Sanctum Sanctorum (Marvel)

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

History

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)

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:

• 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)
• Arch of Nihility :

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)

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 Doctor Strange, the New York Sanctum in Greenwich Village appeared in the live-action film set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 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.

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:

External Links

• Wikipedia Entry

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