Tayo Njomane

**Adétáyọ "Táyò" Njomane** is a Zulu pureblood wizard of, the father of Petra Njomane, husband of Ayanda Mawela, son of Damola Njomane and Kehinde Anenih.

## Personality

*"Sometimes one must break the rules in order to serve the greater good."* *"Mordo won't see it that way.""Mordo's soul is rigid and unmovable... forged by the fires of his youth."*
―Ancient One and Doctor Strange[src]
Mordo claims to have once been a lot like Stephen Strange during the latter's first visit to Kamar-Taj - arrogant and disrespectful. After years of training and becoming a Master of the Mystic Arts, however, Mordo became more humble and wise, with a great deal of respect towards both his mentor, the Ancient One, as well as the natural laws of the universe.

However, he is also noted by the Ancient One to be rigid and unwilling to compromise, giving him a highly predictable personality. However, the Ancient One noted this gives him a strength Strange does not. He is an extremely traditionalist member of the Master of the Mystic Arts and to the point of being so respectful of the natural order of things that he is unwilling to bend it under any circumstances, nor willing to tolerate others to do the same.

Mordo is strongly implied to have lived a violent past that has shaped his present views on violence. Unlike most who sought the Ancient One out to be healed, Mordo sought the Ancient One to gain the power to kill his enemies. Mordo would become grateful to the Ancient One for not only giving him this power but teaching him to suppress his demons and live fighting for an honorable cause. As a warrior for the Masters of the Mystic Arts, Mordo was unafraid of conflict, or even of killing, as he was used to fighting for his life and to defend reality from rogue sorcerers. When Strange expressed disgust over killing Lucian Aster, Mordo called him a coward for not having the spine to do what must be done and stated that he would have done it without hesitation. Mordo also mentioned at this moment that Strange had no idea of the violence Mordo had committed; further implying a violent past.

Unfortunately, his single-minded adherence to the laws of nature and his lack of hesitation to kill narrowed his perspectives, as he claimed that there was no other way to defeat their enemies besides killing, which led Strange to accuse him of lacking imagination, and later prove him wrong by defeating both Dormammu and Kaecilius without killing either of them. Ultimately, Mordo's inflexibility proved to be his greatest flaw, as he was unable to understand that while the Ancient One did draw power from the Dark Dimension, which she had forbidden, she did so because she believed it was necessary to protect the world.

Upon learning that the Ancient One had secretly been harnessing energy from the Dark Dimension, and after Strange manipulated time to defeat Kaecilius and the Zealots (thereby going against the universe's natural laws) Mordo becomes disillusioned and embittered by what he sees as a betrayal of the order's supposed purpose, and proceeds to leave the order. He began to believe that one of the root problems of the world was having too many sorcerers, and thus his purpose was to rid the world of sorcerers who misused their powers, broke natural laws and was unwilling to help defend reality, which led to him attacking Jonathan Pangborn and stripping him of his power, which the latter used to only make himself able to walk, ignoring the responsibility of defending reality. As he made attacking sorcerers his new purpose regardless of innocence or guilt, it could be said that, just as the Ancient One once told Mordo that humans only learn to live above their demons, Mordo had fallen back down to the level of his own demons once again.

## Possessions

* **Wand**: Cedar and Dragon Heartstring
	+ Garrick Ollivander believed that whenever he met one who carried a cedar wand, he found strength of character and unusual loyalty. His father, Gervaise Ollivander, used to always say, "*you will never fool the cedar carrier*", and he agreed: the cedar wand found its perfect home where there was perspicacity and perception. Ollivander said that he would go further than his father, however, in saying that he had never yet met the owner of a cedar wand whom he would care to cross, especially if harm was done to those of whom they were fond. The witch or wizard who was well-matched with cedar carried the potential to be a frightening adversary, which often came as a shock to those who had thoughtlessly challenged them.
	+ Dragon heartstrings produced wands with the most magical power, and which were capable of the most flamboyant spells. Dragon wands tended to learn more quickly than other types. While they could change allegiance if won from their original master, they always bonded strongly with the current owner. The dragon wand tended to be easiest to turn to the Dark Arts, though it would not incline that way of its own accord. It was also the most prone of the three cores to accidents, being somewhat temperamental.

## Etymology

* Táyò is a Yoruba name meaning "one worth joy".