Anthony Baskerville (Earth-616)

Sir Anthony Baskerville is an English knight and sorcerer. Sometime before 1943, Baskerville allied himself with the German Viscount Heinrich Krowler and his dark cabal of mystics. Using knowledge acquired via a secret transferal spell that Krowler had previously placed in the mind of his grandson, Karl Mordo, the cabal learned of Dormammu and how to use the power of hate to summon him.^[2] However, for reasons that have never been explained, the Dormammu that the cabal contacted was from decades in the future. Baskerville, Krowler and the cabal agreed to bring this Dormammu into their world so that he could conquer it and they would then serve him as his Earthly lieutenants.^[1]

As part of their plan, Baskerville smuggled Krowler and his elite guard of German soldiers into the country and let them use Castle Baskerville as their base of operations. Another part of that plan involved the future Dormammu secretly manipulating the Baron Mordo of that future time into gaining great power, kidnapping Clea and then bringing her (and Morgana Blessing) with him when he travelled back in time to 1943. As expected, Doctor Strange, Dormammu's arch-enemy and the Sorcerer Supreme of that future time, followed them and most of them ended up at Castle Baskerville where Strange was swiftly overcome by Krowler using Dormammu's power as Baskerville watched.^[1]

Later, with Strange seemingly a mindless shell, Dormammu reduced Mordo to a more basic mystic force which he gave to Baskerville to find a body for the force to possess (since possession was a necessary element of the incarnation ritual). Once Baskerville had departed, Dormammu then took possession of Krowler's body. Baskerville, using the magically-controlled body of Strange as his accomplice, then went to Hawley Manor where they kidnapped Morgana Blessing who was being cared for by Lady Pamela Hawley. Fearing that Lady Pamela may have seen his face, Baskerville kidnapped her as well.^[2]

Later that night, the Howling Commandos covertly entered Castle Baskerville seeking the source of a coded radio message that had recently been sent from there to Nazi high command. While the Commandos took on the German soldiers, Baskerville performed a spell that enabled Mordo to possess Morgana's body only for Sgt. Nick Fury and Dum Dum Dugan to burst in on them only seconds later. Baskerville managed to take Lady Pamela with him as he, Mordo and Strange escaped into the hallways beneath the castle where Baskerville sent more German soldiers to take care of the Americans. Later, after passing through the magic door that led to a chapel in London, Baskerville joined Krowler and the dark cabal in harnessing the hate being generated by the people of London in response to the bombing raid that Krowler had arranged and channeled that hate into the Dormammu-possessed Krowler. However, before the sacrifice of Clea that would complete the ritual could be carried out, actions taken by Strange's astral form, the seemingly-unconscious Clea and Morgana all combined to expel Dormammu's fire from Krowler's flesh. Once Dormammu was gone, his power was no longer present to protect the chapel and it was struck by a German bomb that reduced it to a smoldering ruin. Although Strange, Clea, Morgana, Lady Pamela and Nick survived with only minor injuries, all of the cabalists were killed by the blast except for Baskerville and Krowler. Deciding that it would be best if they did not remember recent events, Strange used his power to make Nick Fury, Lady Pamela and Dum Dum forget him and sent them back to Castle Baskerville through the magic door which he then sealed behind them. With both Dormammu and Mordo gone, the three time travelers returned to their future, leaving Baskerville and the now-insane Krowler behind.^[2]

A few decades later, Baskerville became a disciple of Baron Mordo and remained one until he met with an accident that maimed his right hand. Living in lonely seclusion, Baskerville asked the Ancient One to cure his injured hand but, after the aged mystic said that he could not do so, Baskerville came to hate him and wished to strike back at him. When contacted by Mordo, who offered to restore his hand if he did Mordo's bidding, Baskerville secretly agreed to serve Mordo again.^[3]

While searching for the meaning of Eternity, Doctor Strange came to Sir Baskerville for help. Baskerville pretended to know of a scroll that dealt with Eternity and urged Strange to wait while he went to get it. Once alone, Baskerville telepathically contacted Mordo to inform him of Strange's presence in his castle. Mordo responded by taking control of a disciple's body and transporting it to the castle so he could use it to destroy Strange. Baskerville then distracted Strange, allowing Mordo to attack, but their victim turned out to just be an illusion that Strange, suspicious of how anxious Baskerville had seemed, had cast to make them betray themselves. Strange was able to quickly defeat both Mordo's emissary and Baskerville and learned that Dormammu was the power behind Mordo. Compelled to speak the truth, Baskerville then revealed that he knew nothing of Eternity and explained why he had agreed to serve Mordo again. Strange then told him that Mordo had deceived him when he claimed to be able to cure his hand and soon departed. When Mordo transported himself to the castle after losing contact with Baskerville, he found the old man standing still, apparently still entranced.^[3]

Able to manipulate magic to achieve various unspecified effects

• Although Doctor Strange made Lady Pamela, Nick Fury and Dum Dum Dugan forget about what they had seen in that chapel, he was not seen to alter the memories of the rest of the Howling Commandos. This would mean that they remembered encountering German army regular soldiers in Castle Baskerville. How Sir Baskerville managed to avoid punishment for this treason has not been revealed.
• The fact that Sir Baskerville was described as an English knight suggests that he had been knighted by a British monarch who, given his age, was presumably George V, Edward VIII or George VI. Alternatively, his knighthood could have been hereditary which would mean that he was actually a baronet.