The recent death of Doctor Strange opened the way for a new series starring his wife Clea as the new Sorceress Supreme, but it seems like Marvel is already backpedaling by teasing an early resurrection for Stephen Strange. The Death of Doctor Strange is a five-issue miniseries by Jed Mackay and Lee Garbet published in 2021, which dealt with the mysterious murder of Stephen Strange and its consequences for the Marvel Universe. At the end of the series, the ghost of a past Stephen was able to find the culprit, save the world, and appoint a new Sorcerer Supreme, Clea.

The daughter of the ruler of the Dark Dimension, and the niece of the powerful villain Dormammu, Clea betrayed her family after falling in love with Stephen. Their relationship was long and tormented but when Stephen was briefly revived at the end of Death of Doctor Strange he expressed regret for letting Clea go in the past, and named her the new Sorceress Supreme, protector of Earth. Clea has taken the name Strange to honor her dead husband, and used her vast powers as one of the Sorceress Supreme of both Earth and the Dark Dimension to approach her new duties in a more ruthless fashion compared to Doctor Strange.

Related: Doctor Strange's Comic Death Could Break Marvel's Worst MCU Habit

Clea's primary goal, however, is to resurrect Stephen, and she is on the lookout for any necromantic activity. This has led to her meeting with the Harvestman, a mysterious being who calls himself "Death's emissary" and has the job of capturing the runaway souls, or revenants, who escape his mistress' realm. The Harvestman has forbidden Clea from trying to resurrect Stephen, but a solicitation for Strange #5 by Jed Mackay and Marcelo Ferreira shared by Marvel Comics shows that the two will form an unlikely alliance to stop the revenants from reanimating long-dead heroes. However, this could all change when the next one to come back from the dead is Stephen Strange himself.

STRANGE #5

  • JED MACKAY (W) • MARCELO FERREIRA (A)
  • Cover by Lee Garbett
  • BACK FROM THE DEAD!
  • Dead heroes and villains alike have been reanimated as ghoulish versions of their past selves.
  • Now it’s up to Strange and the Harvestman to make sure these dead supers stay dead!
  • But what happens when the next reanimated hero is Clea’s dead husband: Stephen Strange?!
  • 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

It is not unusual for Marvel Comics to resurrect a character shortly after they have been killed and replaced in their role during a big reboot. In this case, however, it would seem very odd to have Stephen come back already, as the new Strange series has just begun and Clea has been well-received by fans in this role. It should also be considered that, with the second Doctor Strange movie coming out in May, it is possible that Marvel Comics wants the most recognizable version of the character back in his role. Something similar happened with the recent Spider-Man: Beyond saga, where Peter Parker had left the Spider-Man role to his clone Ben Reilly only to have the whole storyline hastily concluded in conjunction with the unexpected global success of the Spider-Man: No Way Home movie.

Of course, these could all be coincidences, and the influence of the MCU on Marvel Comics' editorial line should not be overestimated. As the Harvestman explained in Strange #2, these revenants are dead heroes' souls that are used as vessels by rogue spirits trying to escape Death's realm. Stephen could be coming back as a mindless, raging corpse, just like what happened to the long-dead hero Thunderstrike in previous issues. It will be interesting to see how Clea will deal with this. Will she show her ruthless nature as a denizen of the Dark Dimension and mercilessly put the revenant Stephen down? Or will Clea try anything possible to resurrect her lost love, Doctor Strange. Find out when Strange #5 is released on July 27, 2022.

Next: Elektra & Clea Strange Are Marvel's Most Terrifying Women in Official Art