Nightmare (Marvel Comics)

Nightmare
Cover art for Incredible Hercules #118. Art by John Romita, Jr.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Strange Tales #110 (July, 1963)
Created by	Stan Lee Steve Ditko
In-story information
Species	Demon
Team affiliations	The Fear Lords
Abilities	Nigh-omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence Ability to draw power from the psychic energies of the subconscious minds of dreaming beings

Nightmare is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted most commonly as one of Doctor Strange and Ghost Rider's major enemies.

Nightmare first appeared in Strange Tales #110 and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

He is the evil ruler of a "Dream Dimension", where tormented humans are brought during their sleep. He roams this realm on his demonic black horned horse named Dreamstalker. He appears as a chalk-white man with wild green hair, a green bodysuit, and a ragged cape. He was the first foe met by Doctor Strange, when a man who was having troubled dreams went to Strange for help, though it is revealed this is due to him committing a murder. Later Nightmare imprisons several humans in his dimension, but Strange frees them. When Doctor Strange forgot to recite a spell before he slept, Nightmare started tormenting him, before Strange was freed after tricking Nightmare by casting an illusion of one of Nightmare's enemies.

Nightmare is a demon from the dimension Everinnye, like his "cousin", the Dweller-in-Darkness. Nightmare is dependent on the human race's need to dream. Without this ability, Nightmare would cease to exist, but humanity would go insane. At one point Strange and Nightmare had to join forces to prevent that from happening. Nightmare has run afoul of Spider-Man, Captain America, Ghost Rider, Dazzler, Wolverine, the Hulk, and Squirrel Girl on different occasions. Nightmare also served under Shuma-Gorath and warned Strange that the demon would be a force that even the Sorcerer Supreme would have trouble defeating, and he once joined the Fear Lords, a group of supernatural creatures who fed on fear, to attack Dr. Strange together. Their plans were undone when D'Spayre tricks him into competing with the Dweller-in-Darkness over who could frighten humanity more.