Sanctum Sanctorum (Marvel)

Latest revision as of 09:37, 31 October 2020

The Sanctum Sanctorum is a place that features in Marvel Comics.

History

The Sanctum Sanctorum

Urthona's machinations led to a demon attacking Doctor Strange to distract him whilst he himself stole the Sanctum Sanctorum to plunder it of its magic and the numerous relics that lay within it. (Doctor Strange v2 #80)

During the Civil War, Doctor Strange opposed the Pro-Registration forces and joined the ranks of the New Avengers. As they were outlaws, he offered them a base of operations at the Sanctum Sanctorum where he cast a spell to make it appear that he abandoned his home and sold it to a soulless corporation in the form of Starbucks. Only allies were able to enter the true mansion rather than its abandoned exterior due to a careful spell of concealment that kept the occupants in a separate dimension whilst those outside could only see an abandoned premises. (New Avengers v1 #29)

The Hulk later returned to Earth with his Warbound and an army from Sakaar that wanted revenge against the Illuminati for their actions. Doctor Strange attempted to end the conflict by using his astral form to reach Banner and calm the Hulk but the Green Scar incarnation was fixated on his revenge leading to him breaking the hands of Stephen's spirit. Afterwards, Warbound forces discovered the Sanctum Sanctorum with Hiroim able to get past its enchantments where he intended to confront the Sorcerer Supreme. However, in desperation, Stephen decided to empower himself with the power of the demon Zom in order to attain the means of fighting the Hulk. (World War Hulk v1 #3)

Zelma Stanton came to the Sanctum to seek his aid as her head had become inhabited by mystical Mind Maggot parasites. (Doctor Strange v4 #2) Afterwards, the Empirikul engaged in their mass purge of magic from the planet Earth with some of their forces arriving at the Sanctum. Doctor Strange managed to arrive at the scene but was suffering a depletion of his magic reserves. With limited magic, he managed to dispatch of some of the attackers but the Empirikul's leader arrived at the scene where he managed to overpower the Sorcerer Supreme. Magic was then purged with the Empirikul then looking to use the Sanctum at the place to start their inquisition that would remove the last vestiges of magic from the world. (Doctor Strange v4 #6)

The Black Cat along with her two compatriots broke into the mansion using the aid of a low-level sorcerer named Xander the Merciless where they had to brave the various dangers in the Sanctum. Felicia managed to find her target which was the original deeds for Manhattan but Xander came to find his lost Star-Stone thus restoring his mystical power as he intended to attack Doctor Strange. (Black Cat v1 #2)

Spider-Man later approached Doctor Strange for help after he was being targeted by the demonic supervillain Kindred who had possessed the other spider-related heroes. The possessed attacked the Sanctum and in fear of their bodies being harmed Spider-Man relented with Kindred wanting them to confront each other at a later point. Doctor Strange then attempted to use the discern the identity of Kindred using the Hand of the Vishanti but something interferred with the spell leading to him being disturbed. He told Spider-Man to depart whilst he deliberated on this matter but the Wall-Crawler had the Black Cat steal the Hand of the Vishanti for him so he could replicate the divination spell. (Amazing Spider-Man v5 #51)

Overview

It was described as being the greatest concentration of occult esoterica and mystical phenomena in existence. (Doctor Strange v4 #2)

Items within the Sanctum included:

• Grimoire of Watoomb : a tome of magic that was tied to the magical being Watoomb. (Doctor Strange v4 #3) When opened, it could release a hurricane with its power being linked with the temple of Watoomb. (Doctor Strange v4 #4)
• Bell of Ikonn : a bell forged centuries ago by priests of Ikonn and placed in his temple. When rung, it created a tunnel between Earth and Ikonn allowing him to manifest on the mortal plane. (Doctor Strange v2 #47)
• Star-Stone : a mystical relic of the Creators that was given to their agent Xander until Doctor Strange defeated him and stripped him of the jewel that he kept contained in the Sanctum. (Black Cat v1 #2)
• Cauldron of the Cosmos : a mystical cauldron located in the Chamber of Meditation where Strange could sit for hours and dwell upon the immutable mysteries of the cosmos. (Defenders v1 #15)
• Nisanti Cabinet : a cabinet that contained other items such as the Wands of Satannish. (Doctor Strange: The Oath v1 #1)
• Wands of Satannish : items that were placed within the Nisanti Cabinet. (Doctor Strange: The Oath v1 #1)
• Hands of the Dead : appearing as a pair of opened palmed golden hands with a floating eye above them with this being a relic created by fifteen centuries ago that allowed one to enter the tides of space and time giving them the power to travel the world in the blink of an eye or be at several places at the same time. It held great power but also great temptation for its use as improper use could see a user being chased by Nightwalkers that lived on the edge of time and space whose existence was to prevent changes to destiny with only great powers able to defy them. (Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man v1 #24)
• Sword of the Ultimate Shadow : a powerful mystical scimitar able to cut through magic that was protected by spells in the Sanctum. (Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme v1 #46)
• Karkuthi : a tome that could be used to dispel dark magic. (New Avengers v1 #31)
• Arch of Nihility :
• Brazier of Bom'Galiath :
• Ring of Zona : a ring that when worn allowed the wearer to make another person invisible. (Symbiote Spider-Man: Alien Reality v1 #1)
• 'Word of God ': an ancient book that was thousands of years old that had spells able to manipulate reality. (Symbiote Spider-Man: Alien Reality v1 #1)

Another room was the Chamber of Meditation where he kept relics that aided in his meditations. (Defenders v1 #15) One of the rooms within the house was the Chamber of Extrospection. (Doctor Strange v2 #78)

There were a number of prisoners within the Sanctum that included:

• Mr. Misery : a magical creature created from he unpaid mystical toll for all the spells made by Stephen Strange with this becoming a sapient being that was contained in the Sanctum and known as the Thing in the Cellar. (Doctor Strange v4 #10)
• Fire-Wasps of the Faltine : mystical wasp-like creatures that were normally used to cleanse condemned worlds of organic life and were single-minded in their mission. Several of them were captured by Loki but due to their resistance to magic he had to encase them in Casks of Containment with protective wards ensuring that they could not be broken unless specific individuals with ties to magic shattered their prisons. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #795)

The power of the Sorcerer Supreme meant that they shed dreams, thoughts and emotions the way normal people shed dead skin cells with these manifesting into creatures that prowled the mansion. In the case of Stephen Strange, this led to the creation of small hostile creatures called Strangelings that had his features on their warped faces. (Black Cat v1 #2)

Notes

• The Sanctum Sanctorum was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko where it made its first appearance in Strange Tales v1 #116 (January, 1964).
• The term was Latin for "holiest of holies".

Alternate Versions

• In Secret Wars v1 (2015), a version of the Sanctum Sanctorum resided on Battleworld where it was situated on the Hidden Isle of Agamotto.

In other media

Television

• In Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., the Sanctum Sanctorum made an appearance in the episode "Stranger in a Stranger Land". Doctor Strange stated it served as a nexus that served as a doorway to other dimensions.

Films

• In Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme, the Sanctum Sanctorum appeared as a mansion located in New York City that was a vital location protected by the Ancient One and his disciples. The reason for this was because it sat above the Nexus that linked all dimensions and was defended from the servants of Dormammu. A mystical portal linked the mansion to the Ancient One's monastery in Tibet. It was destroyed when Dormammu managed to breach the barrier from the Dark Dimension to Earth where he battled the new Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange. Strange defeated him and restored the Sanctum as he continued his deceased master's mission.
• In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Sanctum Sanctorum made a number of appearances in the shared continuity setting.
  • In Doctor Strange, the New York Sanctum in Greenwich Village appeared in the live-action film. It was one of four such sanctum built by the Sorcerer Supreme Agamotto to serve as mystical barriers to protect the world from magical threats such as from the Dark Dimension. Its sister sanctums included one in Kamar-Taj, another in Hong Kong and the last in London. All had mystical doorways that served as portals to one another.
  • In Thor: Ragnarok, the New York Sanctum appeared in the live-action film with Doctor Strange bringing Thor and Loki to it when the Asgardians were searching for their father Odin.
  • In Avengers: Infinity War, the New York Sanctum appeared in the live-action film with the Hulk falling into it after being sent through the Bifrost Bridge. He turned back into Bruce Banner where he warned Doctor Strange and Wong that Thanos was coming to Earth.

Video games

• In Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, the Sanctum Sanctorum made an appearance in the video game when Nick Fury relocated his team to the building after they discover that their foe involved mystical forces.

Appearances

• Strange Tales v1: (1964)
• Doctor Strange:
• New Avengers v1:
• World War Hulk v1:
• Doctor Strange v4:
• Black Cat v1:
• Symbiote Spider-Man: Alien Reality v1:
• Dr. Strange v1:
• Amazing Spider-Man v5: (2020)
• Strange Academy v1: (2020)

External Links

• Marvel Database Entry
• Comicvine Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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