The Sanctum Sanctorum has, of late, become just another clubhouse for capes on Earth-616. The Defenders and Avengers hang out there every so often when they want to be somewhere a little less public than average. The Thing runs one of his three ongoing poker games there. The X-Men and Avengers run fieldtrips there for their students so Dr. Strange can teach them how to fight magical foes. (He doesn’t mind doing it, although he always takes care to make sure to inform each young hero’s subconsciousness that, although not falling apart in fear is an excellent thing to do with magical foes, that in reality they know next to nothing and therefore their confidence should not be unreasonable. This is about as much as he can realistically do. He has tried to make this work on Spider-Man approximately seven hundred times and it never takes.)
Now, the Sanctum Sanctorum is the headquarters of the Sorcerer Supreme. It is a fantastically important place. Doctor Strange allowing visitors to it is kind of like Nick Fury opening the doors of one of his forty-three hidden secret bases for an open house and bake sale: it’s honestly kind of a terrible idea, not least because someone – probably Hawkeye – will poke at something they shouldn’t poke at, and the next thing you know demons are invading Cleveland.
But, at the same time, the Sanctum Sanctorum is kind of expected as part of the whole “Stephen Strange experience” now. There’s nothing for it: the Defenders all talked to their friends about the place (and since one of them was Hank McCoy that meant a lot of talking) and now it has a reputation. People expect the Sanctum Sanctorum to be mystical and spooky and weird, but also welcoming and safe. It’s a precarious balance to strike, and honestly, maintaining it is a hassle.
Which is why there are actually two Sanctum Sanctorums. Not in the Nick Fury way where there are multiple secret bases, and not anything to do with parallel universes. (Reed Richards, one of the very few who knows Stephen’s little trick in this matter, always gets a little bit irritated when he proposes a new way to explain how the whole thing works, and Doc’s response is inevitably to shrug and say “not really, but if you like.”) The Sanctum Sanctorums are both at 177A Bleecker Street; they’re the same building and they occupy the same space. If you know how, transitioning from one to the other is really quite simple.
The two Sancta are distinct. One – call it Sanc – is what you would expect the Sanctum Sanctorum to be. There are dribbled candles, extremely moody and dramatic lighting, and shadows cloak everything (even at noon). There are dusty bookshelves with musty old tomes and the occasional skull. The other – call it Tum – is what the Sanctum Sanctorum actually needs to be in order for Doctor Strange to function on a daily basis. It’s clean, with comfortable couches and good lighting so he can actually read all of his books. (The bookshelves are all from IKEA. He got them on sale.) There is of course still the occasional skull, but all of the eldritch paraphernalia is neatly stored away for easy access. It is embarrassingly practical.
Of course, since this is magic, the two Sancta have each developed their own distinct personalities – not exactly sentient, of course, but certainly there’s something there that is more than nothing. Both are completely sane and willing servants to the Doctor: Sanc is concerned with performance and Tum with comfort. Sanc allows windows to open so that candles flicker at precisely the right moment and howling wind whistles as necessary. Tum makes sure the thermostat is always set at the optimum level and somehow manages to dust itself. They are invaluable assistants. They’re a little bit at odds and tend to squabble in ways non-bodied personality complexes can (Sanc leaves a petrified demon raccoon out when someone transitions to Tum, Tum leaves a Swiffer out when transitioning to Sanc), but those are just personality quirks.
Until, of course, something happens, and suddenly these two personalities aren’t quite as disembodied as they used to be…
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I dig the concept. I’ll even take the liberty of suggesting a name for this arc: How about “The Doctor’s Wives”? 🙂
One day, I just know some writer will read this series as he’s preparing to do a Dr. Strange and suddenly there’ll be idea-theft.
It may be awesome.
1: “Doc’s response is inevitably to shrug and say “not really, but if you like.”” is how every conversation between them goes, isn’t it? At least, those not summarizable with a pair of long-suffering sighs and exhaled “damnit, Victor”s?
2: if you get one on entry based on what you expect, then Reed knows the trick because he gets sorted to see Tum every time. Because, after all, it must be science, really, and that’s what a good workspace for science looks like.
So what happens when Tor manifests? Is the Sanctorum suddenly filled with old pizza boxes and empty beer cans?
A friend once asked why no one ever just attacks Dr. Strange’s house. My answer was that people have broken in, but if the Doc or Wong isn’t there to guide you, things could get ugly.
The bit about Reed Richards puts me in mind of Ponder Stibbons in Making Money, in which he commends a graphic analogy on aiding understanding, “while being wrong in every possible way”.
“If we must be forced to coexist with one another in the same mystical spacetime, let’s get one thing straight: I don’t want to see you, I don’t want to hear you… and kindly remove that plate of spaghetti from my Dread Altar of the Vishanti.”
“Tsk… it’s not spaghetti, it’s linguine!”
(ZZZAAAPPP)
“Now, it’s garbage.”
(Ideally for the purpose, Vincent Price and Peter Cushing would probably be more appropriate than Matthau and Lemmon, but the same general personality dynamic should apply.)
I read this as Santa Sanctorum, and I think you should consider doing that story too.
This is like The Odd Couple where the Sanc and Tum are the personifications of the roles of the Sanctum. Which are representations of the two aspects of the Odd Couple. Who are actually disembodied aspects of the Sanctum Santorum.
My brain hurts.
You know, with all of Kevin Feige’s/Marvel Studios’ talk of a Dr. Strange film, I’d love to see an entry in this series called “Reason #1 I Should Write the Dr. Strange Movie.”
I can picture the Doc literally in the middle of an argument between his two houses and being like “Psh. I’m going to watch the Mets game.”
And Strange is definitely a Mets fan seeing as the Yankees are comprised of dark forces.
Y’know, this idea reminded me a lot of a manga series called xxxHolic, where one of the main characters (Yuko the Space-Time Witch) owns a Sanctum-esque antique shop that incarnates as two girls named Maru and Moro (though they were never developed in the story to actually have personalities beyond fun-loving, more’s the pity). Reading this kinda makes me see some wasted potential there :T Good to see the “Why I Should Write X” posts back, by the way.
Life lessons never take when given to Spider-Man. If they did, he’d have gotten over his uncle’s death years ago. This is why he was always such a cry-baby in the movies.
This is a good idea. I’ve always been fond of living houses, but I’ve rarely seen it done well.
You know, thanks to that asshole from Pennsylvania, every time I see mention of Dr. Strange’s house, I initially read it as Sanctum Santorum.
Take that back, T.Shock. Say what you will about the rest of the Yankees, but Derek Jeter is a nice young boy and we’re all very proud of him.
It’s been a while. So glad to see another entry in this series. More! More often!
They’re especially enjoyable for the asides that show you’d really have a handle on the characterizations of the other folks. (With Spider-Man it never takes. Reed has to have a scientific explanation. Hell, even that the Doc drops in the subconscious suggestions. Well, of COURSE he does. It just makes so much sense.)
One angle implicit in your description is that the stuff in Sanc is more or less stage magic. It’s probably really, really good stage magic, good enough to fool almost anyone, magicians included. But anything significant, important, powerful or dangerous is stashed in Tum. Now it might seem odd at first glance, but the wards and protections on the props are very similar to the ones on the real stuff. You don’t want the intruder in Sanc to stop and think, “That was too easy”. Maybe the protections in Sanc have a few more warnings and lean a smidge heavier on the light and sound effects. But if you don’t have the requisite chops in the Mystic Arts (and damned few do) and insist on pushing past the warning levels, Sanc will still kick your ass thoroughly. Despite the personality differences, these two have very similar tool kits at their disposal.
I’m with RobotKeaton. I was just trying to figure out which one would be the little brother in the relationship.
In this setup, the two are very much the representations of two sides of Stephan’s life. Sanc is the Superhero side, where he chats with his spandex clad friends and discusses the thwarting of criminals. Tum is the Sorcerer Supreme side, where he deals with more abstract and delicate mystical matters that are less likely to be resolved with a punch to the face.
And story dealing with these two being brought into open conflict has to be a proxy war between the two demands on Strange’s time and the resolution has to come from himself. As is fitting for a good story hook.
I like the part about Spidey best, though I’m not sure if it’a comment on his seeming confidence in battle or on his complex over how much responsibilty he has for something.
Honestly thes rest I’m not sure about. I never expected the Sanctum Sanctorum to be all that spooky, at least nothing besides the library and his study.
I have a question. Will you do something with Galactus. I mean he seems kind of like an eldritch abomination sort of thing, and his origin from the universe that the current on replaced in the last bang/crunch/bang cycle kind of makes him from a different dimension. So why isn’t he something the Sorcerer Supreme should have to deal with
@Cookie
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a Mets or Red Sox fan (Cubs fan, actually), but let’s be honest, the Doc is definitely a Mets fan despite Yankee Stadium (the old one) being more magical.
@Jason
Regarding Spider-Man, it certainly has to be the latter as he doesn’t strike me as supremely confident (as opposed to Cap or Tony). Why has Strange’s “inception” never worked? Spidey can’t run from a fight no matter his level of experience or confidence against an opponent because the last time he did that, his uncle died.
@T.Shock
Spidey’s kind of an interesting case. Peter Parker isn’t the most confident guy in the world. And as Spidey he often doubts himself. But if he was really lacking in confidence as much as it seems sometimes would he really devote as much thought as he does to smack talk?
oh, and T.Shock, I think MGK has declared the Doctor a Phillies fan
Brendan McCarthy’s Spider-Man: FEVER has some beautiful moments between the Web-Slinger and the Doc. Very funny, sweet and twisted.
And now, I am picturing the Doctor and his entourage going to IKEA. Why yes, hilarity most definitely ensues.
@Tales to Enrage – I think Tor only manifests when it’s “TIME FOR GO TO BED”.
Dr. Creaux
Y’know, come to think of it MGK, you should really do an essay on Spidey a la the ones you’ve done For Supes, Luthor, and Lois.
I read that as Santa Santorum and then got grossed out.
With all the great import outlets in NYC, there’s no way that Doctor Strange shops at fucking Ikea. None whatsoever.
Also, I can’t help thinking of Cleveland residents reacting to a demon invasion: “Oh, of course! Isn’t this just typical!”
@Snap: there’s certainly *one* resident of Cleveland who by this time regards demon invasions as both typical and boring.
I second the “no shopping at Ikea” sentiment. We’re talking about a guy who knows where to find the best burritos in New York (“There’s a place in Queens that does the great yam burritos”). Doc won’t settle for particle board.
the thing with spidy is less that he’s actually confidant and more that he runs his mouth because the alternative is panicking.so he probably knows damn well when he’s in over his head, he just knows if he admits it to himself he’s going to freeze and get himself killed.
@Stig: I’m reminded of an issue of Silver Surfer or Infinity Watch or something, where Surfer and Adam Warlock drop in on the Sanctum Sanctorum uninvited for help with some cosmic crisis; after checking behind a couple of doors, trying to find Stephen or Wong, they decide to sit quietly and wait for help to find them.
Simulacrum Sanctorum vs. Sanctum Sanctorum
“Dammit Hawkeye. I told you not to touch anything.”