SINIFER

Real Name: Sinifer.
    His real name likely cannot be pronounced or even understood by humans, so let's not even pretend

Identity/Class: Extra-dimensional (Faltinian) magical energy creature

Nature of abilities: magical/energy

Occupation: Indescribable in human terms

Group Membership: Faltine

Affiliations: Faltine

Enemies: Dormammu, Kalijulaa, Rukkoplu, Umar, Wenigkyt

Known Relatives: Clea (grand-daughter); Dormammu (scion); Flyx (kin); Pharnovion (kin); Umar (scion);
    see comments

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Faltine

First Appearance: Doctor Strange III#22/2 (October 1990) 

Powers/Abilities:  All Faltinians are made of, and control, vast amount of mystical energies in ways that are virtually incomprehensible for human minds; it was stated that the energy released by the materialization of a full-fledged Faltinian on Earth might incinerate half of New York City.
    A Faltinian can send projections of himself in lower dimensions, investing them with his awareness and a portion of his energies.

History:  (Dr. Strange III#22/2) - Sinifer spawned two new Faltinians, Dormammu and Umar, who were unlike their progenitor, due to an accident of nature or a mutation. (The exact cause was never revealed.)

Dormammu and Umar were guilty of the worst perversion known to the Faltinians: they craved, or lusted, for matter. When Sinifer tried to put an end to that abominable practice, they transmuted him into matter, effectively killing him.

That unprecedented, horrifying crime rallied all the Faltinians against Dormammu and Umar who were forced to flee their native universe.

(Dr. Strange III Annual#2/5 fb) - Flyx (later revealed to be Dormammu in disguise) used a feud between Sinifer's kin and Kalijulaa's kin to trick Clea into following him on a quest to locate more sources of power and alliances. 

Comments: Created by Jean-Marc Lofficier, Roy Thomas (writers) and Lee Weeks (artist).

  The name "Sinifer" was borrowed from a 1964 French science fiction novel, L'Astéroide Noir [The Black Asteroid] by B.-R. Bruss in which Sinifer was a powerful and ultimately mysterious extra-dimensional alien from some far-flung, unfathomable dimension. There is, really, no reasons why the two Sinifers could not have been one and the same.

A pox on John McDonagh for bringing this up...
    Does Sinifer have other known relatives?....maybe.
    According to the series Hellcat, Dormammu is the father of Satannish, who is in turn the father of--I still can't believe this idea ever made it to print--Hellstorm.

OK, first of all the second part (regarding Hellstorm) is false.

• Per the Marvel Knights Encyclopedia, Hellstorm fed Patsy (Hellcat) a series of falsehoods in order to distance her from the horrors of his life <as a Lord of Hell>.
• Beyond that, Hellstorm has close to 30 years of history as the Son of Satan, and his own series of twenty-some issues named that demon as Marduk Kurios, one of the posers as Satan (Just as Mephisto is). That's the real deal. Period. The End.
• The next writer to touch Hellstorm should be forced to read Warren Ellis' Hellstorm. It should be considered the "Satanic Bible" for that character.
• For more info, see the Hellstorm and Satana page: Hellstorm/Son of Satan (and Satana)

Secondly, Satannish has been confirmed as Class Two demon by numerous sources, including multiple editions of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe:

•     Class Two Demons are those who appear to have originated from/on Earth, but come from a period much later.
      These include the Hell-Lords, such beings who rule realms of Hell, and some of whom play at the role of "Satan." The classic examples of these are Mephisto, Satannish, Thog, etc. In addition, the demon servants of these beings are also considered Class Two demons.
• Dormammu is a Class Three demon, of extradimensional origin, etc.
• Satannish's origins have been detailed in
• In Dr. Strange III#8, Mephisto and Satannish were revealed to have diverged from a common precursor.
• in Doctor Strange Annual#2, there was a "Top Ten Villains piece" in which Rintrah goes over a number of villains, including Satannish. Rintrah stops to say that after Atum defeated the Elder Gods as Demogorge in the distant past (billions of years ago), a great quantity of evil energy was left behind. That energy eventually dispersed and gave birth to many demons, including Thog as well as Satannish and Mephisto.
• In Silver Surfer III#45, Mephisto discusses coming from a great evil which spawned all such devils.
• These stories all share a common thread, much different than the version told in Hellcat.
• My first instinct is to say that the Hellcat story gave false information, just as it did with Hellstorm. I don't buy any information that was simply told during that the travels through Hell.
• Alternatively, you can take the tack that demons are pathological liars, so all information told by them is suspect.
• I guess if you want to try to dovetail the two version, you could go along the lines that Dormammu either manipulated some of the energy to become Satannish, or he was just a "spiritual" advisor, or mentor to Satannish.
• It's just that the idea is so out there that it just annoys the devil out of me!!!
• Ugh!

"Profile by" Jean-Marc Lofficier (yes, that Jean-Marc Lofficier!--Snood).

CLARIFICATIONS:  
Sinifer should be distinguished from:

• Mr. Sinister - Nathaniel Essex, the enemy of the X-Men from Uncanny X-Men#210
• any other Sinisters (Sinister Six, Seven, Squadron)

Flyx should be distinguished from:

• Flux (Pvt. Benjamin "Bennie" Tibbets)- Ryker's pawn--Incredible Hulk III#17
• any other "Fly" characters

The Faltine

 

The Faltine is both  the name of a very old and very dense (i.e.: with a greater number of spatial dimensions than three, as is the case in our universe) universe (or, improperly, "dimension"), and of its native race, although those are also referred to as "Faltinians". We shall use the latter term to distinguish the natives from their universe.

There is no matter in the Faltine, only energy in various forms. The Faltinians are pure energy creatures whose entire life, civilization and pursuits are based on differentiating between degrees and kinds of energy (e.g.: between a quark and a gluon). These differences are as important to them as the difference between lead and gold would be to a human.

The Faltinians reproduce by scissiparity (fission): a little like Earth amoebas. The goal of every Faltinian is to gather more and choicer combination of energies. When that happens, a Faltinian "genitor" or "progenitor" gives birth to a "scion" - or "kin-being" - who is devoted to him. The purpose of each Faltinian is, naturally, to increase the size of his "clan". This gives rise to complex family relationships (such as being a "third quark proto-scion") and unending feuds.

Here is how Flyx described a feud currently involving Sinifer's clan:

"Five hundred lesser cycles ago [the duration of a Faltinian "cycle" is unknown] ... two of the Faltine commenced a most unseemly feud: It seems that a Faltinian known as Kalijulaa attacked one Pharnovion, a kin-being of Sinifer, and valenced a gluon from Pharnovion's sub-atomic chain. However, he did not have time to assimilate it because he, in turn, was ambushed by his third quark proto-scion Wenigkyt who immediately claimed the allegiance of Pharnovion's kin-grouping [presumably the unique combination of energies stolen from Pharnovion by Kalijulaa, and then by Wenigkyt enabled the latter to command the resources of at least a portion of Pharnovion's immediate kin-grouping]. But meanwhile, a fourth Faltine Rukkoplu allied itself with Kalijulaa..."

Matter being a "dead" form of energy is considered particularly vile and repugnant by Faltinian standard, like excrement or putrefying matter on Earth. The most famous Faltinians of all were Dornmammu and Umar, who were exiled from their native universe for craving matter and having killed their progenitor.

Faltinians have been known to lend power to mages of lower dimensions who invoke them. Presumably the spells used by said mages enable the Faltinians to access or rearrange energies in ways which are favorable to their purposes, and they reciprocate in granting the spell user limited and controlled access to their own vast supply of general-purpose energies.

First Appearance: Spell form: Amazing Spider-Man Annual#2 (Summer 1965);
    Dormammu: Strange Tales I#126 (November, 1964)
    actual representation of true Faltinian form: Doctor Strange III#22/2 (October, 1990) 

History:  (Amazing Spider-Man Annual#2) - Xandu uses this invocation to banish Spider-Man: "Demons of darkness!/ In the name of Satannish! / By the Flames of the Faltine / Let Spider-Man vanish!"

(Strange Tales I#142) - The Demon uses a spell to release Doctor Strange: "By the mystic moons of Munnopor / By the demons of night and day / By the flames of the flawless Faltine / Let yon spell be dissolved away!"

(Strange Tales I#142) - Tazza exclaimed: "By the Flames of the Faltine!"

(Strange Tales I#150) - Strange conjured the Flames of the Faltine.

(Strange Tales I#151) - "By the flames of the Faltine / I command you -- show me! / What Umar wills must ever be! / Such is my power, my dark sorcery!"

(Strange Tales I#155) - "By the demons of darkness / in the name of Satannish / by the Flames of the Faltine / Let the deadly sting vanish!" and "Let the fiery Flames of the Faltine / Free you of your sudden bondage! / Let that which I ordain come to pass!"

(Strange Tales I#156) - "By the demons of darkness / In the name of Satannish / By the Flames of the Faltine / Let Umar now vanish!"

(Strange Tales I#159)- Same as in #156 but now it is "Let Umar's spell vanish!"

(Strange Tales I#160) - Strange used the Flames of the Faltine as defense against Mordo's lackeys attacks.
Later Strange cast a banishment spell: "By the Hoary Host of Hoggoth / By the flawless Faltine's Flame / Let thy wicked power vanish / Go thee back to whence thou came!"

(Strange Tales I#161) - Strange exclaimed: "By the Flames of the Faltine--"

(Strange Tales I#163) - The Living Tribunal surrounded itself with the Flames of the Faltine. Then he shot a Bolt of Cosmic Lightning, the flames consumed mountains.

(Strange Tales I#164) - Strange exclaimed: "By the Flames of the Faltine--"

(Strange Tales I#165) - "By the full powers at my command / Let the Flames of the Faltine blast that which threatens me!"

(Doctor Strange I#173) - "In the name of the All-seeing / In the name of the All-freeing / Let the Flames of the Faltine / Now free me from this maddening merciless vertigo!"

(Doctor Strange I#177) - "By the Shades of the Seraphim / which rule the black of night / By the Flames of the Faltine / Let all be bathed in -- light!"

(Doctor Strange I#178) - "By the demons of darkness / In the name of Satannish / By the Flames of the Faltine / Let yon revelers vanish!"

(Doctor Strange I#179) - Xandu conjured a dimensional portal wich started gulping down Spider Man: "Demons of Darkness!/In the name of Satannish!/By the Flame of Faltine!/Let Spider-Man vanish!"

(Doctor Strange I#181) - "From their bitter blazing land / May the Faltine raise their hand / May their flames now leap and hiss -- / open wide great abyss!"

(Sub-Mariner#22) - Strange conjured the Flames of the Faltine.

(Defenders I#15) - Strange conjured the Flames of the Faltine.

(Marvel Premiere#8) - "Let the Flames of the Faltine blaze forth / to quell this unholy usurpation of inanimate matter! / Back to your former shapes / let that frightful spirit that is within you -- begone!"

(Defenders I#22) - Strange conjured the Flames of the Faltine: "Che le Fiamme di Faltine lo tengano immobile=[attempt at re-translating--Spidermay]Let the Faltine Flames hold him still.".

(Doctor Strange II#8) - Clea conjured the Flames of the Faltine. 

(Doctor Strange II#12) - Strange conjured the Flame of the Faltine. Later Mordo attacked Clea: "Demons of darkness / in the name of Satannish / by the Flames of the Faltine / let Clea's mind vanish!" (nearly the same as Strange Tales #156).

(Defenders I#31) - Strange conjured the Flames of the Faltine.

(Doctor Strange II#23) - Strange conjured the Flames of the Faltine.

(Doctor Strange II#27) - Strange, whose exixtence was imprisoned by Stygyro in the Planes of Pohldakh, conjured the Flames of the Faltine and managed to melt the Planes fragments together, then, invoking the Vishanti, freed himself.

(Doctor Strange II#31) - Clea conjured the Flames of the Faltine.

(Doctor Strange II#33) - "I call upon the Flames of the Faltine to dissolve this frigid prison as the Shield of the Seraphim surrounds my love with its warming glow. Let the unquenchable Flames of the Faltine consume you in their emerald embrace." What the--?

(Doctor Strange II#34) - Strange conjured the Flames of the Faltine: "Let the unquenchable Flames of the Faltine consume you in their emerald embrace." (nearly the same as Doctor Strange II#33)

(Defenders I#57) - Clea used the Flames of Faltine against the AIM War robot, but it turned them back on her.

(Doctor Strange II#38) - "From the bitter blazing land / may the Faltine raise their hand / may their flames now leap and hiss / open wide a great abyss!" (Same as Doctor Strange I#181)

(Doctor Strange II#39) - Strange conjured the Flames of the Faltine.

(Doctor Strange II#40) - "By the Hoary Host of Hoggoth / By the Flawless Faltine's flame / let thy wicked power vanish! / Go back to whence thou came!" (Same as Strange Tales I#160). Later, Strange conjured the Flames of the Faltine.

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