Baron Mordo
Baron Mordo | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
First appearance | Strange Tales #111 (Aug. 1963)[1] |
Created by | Stan Lee Steve Ditko |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Karl Amadeus Mordo |
Species | Human |
Abilities |
|
Baron Karl Amadeus Mordo (known as Baron Mordo) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly as an adversary of Doctor Strange. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #111 (Aug. 1963). Baron Mordo is a gifted magician, especially adept in the black arts of magic, including summoning demons.
Karl Mordo was studying the magic arts under the Ancient One in Tibet when Dr. Stephen Strange arrived. Strange foiled Mordo's plot to kill the Ancient One, leading to Mordo being cast out and Strange eventually becoming Sorcerer Supreme. Mordo has since clashed several times with Dr. Strange, at times with the backing of the demon Dormammu, briefly even impersonating Dr. Strange.[2]
The Baron Mordo character has appeared in other forms of media, such as animated television series, films, and video games. Chiwetel Ejiofor portrays the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Doctor Strange (2016)[3] and an alternate universe version in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).[4]
Publication history
Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Baron Mordo first appeared in Strange Tales #111 (Aug. 1963).[5]
Fictional character biography
A Transylvanian nobleman (born in Varf Mandra), Karl Amadeus Mordo became a student of the Tibetan sorcerer known as the Ancient One.[6][7] When Mordo plotted to kill his teacher, Dr. Stephen Strange learned of the plot. Mordo was forced to cast restraining spells to prevent Strange from warning the Ancient One. In desperation, Strange decided to accept the Ancient One's offer to take him on as his mentor in magic to have some hope of stopping Mordo. The Ancient One, however, was fully aware of Mordo's plot and of Strange's desire to warn him. Pleased at Strange's unselfish decision, the Ancient One's magical teachings immediately freed the doctor and explained the full situation. Thus informed in the face of his recent experiences, Strange agreed to become the Ancient One's apprentice despite the requirement that he abandon his former life. The Ancient One trained him to be a formidable opponent of Mordo. Eventually Mordo was exiled by the Ancient One.[8] Mordo's abilities were similar to those of Doctor Strange, but Mordo was particularly skilled at astral projection and hypnosis, as well as mesmerism. He was more than willing to use powerful black magic and invoke demons, both of which Strange was reluctant or unable to do. Mordo's use of these darker arts would sometimes backfire.
The evil Mordo became an open foe of Doctor Strange. He sent his
Mordo would return eventually to continue to bedevil Doctor Strange. He impersonated Doctor Strange during Strange's brief retirement, but was soon vanquished.
Mordo later sold his soul to both
Umar and Mordo were eventually deposed by Clea.[30] Mordo eventually contracted terminal cancer as a side effect of his use of black magic, and renounced evil just before his death.[31] He later returned to life.[32] He later allies himself with Terrax, Tiger Shark and Red Hulk as the "Offenders", to be opposed by his old rival and newly costumed Doctor Strange, aided by the other three original Defenders.[33]
Mordo appeared in the pages of
Mordo appears to be deceased in Uncanny Avengers #6.
Mordo returns during the aftermath of the Last Days of Magic arc.[35] Mordo forces a family to leave their residence, but lets the mother stay as his servant. Dormammu incinerates the woman's body as he possesses her to chastise Mordo for delaying his plans. Mordo heads to the Sanctum Sanctorum and attacks Wong with Doctor Strange confronting him and the two briefly battle before the latter is taken by Nightmare.[36] Mordo, angered that his foe was taken by another, is confronted by Dormammu again (in the form of a swarm of rats) who proceeds to attack Mordo causing him to leave.[37] He later catches up to Doctor Strange when he is attacked by Orb, until Dormammu arrives. He then helps Doctor Strange in banishing Dormammu directly to Shuma-Gorath.[38]
During the "
During the "
Powers and abilities
Baron Mordo has vast magical abilities derived from his years of studying black magic and the mystic arts. He can manipulate magical forces for a variety of effects, including hypnotism, thought-casting, and illusion casting. He can separate his astral form from his body, allowing him to become intangible and invisible to most beings. He can project deadly force blasts using magic, can teleport inter-dimensionally, and can manipulate many forms of magical energy. He can tap extra-dimensional energy by invoking entities or objects of power existing in dimensions tangential to Earth's through the recitation of spells. He can also summon demons, but often does not have enough power to force them to do what he wants them to do.
Baron Mordo has some knowledge of a karate-like martial art form, and has an extensive knowledge of magical lore.
Other versions
Mutant X
Baron Mordo appears in the last issue of Mutant X, being referred to as the 'Ancient One'. He is still considered a villain, though he allies himself with other heroes and villains to stop the Beyonder/Goblin Queen entity.
2099
In
Wastelanders
In the miniseries "Wastelanders" (set in the different realities of
In other media
Television
- Baron Mordo appears in Spider-Man (1994), voiced by Tony Jay.[49]
- Baron Mordo appears in eponymous realm. When Iron Man accidentally ends up in the Dark Dimension, Mordo possesses him and escapes. Dubbing himself the "Iron Menace", Mordo takes over Stark Industries and uses technology to brainwash most of the Super Hero Squad and Lethal Legion until the Defenders, Doctor Doom, and MODOKjoin forces to free their allies, exorcise Mordo from Iron Man, and send the former back to the Dark Dimension.
- Baron Mordo appears in Ultimate Spider-Man, voiced by Danny Jacobs.[51]
- Baron Mordo appears in the Avengers Assemble episode "Eye of Agamotto" Pt. 1, voiced by Phil LaMarr.[52] This version is an ally of Hydra and resembles his MCU counterpart.
- Baron Mordo appears in the Spider-Man (2017) episode "Amazing Friends", voiced by Leonard Roberts.[53][54] This version is an ally of Advanced Idea Mechanics.
Film
- Baron Mordo appears in Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme, voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson. This version is a warrior-like sorcerer who seeks victory in combat above all else, even going as far as killing innocent children, for which the Ancient One rejected him as a candidate for becoming the Sorcerer Supreme. Seeking revenge, Mordo sides with Dormammu and kills the Ancient one, but is later defeated by Doctor Strange and eaten by Dormammu for his failure.
- Karl Mordo appears in films set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), portrayed by Chiwetel Ejiofor.
- Introduced in Ancient Oneas being unable to recognize the need for moral flexibility and compromise.
- An alternate universe variant of Mordo from Earth-838 appears in Darkhold.
- Introduced in
Video games
- Baron Mordo appears in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance voiced by Philip Proctor. This version is a member of Doctor Doom's Masters of Evil and serves as one of his lieutenants.
- Baron Mordo appears as a boss and unlockable character in Marvel: Avengers Alliance.
- Baron Mordo appears in Lego Marvel's Avengers via the "All-New All-Different Doctor Strange" DLC pack.[56]
- Baron Mordo appears in Marvel: Future Fight.[57]
- Baron Mordo appears as a playable character in Marvel: Contest of Champions.
- Baron Mordo appears as a playable character in Marvel Puzzle Quest.[58]
- Baron Mordo, based on the MCU incarnation, appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2.[59][60]
- Baron Mordo appears in Marvel Future Revolution.[61]
References
- ISBN 9780780809772.
- ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.[1]
- ^ "D23 Expo 2015: Marvel's 'Doctor Strange' Updates & More". Marvel Comics. Archived from the original on August 17, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
- ^ a b "Doctor Strange 2: Chiwetel Ejiofor Confirms Return as Mordo". Screen Rant. June 25, 2020. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
- ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
- ^ Strange Tales #115 (Dec. 1963)
- ISBN 978-1465455505.
- ^ Strange Tales #111. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Strange Tales #114. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Strange Tales #115. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Strange Tales #117. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Strange Tales #121. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Strange Tales #125. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Strange Tales #130. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Strange Tales #131. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Strange Tales #132. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Strange Tales #134. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Strange Tales #135-136. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Strange Tales #139. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Strange Tales #141. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Strange Tales #159-162. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Marvel Feature #1. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Marvel Premiere #13-14. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Doctor Strange #10. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Doctor Strange #40. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Man-Thing Vol. 2 #4; Doctor Strange #41. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Doctor Strange #49-50. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #5-8. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #22-23. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #48. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #87 (March 1996). Marvel Comics.
- ^ The Amazing Spider-Man #500. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Hulk #10. Marvel Comics.
- ^ X-Factor vol. 3 #203. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Doctor Strange vol. 4 #11. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Doctor Strange vol. 4 #12. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Doctor Strange vol. 4 #13. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Doctor Strange vol. 4 #15-16. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Doctor Strange vol. 4 #21. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Doctor Strange vol. 4 #22-24. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Death of Doctor Strange #1. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Death of Doctor Strange #2. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Death of Doctor Strange #3. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Death of Doctor Strange #4. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Death of Doctor Strange #5. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Secret Wars 2099 #2. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Secret Wars 2099 #5. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Wastelanders: Doom #1. Marvel Comics.
- ^ "Tony Jay (visual voices guide) - Behind The Voice Actors". Archived from the original on 27 July 2019.
- ^ "Baron Mordo Voices (Doctor Strange) - Behind The Voice Actors". Archived from the original on 30 October 2023.
- ^ "Miles From Home". Ultimate Spider-Man. Season 4. Episode 3. February 28, 2016. Disney XD.
- ^ "The Eye of Agamotto Pt. 1". Avengers Assemble. Season 4. Episode 15. January 7, 2018. Disney XD.
- ^ "Amazing Friends". The Futon Critic. April 21, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ "Amazing Friends". Spider-Man. Season 3. Episode 2. May 17, 2020. Disney XD.
- Marvel.com. Archivedfrom the original on August 16, 2015. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
- ^ "LEGO MARVEL's Avengers DLC - All-New, All-Different Doctor Strange Pack on Steam". Archived from the original on 2023-10-30. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
- ^ "An Epic Quest Brings Doctor Strange to Marvel Future Fight," Marvel. Retrieved December 21, 2016
- ^ "Piecing Together Marvel Puzzle Quest: Mordo". News - Marvel.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
- ^ "Characters". IGN Database. 19 May 2017. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
- ^ "Rune to Maneuver". IGN Database. 14 November 2017. Archived from the original on 18 November 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ "The master mystic Baron Mordo is ready to join your team as a new companion in #MARVELFutureRevolution, the question is... are you ready for him?". Marvel Future Revolution. Twitter. January 22, 2022. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
External links
- Baron Mordo at Marvel.com
- Baron Mordo at Marvel Directory