Warning! Spoilers ahead for Death Of Doctor Strange #1
In a new preview for Marvel Comics' upcoming Death of Doctor Strange, it's been confirmed that the Sorcerer Supreme fights evil by performing magical surgery. While the preview doesn't reveal much about the nature of Stephen Strange's teased death, it does follow the good doctor as he goes about his day, stopping to intervene in a police standoff with one Mr. Rasputin, who's seemingly become overwhelmed by a massive influx of summoned power from another dimension. As a result, Doctor Strange is seen using magical methods that resemble surgery, calling back to his past as an actual surgeon before he began his studies of the supernatural.
Death of Doctor Strange #1 will be coming from writer Jed Mckay and artist Lee Garbett, and it's been teased that the passing of such an important Marvel hero will have drastic consequences for the Marvel Universe at large. It seems his death will come by way of murder, though it's hard to imagine who'd be powerful enough to kill the Sorcerer Supreme himself. In any case, the new preview provides a great example of how missed Doctor Strange will be once he does leave the land of the living behind.
In the preview, Doctor Strange arrives just as police officers are threatening to shoot Mr. Rasputin, whose real name is Pavel Plotnick. Apparently, Plotnick summoned power from the wrong dimension, linking himself to the Seven Sons of Cinnibus, the dimension of the Celestial Concordance. While Strange promises to sever the connection, he also assures Plotnick that it will be just like surgery, clamping the conduit of power before safely severing the connection, highlighting Strange's gifts as a neurosurgeon beyond his abilities as a Master of the Mystic Arts. Here are the preview pages and synopsis for the upcoming Death of Doctor Strange #1:
- DEATH OF DOCTOR STRANGE #1
- DEATH COMES FOR THE SORCERER SUPREME!
- Doctor Stephen Strange is the world's greatest neurosurgeon and Earth's Sorcerer Supreme. He defends our planet from the supernatural and interdimensional threats no other hero is equipped to handle. But what would happen if he unexpectedly died? Who would protect Earth and keep the mystical evils at bay? And most importantly...who killed Stephen Strange?! The final chapter in the life of Doctor Strange starts here by Jed MacKay (Moon Knight, Black Cat) and Lee Garbett (Captain Marvel)!
The concept of Strange's magical methods resembling surgical work is an incredibly fun and dynamic new element to his character, calling back to his past gifts and training before learning magic. The concept of magical surgery has been featured quite recently as well in Marvel's Strange Academy, where Doctor Strange fixed one of his students using a magically enhanced operating room.
It's going to be interesting to see where Doctor Strange goes from here considering that his death is fast approaching. Could it perhaps be tied to what he's just learned in this preview that the dimension in the Celestial Concordance is dying? While Marvel heroes come back to life all the time, even the temporary absence of Doctor Strange could have some major consequences in the interim. Here's hoping the gifted surgeon and Sorcerer Supreme will have a means of resurrection in some fashion. Death of Doctor Strange #1 releases September 22nd.