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Tuesday, 3 January 2012

Dr Strange's all time greatest foe.

Marvel Premiere #3, Dr Strange, Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth
By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth and the Flipping Fiends of Fomething-or-other. Our dauntless quest to find the greatest super-villain of them all brings us to that magical master of mystery Dr Strange.

As we all know, the good doctor once had a battle with the bottle but then went on to face even deadlier foes. There was the Dread Dormammu, the Naughty Nightmare, Bothersome Baron Mordo, the Fiddlesticky Faceless Ones, the Sinister Satannish, Umar the Unspeakable and those two hypnotised blokes who beat him up in that Steve Ditko story where he teamed up with Spider-Man.

Those two blokes aside, it's fair to say that, thanks to their mystical bent, most of Dr Strange's foes have been a little more stylish than the run-of-the-mill villain. So, of all the foes Dr Strange has ever come up against, who's been your favourite?

Personally, I've always had a soft spot for Nightmare, possibly because he was the first Dr Strange villain I ever encountered, but also because I too have been known to have had the odd nightmare in my time and can therefore claim that Nightmare is the only foe of any super-hero that I've ever encountered. Needless to say, my mastery of the Eye of Agamotto has kept me safe every time.

But, in the end, it's not my opinion that counts. It's yours. So, give me your favourites and, as always, in a couple of days from now I'll put them in a poll - and at last the world can answer the question; "Just who is Dr Strange's greatest ever foe?"

12 comments:

  1. Aggy3 January 2012 at 17:50

    I can't blieve that in your list of his greatest foes you missed this awesome foe.

    I present for your consideration... the one... the only...

    SILVER DAGGER

    Behold the terrible foe of Mystics everywhere - Christianity!

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  2. Dougie3 January 2012 at 18:02

    Yandroth the Scientist Supreme: nice use of contrast. Or Kaluu, the Ancient One's evil brother, despot of Kamar-Taj. Or Tiboro, one of the earliest foes I saw. Or Shuma-Gorath,an unspeakable Lovecraftian being.

    But I'm going to vote for Count Dracula, from that moody Colan face-off of cloaks and moustaches.

    (hey! The captcha was Brion, as in Markovia!)

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  3. Anonymous3 January 2012 at 22:24

    Gotta be between Nightmare and the Dread Dormammu although I have a soft spot Baron Mordo also - The Silver Dagger story was brilliant - McScotty

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  4. Simon B 3 January 2012 at 23:33

    It's probably between Baron Mordo and Dormammu for me, although the Silver Dagger and Shuma-Gorath are also favourites.

    Mordo, being Strange's rival and fellow disciple of the Ancient One, was the most important villain of the strip's early years and had a suitably oddball look, courtesy of Steve Ditko. That early Strange Tales story where Mordo and his spectral agents pursued Strange across the globe is one of my faves.

    But, the real winner has to be the lord of the Dark Dimension. An arrogant, flame-headed demon-god? Dormammu really is one of comics' greatest villains. The famous scene from Strange Tales #146 where Dormammu takes on Eternity him/itself is one of the most iconic moments of the Silver Age.

    Mind you, judging by recent years' comics, you could say Dr. Strange's greatest foes are Marvel editors who don't have a clue about how to handle the character...

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  5. Kid4 January 2012 at 01:56

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  6. Kid4 January 2012 at 02:00

    Baron Mordo. And those two hypnotized guys gave Spidey an even bigger gubbing. (Is what I should've said the first time.)

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  7. Super-Duper ToyBox4 January 2012 at 06:05

    Definitely the Dread Dormammu. Weird about the mention of Silver Dagger, though... just bought Dr. Strange #32 today in the dollar comics bin, which features the character

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  8. Boston Bill4 January 2012 at 14:58

    It's between the top 3 Ditko baddies.
    Baron Mordu: Trained by the Ancient One, he was whupped one time to many by Strange and became more of an annoyance than a great villain.
    Dormammu: The opposite of Mordu, the dread ruler of the dark dimension has too much power for Strange to tackle one-on-one.
    Nightmare: My pick. Bizarre and from another dimension, he poses a constant threat to the good Dr. and he doubly threatening when encountered in the dream dimension.

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  9. MikeD5 January 2012 at 16:58

    Same as most for me - a toss up between Baron Mordo and the DD! I'll go with the Baron for purely nostalgic reasons going back to British reprints in the Avengers.

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  10. Anonymous7 January 2012 at 13:34

    What about the Headmen from the Defenders?

    Simon

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  11. Steve W.7 January 2012 at 14:23

    Oops! I forgot to point out that the poll's been posted, so nominations are closed.

    Sorry, Simon. The blame lies with me.

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  12. ~P~8 January 2012 at 02:26

    My all-time favorite Dr. Strange villain is:

    SHUMA GORATH

    However, I also have affinity for -
    Silver Dagger.

    And I have the hots for -
    Dreamweaver.

    However, I absolutely love the HOUSE of SHADOWS! - A bad guy who fought Doctor Strange AND (many years later) ROM : SPACEKNIGHT.

    Kaluu is a mixed-bag because as much as he was a foe, he has been Strange's mentor as well (during the amazing Strange Tales v2 era).

    I could go on and on, but like your poll so aptly notes, Doctor Strange's most DIRE villains are his editors!

    Feel free to visit my Doctor Strange centric blog, filled to bursting with Strange goodness each and every post!

    ~P~
    Sanctum Sanctorum Comix
    http://sanctumsanctorumcomix.blogspot.com/

    http://twitter.com/SanctumBlog

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