Warning! Spoilers for Savage Avengers #25 by Marvel Comics below
It's been a rough stretch for Doctor Strange in the comics, as the hero has now been killed twice in both present future timelines. In a new preview for Savage Avengers #25 by Marvel Comics, the Sorcerer Supreme's last wish to call in Kang the Conqueror to help save the day is proven successful. Still, the time-traveling villain has some words about the fallen hero.
Killing Doctor Strange is a tall task, as Marvel's Sorcerer Supreme is one of the most powerful heroes in the entire Multiverse. However, in the recent The Death of Doctor Strange miniseries, Stephen Strange met his end at the hands of a mysterious murderer. As the Earth and Multiverse are thrown into peril following his demise, another comic tells the story of another Doctor Strange death. In Savage Avengers #24, Strange was one of the few survivors of Kulan Gath's takeover. But, in the dark future where most Marvel heroes are dead, his last words to Conan Barbarian set the heroes' only chance at survival into motion.
In a brand new preview for Savage Avengers #25 by Gerry Duggan, Patch Zircher, Java Tartaglia, and Travis Lanham, Conan Barbarian's attempt to summon Kang the Conqueror to the timeline works. Conan tells Kang that Doctor Strange told him bringing him to the timeline was the only way the heroes could win. Kang doesn't exactly respond with confidence, joking that Strange failed his "number one job" as Sorcerer Supreme.
Conan is determined to keep fighting against Kulan Gath's disciples, telling Kang that Strange would owe him if he helped reset the timeline. However, when Conan reveals Strange also told him Kang was dead and "he didn't know it," the Conqueror teleports them both to his Cidatel - which is full of helmets, costumes, and weapons accumulated from heroes and villains over time.
Conan is impressed with Kang's Citadel, asking, "is this a stronghold... or a museum?" It's safe to say it's a bit of both.
Doctor Strange's death (much like the rest of the Avengers in the series) was very shocking, but it seems with his last breath, he gave Conan the Barbarian the direction to save the Marvel Universe before Kulan Gath's rule was unable to be toppled. Now, with many weapons to choose from, Conan will try to carry out Doctor Strange's final plan alongside Kang the Conqueror and hope he can return the world to its former self, with the Sorcerer Supreme alive. Savage Avengers #25 is in comic book stores Wednesday!