While it seems that every week there is a new milestone, this one works for me! Considering Legacy Numbering (and who doesn’t?), Doctor Strange has reached his 450th comic!
This past Wednesday, Stephen Strange’s adventures hit issue #450 (when you count all his previous stories in the Marvel Universe).
Yes, the comics character portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch in the Marvel movies is getting ever closer to that “magical” #500 on the comics stands! But last Wednesday, he had an all-star line-up of comics creators celebrate issue 450! This included writers Derek Landy, Roger Stern, J. Michael Straczynski, Christian Ward, and Ashley Allen; artists Ivan Fiorelli, Ron Lim, Christian Ward, and more; a cover by Leinil Francis Yu, a Marvel Mystic Mayhem cover by Netease Games, a Hidden Gem cover from Mike Mignola, a variant cover by Kevin Nowlan, and another variant cover, this one by Mark Buckingham.
So, what’s going on in this issue?
• As turmoil seizes Asgard, Doctor Strange’s life is about to change forever. But as he stands on the threshold of a true journey into mystery, it turns out the past isn’t quite done with him yet…
• Fan-favorite creators reveal untold tales of Stephen Strange’s past while current scribe Derek Landy reveals a glimpse of the future to come – as Marvel celebrates 450 issues of Doctor Strange!
For those who came in late, just who is Doctor Strange? Here’s how he is described in this landmark issue:
Stephen Strange was a pre-eminent surgeon until a car accident damaged the nerves in his hands. His ego drove him to scour the globe for a magical cure. Instead, he found a mysterious wizard called the Ancient One, who taught him the mystic arts and opened his eyes to the magic behind reality. These lessons enabled Stephen to become the Sorcerer Supreme, Earth’s first defense against all manner of magical threats. His patients call him… Doctor Strange!
What has the good Doctor been up to recently, though?
After being usurped as Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, Doctor Strange became Sorcerer Supreme of Asgard only to find himself there after Thor’s death. But to embrace his uncertain future, he must first understand his past…
This all sets the stage for this issue #450, which features five tales of this Doctor, most set in his past. Fortunately for Stephen, this will soon lead into the “all-new, all-different” Doctor Strange #1. Here’s that book’s description:
Stephen Strange is stranded! After becoming Sorcerer Supreme of Asgard, Strange lost his chance at redemption—and revenge against Doom—when Loki murdered Thor, cutting Midgard off from the other nine realms. With no way home and few allies remaining in Asgard, Strange travels to Alpheim to investigate an emerging crisis. But in an unfamiliar land, can Strange prevent elves and angels from going to war over a mysterious coffin? Maybe, with some help from Heaven’s own Angela!
Derek Landy and Ivan Fiorelli join forces for a bold new era of Doctor Strange that will take him on a true JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY…
Doctor Stephen Strange, for most of his career in Marvel, has been a practicer of the mystic arts and not a superhero (more on that later), which has given him something of a unique role in the Marvel Universe. When magic is involved and not science, that often calls for Dr. Strange’s specific abilities.
He just might be one of the very few characters in Marvel who has NOT been an Avenger. His earliest stories were crafted by Steve Ditko, best known for his work on Spider-Man. Way ahead of his time, he put together a long-time story featuring Strange that remains a favorite of fans to this day!
I always appreciated his skills and talents since he was a professional in the medical field prior to entering the magical realms. I felt for him because he was used to taking care of patients with difficult to resolve problems. When he couldn’t function as a medical doctor, he had to find someplace where he could excel and help others.
His current time in Asgard is something different for Stephen, but he always manages to find ways to be of service to others.
Yes, there was indeed a time when Doctor Strange wore superhero garb. He wasn’t able to sell comics like his superhero friends, so Marvel embarked on making him more “superheroic.” He wore a blue hood and gloves with the rest of his garb, all in an effort to increase his popularity during a time when superheroes had become all the rage.
During this time, the artist working on Dr. Strange as Gene Colan, someone who could handle both superheroes and mystical realms as well as everything in between.
It didn’t catch on as Marvel hoped it would, so Dr. Strange didn’t wear the blue hoodie and gloves for too long. We haven’t seen them in decades!
In the Marvel Universe, when sales start to lag, change is sure to be coming. The Hulk became Mr. Fix-It for a while before returning to being the Green Goliath, for example. The House of Ideas will tinker when they feel it is necessary, of course!
When Stephen wasn’t the Sorcerer Supreme, others have filled that position, including the current reign with Doctor Doom. However, his assistant Clea took over for a while in years past.
While it does give Dr. Strange something different to do, I don’t expect his time in Asgard to last much longer, especially when the Doctor Doom time as Sorcerer Supreme comes to an end, as it must soon. Strange will return to Earth, sooner rather than later, and we’ll get back to Stephen in his magical role on his home planet. Just exactly when, I don’t know. But given how events like this happen in Marvel, I don’t expect it to be too long from now! Maybe in the upcoming issue #500? Stay tuned!
What do you think? Is Doctor Strange still as popular a Marvel character as he has been? Or are there more changes for him coming in the months ahead? If so, what would you like to see happen? Whatever your opinion, be sure to share it on our Discord Server!
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Wayne Hall creates the Wayne's Comics Podcast. He’s interviewed Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, John Layman, Kyle Higgins, Phil Hester, Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray, David Petersen, Christos Gage, Mike Grell, and Matt Kindt. On this site each week, he writes his "Comics Portal" column (general comics comments and previews) and reviews comics.