Every hero has a rogues gallery. Some just have smaller ones than most. Truth be told, the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange, does have a decent amount of terrifying and intriguing foes. The sad thing is, many of those villains only get a few appearances.
Characters like that of Silver Dagger and Paradox are pushed to the side in place of larger-than-life villains. From former allies, demons of all sizes, and otherworldly beings, plenty of the recurring and big-name Doctor Strange villains have left their mark on the good doctor even if some are less than others.
Satannish
It is funny how weird retcons can be. For a time, the powerful demon Satannish was a Satan-like figure (as the on-the-nose name implies) and was even the father of Damion and Satana Helstrom who constantly battled Strange.
Yet, Satannish never really did much to the Strange. Unlike a lot of other monsters and demons, Satannish ended up fading into the background and his relationship with Satana and Damion was eventually reversed, basically leaving the demon with nothing to his name.
Loki
Now, with every hero, some recurring villains will crossover from other characters and comics. So while Loki, the first foe of the Avengers, has bounced around a lot, he’s run across the likes of Strange plenty of times.
Wielding magic and trickery, Loki’s faced down Strange time again and while he(like most villains) usually loses, in recent comics, he did manage to become the Sorcerer Supreme through trickery although it didn’t last long.
Doctor Doom
Like Loki, the likes of the heinous Victor Von Doom are usually seen taking on Marvel’s first family, the Fantastic Four. Yet, time again, the magic-user would cross swords with Doctor Strange with the pair constantly trading magical blows.
Being a genius and powerful magic user himself, Doom always managed to make himself a worthy foe and sometimes ally to Strange, with the pair even getting their own team-up comic before going back at each other's throats.
Mephisto
If there’s one foe who would unite the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe, it would have to be the one many consider to be the Devil: the demon Mephisto. A red-skinned, charming monster, Mephisto’s caused plenty of chaos over the characters of Marvel (specifically Spider-Man, a Doc Strange ally) with Strange being one of many foes.
Over the years, Strange has taken on the malicious demon and has almost always prevailed. For all his actions though, Strange has still lost to Mephisto and had to make a dirty deal or find aid from others to outsmart the monster.
Shuma-Gorath
Before the world existed, there was the powerful demon Shuma-Gorath, a giant, tentacle monstrosity with a single eye. Possessing telepathy, shapeshifting, and other incredible abilities, Gorath was banished by the powerful Sise-Neg and the Hyperion Age God Crom before returning to Earth and taking on the Ancient One and Stephen Strange.
Although his appearance is goofy, Gorath is a terrible foe to face. Once, he even overtook the mind of the Ancient One, forcing Strange to kill his master. Since then, Gorath has been known to destroy whole species and other worlds.
Nightmare
The scariest thing for anyone can be their darkest dreams and fears made reality. Hailing from the realm of dreams and magic, the otherworldly being Nightmare has often been a thorn as one of his freakiest villains.
Invading Strange’s and many of his allies ' dreams, Nightmare’s always seen as a dark and menacing foe that has always been a dark force not to be trifled with. Almost always, Nightmare has loomed large for the Sorcerer Supreme and every time, he’s faced down the malevolent foe.
Kaluu
While most of the villain's Strange encounters end up being lifelong foes, there are a few who embrace heroic deeds. Originally, the dark magician Kaluu was a friend of the Ancient One before turning against him. After being cast into another dimension, Kaluu returned seeking vengeance and battled Strange and the Ancient One before being banished once more.
After the Ancient One's death though, Stephen was at his lowest and was approached by a reformed Kaluu who offered his assistance. Teaching Strange in the ways of dark magic and even helping him against the likes of Shuma-Gorath, Kaluu ended up being an intriguing character and former villain, even joining the Mighty Avengers at some point.
Umar
All fans know of Dormammu, but how many recall his sister? The powerful magic user and being known as Umar hailed from the Dark Dimension and was Dormmamu’s sister. Like her brother, Umar crossed paths with Strange many a time.
Descended from a long line of magical beings, Umar ended up being the ruler of the Dark Dimension for a time, even battling her own brother for the right to rule. Although somewhat overlooked, Umar’s still a worthwhile foe of Strange, lover of the Hulk, and even the mother of his on-off love interest, Clea.
Dormammu
Not everyone will agree with the placement of some villains or characters here. However, all will agree the likes of the dread demon Dormammu, ruler of the Dark Dimension, deserves to be in the top three.
A monstrous being of fire and death, Dormammu has been known as one of Strange’s most deadly and vicious foes. Constantly plaguing the mystical master, Drommamu’s always been able to push Strange to his limit and succeed where others have failed.
Baron Mordo
There’s no foe greater than a former ally. Before turning to the dark arts, Baron Mordo was a lot like Stephen Strange, a man seeking the aid of the Ancient One. However, his rage got the better of him and Mordo ended up embracing the darkness and became Strange’s first foe.
As the years and comics wore on, Stephen and Mordo became locked in a never-ending battle between the pair. Trading magical blows over the years, Mordo has become one of Strange’s best villains and will hopefully get a chance to let his villainous side shine in the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel.