Doctor Strange's Most Powerful Villains, Ranked

As Master of the Mystic Arts and Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange is not a man you'd want as an enemy. In a Spring 2022 issue of Disney's D23 magazine (via The Direct), Marvel Studios producer Richie Palmer suggested he was arguably the most powerful hero in the MCU (along with Wanda Maximoff). While the comic book version of the character probably doesn't rank quite that high, it's obvious that Strange can hit as heavy as the best of them.

Of course, if you're publishing tales of an ultra-powerful sorcerer who can conjure magical weapons, project an astral form, cast illusions, and move between entire dimensions at will, you're going to need a few baddies capable of putting up a fight — and then some. Luckily, Strange's rogues' gallery is populated by all kinds of mind-bending magicians, ancient gods, and horrific demons, many of whom have given the Sorcerer Supreme a run for his money over the years. These are Doctor Strange's most powerful villains, ranked.

Kamar-Taj is a crucial location in the mythos of Doctor Strange. This hidden settlement, located somewhere in the Himalayas, is home to a race of people described in "Strange Tales" #148 as "not outwardly advanced," but having "developed the arts of joyous living to a degree undreamed of by more complex civilizations." It is also the childhood home of the Ancient One himself.

During his youth, the Ancient One's closest friend was a fellow sorcerer named Kaluu. Together, they "plumbed the secrets of the supernatural," hoping to bring their people lasting prosperity and happiness. Kaluu, however, had greater designs; he established a hypnotic control over the people of Kamar-Taj, made himself king, and began to conquer neighboring villages. In the end, the Ancient One called upon "mystics powers" to defeat his old friend, accidentally decimating Kamar-Taj's populace and forcing Kaluu to escape to another dimension. Centuries later, Kaluu becomes an enemy of the Ancient One's disciple, Doctor Stephen Strange.

While he's not exactly the most reliable member of Strange's rogues' gallery, Kaluu is able to wield all kinds of impressive powers, from hypnosis to necromancy, and he even teaches Strange the ways of "black magic" in "Strange Tales" Vol. 2. The fact that he has caused real problems for both the Ancient One and Strange over the years suggests that Kaluu is more powerful than some might assume.

Baron Mordo is arguably Doctor Strange's most infamous enemy, and you could make a decent case for him taking the coveted title of arch-nemesis, too. First appearing all the way back in 1963's "Strange Tales" #111, Mordo is a skilled and deadly magician who once studied the ways of sorcery under the Ancient One. In his first issue, Mordo's plot to kill the Ancient One and steal his secrets is foiled by Strange, sparking a destructive rivalry that would last many decades.

In his many attempts to destroy Doctor Strange, Baron Mordo has committed all kinds of evil acts, most notably allying himself with villains such as Dormammu, Mephisto, and Hydra Supreme. Mordo has also demonstrated exactly the kind of capabilities you'd expect from one of the Ancient One's most gifted students; he can astral project, hurl energy projectiles, teleport, and cast illusions. In "Marvel Premiere" #12-13, he even briefly possesses the Book of Cagliostro, a collection of highly powerful mystic knowledge passed down from the sorcerer who gave the book his name.

It's clear enough, then, that Mordo is no run-of-the-mill magician. And though Strange has defeated him and thwarted his plans time and time again, the Baron's eternal obsession with the Sorcerer Supreme — and his innate talent for dark sorcery — makes him a tricky foe indeed.

You can probably tell by his name that the Dweller-in-Darkness isn't the nicest guy in the world. A member of the demonic cabal known as the Fear Lords, this extra-dimensional behemoth has murky origins and terrifying powers.

The as-yet-unseen Dweller-in-Darkness' plans are first felt in "Thor" #229-30, a story in which he attempts to create "Shade-Thralls" by tricking innocent humans into taking their own lives; only the combined efforts of Thor and Hercules are enough to save the Earth. The Dweller then appears in person in "Doctor Strange" Vol. 2 #30 — hoping to feed on their fear and escape from the ancient spell binding him in a mysterious dimension, the Dweller uses a hideous avatar to kidnap Strange and lure his love interest, Clea, into the sewers of New York. Although they manage to escape, the Dweller is freed and swears to destroy his greatest threat.

He nearly succeeds, too. From that point on, the Dweller sends a number of agents to attack and destroy Strange, and in the process, sows the seeds of fear and doubt in his mind, leading the Dweller to declare victory over Strange in "Doctor Strange" Vol. 2 #37. Although most of his comic book appearances since have seen him politicking with and against his fellow Fear Lords rather than Strange, these early battles suggest that the Dweller-in-Darkness' long game might be a little too much for Doctor Strange to handle.

Umar is among the most significant villains in Doctor Strange's rogues' gallery, and although she is less well-known — and arguably less powerful — than her brother, Dormammu, she has nonetheless been a thorn in the Sorcerer Supreme's side for many years.

Both Umar and her brother are beings of immense magical power known as Faltinians. Exiled from their home reality for destroying their father, they arrived in the Dark Dimension, conquered it, and made it their own. Dormammu then claimed total authority over the realm and, disturbed by his sister's ambitions, banished Umar to a pocket dimension.

Umar herself is introduced in "Strange Tales" #150. Since Dormammu was previously vanquished by the cosmic being known as Eternity, the spell that binds Umar to her prison is relinquished. She claims the throne of the Dark Dimension and sets out on a rampage of revenge against her brother's nemesis, Doctor Strange. She proves to be more than a match for him, too. In "Strange Tales" #152, Strange briefly fights Umar one-on-one, only barely escaping with his life, and, in "Strange Tales" #156, he is only able to defeat her invasion of Earth by unleashing a far more terrifying being.

Umar has returned for many stories since that early run, most often coming into conflict with her daughter, Clea, as well as Dormammu and Strange. She may not quite have the edge over her unholy older brother, but she is still as cunning, as powerful, and as dangerous as mystic Marvel villains get.

Mephisto is one of Marvel's baddest baddies. Enjoying a history that goes back to the late 1960s, this Faustian demon has since become a sworn enemy to all kinds of heroes, including Ghost Rider, Spider-Man, Thor, the Fantastic Four, and, of course, Doctor Strange.

During his seemingly eternal quest to enslave as many human souls as possible in the realm he calls "Hell," Mephisto has frequently faced off with the Sorcerer Supreme. Their early confrontations were hard-fought and brutal; for example, in "Doctor Strange" Vol. 2 #16, Strange pops an unnamed Satan-like demon — likely Mephisto — "not unlike a bubble." Later, though, their encounters tend to be a little more civilized. In "Doctor Strange: Damnation" #1, Mephisto and Strange play a game of blackjack for the souls of the people of Las Vegas. Later, in the "Sinister War" storyline in "Amazing Spider-Man" Vol. 5, the two old foes play another fateful game of chance, one that ends with the freeing of Harry Osborn's soul.

But this doesn't mean Mephisto can't beat Strange in an all-out fight. It simply means that, for some reason, Strange has felt the need to meet his enemy on his home turf — that is, gambling for the eternal souls of humans. The fact that Strange is able to escape with his own soul intact, much less those of his fellow mortals, is truly remarkable.

Long ago, the mysterious life-force known as the Demiurge seeded the Earth with fragments of its own essence, giving birth to the Elder Gods. This race of incredibly powerful cosmic beings included Gaea, Mother Earth; Set, the Great Destroyer; Oshtur; Goddess of Truth; and Chthon, the Sleeper.

Chthon was already the Earth's first master of black magic, but things got worse when all the Elder Gods (save Gaea) began to degenerate into demons. Gaea responded by giving birth to the god-killer, Atum, while Chthon wrote down everything he knew onto parchments that would later become the Darkhold. In doing so, he set the world and its inhabitants on a very grim path, indeed.

Chthon's storyline is most closely associated with Wanda Maximoff, who, in "Avengers" #185-7, he attempts to use as a vessel through which he can be summoned back to Earth. But he has also fought Strange — in a sense. Their battles have always involved Strange attempting to prevent Chthon's reemergence by breaking his possession over mortals, such as in "Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme" #90, when he saves Victoria Montesi from giving birth to Cthon, or in "Secret Empire" #7, in which he breaks the demon's hold over Wanda. These weren't full fights, though. In fact, as of "Darkhold Omega" #1, Scarlet Witch is the only being to have ever faced Chthon's true form and come out on top. Could Strange hold his ground against him, too? It's hard to say — but it seems doubtful.

Wait, what? Who's Zom? And how could he possibly be Doctor Strange's most powerful enemy?

Well, although he has only made a few appearances in Marvel Comics and only shows up in his full form once, the truth is that this is a being of unimaginable power. "Strange Tales" #156-7 mostly involves Strange attempting to defeat a newly emerged Umar and prevent her invasion of Earth. To that end, Strange and the Ancient One summon Zom, a grotesque being who was apparently once imprisoned in the "Timeless Amphora" by the combined might of Eternity and Dormammu, who were unable to destroy him outright. Zom is intimidating enough to send Umar running back to the Dark Dimension almost immediately, but that isn't the end of the story — not by a long shot.

Zom, who admits he was "created to destroy," embarks on a full-blown rampage with the intention of killing Strange and the Ancient One, wiping out mankind, and swiftly moving on to other worlds. It's only with the arrival of the Living Tribunal, by far one of the most powerful entities in the Marvel Universe, that Zom is banished once more, and even then it takes some convincing to prevent the Tribunal from simply annihilating the Earth to remove the contamination of Zom's presence. Only fragments of Zom, known as "Zomlings," have emerged since then, and it's a good thing, too — it stands to reason that the return of Zom could threaten the fabric of reality itself.