Mister Misery

Origin

With the help of Wong, Doctor Strange created a supernatural entity in the cellar of the Sanctum Sanctorum. With a simple spell, it would absorb all the pain and suffering Doctor Strange feels while practicing and defending magic in the field. Over time, it evolved and developed consciousness, including the ability to hold a grudge against Doctor Strange.

Creation

Mister Misery debuted in Doctor Strange #8 by writer Jason Aaron and artist Chris Bachalo as "The Thing in the Cellar." It would take the name Mister Misery after freeing itself from Doctor Strange.

Major Story Arcs

The Last Days of Magic

When the Imperator came to Earth for the purpose of exterminating magic, they targeted the Sanctum. Strange was traveling the world looking for a way to beat them, leaving the Sanctum unguarded. However, the Imperator's men unleashed the thing in the cellar.

The thing would aid Strange in taking on the Imperator, not because it wanted to protect Strange, but because it didn't want anything to get vengeance on Strange before it could.

The Thing From the Cellar

On its own, the thing from the cellar quickly withered without any pain to feed on. It started victimizing random civilians in order to stay satiated. This got the attention of Doctor Strange who tried to talk him out of it. It didn't feel like listening though. Instead, it introduced itself as Mister Misery and blamed Strange for any suffering it would cause in the future.

Eventually, Misery would find itself at odds with more rivals of Strange, hoping to have all of Strange's suffering for itself. Wong tried to influence the thing into helping Strange, but Misery had a revelation. He would make Strange suffer by possessing Wong.

To save Wong, Strange needed to reabsorb Mister Misery and accept that the pain and suffering he felt always belonged to him. It worked, but it made Strange nauseous at first. He vomited up a bit of Mister Misery who escaped through the sewer.

Strange Academy

In the sewer, Mister Misery bonded with a rat to find a new life to bond with. He was attracted to the particular misery of Calvin Morse, a foster child stuck in an abusive foster home. He snuck into Calvin's closet and posed as a leather jacket. Misery fed off Calvin’s pain, and, in exchange, he gave Calvin magic.

With that magic, Calvin became eligible for enrollment in The Strange Academy, a school of magic found by Doctor Strange. Still angry with Strange and not wanting to be found out, Misery would lie very low, often convincing the children not to get the teachers. One particular example was when Calvin was taken hostage by The Hollow, a magic cult of tree people. Misery escaped and crawled back to the academy to get the students to save Calvin.

During the rescue, Toth seemed to notice what the jacket really was. This made him a target. Misery waited for the right moment, when Toth had fallen asleep in the library studying and had to walk back to his dorm at a very late time all alone. Misery smashed Toth and stole his heart shard so that he couldn't be revived.

Doctor Voodoo hired Howard the Duck to investigate. They eventually figured out what Calvin's jacket really was. So, Misery absorbed Calvin and attacked the student body. Attacking Misery made him stronger, so Doc Voodoo contemplated starving him. Student Dessy decided to feed him until he burst. Overwhelmed, Misery expelled Calvin and begged Dessy to stop.

So, Dessy consumed Misery.