Warning! Spoilers ahead for Strange Academy Presents: The Death of Doctor Strange #1
In the newest one-shot tie-in to Marvel's Death of Doctor Strange, it's possible that the murder of the current Sorcerer Supreme may have also been an attempt to prevent the rise of the next Sorcerer Supreme. Recently, Doctor Strange started the Strange Academy, a school for young magic users where they could learn how to harness and control their various gifts and skills in a safe and guided environment. However, it's also served as a means for Strange to monitor the next generation and to prepare them for the dangers of the future, hoping to bring up the next Sorcerer Supreme to one day replace him. That being said, was Doctor Strange murdered to prevent the coming of the next Sorcerer Supreme before they were ready?
In the first issue of Death of Doctor Strange from writer Jed MacKay and artist Lee Garbett, Doctor Strange himself gave a lecture to his students that any one of them could one day take his place as the Sorcerer Supreme. He also noted how crucial his role is for the Marvel Universe, keeping multiple threats consistently at bay by casting a powerful protective spell over the Earth just as the ozone layer protects from the sun. However, Strange has since been murdered by an unknown assailant, and they might have been looking to kill him before the Master of the Mystic Arts could identify and help train the next Sorcerer Supreme.
Seeing as how a younger Doctor Strange has been summoned from the past as a contingency to avenge Strange's death, it's clear that Death of Doctor Strange has an eye on the past and the Sorcerer Supreme's history. However, it will also look to the future and the continuation of the Sorcerer Supreme's legacy. Perhaps whoever killed Strange knows who the next Sorcerer Supreme will be and what they'll be capable of? In any case, the closing of the Strange Academy in Strange Academy Presents: The Death of Doctor Strange #1 from Skottie Young and Mike Del Mundo seems like a surefire way to prevent the next Sorcerer Supreme if they're indeed one of the academy's students. Likewise, the younger Strange seemed incredibly concerned that there was no active Sorcerer Supreme to replace Strange.
With the Strange Academy closed, it leaves the fates of the students very uncertain (which could be according to a sinister plan). Many of the students don't have conventional homes or families to go back to, resulting in them being in danger so long as they're outside the protection of the Strange Academy itself. As a result, it's possible that another magical murder could soon be imminent to make sure that no other Sorcerer Supremes are ever brought forth to keep the Marvel Universe as protected as it should be.
It's going to be interesting to see not only who Strange's killer was as Marvel's Death of Doctor Strange continues, but also what their intentions were in doing so. While it might have been a simple murder of passion and hate from a powerful rival, it seems far more likely that there's a grander plan in the works which may involve the prevention of the future Sorcerer Supreme as well.