Abilities: Having trained under the Ancient One, Mordo is very skilled in the art of Magic, and is on par with Dr. Strange. Mordo has also gotten a helping hand from the Dread Dormammu and other evil entities, so he isn't someone non-magical heroes should mess with.
Favorite Quote: "Won? Ah, Stephen, don't you see? I have lost... everything." Mordo, near the end of his life, realizes how mean and petty he's been over the years, and how his daughter, Astrid, has been tainted by the same hate.
Heroes He Kept Running Into: Mordo's number one foe was Dr. Strange. He sometimes would butt heads with Strange's allies over the years, like Clea and the Defenders, but Strange was his primary target. Early on, he also caught the wrath of the Ancient One.
People Who Think He's Not So Bad: Evil guys like Dormammu and Satannish put Mordo to good use as a pawn. Oddly enough, Dr. Strange considers Mordo one of his best friends, and vice versa. When Mordo found he was dying of cancer, he made peace with Strange, and tried to find solace with the monks of Ancient One. When Mordo's daughter tried to kill Strange and the monks, Mordo stopped her at the cost of his own life. Mordo's soul, now clean, was able to join the Ancient One in the "great beyond."
Most Despicable Act: (Uh, Jeanne, think you could help me out here?)
Sure! Baron Mordo's most hideous act, as far as I'm concerned, was when he wrung the neck of Magellan, Morgana Blessing's cat, in Dr. Strange (v. 2) 49, which I still consider among the most loathsome acts I've ever seen illustrated. It's the main reason my Dr. Strange collection is incomplete, since I simply dropped the series then and there. Another case of let's-kill-a-pet-for-no-good-reason-and-call-it-a-plot-point, one of the two most offensive story devices to be found in comics. The other one, of course, is let's-kill-the-girlfriend-of-the-hero-just-to-create-instant-angst, AKA the Gwen Stacy Syndrome ... but I'm beginning to digress ... editor Jeanne.
by Bobby Coakley
 Baron Mordo and Dr. Strange square off! |
 Strange Tales 188 1976 |
"Listen to my words! You are the army of Dormammu!"
"I release my master Dormammu into this dimension!"
"My years of devotion to the dark arts have made me strong -- stronger than you!"
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