Warning! Spoilers for The Death of Doctor Strange ahead!

The death of Doctor Strange in Marvel Comics could break a common trend of tailoring the comics to fit what audiences see in the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Even though the comics inspire a lot of the Marvel movies on which they're based, current comics tend to use the movies as a marketing tool. When a new movie comes out, any alteration to the status quo in the comics (such as a character's death) will be undone so that what's on the page reflects the version depicted on-screen.

The recently concluded miniseries The Death of Doctor Strange by Jed Mackay and Lee Garbett starts off with Stephen Strange being assassinated and a time-displaced version of himself arriving from the past in order to investigate his own murder. This older (or perhaps younger depending on how it's viewed) version of Strange has none of his recent memories. Together with his widowed wife Clea and Wong, Strange discovers that the murderer is his arch-rival Baron Mordo's assistant Kaecilius. Before returning to where he came from, this version of Strange names Clea the new Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, much to the dismay of many.

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It's an indisputable fact that movies will generate more sales revenue than comics. So even though the comics inspire a lot of these stories, Marvel will try to piggyback off of the films in order to align themselves both in plot and character. But Doctor Strange might take a different approach. With the upcoming release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, fans unfamiliar with the character might look to the books to see what Doctor Strange is doing in the comics. But these same fans might be surprised to learn that Doctor Strange is actually dead in the comics. Instead, the title of Sorcerer Supreme is held by a relatively unknown character who not a household name. If this remains, it will break Marvel's habit of having its stories dictated by the movies.

The success of the MCU has led to many alterations to the mainstream comics universe. The comics' version of Nick Fury was altered to look more like Samuel L. Jackson from the movies, and a new Avengers book was released with a lineup of characters exactly the same as that in the first movie following the film's release. It's also no coincidence that Marvel will release new products in line with film releases even though the two have nothing to do with each other. For instance, a new standalone Morbius book was released, timed to coincide with the movie. Additionally, Shang Chi happened to get a new series when his movie came out.

With the second Doctor Strange film's release rapidly approaching, it's uncertain if the Sorcerer Supreme's death will remain in place once theater goers start to see it. Perhaps Marvel is planning on Doctor Strange's inevitable return to coincide with the movie. In which case, this habit will be solidified as the status quo. But it would be nice to see Marvel Comics writers break free from this curse and finally have the leeway to explore uncharted territory in their stories regardless of the direction the movies head in.

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