Lovecraftian Elements in the Early Doctor Strange

The Lovecraftian elements in the early Doctor Strange comics were formative as well as fun to look for. As with all Marvel characters, Doctor Strange has had many volumes and rebirths over the decades. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #110 (July 1963) after the Horror anthology became a superhero comic. Stan Lee created the Stephen Strange from his fond remembrances of Chandu the Magician on the Radio in his youth. Steve Ditko contributed the surreal look of the comic. Doc next appeared in Strange Tales #111 (August 1963), then #114-115 (November-December 1963), disappeared and returned in #130-#168 (May 1968) alongside Nick Fury and S. H. I. E. L. D.

In this first run, Stan Lee creates the Mindless Ones in #134 (July 1965). In an attempt to distract Dormammu, Clea frees these being that Dormammu trapped behind a cosmic gate. Here Dormammu is like the Elder Gods who trapped the Great Old Ones. The Mindless Ones do not look Cthulhuian in anyway but like giant welders.

After writing a three comic story arc for Doctor Strange #183 (November 1969), Sub-Mariner #22 (February 1970) and The Incredible Hulk #126 (April 1970), Roy Thomas made Doc Strange a founding member of the Defenders. In the story, Dr. Strange joins Namor and Bruce Banner in stopping an invasion by the Undying Ones and their leader, the Nameless One. Kenneth Ward discovers statues of the ancient beings in the Himilayas in the first segment.

Namor and the new look Dr. Strange take on the monsters as they come through a dimensional gate in the second.

The final portion has Hulk fight Night-Crawler and get sucked into the final solution.

Doc later appeared in Marvel Feature. Issue #4-10 (July 1972-March 1974) were written by Archie Goodwin, Gardner F. Fox and Steve Engelhart. Much of the artwork would be done by Jim Starlin and Frank Brunner, artists who could handle the cosmic-ness of Steve Ditko. There is credit given to Robert E. Howard, another Cthulhu Mythos writer, thus: “Featuring Concepts created by Robert E. Howard”. These will be mostly taken from his stories “The Black Stone” (Weird Tales, November 1931) and “The Garden of Fear”(Marvel Tales, July-August 1934). They include ancient beings worshiped, degenerate winged apes and blood-sucking vines.

It is with Marvel Premiere we get a number of Cthulhu Mythos authors involved not just Lovecraftian hints. In #4 we meet “The Spawn of Sligguth” in the Arkham-like town of Stakesboro where everybody’s got the equivalent of the Innsmouth look. This issue was written by Archie Goodwin.

With #5 “The Lurker in the Labyrinth”, the writing is done by old Pulpster and Cthulhu Mythos writer, Gardner F. Fox. The Spawn capture Strange and prepare to sacrifice him to the idol of their snaky god (who reminds me of a Serpent Man), only he isn’t an idol. Strange has a punch up with the lizard being. Of course, the lizards want to free Shuma-Gorath, who lies sleeping in his eternal home. Strange calls upon the Dying Ones, ancient gods of good. They help him defeat Sligguth.

#6 “The Shambler From the Sea” has the heroes captured by the Spawn and tied up by the ocean where N’Gabthoth, one-eyed Cthulhu wannabe, rises. The shambler goes to the old church to steal “…an eon-old chest covered over with cryptic sigils, with eidolons out of a forgotten age”. He throws “… the necromantic fury of the dark wisdom” at Strange but is defeated.

#7 “The Shadows of the Starstone” has people observing eldritch rites and going insane. Henry Gordon inherits a house in England but it is the center of great evil. Henry finds ancient tomes in the library and knows something webbed footed is lurking about. Blondine, Uncle Jed’s housekeeper, later experiences a mental trip back into the past courtesy of Dr. Strange. She sees the terrible empire of Dagoth. Strange fights the red-colored ancient.

#8 “The Doom That Bloomed on Katholus” sends Strange to Stonehenge where he fights a swarm of bat-winged swordsmen who look like apes. During the fight Strange transport to the planet Katholus, where he battles the plant monster who is the planet. He defeats it but is trapped far from Earth. This was Fox’s last contribution, which reminded me more of Clark Ashton Smith than Robert E. Howard.

#9 saw the writing go to Steve Engelhart, who would finish the Marvel Premiere run. “The Crypts of Kaa-u” offer us a giant monster and a horde of ghoul-like servitors.

#10 “Finally, Shuma-Gorath” says it all in the title. Strange finally faces off against the big bad. And in doing so he sees the true form of the god, a wonderfully tentacular monster drawn by Frank Brunner. With that story line complete, Englehart takes the series in a non-Lovecraftian direction.

Due to his growing popularity at Premiere, Doc was given his own series, Doctor Strange: Master of the Mystic Arts which ran from #1-81 (June 1974 – Feb. 1987). The comic went through many phases over the years including some very Sword & Sorcery story lines as well as a second Dracula crossover. But occasionally we got a small Lovecraftian treat like the return of The Mindless Ones in Issue #8.

Issue #23 featuring some strange looking planets called The Wormworlds.

Issue #45  had “The Demon in the Dark” written by Chris Claremont. (That title sounds a bit like “The Haunter of the Dark” by HPL. N’Gara looks a bit like a tentacular horror too.)

After this Doc Strange went on to many more comics and series but I wish to remain within the Silver and Bronze Age of Marvel for this piece. In the 1980s, Lovecraft and his Cthulhu Mythos would become more widely known and the elements we are discussing become less unusual. (Also there are a butt load of other comics to wade through and I’m tired.)

Conclusion

The ideas of H. P. Lovecraft are an obvious choice for a comic series set most often in astral planes and weird temples. Roy Thomas attributed some of the character’s success to the drug culture of the 1970s as well as the blossoming interest in the occult and Asian philosophy at that time. Though this certainly didn’t hurt, we can see that Dr. Strange has appeal to this day in his MCU films.

The last one, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), had many nods to Lovecraft (beginning with that title). The Darkhold is a book of incredible evil descended from Lovecraft’s The Necronomicon. My favorite was the Cthulhuian beings at Mount Wundagore. The film is by far my favorite of all Strange’s appearances, having many more Horror elements than the first movie or his appearances in other MCU films. Sam Raimi was a great choice for director, having a history with Lovecraft in his Evil Dead films.