Family. Can't live with them, can't live without them. Perhaps no villain understands this sentiment better than ruler of the Dark Dimension and all things mystical. His twin sister, Umar The Unrelenting, gives him plenty of grief in their epic multiverse battles. Starting off as villainous allies, the two siblings soon fall into the throws of power-lust and ruling rights not only over the Dark Dimension but of the larger universe as well. Dormammu repeatedly banishes her or hides her away into the pocket dimension, only to face the consequences of Umar's subsequent wrath. But, just who is this evil sister anyway?
Essentially, Umar is a sorceress gifted with nearly unlimited magical powers, knowledge of all things deep-lore, and enough confidence to light a bomb. Any soul who gets in her way won't live long, relatives included. The only character safe from her namesake of unrelenting rage is Umar's daughter, Clea. But Dormammu isn't so lucky. Too many years of pent up resentments lead to Dormammu's fall, and not only on Earth-616. Umar's rivalry with Dormammu even extends to some alternate world storylines where Umar is still determined to undermine Dormammu and take the Dark Dimension for herself.
Comic Book Origins
Like Dormammu, Umar is a Faltine, an energy-like aura species made of magic particles. Faltines appear in their original form of fire, but can assume other forms; Umar uses a female human manifestation but is sometimes depicted with Faltine flames as her dark crown. In Dr. Strange, Sorcerer Supreme Vol. 1 #22 dives into the lore of Faltine, explaining Umar and Dormammu's genesis as a unique twin pair. Their dark nature leads them to betray their own creator, causing their banishment into the Dark Dimension. Soon enough, the Faltine twins take over the Dark Dimension for themselves, unlocking the secrets of barrier manipulations and dark sorcery.
Lee and Kirby's psychedelic Strange Tales #150 sees Umar's grand entrance as the evil twin to Dormammu. Claiming she's the next heir of the Dark Dimension, Umar takes the stage as Dr. Strange's next villain, continuing the onslaught of Mindless Ones. Quickly catching up on recent events, Umar is quick to best Dr. Strange in combat, rarely having to enter the battle herself. Strange Tales #152-155 showcases her talent for illusions as she sets a hoard of Mindless Ones against Dr. Strange. Having tricked Strange into thinking a Mindless One is Clea, Umar is able to de-power Strange with ease. When she does enter the battle herself, Umar is happy to hurl thundering bolts and reality barriers all over to stop Dr. Strange's escape. But just driving him out of her Dark Dimension isn't satisfying enough. Umar gives chase into Strange's human world, causing the Ancient One to intervene. Umar and the Ancient One battle it out and Umar flees only when Dr. Strange brings forth a giant being called Zom. Without aid, Strange and Clea are toast against Umar. Of course, this isn't the last readers see of the evil Faltine queen.
In 1975's Dr. Strange Vol. 2 #9 sees Umar switch up the Dark Dimension by seeming to ally with Dormammu, only to reveal that she's tricked him in order to snatch up the realm for herself. She never forgave that he once banished her into a pocket dimension, nor that he just tried again to outwit her. Umar gets her revenge and betrays Dormammu. When Clea and Dr. Strange seek aid in defeating Dormammu, Umar agrees; she'd rather kill her competition than her daughter. And though she wants Strange dead, their quarrel can resume at another time. For now, it's time to overthrow Dormammu.
Power and Abilities
To say Umar is intelligent is an understatement. After all, you need some serious brainpower to outwit the likes of Dormammu and the Ancient One. If there's knowledge of magic in the universe, Umar is its master. As for her other abilities, just picture an evil, more powerful version of Dr. Strange. Umar has telepathy, magic, energy manipulation, and teleportation. Traveling through dimensions is a breeze, as is whipping out powerful, cannon-like energy blasts. Traveling through time? Even easier. Like the Scarlet Witch, Umar is a pro at crafting mind-bending illusions and fake realities. If confidence was a superpower, Umar would be its queen; she's happy to seduce others into her power plays, such as her iconic seduction of The Hulk in 2005's Defenders, resulting in some fun, light-hearted villainy from the Queen of the Dark Dimension. Umar is so powerful, she even makes The Hulk her right-hand warrior via mind control and seduction in 2011's Incredible Hulk #633, further cementing her role as Bruce Banner's favorite poison.
A Strange Family Tree
Technically, Umar can call herself Strange's mother-in-law. As Clea's birth mother - it's a whole family affair in the Dr. Strange universe. Clea is shown to be romantically involved with Dr. Strange across his comic run; her mother is Umar, her uncle is Dormammu, and her lover is the Sorcerer Supreme. In some comic runs, Clea and Strange are married. You can bet it's a tense family reunion. But this leads to some cool theories about the MCU's Dr. Strange 2. With Umar and Clea playing such large roles in the comic multiverse storylines, fans will be shocked if the two aren't at least thrown a few name drops or references in the film.
Even wilder, in an alternate Earth-791218, Dr. Strange doesn't end up with Clea, but with Umar! Umar seduces him as her apprentice in yet another attempt to overthrow Dormammu - seen in 1979's What If Vol.1 #18 - leading to a whirlwind romance. It's such an interesting alternate reality that is ripe with content for trippy dream sequences and multiverse-hopping shenanigans that the Dr. Strange world is known for. Here's to hoping that Umar the Unrelenting makes another appearance soon; comic fans and MCU junkies alike would be thrilled.
