Doctor Strange/Characters

Doctor Stephen Strange


"A brilliant but arrogant New York surgeon, Dr. Stephen Strange's life was turned upside down when a car crash caused irreparable nerve damage to his hands, preventing him from ever holding a scalpel again. Driven by arrogance and desperation, he traveled the world in search of a cure, finally arriving in Tibet to seek the help of the Ancient One, a powerful wizard and (unbeknownst to him) the Sorcerer Supreme, the mage charged with protecting the Earth from the otherdimensional Cosmic menacies who would threaten it."

"The Ancient One, finding him too proud, turned Strange down but allowed him to stay the night, letting Strange discover and foil the plot of his Deceptive Disciple Baron Mordo, so that he would learn humility and see the existence of true evil -- and the need to combat it. Sensing his great magical potential, the Ancient One asked Strange to become his new apprentice, and the now humbled Strange accepted."

"After years of study he moved back to New York and engaged in many mystical adventures and fought many wicked foes, including the vengeful Mordo, the Dread Dormammu and the abominable Shuma-Gorath, who caused the death of the Ancient One, leading to Strange inheriting his title and responsibilities. As the new Sorcerer Supreme, Strange became the best and last line of defence between Earth and total destruction at the hands of its most powerful enemies."


 * Amplifier Artifact: The Cloak Of Levitation which lets him...levitate, and fly. Also the Wand of Watoomb, the Book of the Vishanti, the Darkhold, the Purple Gem, and anything with "-of Agamotto" at the end of it, as well as many other mystical objects.
 * The Archmage
 * Astral Projection
 * Badass Bookworm: Not only is he a former world-class surgeon turned master of the mystic arts, he's a highly skilled martial artist to boot and is fully capable of laying the smackdown without relying on his magical powers.
 * Badass Beard: In some depictions.
 * Badass Mustache: Always.
 * Big Good: One of them. When it comes to mystical issues, expect other heroes to come knocking at his door.
 * Bigger on the Inside: His Sanctum Sanctorum.
 * Came Back Strong: He met Death in combat, accepted the inevitability of it, surrendered to it -- and became immortal.
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Dr. Jerk: Formerly.
 * Gentleman Wizard
 * Good Is Not Soft
 * Gray Eyes
 * Guile Hero
 * Immortality: Type II. Like any Sorcerer Supreme, he has a pact with Death itself that means he will not die of natural causes, though he has a higher-than-normal chance of dying in combat with some otherworldly Eldritch Abomination.
 * Kung Fu Wizard
 * Linear Warriors, Quadratic Wizards: At his most powerful, Strange is the most powerful of all mainstream heroes in the Marvel Universe, such that even the likes of The Mighty Thor or the Silver Surfer would be no match for him in a straight fight. He needs to be, since his enemies are often far more powerful than even that.
 * Not That Kind of Doctor: Anymore. He's kept up some of his medical skill, though how much varies from writer to writer, and he still thinks of himself as a physician.
 * Occult Detective: On occasion.
 * Papa Wolf: Threaten him and he'll shrug it off. Threaten someone he loves and he'll take you apart.
 * Pride: When he was a surgeon, he was also an arrogant Jerkass who knew exactly just how good he was. He got better, but he's not totally immune from it either.
 * Psychic Powers: He's actually on par with even the likes of Professor X, though the latter is obviously more specialised, more experienced, and probably more skilled.
 * Secret Identity: In the past he had a 'civilian' identity as "Stephen Sanders," but he eventually let it lapse. The Weirdness Censor seems to keep most persons from realizing he's more than a harmless New Age kook.
 * Skunk Stripe: His hair is white at his temples.
 * Spell Book: The Book of the Vishanti.
 * Third Eye: The Eye of Agamotto.
 * Tome of Eldritch Lore: Much of his library; especially the Darkhold.
 * Wizards Live Longer
 * Who You Gonna Call?

Clea
"The daughter of the demonic entity Umar, though unaware of that fact for some time, Clea spent most of her life as one of countless denizens enslaved to her uncle, the god-tyrant of the Dark Dimension Dormammu, whose servant Orini was her own father. Impressed by the courage of Stephen Strange in his battles to defeat The Dread One, she chose to help him as his only ally in the Dark Dimension but quickly became a prisoner for her trouble. Both Dormammu and even Umar sought to hurt Strange through her, until the Ancient One sent her to another dimension for her safety, and eventually she went to Earth to live and train with Strange."

"After years of training Clea returned to the Dark Dimension and learnt that Umar was her mother, after she had taken over the Dark Dimension. Now much more powerful, Clea led a rebellion against her mother and defeated her in magical combat, and was named the new ruler of the Dark Dimension before being overthrown by Dormammu again, though not before marrying Stephen within it. Some time later Umar and Mordo regained control of the Dark Dimension and she was tricked by Dormammu into helping him overthrow them. To atone she chose to stay behind and lead the fight against him. She has not been seen since, but Strange has never forgotten her."


 * The Archmage: Sorceress Supreme...of the Dark Dimension.
 * Archnemesis Dad: And Mum. And uncle.
 * Badass Princess: Technically.
 * Big Screwed-Up Family: Both her mother and uncle are malevolent demonic entities seeking to dominate all of Creation, and her father was Dormammu's closest disciple. The Hell Lord Sataanish is supposedly a creation of Dormammu too, which would make Clea his cousin. And at one point, Baron Mordo was Umar's consort. This is not a healthy family background.
 * Dark Magical Girl
 * Dating Catwoman: And marrying her, then breaking up, but wanting to see her again...But she was never really a villain.
 * Hero's Muse
 * I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: She left Strange when she became aware of another woman who had a greater claim on his love.
 * La Résistance: In the Dark Dimension.
 * Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Depending on the Writer, she has a rather whimsical sense of humor and will distract Strange with lighthearted pranks (or physical intimacy) if she thinks he is getting too serious and needs to loosen up.
 * Mentor Ship: She is Strange's greatest apprentice, and the love of his life.
 * Mysterious Waif: When first introduced, all she could do was watch Strange from afar and look concerned.
 * Put on a Bus
 * Really Seven Hundred Years Old
 * White-Haired Pretty Girl

Wong
"Wong is the latest in a long-line of men who devoted themselves to the service of the Sorcerer Supreme beginning with his ancestor Kan ten generations before. He is more than just Strange's manservant; he is the sorcerer's confidant and most trusted friend, as well as his tutor and sparring partner in the martial arts - in turn, he is versed in magic enough to assist in complex spells and hold his own against his master's less impressive, but still dangerous, threats. He still calls Strange "master" on occasion, but he claims it's mostly a matter of habit."


 * Badass Normal: Comparatively speaking.
 * Bald of Awesome
 * Battle Butler
 * Bodyguarding a Badass
 * Ethnic Menial Labor: Wong is a well rounded character and an all-round Badass in his own right... but still, this trope is probably in the back of your mind.
 * Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting
 * Identical Grandson
 * The Jeeves
 * Legacy of Service
 * Martial Pacifist
 * Old Retainer: Wong has been Strange's one true companion over the years, even after he lost the title of Sorcerer Supreme.
 * Perfectly Arranged Marriage: With Imei, though she died before they could get married.
 * Servile Snarker: At times. If Strange is portrayed as a Deadpan Snarker, Wong sometimes gets a dry wit to match.
 * Weak but Skilled

The Ancient One
"Strange's centuries-old mentor and his predecessor as Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One has been protecting the Earth and wider Marvel Universe for generations from the forces of evil. He brought out not just Strange's inner magical potential but also his inner hero, and entrusted him with the responsibility to battle his most powerful foes. Strange was eventually forced to kill him to prevent the demon Shuma-Gorath using him as a conduit to Earth, but rather than die he merged with Eternity and became one with the universe, leaving his student the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme."


 * All Powerful Bystander: Sometimes.
 * Ascended to A Higher Plane of Existence: He has become one with Eternity.
 * Big Good
 * Elderly Immortal
 * Killed Off for Real
 * The Obi-Wan
 * Old Master
 * Secret Test of Character: Pulled one on Strange in their first meeting.
 * Stealth Mentor

The Vishanti
"Oshtur began life as one of the Elder Gods, powerful magical entities that were the first sentient life on Earth. She fled to another dimension as her siblings began consuming each other for power, and there she met with another cosmic entity named Hoggoth and later, inspired by the children of mortal creatures, gave birth to the entity Agamotto. Agamotto became the Earth's first Sorcerer Supreme and left several magical artifacts to in their trust, and the trio became known as the Eternal Vishanti, and now serve as magical patrons of those who defend the Earth against the dark and demonic enemies that threaten it."


 * Alliteration: Their epithets, such as "Omnipotent Oshtur" or "Hoary Hoggoth."
 * Big Good
 * Enigmatic Empowering Entities
 * A Form You Are Comfortable With: Their typical appearance, albeit still weird. When Strange entered Agamotto's realm, he saw imagery drawn from Alice in Wonderland (Agamotto as an enormous caterpillar, hookah and all).
 * God Couple: And son.
 * Mysterious Backers
 * Physical Gods
 * The Powers That Be
 * Super Family Team
 * Trickster Mentor: Agamotto to Strange, especially when he appears to him without the other two Vishanti.
 * You Cannot Grasp the True Form: They are higher entities, after all.

Gaea
"Whilst her sister Oshtur fled the Elder Gods to another dimension, Gaea dealt with them by giving birth to the entity Atum, who consumed the ones who did not escape and then dispelled their evil energies, which eventually became The Legions of Hell. Gaea then established countless magical barriers to prevent her demonic brethren from returning to Earth again, which were later reinforced by successive sorcerers. When Strange fell out of favour with the Vishanti, Gaea was there to serve as his new patron."


 * Absurdly Youthful Mother: To The Mighty Thor, and the Elder God Atum.
 * Big Good
 * Big Screwed-Up Family: Her sister is Oshtur of the Vishanti, which is fine, but the rest of their siblings are cannibalistic demonic entities who are bent on her death for siring another entity born to eat them before they could wreck more damage across the cosmos.
 * Hot God: Specifically, to Storm, who worships her as the Bright Lady she once met in her youth.
 * Like a Son to Me: She once called Strange her son, and Clea (touchingly) her "adopted daughter"
 * Mother Nature
 * Physical God

Eternity
"The Anthropomorphic Personification of Eternity has existed since the dawn of time and represents one of the fundamental aspects of the universe. It is enemies with some of the most powerful and dangerous evils in the cosmos which seek either to kill it or take its power for themselves, which in either case will result in The End Of Reality As We Know It. He has assisted Doctor Strange when he comes into battle with these enemies."


 * Anthropomorphic Personification
 * Big Good: See a theme yet?
 * Blue and Orange Morality/Good Is Not Nice: Eternity doesn't think like we do, or share our human concerns. Nevertheless, he can occasionally be considerate.
 * Celestial Body: He resembles a humanoid starfield with a face.
 * Cosmic Keystone
 * Good Counterpart: To Oblivion, the Chaos King, or whatever Cosmic Being happens to be personifying The End Of All Things at that particular moment.
 * Powers That Be
 * Sentient Cosmic Force
 * Time Master

Death
"The Anthropomorphic Personification of Death, which grants Immortality to the Sorcerer Supreme if s/he is deemed worthy. It often takes the form of a young woman, as which it earned the affections of the mad Titan Thanos. It grants authority to various Death Gods, Skyfathers and Hell Lords to take charge of souls after death or under certain arrangements. Though a largely amoral entity that ultimately desires the end of life itself, it is not actively malevolent and sees its duty as bringing an end to pain. It is thus opposed to those that are out to do far, far worse."


 * Anthropomorphic Personification
 * Anti-Villain: When Thanos killed half the universe to impress her, it worked. But though she has no problem whatever with killing she is averse to causing needless suffering or worse.
 * Don't Fear the Reaper: While her consort and lover would gladly kill everything in the universe for her, and though she would find that very romantic, she is a necessary component of the universe and, further, sees herself as the end of pain and suffering. She is not actively malevolent or sadistic.
 * Fate Worse Than Death: While she is far from nice, when you compare her to the likes of Dormammu -- who turns life and death into a neverending torture camp, or Shuma-Gorath -- who turns life itself into a cancer and enslaves you mind, body and soul, Death is practically a saint and is rarely directly opposed to Earth's heroes.
 * Stalker with a Crush: Thanos, though she is one to Deadpool, thus earning him the formers eternal wrath. Hilarity Ensues.
 * The Voiceless

The Living Tribunal
"The Living Tribunal is the supreme authority of the multiverse second only to The One Above All. In general it only enters the field when all other forces have been outmatched."


 * Authority Equals Asskicking: Bar a couple of non-canon or semi-canon examples, the Tribunal is consistently portrayed as the most powerful force in all of existence, bar the Creator.
 * Big Damn Heroes: The Living Tribunal doesn't fight Eldritch Abominations, it curb stomps them.
 * Big Good: The Biggest Good in the Multiverse, second only to God himself.
 * Judge, Jury, and Executioner: And a head for each.
 * Multiple Head Case
 * Reasonable Authority Figure
 * Weaksauce Weakness: Compared to everything else he may as well be omnipotent but if his three heads can't agree on something he won't act. This can be used to keep him out of a lot of plots he'd solve before they began.

Baron Mordo
"The treacherous apprentice of the Ancient One before Strange took his place, Baron Karl Amadeus Mordo has plagued the Sorcerer Supreme several times in his quest for revenge and power. He often allies himself with more powerful demonic entities, frequently Umar or Dormammu, and tends to rely on Mind Control and illusions to further his evil schemes."


 * A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil: It's never been clear whether he started out evil or fell to evil somewhere along the course of his magical studies.
 * Aristocrats Are Evil
 * Bait the Dog: He played on Sara Wolfe's interest in him (after a brief Pet the Dog moment), only to betray her trust as soon as he got the chance.
 * Black Magic
 * Daddy's Little Villain: His daughter Astrid. Tragically, he was trying to atone for a life of wrongdoing just as she was finding her stride as an evil sorceress.
 * Death Equals Redemption: In one story arc he died of cancer, redeeming himself somewhat in the process. Strange mourned for him. This being a comic book universe, it wasn't permanent.
 * Deceptive Disciple: To the Ancient One.
 * Evil Counterpart
 * Evil Sorceror
 * Evil Versus Oblivion: Since he wants to rule the world, he'll step up to help save it from destruction.. on occasion.
 * Green-Eyed Monster: In some depictions, envy of Strange's greater magical potential (or fear of losing his place beside the Ancient One) is what drove him to villainy.
 * Heel Face Revolving Door
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Master of Illusion
 * Mind Control
 * Psychic Powers
 * The Rival
 * Shadow Archetype
 * Villain's Dying Grace: Twice -- once to save Strange's friend Sara Wolfe and a second time to save Strange himself. He didn't survive the second one.

Chthon
"The demon Chthon is perhaps the most powerful of the Elder Gods and the first Evil Sorceror in the history of Earth. The office of Sorcerer Supreme was created specifically to defend against this demon in particular, and it has successfully exercised a nebulous influence throughout the planet's history. Chthon is the creator of a demonic race called the N'Garai and is the author of the Darkhold, the first book of Black Magic from which vampires, werewolves and witches were unleashed on the world. It is trapped in a pocket universe both by innumerable mystical barriers erected by Gaea and Earth's magical defenders and by its own sheer power, as it is so strong and huge it cannot leave by normal means, though has imparted a fraction of its power into potential human hosts for later possession, most notably and successfully the Scarlet Witch."


 * Arch Enemy: To Oshtur and the Vishanti, who made it their mission to never let him win.
 * The Archmage
 * Artifact of Doom: The Darkhold and other evil items.
 * Bigger Bad: It cannot act directly in the regular Marvel universe and thus is rarely if ever seen, the exceptions being when it utilises Demonic Possession, and in such cases it is a shadow of its true power (though still a major threat to all life everywhere).
 * Black Magic: Literally wrote the book on it; also the creator and source of Chaos magic, which despite Depending on the Writer yes, really does exist in the Marvel universe.
 * The Chessmaster
 * Dangerously Genre Savvy: It was wise enough to escape Atum while it was eating its brethren, but savvy enough to leave behind the Darkhold as an anchor from which to wield its influence; Chthon also wrote the name of the Demogorge in his book so if Atum ever becomes it again against him, he will fall under his control. Quite often even when its beaten, Chthon manages to leave something behind that it can use to cause more damage.
 * Demonic Possession: Several times, though it seems to have reserved the Scarlet Witch as its host of choice. It once ended up possessing her brother Quicksilver and even though this was just a tiny portion of its power, it very nearly destroyed the planet causing calamities as it rewrote reality.
 * Dimension Lord: Of a pocket dimension adjacent to Earth. As the Scarlet Witch demonstrated though, his power can affect the multiverse.
 * The Dreaded
 * Evil Counterpart: It is the antithesis of the Sorcerer Supreme and the job exists primarily to fight it, and not demons, evil sorcerers and cosmic beings in general. Though apparently if Strange and Chthon are in the same place at the same time, Strange will fall down dead, so he cannot fight it directly.
 * Evil Sorceror: In Marvel canon, the original Evil Sorceror (well, to Earth anyway), and one of the most powerful.
 * God of Evil: God of Chaos and the source of Chaos magic, both of which are evil in the context of the story.
 * I'm a Humanitarian: Devoured its own siblings for power, degenerating into a demon in the process.
 * I Have Many Names: The Other, The Great Shadow, He Who Holds The Darkness, Demon Of The Darkhold.
 * Father Of A Thousand Young: Vampires, werewolves, witches and all manner of demons and other horrors owe their existence to him, though sometimes indirectly.
 * Fighting a Shadow: It has never shown up in it's true form and usually relies on hosts or squeezing through portions of its power. If it did somehow manage to return it would probably destroy the world just with its presence.
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Names to Run Away From Really Fast: It is also known as the Great Shadow, and Eternity once called it the "Cancer of Reality".
 * Reality Warper
 * Satan: Somewhat closer to this than even the Hell Lords- whose existence it is partly responsible for- as a source of Ultimate Evil in Marvel Earth. It is far more powerful than any of them too. The archangel Lucifer even opposed him and defeated his N'Garai in the distant past before he fell and became evil himself, so perhaps it is more correct to say he is worse than the Devil.
 * Sealed Evil in a Can: The demon itself is trapped in another dimension and countless magical barriers are erected to keep it there; on one occasion a portion of it escaped and wound up imprisoned in Mount Wundagore. The Fantastic Four villain the Puppet Master gets his magical clay from there and it was there that it implanted a fraction of its power into Wanda Maximoff and marked her as its host.
 * Tome of Eldritch Lore: The Darkhold, responsible for the creation of vampires and the fall of Atlantis amongst many other things. The Book of the Vishanti was written specifically as a counterweight to it.

Dormammu


"Dormammu is a member of the extradimensional race known as the Faltine, and with his sister Umar was exiled for craving matter and killing their "father" Sinifer, who spawned them. Through treachery and guile Dormammu took control of the Dark Dimension and began to cultivate worship of himself across several universes and conquering several others, which he merged with the Dark Dimension to increase his power as he is strongest there. He is responsible for the creation of Sataanish and other Hell Lords and is the power behind several demons, sorcerers and other magical villains."

"The classic Marvel Dimension Lord, Dormammu is a powerful Evil Sorceror and one of the most feared and terrible entities in the universe. Wielder of truly godlike power, either a demon or something even worse, The Dread One has worked for unknown ages towards making our reality his own. He has fought Earth's Sorcerer Supreme since the days of Agamotto but holds a particular enmity for Strange, who considers him his Arch Enemy and will do anything to defeat him."

Examples

 * A God Am I: Worshipped as God within the Dark Dimension and as a deity in thousands of others. Within the Dark Dimension he is virtually omnipotent.
 * Exclusively Evil: The Mindless Ones, faceless one-eyed rock monsters living outside the Dark Dimension who exist only to destroy. Dormammu has magical barriers in place to keep them out, but he is not above using them as minions.
 * Arch Enemy: While Mordo was probably this originally, Strange eclipsed him a long time ago and Dormammu was in most senses his master anyway. The war between Strange and the Dread One is much more personal, and Dormammu is a much more formidable foe.
 * Black Magic: His name can be invoked by sorcerers wishing to utilise his power. In the early days Strange himself use to do this, until he found out exactly who and what he was calling upon.
 * The Chessmaster
 * Classic Villain
 * Dimension Lord: Of the Dark Dimension, which includes several others that have been annexed and mystically merged with it. At time of writing, Dormammu provides the trope image.
 * The Dreaded: He's even known as Dread Dormammu, or simply The Dread One.
 * Dystopia Justifies the Means: His goal is to take over every universe and turn life and afterlife into a neverending torture camp. Fortunately he rarely comes close to achieving that ambition.
 * Eldritch Abomination
 * Eldritch Location: The Dark Dimension.
 * Evil Counterpart: Like Strange, Dormammu is a sorcerer first and foremost, though a much more powerful one who can rely on his natural magical energy. More importantly, Dormammu's greatest flaw is his Pride, which is what Strange had to overcome to get the help and tutorship of the Ancient One. Though Strange was never as psychopathic as the Lord of Darkness, he was every bit as arrogant.
 * He is also often compared to Odin, the All-Father of Asgard, and is usually portrayed as at least as powerful as he is. Whether he is less or much more is Depending on the Writer, but if Strange is not opposing Dormammu Odin probably is.
 * Evil Sorceror
 * Flaming Hair: Or rather, a flaming crown, that encompasses his entire head.
 * God-Emperor
 * Humanoid Abomination
 * I Have Many Names: The Dread One, The Black One, The Great Enigma, Eater of Souls, Lord of Darkness, Lord of the Dark Dimension
 * Kung Fu Wizard: Like Strange, he is a highly-trained fighter and is willing to engage in hant-to-hand combat. Strange has often managed to defeat him by playing on his ego and goading him into trying to win by killing Strange with his own hands rather than annihilating him with overwhelming power.
 * The Man Behind the Man: He is the power behind Sataanish and many other Hell Lords, and is frequently the patron of Baron Mordo and several other troublemakers.
 * Multiversal Conqueror: Or at least, aspires to be.
 * Order Versus Chaos: Was once chosen to represent Chaos in a game of cosmic chess against Odin, who represented Order. Though, in every other sense that was more of a straight-up battle between Good and Evil.
 * Pride: His weakness, and one Strange is happy to exploit.
 * Pure Magic Being
 * Reality Warper
 * Smug Snake: He is an extremely intelligent mage and has diabolical plans that stretch across multiple dimensions and countless millennia...and they all tend to be beaten, because he is just that arrogant and can't deal with things not working out exactly like he wanted them to.
 * Sorcerous Overlord

Mephisto
"An embodiment of ultimate evil, powerful Hell Lord and Marvel's most common stand in for Satan. He has antagonized just about every hero, but tends to single out those who are especially noble like the Silver Surfer and Thor. As can be expected, many of the traditional tropes associated with Satan are part of him. His origins are unclear, but it seems that he was not one of the Hell Lords created by Dormammu, and has no ties to him, and though he is not as powerful as the latter he is stronger than perhaps all other Hell Lords under his control. Strange often battles him when other heroes fall foul of his schemes, though memorably he once allied with Doctor Doom to save the villain's mother from the demon's clutches."


 * Big Red Devil
 * The Corrupter
 * Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: He is called the Lord of Lies for a reason, after all.
 * Deal with the Devil: Not his only tactic, but probably his favourite.
 * Demon Lords and Archdevils
 * Dimension Lord: He rules one of the Splinter Realms, which were originally Hell itself before being divided between the various demons and gods that now rule it. He owns one of the larger portions and within is nigh-omnipotent, but is much weaker outside of it.
 * Fire and Brimstone Hell: He actually even modeled it on Dante's Inferno, just to mess with those that end up in it.
 * For the Evulz: He does love his work.
 * Hellfire
 * The Legions of Hell: His to command.
 * Made of Evil: Probably. It's not altogether clear.
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Reality Warper
 * Satan: Or at least, he likes to pretend to be.

Nightmare
"One of Strange's oldest demonic foes, Nightmare is an evil entity that preys on human beings in their sleep and seeks to trap them in the Dream Dimension where he can plague them with nightmares for all eternity, feasting on their psychic energy by causing his victims fear. Though he is unable to affect the waking world, the terrors and illusions he utilises can traumatise and haunt a person long after sleep."


 * As Long as There Is Evil: As long as people can dream, Nightmare will live. It is possible to kill him by stopping people dreaming, but humanity would quickly go mad as a result. Causing him mortal injury has had devastating effects, such as causing psychics worldwide to go berserk.
 * Dimension Lord: The Dream Dimension, though despite its name there are actually several of them and in fact several other dream demons, though he is possibly the most powerful. The other dream dimensions are not always bad places.
 * Dream Land
 * Dream Weaver
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Master of Illusion
 * Mind Rape
 * Names to Run Away From Really Fast
 * Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: Almost literally.
 * Paranoia Fuel: Strange has to cast a spell on himself every single night to prevent Nightmare attacking him in his sleep. If he fails to do this even once, Nightmare will invade him. It has happened at least once before.
 * Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: He has a daughter called the Dreamqueen; he got her by raping a succubus. Which is messed up in all sorts of ways. Worse, he once told the Incredible Hulk that he did it by raping Banner's wife; this earned him a mild case of death, though of course he got better.
 * Sealed Evil in a Can: The usual solution to defeating him, though it is always just a matter of time till he gets out.
 * The Trickster
 * World Domination: He is psychically linked to humanity, so his ambitions are often limited to just this unlike other demons on this page. Of course, this would mean that humans would be suffering horrible nightmares for all eternity, so it's still far from a pleasant goal.

Sataanish
"A Hell Lord who is said to be the creation of Dormammu and thus ultimately acts to further his goals. He is a rival of Mephisto and one of the few who can come close to matching him in power."


 * Deal with the Devil: Compared to Mephisto, he is somewhat more honourable in these matters, though its still a bad idea to barter with him.
 * Demon Lords and Archdevils
 * Dimension Lord
 * The Legions of Hell
 * Made of Evil
 * The Man Behind the Man: As a Hell Lord subordinate to Dormammu, he has been on both sides of this arrangement.
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Multiple Head Case: Has a second head in his chest.
 * Reality Warper
 * Religion of Evil: The Sons of Sataanish, his mortal representatives.

Set
"Set is the Elder God who first devoured its brethren for power and degenerated into a demon, and is thus the first murderer in the history of Earth. It is an enormously powerful ancient evil that seeks to kill humanity and mammals and make reptilian life the dominant on Earth again, as it gains power from their violent death. The multi-headed snake god is the power behind many ancient sorcerers since mankind's early days and holds a special enmity for its sister Gaea, who is responsible for many of its greatest defeats."


 * A God Am I
 * Arch Enemy: Gaea, who sired Atum to kill Set and the other Elder Gods, and unleashed it against Set again when he returned, and sent the dinosaurs to wipe out all mammalian life as she had decided dinosaurs were an evolutionary dead end. Their battle accidentally caused the dinosaurs to go extinct (the meteor that killed them was probably summoned by one or the other) and is the reason it has so many heads.
 * Artifact of Doom: The Serpent Crown, which grants magical powers to whoever wears it and of which there are several throughout the multiverse, each mystically connected to the same Set who is a unique entity (Depending on the Writer). The Crowns enable him to influence events on a multiversal scale.
 * Body Horror: Its true form in its own dimension is identical to its normal one...except that it has been turned inside out for some horrible reason.
 * Blood Knight
 * Dimension Lord: He is stuck in a pocket dimension adjacent to Earth thanks to magical barriers set up to keep him there. He has slightly more freedom than his brother Chthon however as he has managed to escape before and is still capable of influencing not just Earth, but alternate versions of Earth throughout the multiverse (though only Earth, due to the limitations of his prison.)
 * Evil Is Petty
 * God of Gods
 * Horror Hunger: More than any other Elder God, Set is characterized by his insatiable appetite and is possibly unable to stop, not that it particularly wants to mind. It is said that while Gaea nourishes, Set consumes.
 * Human Sacrifice: Demands it, partly because it grants him power, partly just to be a dick.
 * Hydra Problem: Atum cut off its original head, but two more took its place. So Atum kept cutting until he has seven.
 * I Have Many Names: Father Set, the Great Serpent, the Great Devourer Set the Great Destroyer.
 * Each of its heads have their own name too and are the basis of various mythological and religious serpents-Set, Apep, Ophion, Tiamat, Lotan, Leviathan and Apocalypse, respectively, are their names.
 * I'm a Humanitarian: The very first Elder God to eat its brethren.
 * Father Of A Thousand Young
 * Kill All Humans
 * Legacy Character: There is another Set in the Marvel cosmology, the God of Evil of the Egyptian pantheon who often clashes with Odin and The Mighty Thor- apparently he took Set's name just because he thought Set the Elder God was just that Badass. Apocalypse of the X-Men was also once mistaken for Set, and milked it for all it was worth.
 * The Man Behind the Man: To several demons and human sorcerers, most notably Thoth-Amon, the Arch Enemy of Conan the Barbarian.
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Multiple Head Case
 * Reality Warper
 * Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Both Set and its spawn, the Serpent People, which it wishes to replace humanity with.
 * Religion of Evil: Has had a few in his time.
 * Seven Deadly Sins: Each of its heads represents one of them.
 * Smug Snake: Both figuratively and literally.

Shuma-Gorath


"One of the most dangerous demons Stephen Strange has ever faced, Shuma-Gorath is one the most ancient and terrible entities to ever exist. Completely unkillable, borderline omnipotent and the all-powerful ruler of nearly a thousand alternate realms, it is responsible for the death of the Ancient One and has attempted to invade the Earth several times, and in the distant past even ruled it on two separate occasions. It has only grown stronger since then and its return could bring about the end of the universe."

"It has recently been established that it is one of the Many-Angled Ones, immortal Lovecraftian entities that alter reality to bring about an end to death and allowing life to grow out of control and ferment as a cancer, and turning all living beings into creatures as alien and abominable as they are. It also established Shuma-Gorath and his brood as one of the oldest sentient life forms in the multiverse, and is thus a truly ancient and terrifying evil."

Examples
"Shuma-Gorath: So thou knowest the essence of Shuma-Gorath, eh, Doctor Strange? Aye—evil! Ancient, timeless... patient... evil! And Shuma-Gorath doth know thee."
 * A God Am I: Worshipped as such in all of its hundreds of realms and across thousands more. Within its own realms it is all powerful in every sense of the word, save for its lesser realms, though even in them its power is said to be so huge it makes Mephisto and Satanish look like "mice in a great temple".
 * Card-Carrying Villain:


 * Characterization Marches On: The elder god Cthun used to be considered the worst of Strange's enemies and the addition of this Shuma Gorath to the marvel universe proper did not change that. It didn't take many appearances after that though for Shuma Gorath to establish its threat level, despite how rarely the octopus ever appears. This can be attributed to Robert E. Howard treating creatures like Shuma Gorath as a different kind of challenge for Conan and Kull to overcome. Its looks like something from a HP Lovecraft horror story though, which it began to fit into more as time went on.
 * Charm Person: All living beings within its realms are fanatically devoted to worshipping it, though this doesn't seem to apply to artificial beings like robots and the like. In ancient Earth "its name was whispered in reverence by every living thing". Even in the present, many powerful and often evil entities are preared to serve it.
 * The Chessmaster
 * Demonic Possession
 * Dimension Lord: Of several hundred dimensions, in fact.
 * The Dreaded
 * Eldritch Abomination: More so than any other on this page. Its normal form is a multi-armed tentacled monster with one giant eye, but it can take any shape and its other forms, and possibly its true form, are even more alien than that. It has been said that Shuma takes the form which most terrifies the dimension he is trying to conquer.
 * Enemies with Death: And Death is usually on the losing end.
 * God of Gods: More like God of gods of gods. Shuma-Gorath claims that even Dormammu pales in comparison to his power and there is very little to contradict that; next to Zom and the Living Tribunal it is probably the most powerful being on this page, and Zom has a bad habit of dying or being a Sealed Evil in a Can. As ruler of several hundred alternate timelines, it has implicitly killed the likes of Eternity, Death and the other cosmic abstracts many times over, and it might very well be one the top ten most powerful beings in the entire Marvel cosmology.
 * Hero-Killer: Strange was forced to kill the Ancient One to stop it, then later forced to kill himself to prevent it from consuming him and get rid of its power. It returned far quicker than he imagined.
 * Human Sacrifice: Commanded this back in the day.
 * I Have Many Names: Shuma-Gorath, The Lord of Chaos, The Unclosing Eye, The Withering Devourer, He Who Sleeps But Shall Awake, The Great Old One.
 * If You Kill Him You Will Be Just Like Him: Literally; you will actually become him, as his evil energy will consume and possess you.
 * Immortality: Shuma-Gorath cannot truly die and any creature that somehow manages to kill it will end up becoming it, unless they have a similar level of immortality. If you kill yourself, its energies will just reform and it will return again. And don't put it off too long; those energies are so powerful than with them inside you can destroy galaxies just by being in them!
 * Large and In Charge: His normal form is so big that Strange mistook him for a mountain, though thanks to Voluntary Shapeshifting he really has no size limit.
 * The Man Behind the Man: It has been served by Nightmare and various human sorcerers, one of whom sold out the world in exchange for "my life and Barbados. All manner of otherwise egomaniacal gods and demons are more than willing to do its bidding if it calls on them.
 * Multiversal Conqueror: And very, very good at it.
 * Nigh Invulnerable: Oh, sure, you can hurt him, potentially even injure him severely, but you cannot ever hope to keep him down for long. No matter what you hit him with, he WILL get back up as if nothing happened.
 * The Omniscient: Not quite, but close enough.
 * Physical God: Actually an understatement. Shuma is about one step away from being flat-out omnipotent.
 * Reality Warper
 * Sympathetic Magic: He once made a voodoo doll of Earth. Disaster ensued. What's worse is that it didn't even require any effort; it conjured it out of nowhere purely to mess with Strange. (This backfired when Strange used it to kill him).
 * Time Abyss: Shuma-Gorath is not only one of the oldest creatures in the multiverse; it is one of the first. It probably started out as some kind of magical, invincible bacteria from a completely alien reality, and slowly grew in size and power over the course of trillions of years at least, until the present where it is currently one of the most powerful forces of evil in all of existence. The other Multi-Angled ones are the same.
 * Who Wants to Live Forever?: The Many-Angled ones eliminate death as part of their standard stratagem when they take over a universe; the end result is a universe of nightmarish horrors as life grows out of control.

Umar
"Mother of Clea and twin sister of Dormammu, Umar is a Faltine trapped in humanoid form after giving birth to her daughter, a fact that left her enraged and meant that she would always be weaker than her brother, though the difference in power is not great. She varies between allying with the Dread One and scheming to take over his realm, and has occassionally succeeded though he usually ends up taking it back. Though not quite as evil or strong, Umar has displayed greater patience and guile and thus has proven to be just as big a threat to Strange and the universe as her dreaded sibling."


 * Big Damn Villains: In one "Incredible Hulks" arc she abducted the Hulk to the Dark Dimension, which coincidentally kept the Earth from feeling more of his rage.
 * Big Screwed-Up Family
 * Black Comedy Rape:
 * The Incredible Hulk couldn't last five minutes with her, but seemingly it was the best sex he had had in a long time because no much how much she tortured Bruce Banner, he was completely relaxed and unfazed and couldn't transform back into the Hulk. And Umar was furious.
 * In a later storyline she abducted Hulk again when he was in full Worldbreaker mode. This time they were both satisfied.
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Deliver Us From Evil: Sadly averted. Giving birth to Clea caused her to be trapped in her humanoid form, and as a result she flew into a blind rage.
 * Dimension Lord: Even when she isn't ruler of the Dark Dimension, Dormammu usually just sticks her in a pocket universe where she still holds absolute power, thus meeting the criteria for this trope.
 * Eldritch Abomination: Trapped in human form.
 * God Save Us From the Queen: When she rules the Dark Dimension.
 * Humanoid Abomination
 * Mode Lock: She's a Pure Magic Being locked into a physical shape.
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: Blue to Dormammu's Red, insofar as she tends to be more deceitful and cerebral in her evil ways. This is partly because just she is stuck in a humanoid form though and is thus weaker than she should be, and she can still be really hot-tempered if pushed enough.
 * Sibling Rivalry
 * Vain Sorceress

Zom
"Created "long ago" by entities unknown, Zom is an ancient and terrible demon whose sole mission is to destroy everything, and whose rampage was only stopped by an alliance of powerful magic users whose ranks included even Dormammu and Umar. The alliance sealed him away but Strange released him on the advice of the Ancient One to help him win his battle with Umar; Zom proved to be an even greater threat and even Eternity was no match for him, but eventually he was defeated and a small piece of him was kept by Strange as a keepsake, though that too has recently been destroyed after Strange foolishly relied on its power, an act that caused him to resign as Sorcerer Supreme."


 * Always a Bigger Fish: The theme behind its original story arc; Zom was brought in to defeat Umar but went out of control and managed to defeat Eternity, but it was made clear it was no match for the Living Tribunal.
 * The Berserker: Zom, but especially those who draw on its power as its sheer fury overwhelms them.
 * The Corrupter: To Strange at least.
 * Deal with the Devil: Strange chose to utilise his power during World War Hulk and subsequent story arcs as a last-minute desperation move. This was a bad, bad idea....
 * Demonic Possession: ....because it tended to result in this. Eventually, Strange even exiled himself from Earth and temporarily resigned as Sorceror Supreme because he was unable to control himself.
 * Enemy to All Living Things
 * Enemy Mine: Dormammu, Umar and several other powerful magical users once regarded Zom as such a threat they worked together to contain it.
 * Enemy Within: To Strange after World War Hulk.
 * Evil Is Not a Toy: Something Strange needs to remember.
 * Genius Bruiser: It has mastery of several spells that even Strange has trouble dealing with, so it is an accomplished Evil Sorceror. However, he is such a Brute personality-wise that he can come across as Dumb Muscle.
 * Juggernaut
 * Literally Shattered Lives: How Strange originally managed to defeat it; turned out to be a case of It Got Worse as now its evil was spreading everywhere and the Living Tribunal threatened to destroy the universe to stop it if Strange didn't clean up his mess.
 * Made of Evil
 * Magic Hair: His hair is basically a magical shield that hides its presence from sorcerers.
 * Omnicidal Maniac: Its sole purpose for being is to destroy everything.
 * Sealed Evil in a Can