Warning: contains preview pages for Savage Avengers #27!
In 2016’s Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme defeated Dormammu through a now infamous attack where he trapped the villain in a time loop until he was willing to bargain for release, but a special preview for Savage Avengers #27 shows the villain got off easy, as Strange has struck a far more grisly deal, resulting in a dark fate for cannibal sorcerer Kulan Gath. The issue, which acts as the series' finale, is on sale in print and digital December 15.
Savage Avengers has been an Avengers title unlike any other. Led by Doctor Strange, and including Conan the Barbarian, Venom and Elektra among their ranks, the team has fought against some of the Marvel Universe’s vilest villains, including the ancient sorcerer Kulan Gath. In previous issues, Gath killed and absorbed the power of the eldritch entity Shuma-Gorath. Using Shuma-Gorath’s power, Gath has managed to conquer Earth, killing many of its heroes in the process. The surviving heroes made their last stand against Gath, but the villain prevailed. Now Gath is ready to make his final move; ascending to another plane of existence. But Doctor Strange has an ace up his sleeve, and he unveils it in a preview for Savage Avengers #27. The issue is written by Gerry Duggan with art by Patch Zircher, colors by Java Tartaglia and letters by Travis Lanham.
In a preview shared by AIPT, Gath - who in the previous issue survived being stabbed by a magical dagger,- gloats over the Savage Avengers' apparent failure. Yet something is amiss, as while he is still alive, his wound has not healed. Doctor Strange declares that a bargain has been made, and Earth's heroes will enforce it if needed. Gath is puzzled, knowing he made no bargain, but Strange tells Gath he is addressing Shuma-Gorath. Strange reveals he made a deal with Shuma-Gorath, and the blade Gath was stabbed with contained the otherworldly god's magical essence. In exchange for killing Gath, Shuma-Gorath will be restored to life with one condition: never troubling Earth again. The preview ends with Shuma-Gorath’s tentacles emerging from Gath’s chest.
Doctor Strange’s bargain with Shuma-Gorath is reminscient of his bargain with Dormammu in 2016’s Doctor Strange. In that movie, Strange, using the Time Stone, trapped Dormammu in a time loop, forcing the villain to relive the same instance over and over again. Despite being unbeatable in terms of raw power, Dormammu gave in and bargained with Doctor Strange, saving Earth in the process. In Savage Avengers #27, the bargain is much more gruesome. Like the one in the movie, it will spare Earth a great deal of misery, but will result in Kulan Gath being ripped to shreds. It is also a fitting end for Gath, whose scheming and manipulations have plagued Doctor Strange and the Savage Avengers for many months.
Doctor Strange’s bargain with Dormammu in his solo film ranks as one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s finest moments, a clever way to defeat an omnipotent foe, but in Savage Avengers #27, Doctor Strange take it up a notch, dealing a devastating blow to Kulan Gath and hopefully saving the planet (though fans shouldn't count the brutal sorcerer out quite yet.)
Source: AIPT