Summary
Warning: contains spoilers forDoctor Strange#18!
Jed MacKay’s multi-year tenure onDoctor Strangehas come to an end, and in retrospect, it was the best run for the character in nearly 30 years. Doctor Strange has been a fixture of the Marvel Universe for six decades, and numerous creators have taken turns chronicling his adventures. Therecently releasedDoctor Strange#18 brings MacKay’s epic saga to a poignant, and ultimately satisfying, ending.
Doctor Strange#18 was written by MacKay and drawn by Pasqual Ferry. Spinning out of the events ofBlood Hunt, Strange has relinquished the title ofSorcerer Supreme to Doctor Doom, and this issue shows the fallout. Strange struggles with feelings of failure, as well as anger over being tricked by Doom.
Strange has a brief dustup with Baron Mordo as well.
The issue also ties up plot lines that had run through the book, such as Wong and his new team W.A.N.D., as well as Strange’s marriage to Clea.
Jed MacKay Gave Doctor Strange a Shot in the Arm
Ironically, MacKay Started His Run By Killing Doctor Strange
MacKay put Doctor Strange through his paces during his run on the character,and they kicked it off in a grand fashion–by killing him! Prior to Doctor Strange, MacKay made a name for himself writingMoon KnightandBlack Cat, the latter of which marked the first time he wrote Strange. In a column at the end ofDoctor Strange#18, MacKay explains the character’s appeal as well as the contradictions he embodies, such as being older than many of his contemporaries. MacKay, in explaining his approach to writing Strange, referred to him as a perennial “guest star.”
In addition to being an engaging murder mystery,The Death of Doctor Strangeexamined the impact the “perennial guest star” actually has on those around him.
In late 2021, MacKay made his formalDoctor Strangedebut with the five-issue miniseriesThe Death of Doctor Strange. Drawn by Lee Garbett, the book began with Strange’s death at the hands of an unknown assailant. The heroes of the Marvel Universe come together to solve the mystery, and it is revealed that previously minor-league villain Kaecilius was the culprit. In addition to being an engaging murder mystery,The Death of Doctor Strangeexamined the impact the “perennial guest star” actually has on those around him.It was also a hint of the greatness that was around the corner.
Clea Stepped Up to Replace Her Lost Love
Jed MacKay Made Clea As Awesome as Doctor Strange
The Death of Doctor Strangeended with Stephen relinquishing the title of Sorcerer Supreme to Clea, who headlined her own title, calledStrange.Running for 10 issues, the book followed Clea as she juggled being the Sorcerer Supreme of two dimensions, as well as resurrecting her beloved. Doctor Doom, who would become important to the latter portions of MacKay’s run, makes his presence felt in the first issue, storming the Sanctum Sanctorum and demanding Clea give him the title instead. The series ends with Doctor Strange returning to the land of the living, and back beside Clea.
Doctor Strange Officially Gets His Own Version of Kryptonite
Doctor Strange is one of Marvel’s most powerful heroes, but he has a weakness that can kill him like Kryptonite can kill Superman.
Clea’s love for Doctor Strange has been a central element throughout Jed MacKay’s tenure, as it effectively was what brought Stephen back to life. DuringStrange’s10 issues, Clea fought as hard as she ever had before to revive Stephen, even challenging Death itself. Clea has been a prominent part of Doctor Strange’s life, but it has always been on-again/off-again, but MacKay has dispensed with that, showing them as a healthy, loving couple. Once resurrected,Doctor Strange resumes being Sorcerer Supremeof Earth. He also tried to settle down with Clea and enjoy some semblance of normality.
Jed MacKay Dived Deep Into Doctor Strange’s Backstory
MacKay Proved There Were Still Many Doctor Strange Stories to Tell
Yet for Doctor Strange, this was hard to come by, and before long he was facing old foes. Many of Stephen’s allies, especially Wong, stepped into the stoplight. Just as MacKay redefined Clea and Stephen’s relationship, he also upended the one Strange shared with Wong. Wong was introduced as a sidekick, but over the past 60 years, various creators have shown him to be a capable sorcerer in his own right, and MacKay continued this tradition. MacKay approached Wong and Strange as near equals, and Wong would join W.A.N.D., a mystical version of SHIELD.
Doctor Strange’s Dark Evolution Turns Him into the Ultimate Anti-Avengers Weapon
In a preview for Doctor Strange 15, the Sorcerer Supreme undergoes a dark evolution, making him the perfect weapon to destroy the Avengers.
MacKay also delved deep into Doctor Strange’s history, revisiting classic story lines and characters–and one in particular would prove to be Doctor Strange’s greatest challenge to date. In the mid-1990s, writer Warren Ellis revealed Doctor Strange had been away, fighting on behalf of the Vishanti in The War of the Seven Spheres. Remarkably, Strange had been away for 5,000 years, but looked as if he had not aged a day. Neither Ellis nor anyone else offered follow-up, but MacKay and new collaborator Pasqual Ferry finally did–and it was chilling.
Doctor Strange Confronted His Worst Nightmare: Himself
General Strange Could Have Been Doctor Strange’s Greatest Villain
During The War of the Seven Spheres, Doctor Strange fought the Trinity of Ashes. However, as the War dragged on, Doctor Strange began to lose his humanity. Thanks to the constant exposure to the suffering and death during the War, Strange’s heart hardened, becoming the cruel and sadistic General Strange. This bloodthirsty incarnation of Doctor Strange became a grave threat to reality, and the Vishanti stripped the General’s persona from Stephen, and imprisoned him where no one could find him. The Vishanti then returned Doctor Strange to Earth, none the wiser that an evil version of himself was still out there.
Although Doctor Strange encountered some of his oldest and most dangerous enemies during MacKay’s run, it would be General Strange who would present the biggest challenge.
The General escaped his prison, and set his sights on the Vishanti, Doctor Strange and everyone Stephen loved and held dear. Although Doctor Strange encountered some of his oldest and most dangerous enemies during MacKay’s run, it would be General Strange who would present the biggest challenge. Doctor Strange was forced to fight an evil version of himself, but beyond that, the General represented everything Stephen despises. Strange was no longer a healer, but a warlord. Doctor Strange and his allies were able to reason with the General, who then renounced his evil ways and began seeking redemption.
Blood HuntHas Changed Doctor Strange Forever
Doctor Strange Must Now Contend With Feelings of Failure
MacKay and his collaborators had already put Doctor Strange and his allies through the ringer with the General, and Stephen barely had time to recover beforeBlood Huntbegan. Earth’s vampires, led by a Varnae-possessed Blade, staged an uprising. Strange tangled with vampires many times, and his knowledge of the vampire-killing Montesi Formula made him a prime target. Varnae attacked Strange first, attempting to turn the Sorcerer Supreme, but he was able to counter Varnae. Strange and his retinue travel to Latveria, where Doctor Doom agrees to help, but on one condition: Strange gives him the title of Sorcerer Supreme.
Doctor Doom made good on his word, so Doctor Strange held up his end of the bargain too,crowning Doom the new Sorcerer Supreme.As seen inDoctor Strange#18, Stephen is contending with feelings of failure and inadequacy, both as a sorcerer and a husband, and losing his title to Doctor Doom rubs these emotions in. All of Doctor Strange’s enemies, such as Baron Mordo and Shuma-Gorath, are still on the loose. Now that Doctor Strange has given up being the Sorcerer Supreme, he is less powerful and would make an easy target for any of his foes.
Jed MacKay Redefined Doctor Strange and Marvel Is All the Better For It
Whoever Writes Doctor Strange Next Has Big Shoes to Fill
Whileit may seem MacKay is leaving Doctor Strange in a dangerous position, he in fact has given Stephen that which he has sought for a while: stability.Strange’s yearning for peace drove MacKay’s run, and the last page ends on a hopeful note: Stephen is weaker now, but he will not face whatever is coming alone. MacKay and his collaborators made a point of spotlighting Doctor Strange’s supporting cast, giving them new and exciting layers. This final issue drives that point home, and serves as a fitting capstone to the bestDoctor Strangerun in nearly 30 years.
