Nightmare (Earth-61616)

Do you like to see all of your dreams and goals fade away in a blink of an eye, or everyone you loved slowly fester because of your deepest failures, miseries, and sorrows in your pointless insignificant life, or even have your deepest fears feast upon you alive? Then you have definitely approached the right guy...

-- Nightmare

Origins

Main article: Nightmare (Earth-61615)

Nightmare was a terrifying and horrifying demonic entity with a mysterious origin, who became the powerful ruler of the dream dimension and a powerful entity on Earth-61615. For countless billions of years, since the beginning of time itself, Nightmare took over the several dimensions, in which he would make it a part of his own as he conquer it, and grew increasingly in power with every Nightmare he cast into a mortal mind. Without knowing, Nightmare soon became dependent on the fear he caused, making him even more power than he was, and soon after he required fear to live.

Eventually, when Nightmare began to lose his power due to the lack of fear he was able to maintain in his dimension, Nightmare physically ventured into the human realm on Earth, which was still during the Stone Age, when humanity was still rising into spreading civilization throughout the rest of the world. Once there, Nightmare took on the form of a ordinary farmer and a fortune teller, living inside a simple hut, and eventually have taken control of a rural, lakeshore village.

Facing Agamotto

The entire village was used as a tool for him in order to draw the residents of the village who were seeking a thrill, as Nightmare would show them their greatest fear for a price. Little did the thrill-seekers know that their fear was feeding Nightmare, increasing his power overtime. However, all of that changes, after one of its oldest residents, Agamotto, dubbed the Sorcerer Supreme, was revealed to be a vastly powerful benevolent being, who was also leading an organization of sorcerers committed to protecting the Earth from mystical threats, known as the Masters of Mystic Arts.

After an epic and devastating battle between the powerful demon and the sorcerers, Nightmare was finally defeated, and with it, he was sealed away into a sacred container only the Sorcerer Supreme itself could open, which, in turn, were placed inside an ancient tomb located at the burials of the village, where it was later found by the present day Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One, who then placed the container inside the scared relic room, inside the Masters of the Mystic Arts current headquarters, Kamar Taj. There, Nightmare remained imprisoned inside the container for several millennia, where he was imprisoned for a very long time, where it seemed like an endless torment for Nightmare, slowly draining from the lack of consuming fear.

Infinity War

A few years later, when the Infinity Gauntlet was now in the possession of the Mad Titan, Thanos, he announced his presence to the universe once more, in an attempt to impress and please his love for Lady Death, he decided to wipe out half the life in the entire universe with a snap of his fingers. However, despite having to remain imprisoned from his own container, the reality-altering effects of Thanos' snap somehow manages breaking the container, giving Nightmare the ultimate chance for him to escape his seemingly endless, agonizing captivity.

But little did Nightmare realize, that once he got out of the container, Nightmare's essence started rotting as he tries and change his own form. Unbeknownst to him, another eerie, parasitic entity from across the multiverse, has merged with Nightmare's body which caused his own body to deteriorate in the process. As he flies back into his own dimension, which was abandoned for almost a thousand millennia, Nightmare never stopped on decaying, despite the fact that he has returned to his safe haven, outside the human realm. However, despite his efforts and strength to fight off the effects of the Infinity Gauntlet, he miserably failed, apparently killing Nightmare in a really painful way.

Nevertheless, the contrary happened to Nightmare, and instead of the effects killing him quickly, it slowly turned him to undergo into a mysterious and strange process, to which, he and his entire realm, for that matter, was slowly wrapped into some kind of a "cosmic cocoon," where he was contained inside of it, for no one knows how long. From that point on forward, Nightmare remained in suspended animation, without anyone or anything, finding out about his whereabouts. Somewhere in the vast multiverse, Nightmare himself, was lost in it.

Rebirth

At some point later on, Nightmare would eventually snap out of his catatonic state, and as he wakes up entrapped inside the cosmic cocoon, he struggles to break out of it. However, after using all his remaining strength and capacity inside him, Nightmare manages to rip it apart from the inside, and was finally able to get rid off it.

Escaping his own cocoon, he watches in terror and yet, amazement, as he finds out that his own realm has gone through the same process, turning the Nightmare's Realm into a more, hellish-looking, deathly dimension, with having no possibility and chance for the reemergence life, only but Nightmare himself. In the wake of Nightmare's return, he was revealed to wake up as a new-created and a lot more powerful entity, due to the result of the parasite and himself merging inside the cosmic cocoon. Nightmare also found himself reawakening in a new reality, which was accidentally created during the earth-shattering events of Infinity War caused by Thanos.

Feeling a lot more powerful now that he had merged with the mysterious parasite, Nightmare also felt more tendency and craving for hunger in his new form, hunger for devouring worlds, in order to convert it into his own realm. As a result, Nightmare started his cosmic pilgrimage throughout this new universe he reawakened from, conquering every fear he could find from the weak and the wicked ones.

Ultron Revolution

After spending another million years in this new reality he was reborn in, Nightmare eventually found his way into the human realm once again, now finding his way on this world's present day. Entering this realm, he once again decided took on a human form, now going by the name of Edvard Haberdash and took control of a nightclub and renamed it "Club Fear." Now living in a modern reality, this club was used to draw people seeking a thrill, as Edvard would show them their greatest fear for a price. Little did the thrill-seekers know that their fear was feeding Nightmare, increasing his power.

However, Nightmare's control over Club Fear didn't last that very long. One time, while Nightmare had his club full of customers who were seeking for their own thrills, the city of New York was suddenly assaulted and raided by the crooked artificial intelligence Ultron and his unstoppable forces, the Ultron Sentries and Ultron Sentinels, starting a movement against the entire world in order to attempt the eradication of all life. A movement that would be proven to be somehow successful, later on. Eventually, this assault caused by the raging machines would last for an entire decade, before the heroes had victoriously defeated the megalomaniac himself. It was dubbed, the "Ultron Revolution."

Chatting with the Cleverbot

On the first days of the decade-long war, New York was one of the first cities to crumble and be taken over by the machines. During its destruction, Club Fear was one of the unfortunate places to be torn down. At first, Ultron himself even was interested to enter the club, which led to the customers attempting to escape the club out of fear and terror. Unbeknownst to everyone, their fear only gave Nightmare additional feed he needed in order to maintain his human form intact.

The fleeing customers were immediately killed by the Sentries out on the street, and as for Nightmare, he had a little chat with Ultron, who was unaware of his true form and identity. The two had an uncomfortable conversation regarding Edvard's career as a "fortune teller" who reads people's fears, with Ultron even taunting him if he could read his fears for the machine. Edvard chuckles in response, questioning why would he read him, when Ultron was just a machine. Ultron fully agreed on his point.

However, despite all their arguments, Edvard felt something about Ultron. However, as he read Ultron, he felt apathy, bitterness, grudge and hatred towards all life on Earth, and there, he eventually find the machine's fears, the fear of getting rejected and the fear of his movement failing at the hands of the heroes. Ultron then finds his readings about him ridiculous, to which Edvard replied, that even machines could fear. At the end of their conversation, the machine unexpectedly kicked Edward with his powerful feet, throwing him towards the wall of his club, seemingly killing Edvard. As Edvard was seemingly unconscious, Ultron then told him that he never fears because he was neither a man or a machine, before leaving the club in complete ruins. Hearing this from Ultron, Edward smiles.

Seeing the club destroyed and all of his customers gone, Nightmare had no other choice but to return to his own realm in order to keep surviving in this world, now ruled by ruthless machines. Now inside his safe realm once more, he waited for the right time to strike towards all life on Earth who fears, and consume their fear for his own need, now that this world is full of it from out of fearing the Ultron Revolution.

A Strange Encounter

After losing his precious Club Fear, Nightmare has continued his pilgrimage on trapping any mortal he could find in their dreams in hope of gaining both power and knowledge, and most of all, fear for him to consume. Later on, Nightmare had traveled all over the world in searching for one of the most fearful beings, where he later had found and decided to focus his fear consumption more on heroes and villains who were participating against Ultron Revolution, since according to him, had the mot experiences of having trauma and fear throughout the years in their career.

As he terrorizes the following heroes and villains in their own dreams throughout the years of Ultron Revolution, his fullest power was slowly restoring once more, and eventually, for the first time in years, Nightmare had a compulsive feeling inside of him, a feeling that he finally had the chance to devour this entire world out of fear and turn it as a part of his nightmarish dimension. Nightmare was almost reaching his full potential, to the point where he was starting to summon the countless number of reanimated corpses in his lifeless dimension, turning them into an army of darkness, preparing for Nightmare's time to unleash full nightmare into the world.

But then again, Nightmare's presence was finally sensed, detected by the present day Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, Doctor Strange, who felt that something was wrong with several heroes and villains, and even a few civilians at their safe headquarters after they showed several eerie and strange symptoms, not even modern science could've explain, except for magic, which Strange had found the explanation for. For the mean time, Strange casts a calming spell to the infected individuals who were starting to lash out in rage out of fearing the following terrors and nightmares that saw in their dreams. While they were put into quarantine, Strange had the help of a few heroes who had fought off the effects of Nightmare, including the remaining members of the Defenders, to help him track down the source of who was giving these people never-ending nightmares.

Confrontation

After a long-whole search all the way through several dimensions throughout the entire universe, starting from the Underspace to the Overspace, Strange and the Defenders have finally found their way into the mystical Dream Dimension after they chose to enter in a deep sleep using a magical spell together with Hank Pym's invention, the Dream Machine, to which Strange and the Defenders were transported into the Dream Dimension at will. Arriving at the dimension, the heroes finds Nightmare where they had confronted him, sitting in his throne.

During their confrontation, Strange told Nightmare that he and the Masters of Mystic Arts had known all about his history, questioning Nightmare of how he managed to return into present day, not after the former Sorcerer Supreme. Agamotto, had defeated him back during the Stone Age. Nightmare only responded that it was a quite long & complicated story. The heroes then asked his reason for returning, and in response Nightmare confidently and arrogantly tells them his entire plans on tearing their world and building it with only fear itself. Hearing the following threats upon their world, Strange tried to make a bargain with Nightmare. Nightmare simply agreed, but not after he orders all of his corpse army to kill off the heroes, especially Strange so Nightmare could use the Sorcerer Supreme as a battery and as a compass for him to devour all of the fear in the multiverse.

In the ensuing battle, Strange and the Defenders managed to defeat all of them, impressing Nightmare which made him agree to his pleas of bargaining with him. Nightmare then asked what kind of bargain does the heroes wanted, with them responding that they wanted to bargain for Earth's protection from his clutches. Nightmare agreed, for one condition, revealing that as long as Strange gives him all the secrets of all magic throughout the multiverse, he would keep Earth out of his harm. However, Strange was shocked by this exchange and immediately rejects his offer, avoiding the risks that Nightmare would still break their agreement in the end.

Nightmare laughs maniacally and claps sarcastically at Strange, telling Strange that he reminded him of the last Sorcerers Supreme, who never accepted most of their bargains with Nightmare. In response to the heroes' rejection, Nightmare told them that they were unfortunate enough to have come to the Dream Dimension, only to die out of fear, all for nothing. Nightmare then re-summons his army of terror to end the heroes. The heroes tried to fight all off the corpses but unfortunately, they were too many, and every time one gets killed, another rises from the dead. To that point, however, Strange thought of doing something unthinkable, something preposterous but efficient enough to prevent Nightmare from ever entering Earth and attempting to rule it.

In the very finale, Strange decided to heroically sacrifice himself to save humanity from Nightmare. As the battle goes on, Strange demands his teammates to leave the dimension and wake up before saying his goodbyes to them, which only made them a lot more confused of what was going on with Strange. Strange explained his plans for sacrificing himself to save Earth from Nightmare, but the Defenders thought it was insane for him to be left behind. Having no other choice, Strange unwillingly casts a spell at his teammates, which made banishes the Defenders out of the Dream Dimension, waking up in real life.

Now entrapped for the rest of his life inside Nightmare's Realm, Nightmare sarcastically praised the Sorcerer Supreme's brave and courageous act for giving his own life for the sake of Earth's salvation. The demon then retells Strange same thing they told them as they fight his unstoppable undead army, and reminded him that his intentions on staying there would only lead him through eternal death.

Strange then reveals to Nightmare as he uses the Eye of Agamotto create an infinite time loop and intended to force Nightmare to relive the moment of having Strange inside the realm forever, keeping the demon from ever reaching Earth, as long a the loop goes. In response, Nightmare was still unfazed by his actions, and was actually looking more forward towards killing Strange for the rest of his life until he finally reaches the intent of killing the Sorcerer permanently, so he could finally use him for his own benefit of gaining full power over sorcery.

Strange believes in the contrary, believing that he's gonna have a lot of fun battling Nightmare for the rest of his life. As Nightmare leaves his throne to finally confront Doctor Strange far off from the distance, he takes on his warrior form, arrogantly telling that Strange wouldn't like it. Strange begged to differ, before the two charges off towards the same direction, and started fighting. From point on forward, Nightmare and Doctor Strange apparently continued to clash as they seemingly die again and again, in the Dream Dimension, trapped in a time loop for all eternity.

Secret Wars

After a while when one of the creators of the multiverse, the Beyonders' actions upon starting the end of the multiverse have triggered the cosmic phenomena known as incursions, the eternal battle between the Sorcerer Supreme and the Ruler of the Dream Dimension inside their realm has finally ended. During the end of it all, Nightmare ultimately had the chance to have his victory against Strange and with the Eye of Agamotto's effects inside the realm somehow diminished due to the incursion's reality-altering effects.

Consequently, Nightmare was able to destroy the Eye of Agamotto from Strange and taking on defeating the sorcerer in the process. Vanquishing the Sorcerer Supreme in his hands, Nightmare was just about to use his powerful ability to absorb all of Strange's essence using his own fears against him, until the demon was miserably interrupted as the Dream Dimension had started collapsing as everything around it slowly fades into nothingness, including Nightmare and Strange, which were both apparently killed at the end of the universe.

Return

Following the destruction and rebirth of the Multiverse, thanks to the Beyonder and all of the heroes' efforts against the Beyonders, Nightmare was eventually resurrected and has somehow found himself stranded back to his home reality, Earth-61616, which was now revealed to be a lot more different compared to its normal state before the events of Secret Wars. Waking up on the surface of the Earth in his humanoid form, he find the planet lifeless and empty, unlike before. Finding no life on this world whatsoever but himself, Nightmare suddenly remembers his past life and the past events that have occurred until Secret Wars.

Now realizing that he was currently possessing all the knowledge and power of the Sorcerer Supreme after he apparently killed Doctor Strange, Nightmare finally unleashed his terror on this lifeless world, turning it into his current empire, an empire of endless terror. After having to take all over Earth, Nightmare had sensed throughout the rest of that several more realities were not restored after its destruction during the incursion events, giving Nightmare the brightest idea of turning those dead realities into his own dark, nightmarish realm.

Upon this realization, Nightmare started his ultimate conquest by ruling the darkest side of the multiverse, on his own. Later on, this were proven to be successful enough, after the mainstream reality's Fantastic Four and Doctor Strange has finally detected and encountered Nightmare's presence through a terrifying dream, who was able to accomplished on ruling the half of of what he has attempted to conquer, and yet, he wasn't even finished in doing it.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Nightmare is a Demon with an unknown but powerful class who is able to capture a sleeping person's astral form and bring it to his realm. There they are tormented in various ways as he chooses.

Summoning
- Summoning the Dreamstalker
- Resurrection of the Dead
Enchantment
Spiritual Manipulation
- Illusion Manipulation
- Dream Manipulation
- Daydream Manipulation
- Dream Embodiment
- Dream Magic
- Nightmare Embodiment
- Nightmare Manipulation
Size Alteration
- Presence Concealment
Inter-dimensional Teleportation
Physical Alteration
Self-Duplication
Molecular Acceleration/Destabilization
- Intangibility
Sub-Molecular Healing
Energy Generation
Transdimensional Perception
Telekinesis
Telepathy
Magic Manipulation
- Asgardian Magic
- Eldritch Magic
- Dark Dimension Magic
- Darkhold Magic
- Demonic Magic
- Necromancy
Immortality

Power Grid ^[1]

Intelligence

7

Strength

7

Speed*

7

2

Durability

7

Energy Projection

7

Fighting Skills

2

* Teleporter

Abilities

None known.

Strength level

Unknown.

Weaknesses

Nightmare is much weaker when outside of his realm or his club, and can be overcome while in it by a being who has completely conquered their fear.

Paraphernalia

Equipment: None known.
Transportation: Dreamstalker
Weapons: Nightmare's wand is capable of generating a maze which is nearly impossible to escape

Notes

No special notes.

↑ Modern Comics: Dark Age's Doctor Strange Vol 1 3

Trivia

No trivia.

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Links and References

None.

[0] Modern Comics: Dark Age's Doctor Strange Vol 1 3

[1]

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