Moviegoers will finally see Doctor Strange on the big screen this weekend, where they’ll experience his first foray into the world of magic in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But Doctor Strange in the comics has been running around magical realms since 1963. He has been fighting magical threats for more than 50 years longer than Benedict Cumberbatch has portrayed him.
We’re checking in with the good doctor to see what he’s currently up to on the printed page, from his solo adventures, his team-ups, and his involvement in Marvel’s big Civil War II event. We’ll also fill you in on some recent, notable changes in Doctor Strange’s status quo, from the nature of his magical house to the secrets of his closest friend. Then at the end, peep our recommended reading list with links to where you can find the books.
Warning: beware of spoilers for the current run of Doctor Strange!
A brand new Doctor Strange series launched last year from writer Jason Aaron and artist Chris Bachalo, and from the first issue it built to the devastating arc titled “The Last Days of Magic,” which has left Doctor Strange in a bad spot. An evil group of science-worshipping magic-haters called the Empirikul made it their mission to go from dimension to dimension wiping out every wizard, witch, and magical artifact they could find in order to put an end to all magic -- and they nearly succeeded.
The Empirikil. Art by Chris Bachalo. (Marvel Comics)
Doctor Strange eventually put a stop to their plan to eradicate all magic, but the damage had already been done. Countless magic-users were killed in the fight against the Empirikul’s tech-soldiers and mecha-wolves. Even the smallest, most innocent uses of magic across the planet disappeared, from flying carpets to a girl whose toys came alive to play with her. In an effort to consolidate the remaining magical power in his last push against the Empirikul, Doctor Strange and the last surviving magicians tracked down every hidden magical artifact on the planet and destroyed them to harness what was left of their power.
As you can imagine, it was a hollow victory for Doctor Strange. He put a stop to the Empirikul, but the world as he knew it is gone forever.
As Doctor Strange’s world crumbled around him, we learned some shocking secrets about the price he pays to be the Sorcerer Supreme.
The first issue of this new run of Doctor Strange introduces Zelma Stanton, a librarian from the Bronx who sought out Doctor Strange to cure her of an infection of Mind Maggots. (Gross.) She’s a new character in Doctor Strange’s life, an entry-point for readers to learn about Wong, the Sanctum Sanctorum, and the rest of the mystical world.
Not knowing the danger that lurked below Doctor Strange’s home, Zelma decided to explore the house and journeyed down to the cellar where she found Mister Misery. Mister Misery is the embodiment of Doctor Strange’s pain and suffering turned into a powerful, sentient creature of dark magic. Doctor Strange endures horrific magical maladies on a regular basis, so his aide Wong would use a spell to relieve him of his pain and send it down to the cellar. Once Wong realized what they had accidentally created, he came up with a new plan that he kept secret from even Doctor Strange.
Zelma enters the cellar. Art by Chris Bachalo. (Marvel Comics)
In secret, Wong recruited a band of monks from his order to act as surrogates for Doctor Strange’s magical injuries. Whenever Doctor Strange was cursed with a dark spell that made his skin erupt with tumors or his eyes bleed black goop, Wong would transfer it to a monk, who would endure the curse, all for the greater good so Doctor Strange could continue fighting evil.
The Secret Disciples of Strange. Art by Chris Bachalo. (Marvel Comics)
When this came to light in the midst of the Empirikul’s assault, Doctor Strange was understandably not happy about others suffering in his stead, and he told Wong to abandon the practice.
It cost Doctor Strange a lot to defeat the Empirikul, and one of the biggest consequences was essentially creating a new villain and releasing him into the world. Doctor Strange was able to harness the dark power of Mister Misery, literally using his own pain as a suit of armor to take on the Empirikul leader known as the Imperator. But afterward, Mister Misery fled.
Doctor Misery attacks. Art by Chris Bachalo. (Marvel Comics)
Unable to feel anything but pain, Mister Misery hates his own existence and wants to make Doctor Strange pay for giving him life. Now, Doctor Strange is a shadow of his former self and must contend with a powerful creature of his own creation.
Doctor Strange and Wong reside in the Sanctum Sanctorum, a magical house located in New York’s Greenwich Village. It’s ordinary enough on the outside, but it’s pretty much Hogwarts on the inside. The house is alive with personality and weird quirks. Open the wrong door and you might get a portal to a different dimension or be greeted by a giant, tentacled monster.
When Zelma took a tour, she bore witness to the most disgusting of all the rooms: the kitchen. Due to his longtime exposure to extreme magic, Doctor Strange can’t eat regular food. His stomach can only handle what appears to be servings of other-worldly entrails. Or as Zelma puts it, “culinary afterbirth.”
Lunch is served. Art by Chris Bachalo. (Marvel Comics)
While the house was alive with magic before, after the onslaught of the Empirikul it’s nothing but a barren, broken down manor. With nearly all the magic gone from the world, it’s as powerless and unimpressive as its owner.
For Zelma, one of the saddest moments comes when the library within the house starts to feel the effects of the Empirikul. As another magical dimension falls to the Empirikul, the spellbooks start to “die” and fall off the shelves, now no more than ink and paper.
The books are dying. Art by Chris Bachalo. (Marvel Comics)
Keep reading for Civil War II, time travel, and more!
Despite the loss of magic, Doctor Strange is still out there trying to fight, but it ain't pretty. His magical cloak of levitation isn’t what it used to be, so he’s donned a new costume that reflects this dark time in his life. He relies more heavily on practical weapons like axes and knives.
No-maj Doctor Strange. Art by Chris Bachalo. (Marvel Comics)
One scene shows him at his lowest low: desperate to get his power back, he pays two street-dealers for a dose of Mutant Growth Hormone. He winds up having a bad reaction, causing him to develop laser vision for a moment before foaming at the mouth and passing out.
With Doctor Strange weaker than ever, his old stable of villains can smell blood in the aether. The current arc sees Baron Mordo, Dormammu, Nightmare and Satana all showing up to toy with Doctor Strange and attempt to put him out of his misery.
But there is a glimmer of hope. As Doctor Strange faces down these threats, he’s creating new spells to help him against whoever he finds himself up against. He’s essentially re-writing the books of magic, one spell at a time.
When a new Inhuman named Ulysses appears with the power to predict the future, Iron Man and Captain Marvel disagree on how to best use this power, which leads to Marvel’s second superhero Civil War. Iron Man’s side believes the law shouldn’t punish people before they commit a crime, whereas Captain Marvel’s side thinks they should use Ulysses’s predictive visions to arrest people before they have a chance to act.
Doctor Strange hasn’t played a pivotal role in the story thus far, only appearing in the background of large shots featuring lots of superheroes, but it’s worth noting that he’s on Team Iron Man. As a doctor, his practice is to help those in need, not start conflicts by going after people who have yet to commit a crime, so it fits that he would align himself with Tony Stark. Besides, they’re facial hair bros.
In Civil War II #6, he gets a small moment to shine when he helps his team escape when Captain Marvel tries to arrest them.
Spell of teleportation. Art by David Marquez. (Marvel Comics)
As if he doesn’t have enough to deal with, a new Doctor Strange comic recently launched that sees him team up with various Sorcerer Supremes from throughout time. Merlin, the Ancient One, Wiccan, and more. A powerful monster unleashed by the Empirikul called the Forgotten is stealing magical artifacts and threatening Merlin’s timeline, so the OG wizard recruits his fellow Sorcerer Supremes to help put a stop to it.
Naturally, Doctor Strange is a bit embarrassed at being the only Sorcerer Supreme present who lost his connection to magic and is essentially just a dude with a big axe, so it’s a story that sees him trying to keep up with his fellow master magicians while also stopping the Forgotten, which turns out to be a giant four-armed monster capable of taking on the whole team at once.
Start with: Doctor Strange Vol. 1: The Way of the Weird
Then read: Doctor Strange Vol. 2: The Last Days of Magic
Jump into the current arc here: Doctor Strange #12, Blood in the Aether
See his time-traveling team-up here: Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme #1
And start reading Civil War II here: Civil War II #1
Also, follow this link to hear about why we love the standalone graphic novel Doctor Strange: The Oath, our favorite story featuring the character.
Joshua is IGN’s Comics Editor. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.
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