—Hoggoth[source]We, the Vishanti, have appointed you Sorcerer Supreme. Granted your request to teach and prepare the young from all worlds to face the evils of tomorrow and beyond. And I alone feast on the cost it takes for such a place to exist. Yet here you are, child in hand, asking me to eat more of your debt. Your arrogance never ceases to amaze even me.
Hoggoth is one of the Vishanti, a trio of powerful magical entities who charge the Sorcerer Supreme in defending the Earth from evil.[9][10] He is believed to be the last survivor of an ancient mystic race.[11]
History
Origin[]
Hoggoth was a mystical entity,[5] and the enigmatic survivor of an ancient, mystic race,[11][8] possibly predating Earth's universe,[2] the Old Ones. Hoggoth believed himself alone in all of creation, save for the ghosts of his fellow Old Ones, the Hosts of Hoggoth.[5] Ian McNee hypothesized his connection to the Old Ones from his name (the "oth" ending of the name is common among them, such as Asteroth, Azotheroth, Lloigoroth, N'Gabthoth, Slorioth, or Yog-Sothoth).[11]
Oshtur and the Vishanti[]
After centuries in isolation on his barren world, Hoggoth was encountered by Oshtur, who had left Earth, curious about the rest of the universe and the dimensions beyond it. Oshtur learned much from Hoggoth, but upon leaving, Hoggoth asked to join her. From Hoggoth, Oshtur also came to understand loneliness and the value of connecting to other beings. Oshtur eventually returned to Earth with Hoggoth, where she discovered the many changes occurred there in her absence.[2]
Oshtur later spawned Agamotto to form the omnipotent trio known as the Vishanti.[12] His temple on Earth was the Temple of the Three.[13]
Long ago, the Vishanti, or Eternal Ones, opposed Shuma-Gorath, the Evil One Who Sleeps,. They later disinterested themselves from the evils of the Earth planes, and remained within a supernatural region within the gulfs of space between the worlds.[9]
Modern Age[]
When Doctor Strange battled Sligguth, the demonic minion of Shuma-Gorath, at Starkesboro, the Vishanti appeared before him, unwilling to intervene, but helping him by suspending the evil aura that weakened Strange's powers, allowing him to overpower Sligguth.[9]
War of Seven Spheres[]
During the War of the Seven Spheres, Doctor Druid served as Slorioth's avatar. As Slorioth intended to claim Earth for himself, Joshua Pryce forced Druid to empower himself so far that he attracted the attention of the Vishanti, who on Earth's behalf summoned the Living Tribunal for arbitration, leading to Slorioth's banishment from Earth.[14]
The Vishanti returned to ask Doctor Strange once again to enlist his service, stating that their defeat was possible, and that Earth would likely suffer if they losed, prompting Strange to accept and lead the Vishanti's armies against those of the Trinity of Ashes. The Vishanti stopped Doctor Strange aging and promised that they would return him to Earth at the moment he had left at the end of the War. After 5,000 years of war, in fear of General Strange destroying them, the Trinity of Ashes sued the Vishanti for peace at the condition that General Strange would be imprisoned where he could never threaten the Trinity of Ashes again, which they accepted, despite Strange's protest. As an agreement was already made with Doctor Strange, the Vishanti separated Doctor Strange from General Strange. After returning Doctor Strange to Earth without any memory of the War, they gave him a crystal of great danger, linked to his life force, in which was held General Strange.[15]
Axis[]
In the course of World War Hate, after Red Onslaught broadcasted hate across the planet, an arrogant and angerly Doctor Strange attempted to commune with Hoggoth, in vain.[7]
Strange Acamy[]
After the Vishanti granted Doctor Strange the request to teach and prepare the magical youth, Strange Academy contracted a high debt to Hoggoth, who hate the magical cost to allow the Strange Academy to exist.
After Emily Bright of Strange Academy siphoned the power of two beings (including her classmate Doyle Dormammu) and collapsed, Doctor Strange was unable to unable to help her. He decided to plea for Hoggoth's help despite the already tremendous debt. Despite being angered by Strange's request,[4] Hoggoth removed most of the magics from Emily, though wasn't unable to fully cleanse her.[16]
The combination of the chaos caused by the Death of Doctor Strange along with the cost of the Strange Academy eventually led to Hoggoth's collapse.[17] Hoggoth seemingly recuperated afterwards.
Later, during Strange Academy's First Year Commenncement Ceremony, Emily Bright and Dormammu's army stepped on the Academy's ground, ready to confront both teachers and students. Dormammu and his army were transported by the faculty staff to the Vishanti's plane where Oshtur, Agamotto and Hoggoth attacked them, while Bright and her followers were opposed by Doyle Dormammu and his fellow students.[18] During the battle, as Doyle and Bright unleashed their powers at each other, Bright pierced the dimensional boundaries to tap directly into Hoggoth's magic core, the cue for Dormammu to retreat as the prophecy was accomplishing, starting the "Dawn of Bright". Voodoo asked Hoggoth to transport them back to Strange Academy, where Doyle had taken back his magic from Bright, and awas about to lose control of that power. Witnessing the noble act of Doyle, Hoggoth intervened and swallowed the dark magic from Doyle, saving him.[19]
Return of General Strange[]
To counter the return of General Strange, Doctor Strange consulted the Vishanti who revealed they couldn't track the General, as any search for him led to the Doctor, and informed him that the General would resume the War and use Earth as his war camp and its inhabitants conscripts, but feared he would go after the Vishanti rather than the Trinity of Ashes.[20]
Afterwards, the Vishanti confronted Strange for having not destroyed the General as well as for his alliance with the Trinity of Ashes to defeat the General, resulting in a heated exchange between the Doctor and the Vishanti.[21]
After Doctor Strange lent the title of Sorcerer Supreme to Doctor Doom to save the world, but was betrayed by Doom who kept the title, Strange went to the Vishanti who denied him (which Strange considered they did so because he had defied them on the General's matter).[22]Attributes
Powers
Hoggoth is a very powerful mystic being, comparable to the might of Elder Gods of Earth.
An Old One,[4] Hoggoth is immortal.[19]
He can bestow power upon mortals, and spells invoking Hoggoth included:
- Mist of Hoggoth: Acts as a traveler's guide in Nightmare's realm[23]
- Spell of Hoggoth: Causes sleep and forgetfulness[23]
- The Hosts of Hoggoth can be called for a banishing-spell,[23] and the Hosts of Hoggoth themselves are sometimes invoked in casting spells.[24]
- Hand of Hoggoth[25]
Notes
- As the other Vishanti, Hoggoth's form is incomprehensible and witnessing it would crush the sanity of a normal mind.[citation needed] Hoggoth normally appears as a humanoid male.[24]
Trivia
- For years, Hoggoth's origin was unrevealed, until he was finally revealed to be an Old One (the only known benevolent one among them so far):
- Marvel Tarot #1 (August, 2007) presented the works of Ian McNee, who hypothesized a connection between Hoggoth and thee Old Ones, due to "-oth"-ending name.[11]
- Strange Academy #7 (January, 2021) confirmed on-panel Hoggoth was an Old One.
- Marvel Universe: Map by Map (November, 2021), published by DK, confirmed that, both Hoggoth and the Hosts of of Hoggoth were Old Ones.[5]
See Also
- 22 appearance(s) of Hoggoth (Earth-616)
- 3 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Hoggoth (Earth-616)
- 5 minor appearance(s) of Hoggoth (Earth-616)
- 24 mention(s) of Hoggoth (Earth-616)
- 6 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Hoggoth (Earth-616)
- 197 invocation(s) of Hoggoth (Earth-616)
- 14 image(s) of Hoggoth (Earth-616)
- 2 quotation(s) by or about Hoggoth (Earth-616)
- 2 item(s) used/owned by Hoggoth (Earth-616)
Links and References
References
- ↑ Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #18
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #12 ; Vishanti's profile
- ↑ Doctor Strange (Vol. 2) #10
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Strange Academy #7
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Marvel Universe: Map by Map ; Mystic Realms: The mystical trinity
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #3 ; Demons' profile
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 AXIS: Revolutions #1 ; Hoary Hosts of Hate
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #7 ; Magic - From the Journals of Ian McNee: History of Sorcerer Supreme
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Marvel Premiere #5
- ↑ Doctor Strange (Vol. 4) #383
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Marvel Tarot #1 ; Planes Prelude: The Inner Planes
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89 #8
- ↑ Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment #1
- ↑ Secret Defenders #25
- ↑ Doctor Strange (Vol. 6) #6
- ↑ Strange Academy #8
- ↑ Strange Academy #16
- ↑ Strange Academy: Finals #5
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Strange Academy: Finals #6
- ↑ Doctor Strange (Vol. 6) #8
- ↑ Doctor Strange (Vol. 6) #12
- ↑ Doctor Strange (Vol. 6) #18
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #7
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89 #8 ; Vishanti's profile
- ↑ Strange Tales #125 ; Mordo Must Not Catch Me!