Despite the incredible power he wields as Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange regularly finds himself up against foes more powerful than him. From the fiendish Nightmare to the Dread Dormammu of the Dark Dimension, Strange’s enemies are so insanely omnipotent that the good doctor often has to find ways of tricking them into leaving Earth alone.
In the MCU film Doctor Strange, for instance, newly trained sorcerer Stephen Strange manages to beat the all-powerful Dormmamu by trapping him in a time loop and annoying him until the god-like being agrees not to invade the Earth. In the comics, however, Strange has found more creative – and hilarious – ways to take down the Lord of the Dark Dimension.
In the out-of-continuity story told in Marvel Adventures Superheroes #9, for instance, readers get an alternate tale of Strange and Dormmamu’s first battle. While touring an art museum with Wong, Doctor Strange finds himself attacked by a fire-breathing demonic squirrel. Things get really weird, however, when a lawyer stops Wong and Strange and informs them that the squirrel is his client – the Dread Dormammu come to conquer the Earth.
Why Dormammu Came to Earth as a Demonic Squirrel
It turns out that in Dormammu’s last battle with the Ancient One (who was Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme at the time) the two were so easily matched that they ended up fighting for weeks before the Ancient One finally won. To prevent Dormammu from returning, the Ancient One drafted an insanely long contract full of regulations and stipulations designed to keep Dormammu away from Earth. After decades of studying the contract with his lawyer, however, Dormammu found a loophole that enabled him to return in the form of a rodent.
As Dormammu fumes over the contract’s regulations, Strange learns some of the bizarre requirements the Ancient One included in the contract. Under the agreed upon terms, Dormammu is forbidden from teleporting into a ballerina’s house and cannot dry clean his clothes. Moreover, he is required to pay for and eat hot dogs on Wednesdays – which Strange actually sees him do, even allowing the hot dog vendor to keep the change. Realizing that, despite the ridiculousness of the contract, Dormammu is still capable of obliterating them, Strange and Wong beat a hasty retreat. They then realize that to beat Dormammu at his game, they’ll have to get a lawyer of their own.
How Nelson & Murdock Helped Save the World
Doctor Strange’s law firm of choice ends up being (who else?) Nelson & Murdock. Unfortunately, the team’s best lawyer Matt Murdock (aka Daredevil) isn’t available, forcing Wong and Strange to hire his partner Foggy Nelson. Teleporting the hapless lawyer to his home in Greenwich Village, Strange gets a copy of the contract, hoping Foggy will be able to find a clause to help banish Dormammu.
Unfortunately, it turns out that when the Ancient One drew up the contract he was so loopy after fighting Dormammu for a month that he simply filled the contract with nonsense clauses that he came up with on the fly. While the Lord of the Dark Dimension must return home if he violates even one of the stipulations, the clauses (Dormammu is forbidden from wearing green shoes with black shoelaces and cannot cast spells while dressed as a schoolgirl) are so inane Foggy can’t find an immediate solution. Worse, Doctor Strange must battle Dormammu while his lawyer analyzes the contract. Although some of the contract’s clauses prove helpful (after discovering the contract prevents Dormammu from affecting objects 10 feet away from a mailbox, Strange hastily seeks shelter behind one), the Lord of the Dark Dimension’s power completely out-classes Strange’s magic.
As Dormammu’s spells begin to eat away at Strange’s defenses, the Sorcerer Supreme turns to his lawyer for help. Foggy, however, can only read off the bizarre clauses (Dormammu can’t draw mustaches on posters, he must pay in exact change, he can’t name a pet dog after a musician). Moments from being obliterated by his enemy, one of the clauses stirs a memory in Strange as he remembers Dormammu accidentally paid five dollars for the $4.99 hot dog he ate earlier – violating the contract’s stipulation that he pay in exact change. Faced with such a flagrant violation of the contract’s rules, Dormammu disappears back into the Dark Dimension, leaving a grateful Doctor Strange to promise Foggy Nelson that he’ll pay the lawyer triple his usual rate.
Silly as the story might seem, it does follow in the tradition of Doctor Strange using both his wits and his magic to beat his foes. The Sorcerer Supreme is only human, after all, and there’s something oddly satisfying about being smart enough to use the most obscure details to beat your foes.