Baron Mordo

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Baron Mordo in Secret Empire v1 #7.

Baron Mordo is a male comic supervillain who features in Marvel Comics.

Contents

Biography

Origin

Karl Mordo in Doctor Strange v4 #24.

Karl Amadeus Mordo was a male human who was born the son of Baron Nikolai Mordo of Transylvania and Baroness Sara Krowler of Germany. His birth was traced to his father who lived in the aftermath of the First World War where he grew angry at the modern world. He despised how the ages had led to advancment in technology and instead wanted his native land to return to its former glory with magic guiding the path. To achieve that end, he had Miarka the Witch Queen of the Romani teach him black magic. Meanwhile, the Viscount Heinrich Krowler of Bavaria had sought revenge against the Allied powers and sought to greater power through Baron Nikolai Mordo's emerging skill in the black arts. Unable to progress further, the Viscount Krowler learnt of a spell of transference whereby he could steal another mystics abilities but that this could only work on a member of his own bloodline. Thus, to enact his plan, he had his daughter Sara Krowler tasked with wedding Nikolai Mordo where through her resourceful nature she came to marry him. Nine months later, she gave birth to their child who was named Karl Amadeus Mordo who grew up alone in the bleak Castle Mordo. In this time, his father continued his secret experiments that increased his mystical power to bring about a Carpathian kingdom. Upon learning of this, Viscount Krowler instructed his daughter to slay her husband and she ambushed as well as killed him in secret. She then started caring for Karl Mordo with them moving to Castle Krowler in Germany where he came to be instructed in magic by Viscount Krowler. This was until one day when he came to learn the truth that his father was murdered. Declaring himself the second Baron Mordo, Karl swore revenge against his mother and his grandfather. (Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme v1 #6)

As a young man, he engaged in acts of evil and debauchery where he lived only for experiences for his senses. This was until one day when a great tragedy came in his life causing him to feel shame and disgust over his life. Thus, he decided to seek out redemption and heard tales of a powerful mystic known as the Ancient One. Mordo sought this figure out with him going on a seven year long trek till he eventually found the person he was looking for in that time. He was taken in by the Ancient One who accepted him unconditionally and with love with Karl surrendering himself to the man he now called master. Thus, a new life began for him that he believed consisted of humility and selflessness as he became his master's chief disciple. By the mid-20th century, his master had told him of a vision he had experienced during his meditation. Inside the vision, he saw a boy that was destined to become his heir and take the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme. With that in mind, the Ancient One tasked Mordo with being the boy's mentor when the appointed time came to pass with Karl accepting. However, in reality, he resented the idea of an outsider taking the mantle when he himself was the disciple of the Ancient. This resulted in him journeying via astral projection to the home of the 8 year old boy in Nebraska with the child being a young Stephen Strange. Using his magic, he implanted a psychic construct designed to plague the boy to steer him away from his destiny and assailed him with nightmarish demons. However, the Ancient One had learnt of his actions and banished the demons away whereupon he wiped all memory of this encounter from Stephen Strange's mind. Mordo feigned contrition and was given forgiveness by his master with him being accepted back into the Ancient One's good graces. (Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme v1 #85)

Baron Mordo

Mordo was immediately resentful of Stephen Strange when he began studying under the Ancient One and magically restrained him from speaking when Strange accidentally walked in on Mordo's plot. The plot failed, Strange became the Ancient One's disciple, and Mordo eventually left.[3]

Stephen Strange's arrival led to Mordo experience immediate resentment at the arrival of this outsider who began his studies under the Ancient One. During this time, Strange accidentally stumbled on Mordo's plot to murder their master but was mystically restrained from speaking this to the Ancient One. However, their master (Strange Tales v1 #115)

He was later abducted alongside Hamir and the other disciples from the Ancient One's compound in Tibet with the culprit being his daughter Astrid Mordo. She had intended to fulfil her fathers old plan of revenge against the Sorcerer Supreme and mystically passed on his cancer to Stephen Strange. (Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme v1 #87)

Mordo's dead body was seemingly found by Kang the Conqueror in Brazil where he found Thor Odinson's axe Jarnbjorn embedded there. (Uncanny Avengers v1 #6)

Baron Mordo took shelter from a coming threat that befell the Earth when the Empirikul invaded and he managed to retain his magic whilst he began serving Dormammu once again. Mordo then returned to Earth where he made his preparations after which he came to New York and took over an apartment held by a family after which he used his magic to force them to serve him. This angered Dormammu who killed the family and threatened to kill Mordo if he failed in his task. He then made his way to the Sanctum Sanctorum in order to confront Stephen who had lost much of his magical power as a result of the Empirikul's invasion. He managed to overpower his old foe and was about to kill him but then Nightmare pulled Strange into his realm as he wanted to be the one to kill the Sorcerer Supreme. (Doctor Strange v4 #12)

Overview

Personality and attributes

It was claimed that Mordo was ruled by darker desires where he was consumed by greed and envy. According to Stephen Strange, Baron Mordo was strapped under the crushing weight of his own mountainous ego and was slowly eaten alive by loneliness. (Doctor Strange v4 #12) His ambitions led to him seeking greater knowledge of black magic with this being the reason he betrayed the Ancient One and swore fealty to Dormammu. (Strange Tales v1 #115)

He was the son of Nikolai Mordo the First Baron of Mordo and the Baroness Sara Krowler who was the daughter of the Viscount Heinrich Krowler. His father had a disgust for modern technology and learnt dark magic in the hope of bringing about a return to that era. Ultimately, he intended for the emergence of a war-like Carpathian kingdom with himself as its ruler. Meanwhile, his mother and her father had intended to steal the mystical potential of Nikolai Mordo. Baroness Krowler never loved his father and instead sought to use him to enact her fathers scheme. He eventual learnt of his father's murder at the hands of his mother and his grandfather leading to him vowing revenge against them. (Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme v1 #6)

This led to the birth of his daughter who was named Astrid Mordo. She had heard much about Stephen Strange from her father who hated the man so deeply that this hatred had passed to his child. As such, she shared in the enmity her father had with Doctor Strange and sought to bring about his downfall. In time, her father came to regret the life he had given her and the path he had set for her. She came to want to be her fathers superior and cared little for his wishes by her adulthood where she was content for him to burn in hell. (Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme v1 #87)

Powers and abilities

From childhood, he was noted to have had a special gift for sorcery. (Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme v1 #6) Mordo claimed that there was only one person who knew more black magic than him and that was his master. (Strange Tales v1 #111)

By entering into a trance, Baron Mordo was able to create an astral form of his spirit that could navigate the world. The spirit image could travel through walls and enact some of his spells such as his mental commands that could force others to obey his will. (Strange Tales v1 #111) This spell could result in the prevention of someone giving away his secrets where it could form a mystical clamp around a person's mouth that was invisible to others. (Strange Tales v1 #115)

Among the spells known to him included:

  • Vapors of Valtorr : these were green vapors that were spawned by dark magic and could be used to attack his enemies. (Strange Tales v1 #115)

He could summon an etheric blade that could sever the connection between and soul thus leaving a person adrift in a mystical coma. (Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme v1 #87)

Notes

  • Baron Mordo was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko where he made his first appearance in Strange Tales v1 #111 (August, 1963).

Alternate Versions

In other media

Television

  • In Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Baron Mordo appeared as an antagonist in the 1990s animated series where they first appeared in the episode "Sins of the Fathers Chapter 1: Dr. Strange" and was voiced by actor Tony Jay.
  • In the Avengers: Secret Wars, Baron Mordo appeared in the animated television series in the episode "The Eye of Agamotto" Pt. 1 where he was voiced by actor Phil LaMarr. He was a dark skinned sorcerer that was an ally of HYDRA who acquired the Talisman of Kaluu for him giving him mastery of both light and dark magical energies.

Films

  • In Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme, Mordo appeared in the animated film where he was voiced by actor Kevin Michael Richardson.
  • In Doctor Strange, Mordo appeared in the live-action film set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe where he was portrayed by actor Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Video games

  • In Marvel: Avengers Alliance, Baron Mordo appeared as an antagonist with his own Dossier entry in the Facebook video game.
  • In Marvel: Future Fight, Baron Mordo appeared in the video-game where he was a playable character and also featured in story content. The character would wear either his comic skin or the skin that resembled the Marvel Cinematic Universe incarnation.
  • In Marvel: Contest of Champions, Baron Mordo appeared in the iOS video-game where he was a playable character. The characters skin resembled the Marvel Cinematic Universe incarnation.

Appearances

  • Strange Tales v1: (1963)
  • Doctor Strange v1:
  • Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme v1:
  • Uncanny Origins v1:
  • Uncanny Avengers v1:
  • Doctor Strange v4:
  • Amazing Spider-Man v5:

External Links

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