
History
Born untold thousands or even millions of years ago in the dimension of the vastly powerful energy-entities called the Saltine, Dormammu and his sibling Umar gathered matter to themselves to increase their power, a practice anathema to their fellow Saltine, becoming their dimension's mightiest sorcerers. Ultimately slaying their parent Sinifer, they were driven from their home dimension, the Faltine deeming their garnering of such energy intolerable, and assumed human form to explore others. Their search for conquests brought them to the Dark Dimension, a mystic realm riddled with natural warps into pocket universes within the dimension itself. At the time of their arrival, the Dark Dimension’s multi-species society had been at peace for almost 28,000 years and was in the third millennium of the rule of King Olnar. Despite the warnings of his sorcerer advisors the Mhuruuks, Olnar offered Dormammu and Umar sanctuary and power in exchange for the knowledge of how to shatter dimensional barriers and absorb other dimensions into his domain. After decades of such conquest, Dormammu, whether by chance or design, led Olnar to the dimension of the Mindless Ones, indestructible rampaging dreadnoughts who slew Olnar and many other Dark Dimension denizens. Dormammu and Umar repelled and confined the creatures, using the confusion to murder most of the Mhuruuks, and were hailed as heroes by the Dark Dimension, of which they were proclaimed regents; Olnar’s infant son Orini, deemed no threat, was allowed to live under their care. As ruler, Dormammu partially reverted to flaming Faltine form and merged his essence with that of the Dark Dimension’s innate mystic energies, increasing his power enormously.
Little is known of Dormammu’s early rule, and since denizens of the Dark Dimension have millennia-long lifespans within a universe whose time passage may not match Earth’s anyway, it is almost impossible to guess how long those activities lasted. He warred with several extradimensional rulers and allied with others, forming a pact with Odin of Asgard.
When Umar went mad after bearing a daughter to Orini, now in millennia-old adulthood, Dormammu used trickery to banish her to a pocket universe, becoming sole ruler of the Dark Dimension and continuing his conquests. Orini became Dormammu’s most devoted disciple and raised his daughter Clea in the Dread One’s service.
Finally, prompted by events that remain unrevealed (though Dormammu's lust for further dimensional conquest to expand his own was certainly far from sated yet), Dormammu targeted the Earth dimension for conquest in 1666, causing the Great Fire of London and using the life-force of its victims to link the two dimensions via Stonehenge. However, Dormammu suffered his first defeat when forced back to the Dark Dimension by the Mystic, Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme. In 1692, Dormammu also clashed with Salem exorcist Hiram Shaw, who vied for the Sorcerer Supreme title, and other earthly foes came and went over the centuries, but the Mystic, later called the Ancient One, became his true obsession; indeed, the Ancient One’s influence spread throughout the multiverse, protecting other realms from Dormammu’s grasp. It was through the actions of the Ancient One, aided by the Eye of Agamotto, that he was deemed viable for the role of the Marvel Universe's Sorcerer Supreme. Unable to penetrate the mystic barriers erected by his foe to protect the Earth dimension, Dormammu occasionally acted through earthly pawns over the centuries, as when, in 1888, he was involved in creating Jack the Ripper, perhaps in cooperation with mastermind Fu Manchu, via a mystic parasite later called the Zaniac.
In 1943, Dormammu accepted Baron Mordo, disciple of the Ancient One, into his service via the sacrifice of Mordo’s own mother and grandfather; a year later, the Eye of Agamotto was stolen, whether through Mordo’s betrayal or not, by Nazi operatives and given to the Red Skull, who inadvertently traveled to the Dark Dimension via its power. When Captain America and Bucky (James Barnes) wrestled the amulet from the Skull, the villain bargained with Dormammu for power in exchange for its retrieval, but the Ancient One sent Sgt. Fury and the Howling Commandos to aid Captain America and Bucky, and Dormammu contemptuously dismissed the Skull from his sight; ironically, Jack the Ripper was one of several time-displaced criminals led against Captain America and Bucky by the sorcerer Terdu later that year. Eventually, Mordo, with Dormammu’s patronage, slowly weakened the Ancient One’s power, a plan eventually halted in 1963 by Doctor Stephen Strange, who became the Ancient One’s true disciple and ultimate successor; however, Mordo continued to provide Dormammu with human sacrifices.
In recent years, Mordo, evidently displeased with his progress as Dormammu’s servant, sought sacrifices for a mysterious entity, the Great Enigma. His efforts won the attention of Doctor Strange and the heroic Spider-Man, and Mordo fled through a portal, only to arrive before the Enigma, none other than Dormammu himself, who had perhaps used the alias to test his hapless catspaw. But Strange’s opposition intrigued Dormammu, who wondered if the Ancient One’s power was at last faltering if only his successor stood against Mordo.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
He is considered more powerful than Satannish, Satan, and Mephisto, and apparently served as the creator of the former. Dormammu is of sufficient skill and might to tamper with the spells of Odin against his will, as the Lord of the Dark Dimension did once to revert Thor back to his mortal guise. Dormammu had sufficient magical power to hold his own against clashes with Agamotto (a spawn of one of Earth's Elder Gods with power enough to stalemate Galactus) when the latter served as the Marvel Universe's first Sorcerer Supreme, even aided by an alien disciple; even today the Vishanti regard him as their prime enemy and that of the Sorcerer Supreme's. As a representative of Lord Chaos, Dormammu also held the upper hand in a formal game of cosmic chess against Odin, who was representing Master Order, but it ultimately ended in a draw as Odin wished. According to Loki, Odin speaks of Dormammu as an equal, whereas Dormammu consider Odin as an inferior. He has even dared to directly challenge a manifestative form of Eternity itself, and in one case even overcame it. Dormammu even claims that he will destroy the Celestials, burning them in the Flames of the Faltine. However, there are still limits to his might. For example, the demon known as Zom has been referred to as more powerful than his sister Umar, and thus possibly himself (although his power has increased greatly on a few occasions since then).
From Strange's lone duels with the fallen Faltinian being to his conflicts with him aided by the Defenders and other allies, Dormammu, frequently displays enough power to "ravage a cosmos" and destroy the entire Marvel Universe. Dormammu’s power combined with the magic of the Evil Eye was enough to destroy an entire reality, invading not only Earth, but the Sol system, and the worlds of the Kree, the Skrulls, the Badoon, the Titans, Warlock and other "off-worlders." Dormammu even claims his Flames of the Faltine are powerful enough to enable human sorceresses baptized with them to destroy any undead with a thought, while a thousand separate realities have all fallen to the infection and it is deemed virtually incurable. Dormammu's full powers combined with those of Umar's were enough to overwhelm Eternity and actually tap into his powers to alter all of reality itself into one in his own image.
- Sorcery over the Flames of the Faltine: Dormammu is composed of pure mystic energy, eclipsing even the greatest of sorcerers in terms of raw power and the ability to manipulate the forces of magic, including Doctor Strange and the Ancient One. Dormammu is virtually indestructible and immortal due to his energy form composed of raw magical energy which is increased and replenished, at least partially, by worship throughout various dimensions.
- Banishment: Dormammu can banish all from his domain (the Dark-Dimension) but usually opts to fight them. Dormammu once was capable, even in Earth's dimension, where his powers decrease, of imprisoning the Elder Goddess Gaea at the center of the Earth; it took Clea, adept apprentice of the Sorcerer Supreme using a complex spell fueled by the combined power of Zom and Oshtur to release Gaea from Dormammu's magic, and it took Gaea the joined force of all the spiritual essences of the Earth's living beings to banish him.
- Superhuman Strength: Dormammu possesses some degree of superhuman strength. He is capable of using his magical powers to augment his strength, enabling him to lift well in excess of 100 tons.
- Astral Projection: Among many of his powers, he is capable of inter-dimensional, and near limitless astral projection.
- Matter Transmutations: The ability to alter and shape object in his Dark Dimension to a weapon of his choosing.
- Inter-dimensional Teleportation/Transportation: Creating portal allows him to view and/or step both within or between other dimensions, as well allowing to transport power and object through them.
- High-Speed Flight: Dormammu can use his mystical energy to enable himself to fly at supersonic speeds.
- Transformations: Compose of mystical energy allows him the ability to manipulate himself with relative ease changing his appearance and his size as to cause massive growth.
- Elemental Control: Dormammu can call on the elements to do his bidding.
- Time Travel: Though capable of this it seems to drain Dormammu of his powers causing him to not use it.
- Energy Projection: Manifestations ranging from force bolts and cursed conflagrations to magically-constructed beings, or empowering others to such a point that the empowered one wields power dwarfing even that of a dimension's Sorcerer Supreme.
- Energy Absorption: He can draw upon the power of the entire Dark Dimension, but is somewhat more limited when present in another dimension.
Abilities
Trained in an extra-dimensional fighting style, Dormammu is a capable hand-to-hand combatant, but was once bested by the well-trained, in Martial Arts, human Doctor Strange when neither was using mystic powers.
Strength level
Strength, speed, and stamina, which he can directly empower to levels shown capable of outmatching a slightly angered Hulk, or by growing to gigantic size. His chief resources are his tremendous magical powers and considerable intellect.
Weaknesses
Dormammu's magical powers are stated and shown to be weakened when on Earth or in any other dimension not of his own, failing to pierce Earth-1010's dimensional boundaries directly from the Dark Dimension when they were secured by the spells of the Sorcerer Supreme; even a temporary dimensional aperture with other dimensions has been shown to weaken him, sapping his mystic prowess sufficiently that the Sorcerer Supreme of the Earth dimension has been able to rival him in direct magical combat.
Paraphernalia
Equipment: None known.
Transportation: None known.
Weapons: None known.
Notes
- No special notes.
Trivia
- No trivia.
See Also
- Appearances of Dormammu (Earth-1010)
- Character Gallery: Dormammu (Earth-1010)
- Quotations by Dormammu (Earth-1010)
Discover and Discuss
- Search News for: Dormammu · Dormammu (Earth-1010)
Links and References
- None.