Ancient One

Ancient One
The Ancient One as re-envisioned in the Strange Mini-Series. Art by Brandon Peterson
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Strange Tales #110 (July, 1963)
Created by	Stan Lee Steve Ditko
In-story information
Alter ego	Yan[citation needed]
Team affiliations	Ancient Ones
Partnerships	Doctor Strange, Baron Mordo, Kaluu, Mister Jip, Doctor Druid
Notable aliases	The Master, The High Lama, The Mystic, The Spirit Leopard
Abilities	Magic Energy blasts Teleportation Illusions generation Astral projection

The Ancient One is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. He was the mentor of Doctor Strange and preceded him as Sorcerer Supreme.

Fictional character biography

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The man who would one day become the Ancient One was born in Kamar-Taj, Tibet, over 500 years ago.^{[citation needed]} In his youth he was a peaceful farmer, but his friend Kaluu discovered the power of magic.^{[citation needed]} Kaluu shared his knowledge of the mystic arts, but the two friends disagreed on how they would use it. The Ancient One wanted to protect his village and help others. Kaluu also wanted to protect his village, but his method was to organize the village into an army and conquer the neighboring villages, building a large empire. The Ancient One and Kaluu cast a spell, eliminating sickness, disease and age from Kamar-Taj and shortly afterwards Kaluu was crowned king by the villagers under Kaluu's mind-control spell. The Ancient One tried to stop Kaluu and in their battle the village of Kamar-Taj was wiped out. Kaluu was banished to an alternate dimension, but the Ancient One lost his immortality, though he would still age far slower than any regular human.^[1]

Over the next few centuries, the Ancient One traveled the Earth, battling demons and evil spirits, banishing many from the Earth. He increased his own knowledge, while gathering books with dangerous knowledge and guarding them. He encountered the being Eternity through his meditations who gave him the Amulet of Agamotto, a powerful mystical artifact.^{[citation needed]} In Babylonia he defeated a griffin guarding the Book of the Vishanti, taking the tome of mystical knowledge with him.^{[citation needed]}

He finally settled down in the Himalaya Mountains, building a palace as his home with an order of monks to protect and assist him.^{[citation needed]} In a tournament organized by the sorcerer Aged Genghis, the Ancient One won the title of Earth's Sorcerer Supreme.^{[citation needed]} He took a student, who would one day become Mister Jip, but banned him from his home when he found out the student had been studying the forbidden books of black magic to increase his own power.^[2]

In London, during the Great London Fire, the Ancient One battled Dormammu and forced him to retreat.^{[citation needed]} This was only one of his many battles with Dormammu. While the Ancient One kept Earth safe, he never completely defeated Dormammu and Dormammu would return again and again.

Feeling himself getting older and weaker, the Ancient One set out to find a student.^{[citation needed]} He approached Anthony Ludgate Druid, a psychiatrist with mystical talents. Posing as the High Lama, the Ancient One trained him to become Doctor Druid.^[3] He was also approached by Baron Mordo, a Transylvanian nobleman who wanted to become his student. The Ancient One saw the corruption within Mordo's heart, but hoped that his teachings would redeem the man. The Ancient One accepted and began to teach Mordo.^{[citation needed]} Mordo seemed to change at first, but grew jealous when the Ancient One began to protect a boy called Stephen Strange, claiming that this boy had incredible magical talents and would become the new Sorcerer Supreme.^{[citation needed]} Mordo began to plot against Strange, sending demons and nightmares to plague the boy, though the Ancient One kept protecting him and erasing the encounters from the boy's mind. Mordo's torture nevertheless affected the boy and Strange became a self-centered surgeon.^{[citation needed]} The Ancient One was aware of Mordo's actions, but decided to limit the damage and keep Mordo close where he could keep an eye on him.^{[citation needed]}

After a car crash, Stephen Strange came to the Ancient One to cure the nerve damage in his hands. The Ancient One accepted him as his student when he tried to warn the Ancient One of Mordo's dealings with Dormammu. Mordo soon left the palace and Stephen became the Ancient One's successor as Doctor Strange.^[4] The Ancient One would often assist Stephen, but when the extra-dimensional monster called Shuma-Gorath tried to invade Earth through the Ancient One's mind while he was in the Crypts of Kaa-U, the Ancient One prompted Strange to destroy the portion of the Ancient One's mind which constituted his ego, or sense of self. This blocked the way for Shuma-Gorath, trapping him within the Ancient One's mind, and killed the Ancient One's physical body. This ended the Ancient One's corporeal existence, but allowed his soul to achieve transcendence and become one with the universe and with Eternity.^[5] Stephen inherited the Ancient One's title as Sorcerer Supreme and the power that came with it.

The Ancient One has since demonstrated his existence by manifesting himself as an avatar of Eternity, intervening in a struggle between Doctor Strange and Eternity.^[6] He also briefly regained his corporeal form when the Creators caused the universe to reject him, during which time he lived as an alcoholic derelict in the Bowery section of Manhattan.^[7] He resumed his oneness with the universe upon Doctor Strange's defeat of the Creators.^[8]

The Ancient One reappeared in the Dead Girl mini-series as an opponent of Dr. Strange. By committing increasingly evil acts in the afterlife, the Ancient One is demoted to Hell. There, he becomes an ally of the Pitiful One and other banished characters seeking to become alive again. In a climactic battle, Strange defeats his former teacher. However, in the All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z, select entries, including that of the Ancient One himself, state that this was probably an impostor.

During Hercules's journey to the underworld in the Dark Reign storyline, the Ancient One was seen in Erebus gambling for his resurrection.^[9]

During a demonic invasion of New York via the Eye of Agamotto, Iron Fist finds himself transferred into a white void when he comes in contact with the Eye, resulting in him coming face-to-face with what appears to be the Ancient One, who claims that he - along with a currently-unidentified associate - is responsible for the demonic invasion due to his anger at Strange's recent "failures,"^[10] although a casual comment by Spider-Man prompts Strange, Doctor Voodoo, and Daimon Hellstrom to realize that they are actually dealing with Agamotto himself, as the Ancient One's demands for the Eye defy everything he told Strange about how the Eye is passed on from one sorcerer to another.^[10]

Strange (2005)

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In J. Michael Straczynski's Strange series, Doctor Strange's origin was adapted. In this series, the Ancient One differs slightly from the established Ancient One. He is an ancient magician, physically frail from old age, but spiritually and psychically powerful. He is depicted as an old, bald man with a long, flowing, white beard and moustache. He is usually shown sitting cross-legged, immersed in prayer or meditation, dressed in nothing but a simple white robe. He retreated from human society more than a thousand years ago, preferring to live alone in the depths of a dark cavern, sustaining himself through prayer and meditation, having otherwise no need for food or drink.

Powers and abilities

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

In his prime, the Ancient One was a master of the mystic arts, with a vast knowledge of magical lore. He had the ability to manipulate the forces of magic for a vast number of effects. He was able to tap into extra-dimensional energy by invoking entities or objects of power existing in dimensions tangential to Earth's through the recitation of spells. He was capable of astral projection, levitation, interdimensional teleportation, and a large number of other effects.

He also possessed a variety of mystical objects, including the Book of the Vishanti, the Orb, Amulet, and Eye of Agamotto, and various mystical objects and devices gathered throughout his lifetime.

His abilities after becoming one with Eternity are unknown.

In other media

Television

• The Ancient One figures prominently in the finale of the unsuccessful series pilot/TV-movie Dr. Strange, depicted as an unseen entity voiced by Michael Ansara.
• The Ancient One makes a non-speaking appearance in the Spider-Man episode "Doctor Strange". He is shown only in a flashback detailing Doctor Strange's origin.

Film

• The Ancient One appears in Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme voiced by Michael Yama.

Video game

• In Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, the Ancient One (voiced by James Sie) is seen in a void within a blurry mirror in the Sanctum Sanctorum. There is special dialogue between him and Doctor Strange as well as Deadpool (who mistakes the Ancient One for his "Grampy"). In Doctor Strange's dialogue with the Ancient One, Doctor Strange tells him that the Masters of Evil have threatened the world and asks that the Ancient One watches over the superhero alliance and aid them in whatever way he can.

References

This section's citation style may be unclear. The references used may be made clearer with a different or consistent style of citation, footnoting, or external linking. (April 2011)

External links

• Ancient One at Marvel.com