic literary figures from the past. Gosh knows Marvel has enough of them, but Morgan Le Fey, the woman responsible for the downfall of Camelot, has a long and storied history as a Marvel villainess. Le Fay has fought Iron Man many times in her bid to conquer Camelot in the past and present and she has also run afoul of Stephen Strange and is a deadly enemy to all life.
Imagine a being that exists simply to feed off the human population’s terror. That’s Nightmare, who lives in your dreams and feeds of your night terrors. Nightmare sucks up fear, regret, sadness, anxiety, and depression like Comic Con attendees feeding off overpriced pretzels. The only thing standing between Nightmare and his bid to plunge the world into endless darkness and terror is the Sorcerer Supreme.
The gates of insanity remain closed and Nightmare only has access to humanity through the dreamworld thanks to Doctor Strange and just try to picture the epic level of awesomeness if this eternal battle played out on the big screen. It could be like Stephen Strange versus an omnipotent, death metal Freddy Krueger and who doesn’t want to see that?
Umar
First appearance Strange Tales #150 (1966)
Created by Roy Thomas and Bill Everett
Man, I never realized that Doctor Strange has so many kickass female villains in his mystical rogues gallery. And Umar is nastiest of them all. Fans already met Dormammu (guys, we saw a movie with Dormammu, how awesome is life), but did you know Dormammu has a sister? Yeah he does, and her name is Umar.
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Umar is like the Cersei Lannister of the Dark Dimension. A constantly plotting, wicked woman that would do anything, including betraying her own nigh-omnipotent brother, for power. Dormammu and Umar are members of a race known as the Faltine. When Faltine spawn, they usually take the duplicate form of their parents, but Dormammu and Umar had wills too powerful to be denied. The siblings were banished for daring to be individuals but returned and conquered the Faltine and the Dark Dimension. Since then, brother and sister have ruled with iron fists, trying to extend their power bases while keeping the Mindless Ones out of their dimension.
More on the Mindless Ones in a bit, but for now let us focus on how awesome it would be if the vicious Umar made her way to the MCU. Where Dormammu is raw power, Umar is guile and malevolent intelligence, but don’t underestimate this witch, because she has even stood against Dormammu and taken the throne of the Dark Dimension. It was as epic as it sounds and the stuff great films are made of.
Mephisto
First appearance Silver Surfer #3 (1968)
Created by Stan Lee and John Buscema
The Devil himself, Marvel’s Mephisto has long been the stand-in for Satan in and around the Marvel Universe. Mephisto has fought and tempted most of Marvel’s great heroes and villains and has changed the very foundation of the MU more than once (for example, Mephisto stole Spider-Man’s marriage to Mary Jane…EVIL!). Mephisto survived as the Iago-like major domo to Thanos during Infinity Gauntlet and has hungered for the souls of Marvel’s greatest champions. Mephisto plays a key role in the origins of Doctor Doom and Ghost Rider and has long tried to tempt Stephen Strange into selling his soul.
Mephisto is truly one of Marvel’s greatest villains and even appeared in one of the Ghost Rider films starring Nichols Cage. But that Mephisto did not capture the terrible glory of the real red deal, but you know the MCU would.
1. Dracula
First appearance Tomb of Dracula #1 (1972)
Created by Gerry Conway and Gene Colan
The Lord of the Vampires. History’s Most Famous Monster. Marvel Comics arch villain?!? Dracula, the most feared name in literature and film and a malevolent force ready to take the MCU by its pulsating throat. Now that Doctor Strange is here, it’s time for the creatures of darkness to follow and Marvel has a long history of fighting vampires.
By introducing Dracula to the MCU, not only do you open the doors to awesome characters like the vampire detective Hannibal King, Morbius the Living Vampire, and the most in demand mystic character of them all: Blade the Vampire Hunter. Oh yeah, and you also open the door to one of Marvel’s most complex and regal villains. The intricacies of Dracula were explored in Marvel’s classic Tomb of Dracula series and to see any of those classic Tombmoments play out on film would be like a comic nerd’s darkest dream come true. Dracula facing down Stephen Strange in a genre mash up for the ages. This simply has to happen.
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We covered the villains, now let’s take a look at some allies that just have to make a cinematic appearance in Doctor Strange 2…
Doctor Strange 2 Heroes
The Ancient One
First appearance Strange Tales #110 (1963)
Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
Tilda Swinton absolutely killed as the Ancient One, but there was an implication that there could have been more Ancient Ones out there. Despite Swinton’s elegance, Marvel took some heat casting a European woman in the a role of a character that is traditionally an Asian man, but with future Doctor Strange movies there could be even more Ancient Ones with the next master taking the form of the character created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko so long ago.
Clea
First appearance Strange Tales #126 (1964)
Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
Yeah, we really dug Doctor Christine Palmer too, but it didn’t really seem like there was a romantic future between Doctors Strange and Palmer. Instead of hitting mystical Tinder, Stephen Strange will have to find love elsewhere. Enter Clea, Doctor Strange’s great love.
In the comics, Clea is a resident in Dormammu’s Dark Dimension. Clea’s love brings Strange back to the Dark Dimension again and again to do war with the Dread One and free Clea and her people. Clea is a powerful sorceress in her own right and eventually takes Dormammu’s place as ruler of the Dark Dimension. In many ways, Clea is Strange’s superior and their star crossed love is the stuff of magical, mystical legend. It’s almost impossible to imagine future Doctor Strange movies without Clea.
Brother Voodoo
First appearance Strange Tales #169 (1973)
Created by Len Wein and Gene Colan
One of the biggest things established by the just released Doctor Strange film is that there are many wizards and sorcerers throughout the Marvel Universe. Each sorcerer is charged with protecting reality from incursions from the darker parts of the multiverse. This opens the door to so many great Marvel magic-users. Not the least of which is Jericho Drumm, the mystic known as Brother Voodoo.
Now that Baron Mordo has made his inevitable heel turn, Strange will need new allies in his war against dark magic. Brother Voodoo could allow Marvel to stretch into realms of horror and introduce zombies and voodoo spirits into the Marvel Universe, and if there’s one undeniable fact of life, it’s that we love us some Brother Voodoo, a character that would add a very different point of view to Marvel’s new world of magic.
We now know that there are countless demons and devils ready to enter the Marvel Universe and create hell on Earth. Well, Damon Hellstrom is the son of the greatest devil of them all, Satan himself. Hellstrom is one of Marvel’s unique magic-users, a being created of the greatest evil of all that has sworn to protect humanity.
The Son of Satan could serve as a perfect foil and ally to Doctor Strange, a rakish, hell powered being that has been a classic Marvel character for decades. And it could allow for a situation where a Disney hero has a satanic pentagram branded into his chest. That alone would be worth it.
Blade
First appearance Tomb of Dracula #10 (July 1973)
Created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan
Let’s face it, if not for Blade, we wouldn’t be enjoying this unbelievable Golden Age of comic book media. When Wesley Snipes’ Blade first stepped onto the big screen, the time of the cinematic super hero began and now that Doctor Strange has opened the world to the supernatural, Blade can potentially slay again… but this time in the MCU. Having Blade introduced in a future Doctor Strange sequel could be a watershed moment for comic films, as superhero cinema comes full circle as the original modern Marvel movie hero comes home.
And then there’s everyone else…
The Living Tribunal
First appearance Strange Tales #157 (1967)
Created by Stan Lee, Marie Severin, and Herb Trimpe
We witnessed the Living Tribunal’s staff in the Doctor Strangemovie (which was kind of odd because the Tribunal doesn’t carry any weapons in the comic), but can you just wrap your head around the possibility of the three faced Living Tribunal making a big screen appearance? When The Living Tribunal first appeared, the immense being dedicated to cosmic balance and justice announced its intent to eradicate the world.
Only Stephen Strange’s pleas of mercy proved humankind worthy of continued existence. The Living Tribunal has appeared many times over the decades as a living representation of balance, his three sided visage a thing of eerie cosmic power and otherness. Think of it, Marvel can get three actors to play the three faces of the Tribunal. I’m thinking Patton Oswalt, Danny DeVito, and Ian McShane. But what do I know? I’ll tell you what I know, The Living Tribunal is one of the most powerful entities in the Marvel Universe and would be the single most powerful entity ever to appear in a Marvel movie!
Eternity
First appearance Strange Tales #138 (1965)
Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
Eternity: the reason the good Lord created black light posters. Eternity: Steve Ditko’s trippiest creation. Eternity: the physical manifestation of life, the universe, and everything. Eternity: conceptual proof that the corporeal manifestation of reality likes to wear a cape. Eternity: the single most powerful entity in the Marvel Universe. Eternity: future film star? It’s possible, considering that Eternity made its first appearance in Doctor Strange.
You know the fine animators over at Marvel Studios are just dying to bring Eternity to life. Just look at it. Eternity is made up of galaxies, planets, stars, black holes, and supernovas. Eternity is made up of everything (even Donald Trump) and contains all matter in the known universe. What actor could Marvel get to voice the manifestation of everything? Hopefully, we’ll find out one day because with Strange in the MCU, can the coolest and most mind-blowing creation ever to share a comic page with the Sorcerer Supreme be far behind?
The Mindless Ones
First appearance Strange Tales #127 (1964)
Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
The Mindless Ones (and I’m trying to resist a Westboro Baptist Church joke here) are creatures of pure emotional rage with no capacity for thought. They dwell in the Dark Dimension and only Dormammu can keep their unfettered might in check. They would be the perfect cannon fodder foes for a future Strange adventure, but these Dark Dimension foot soldiers each almost match the raw power of the Hulk. So beware the Mindless Ones, unstoppable beings that may make reality a very brutal place in future MCU films.
Vishanti
First appearance Strange Tales #115 (mentioned) Marvel Premiere #5 (appeared)
Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
The Vishanti are a triumvirate of mystical beings that created and governed the rules of magic in the Marvel Universe. We hear a few of their names mention in the new Strange film, but none of the Three manifested into physical form. The Vishanti is made up of Agamotto the All-Seeing, Omnipotent Oshtur, and Hoary Hoggoth.
Now that the Ancient One has left this mortal coil, Stephen Strange will need new guides as he discovers the unlimited realms of magic in the MCU. We can think of no better guides than the omnipresent Vishanti as Strange and Marvel fans continue to learn the limitless potential of the magical realms. And really, I just want to live in a world where some agent calls his actor client to tell him that he has an audition for the role of Hoary Hoggoth Truly, we live in a magical age!
