REALM OF MADNESS / INSANITY
Type: mystic realm
Environment: alien / earth-like
Usual means of access: insanity (usually only the insane part of someone could enter the realm, but Dr. Strange seemed to be an exception with his powerful magic as the Sorcerer Supreme)
Dominant Life Form: demons
Significant Inhabitants: Delusion, Dementia, Dusk, Fetish, Megalomania, Necromancer, Neurotica, Obsession, Paranoia, Phobia, Psychosis
Significant Locations: The Realm of Madness was located beyond Nightmare's realm. It was the place where one's greatest fears took tangible form. Therefore the realm and its inhabitants changed their appearance all the time because they were patterned after the individual fears of the insane that entered the realm. One time it was just a void with green mist, the next time an ever-changing world with a black sun, then a world with flying rocks. It was never the same twice.
First Appearance: Dr. Strange II#68 (December, 1984)
History:
(Dr. Strange II#68) - Dr. Strange threw Dane Whitman the Black Knight through
the Fangs of Farallah into the Realm of Madness. There the Black Knight was
attacked by the demons of the realm who transformed into his friends. They
echoed the fears of the Black Knight himself who knew that his sword had
driven him mad. This and the kind words of Dr. Strange gave the Black Knight
the strength to throw his sword away. They left the Realm of Madness afterwards.
(Web of Spider-Man#7) Nightmare had induced the Hulk into a raging madness (circa Hulk#300) but this had backfired, as the enraged Hulk came after him. A dreaming Peter Parker was drag along for the chase, as the Hulk was sent into the Realm of Madness, but managed to reach through and grab Nightmare.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#123-130) - Typhoid Mary drove Ghost Rider (Dan Ketch/Noble Kale) insane and he got drawn into the Realm of Madness by its ruler Dusk who wanted Ghost Rider to become one of his warriors for the attack on Nightmare's realm. Portals to the Realm of Madness opened all over the shopping mall where Ghost Rider and Typhoid Mary fought and the demons of the Realm of Madness terrorized the people in the mall. The pregnant girl Eve was drawn into the Realm of Madness when she followed a knight in shining armor who saved her from bats. Mary also entered the realm when she found out that Dusk lied to her about healing her from her madness. The sane aspects of all three stayed behind in the mall. Typhoid saved Eve from her delusion with the knight. A short time later Mary jumped from a cliff after Dusk used her fears against her. Ghost Rider saved Mary and left the realm together with her and Eve. Dusk left the Realm of Madness to attack his foes and all the people in the mall. He was defeated with holy water and all the portals to the Realm of Madness within the mall closed.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#130 - BTS) - Dusk returned to the Realm of Madness.
(Venom: The Madness#1-3) - The Realm of Madness was once again under the leadership of Dusk. He tried to get Venom for his army. Venom entered the realm after he was driven mad by the mercurial virus. He defeated Paranoia, Necromancer and Dusk. Venom was able to leave the realm again when the virus in his body was under control and his sanity returned.
(Nightmare#1-4) - Phobia and Paranoia came from the Realm of Madness and attacked Nightmare's realm when he was away. They freed the Exile who became the new ruler of Nightmare's realm. The demons of the Realm of Madness became assassins for the Exile on Earth. Doggerel, the fearful assistant of Nightmare brought Dementia and Neurotica from the Realm of Madness to Nightmare's realm too. They also became assassins for Exile. After Exile was defeated by Nightmare the demons of the Realm of Madness stayed under the control of Doggerel who immediately delivered his power over Nightmare's realm to the beautiful Neurotica.
Comments: Created by Ann Nocenti, Joe Bennett and Mike Witherby.
In Dr. Strange II#68 all demons looked the same until they transformed into the Avengers and Defenders.
Fetish, Megalomania, Obsession and Psychosis never really appeared (or they couldn't be recognized). Many other creatures that did appear weren't named. It was all really confusing and crazy. Especially the storyline in MCP was filled with many characters flying around, but only two were named at all.
Delusion was wearing the same bone stuff above his eye sockets as Necromancer, but Necromancer was fighting Ghost Rider at the time and couldn't be hanging around with Eve. So I thought that he was another demon. He wasn't named, but Delusion was fitting and in Venom: The Madness#2 a demon named Delusion is mentioned anyway.
Clarifications for Dusk, Necromancer, Paranoia, Phobia, Neurotica and Dementia are to be found in their individual entries.
Profile by Markus Raymond
Clarifications:
The Realm of Madness has no known connection to
Fetish has no known connection to
Delusion, Megalomania, Obsession and Psychosis have no known connection to
Delusion
Delusion saved the pregnant girl Eve from bat-like creatures from the Realm of Madness. He talked sweet to her about her look and how sorry he was that he followed the orders of Dusk to drive her mad. He carried her through a portal into the Realm of Madness to a beautiful place with a big castle, a forest and fairies flying around. He continued to speak noble words and she believed him. Suddenly Typhoid Mary appeared and mocked him. Delusion got mad and left the ladies. He was close to betray Dusk, but now he returned to fight for his master. After this incident he once again hung around in the Realm of Madness doing his job.
--Marvel Comics Presents I#128/3 (129/3, Venom: The Madness#2-BTS
images:
black sun and thorns: Marvel Comics Presents#128, barcode side, p8, pan1
green mist: Dr. Strange II#68, p19, pan3
flying rocks and planets: Venom: The Madness#2, p5, pan1 (without ads)
Delusion head shot: Marvel Comics Presents#129, barcode side, p3, pan1
Appearances:
Marvel Comics Presents I#123 (March, 1993) - Ann Nocenti (writer), Steve Lightle (artist), Terry Kavanagh (editor)
Marvel Comics Presents I#124 (March, 1993) - Ann Nocenti (writer), Steve Lightle (pencils), Jimmy Palmiotti (inks), Terry Kavanagh (editor)
Marvel Comics Presents I#125 (April, 1993) - Ann Nocenti (writer), Steve Lightle (pencils), Ken Branch & Chris Ivy (inks), Terry Kavanagh (editor)
Marvel Comics Presents I#126 (April, 1993) - Ann Nocenti (writer), Steve Lightle (artist/plot), Terry Kavanagh (editor)
Marvel Comics Presents I#127 (May, 1993) - Ann Nocenti (writer), Steve Lightle (pencils), Dave Sharpe (inks), Terry Kavanagh (editor)
Marvel Comics Presents I#128 (May, 1993) - Ann Nocenti (writer), Steve Lightle (artist), Terry Kavanagh (editor)
Marvel Comics Presents I#129-130 (June, 1993) - Ann Nocenti (writer), Steve Lightle (artist/plot), Terry Kavanagh (editor)
Venom: The Madness#1-2 (November, 1993 - January, 1994) - Ann Nocenti (writer), Kelley Jones (pencils), John Beatty (inks), Danny Fingeroth (editor)
Venom: The Madness#3 (January, 1994) - Ann Nocenti (writer), Kelley Jones (pencils), John Beatty, Al Milgrom & Keith Williams (inks), Danny Fingeroth (editor)
Nightmare#1-4 (December, 1994 - March, 1995) - Ann Nocenti (writer), Joe Bennett (pencils), Mike Witherby (inks), Chris Cooper (editor)
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
First Posted: 09/24/2004
Last Updated: 10/18/2004
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