Dark Dimension (Marvel)

From Multiversal Omnipedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Doctor Strange in the Dark Dimension in Doctor Strange: Damnation v1 #1.

The Dark Dimension is a dimension that features in Marvel Comics.

Contents

History

The Dark Dimension was a pocket universe that existed within the wider realms of the Multiverse. The unique conditions of the realm meant that gravity was weak in this dimension with light struggling to develop within it. Despite this, life came to emerge even in its desolate landscape and took on many unique forms. Among them were a race of humanoid beings that could harness mystical energies with them using this to channel a flame that could provide light in the darkness and stabilise gravity. These were the Mhuruuks that were the equivalent of man's 'wizards' where they used their magic to establish a civilisation. They came to hold spiritual and temporal power as they led their respective people on the path to enlightenment thus bring light to their realm. However, wars eventually erupted between the various cities that formed which rose and fell in this time to the point that the light their people had created was nearly lost. In time, alliances began to form among the cities leading to empires arising in this period with the foremost being the G'urantic Empire established by G'uran the Great who established his seat of power at the Azure Throne. His position was held by his creation the G'urantic Guardian but after many years following hi reign more wars were fought bringing even more periods of darkness though some wisdom was learnt in this time. Eventually, a descendant of G'uran called Oka'an emerged who gathered the Mhuruuk people in order to create a lasting peace that brought about a golden age for their people. This era lasted for 28,000 years bringing about an era of peace and harmony until the reign of the Wizard-King Olnar who desired a return to past glories. (Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme v1 #21) It was then that his court was approached by two off-worlders called Dormammu and his sister Umar of the Faltine who were seeking sanctuary in the Dark Dimension with them offering to teach him many secrets. (Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme v1 #22)

After the death of Olnar, Dormammu came to stop the Mindless Ones and ascended to the Azure Throne where he took Orini as his closest disciple. The young man came to first behold the Lady Umar and became enchanted by her beauty to the point that he had fallen in love with her. She came to seduce him with the two making love but she became disgusted at the physical act where six cycles later she returned with Orini's son named Clea. Umar wanted nothing to do with her daughter and left her in Orini's care who kept the secret of his daughter's heritage. (Doctor Strange v2 #72)

To prevent the Mindless Ones from destroying his realm, Dormammu came to craft a mystical barrier ages ago that kept the primitive savages at bay. (Strange Tales v1 #127)

Seeking to conquer Earth, Dormammu sent a messenger to deliver his threat to the Ancient One who was too weak and weary to battle the powerful demon. To stop him, Doctor Strange journeyed into the realm with this intrusion detected by the Dread Lord's servants who were dispatched to deal with the human sorcerer. Despite their efforts, they failed to stop him and Dormammu came to banish them to limbo for failing him. (Strange Tales v1 #126) The two later had their mystical duel where the intensity of the match caused his mystical barrier to weaken thus allowing the Mindless Ones to enter into his realm. To keep them at bay, Dormammu redirected his attention to reforming his barrier thus making him vulnerable to attack from Doctor Strange. However, the human sorcerer decided to aid his foe in strengthening the barrier thus saving the Dark Dimension's inhabitants from destruction. As a result, Dormammu was indebted to the human who requested that he free Clea who the Dread Lord had imprisoned for betraying him. Thus, she was freed and Dormammu stopped on his attempt at conquering Earth on this occasion. (Strange Tales v1 #127)

The Hulk was taken by Umar into the Dark Dimension to be her consort where she had him help push back the Mindless Ones so that she could fortify her kingdom. (Incredible Hulks v1 #633) Their rule was interrupted when Tyrannus invaded the kingdom and alongside the Red She-Hulk sought to depose Umar. During this time, the Hulk's allies sought to take the Hulk back to Earth and stop further conflict. The Hulk unleashed the power of the Worldbreaker where he destroyed Umar's world and was engaged in a titanic struggle against the Red She-Hulk. This was all due to the power of the wishing well that the various villains had used where their wishes were corrupted. With the Hulk trapped in the Dark Dimension, Tyrannus took the enslaved Fin Fang Foom back to Earth where he intended to conquer the planet. (Incredible Hulks v1 #634)

Overview

In appearance, the Dark Dimension was said to be a dimension so alien and incredible that it was utterly beyond human comprehension with no words in human language capable of describing it. (Strange Tales v1 #127) It was referred to as being an alien dimension populated by various extra-dimensional beings. (Strange Tales v1 #126) Within the dark domain, it was known that there were worlds within worlds that existed in this realm. (Strange Tales v1 #126)

The realm was said to possess a greater number of spatial dimensions than man's universe. The gravitational force between two bodies there decreased rapidly with distance leading to the orbit of its celestial bodies being unstable. As a result, stars could not exist there for the pressure would not be balanced by gravity. The fundamentally unstable nature of the Dark Dimension along with the myriad of different local conditions resulted in life taking many forms in this realm. (Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme v1 #21)

Life came to take root in this dimension with this manifesting into a humanoid race of beings called the Mhuruuks that was the rough equivalent of man's term 'wizard'. These beings came to learn to master mystical energies that could be harnessed into a flame that could create light out of the darkness and even stabilise gravity. (Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme v1 #21) Many inhabitants of the Dark Dimension naturally absorb mystic energies. (Doctor Strange v2 #72) A race of goblin-like creatures inhabited the dimension with these being damned souls that had been exiled to this plane from a thousand different universes. Upon arriving in the Dark Dimension, they were give new physical forms that matched their crimes and savagery. (Incredible Hulks v1 #634) Another creature were the dwellers below that were two-dimensional beings that drew prey into them. (Strange Tales v1 #126)

On the outskirts of Dormammu's domain resided the lands inhabited by the Mindless Ones who were kept at bay by a mystical barrier to prevent them from destroying everything within the Dark Dimension. (Strange Tales v1 #127)

Leadership of the Dark Dimension was ruled from the Azure Throne. (Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme v1 #21) Upon taking the throne, Dormmamu introduced the Flames of Regency which he claimed now marked the new ruler of the realm. (Doctor Strange v2 #71)

Inhabitants

  • Dormmamu : a male member of the Faltine who was the child of Sinifer and brother to Umar where his crime of consuming matter as well as killing his genitor led to his along with his sisters banishment from their home dimension. (Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme v1 #22) He was regarded as the most powerful of the dwellers in the realm of darkness. (Strange Tales v1 #126)
  • Umar : a female member of the Faltine who was the child of Sinifer and sister to Dormmamu where her crime of consuming matter as well as killing her genitor led to her along with her brothers banishment from their home dimension. (Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme v1 #22)
  • Olnar : a male Mhuruuk who lived as the Wizard-King in the 28th era of the peaceful golden age of his people where he desired a return to his race's war-like past in order to attain glory which was when he was approached by the Faltinians Dormmamu and Umar. (Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme v1 #21)
  • Orini : He came to be the Dreaded One's closest disciple. (Doctor Strange v2 #72)
  • Asti : an entity known as Asti the All-Seeing who appearing as a floating face noted for being omniscient with him reporting all things he discovered to his master Dormammu. (Strange Tales v1 #144)
  • Sayge :
  • Paradox :
  • Gochhgchaka :
  • Clea : a white-haired female who resembled a human who was an inhabitant of the Dark Dimension. (Strange Tales v1 #127) She was actually the daughter of the Lady Umar and the former prince Orini. (Doctor Strange v2 #72)
  • G'uranthic Guardian : a mutli-armed cyclopean stone construct created by G'uran the Great to defend the Azure Throne of the Dark Dimension during the age of the G'uranthic Empire. (Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme v1 #21)

Notes

  • The Dark Dimension was created by Stan Lee and Dick Ayers where it made its first appearance in Strange Tales v1 #126 (November, 1964).

In other media

Television

  • In Spider-Man, the Dark Dimension appeared in the 1990s animated television series starting from the episode ""Doctor Strange". It was shown as the home dimension of Dormammu who sought to escape it so that he could enslave Earth.

Films

  • In Doctor Strange, the Dark Dimension appeared in the live-action movie set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was a realm at the edge of the universe where time had no meaning or place within it. Dormammu was the dark ruler of this reality and from it sought to invade other dimensions. Due to its nature, there was no concept of time in the dimension and thus its power could be tapped to make a person immortal. The Ancient One used its power to extend her own life making her live for an unknown length of time. However, its nature meant that she banned knowledge of the Dark Dimension as she feared the seductive influence of immortality from that realm and its ruler Dormammu. Kaecilius learnt of the Dark Dimension and later turned against the Ancient One where he consorted with Dormammu and tried to bring the Dread Lord's power to Earth.

Video games

  • In Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, the Dark Dimension appeared as part of a combo attack for Dormammu in the fighting video game. It was referred to in the special attack whereby Dormammu trapped his enemy inside a micro-dimension of his creation then crushed it between his thumb and forefinger.
  • In Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, the Dark Dimension appeared again as part of Dormammu's combo attack in the fighting video game.
  • In Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, the Dark Dimension once ore appeared as part of Dormammu's combo attack in the fighting video game.
  • In Marvel Heroes, the Dark Dimension appeared in the MMORPG video game setting which was ruled by Dormammu. A number of incursions from the Dark Dimension led to the Mindless Ones attacking Earth.
  • In Marvel: Strike Force, the Dark Dimension appeared in the setting of the mobile video game as a game mode.
  • In Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, the Dark Dimension appeared in the setting of the Wii video game. It was an alternate dimension filled with arcane energies and under control of Dormammu who was empowered by this magic. As such, so long as he resided there he could not die as he simply reformed within that dimension. When the Infinity Stones came to Earth, they created an accidental tear in the fabric of realities allowing for Dorammamu to acquire the Reality Stone. With the Stone, he intended to merge Earth with the Dark Dimension which he tried to do by taking control of Doctor Strange but he was thwarted by the Avengers.

Appearances

  • Strange Tales v1: (1964)
  • Doctor Strange v1:
  • Doctor Strange v2:
  • Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme v1:
  • Incredible Hulks v1:

External Links

This article is a stub. You can help Multiversal Omnipedia by expanding it.

Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Navigation
Toolbox