Warning! Spoilers for The Amazing Spider-Man #53.LR below!

Doctor Strange and Spider-Man have had a long relationship throughout Marvel Comics history that's based on friendship and mutual respect for one another as heroes, but that relationship may be getting a little rocky as of late. Doctor Strange has proven time and again that he is always there to back up Spider-Man anytime Spidey gets into trouble. Famously, in Marvel Team-Up #50, Doctor Strange helped Spider-Man take down Wraith when the villain proved to be too much for Parker to take on alone. In Spider-Man: Fever, Strange saves Peter’s soul from being eaten by mystical spiders in the world of Arachnix. Now, in the latest issue of The Amazing Spider-Man, Doctor Strange is once again trying to save Spidey’s skin. After many years of Doctor Strange bailing out Spider-Man anytime, he is called upon, Strange may finally be getting sick of the wall-crawler. 

In The Amazing Spider-Man #53.LR by Nick Spencer and Matthew Rosenberg, Doctor Strange teams up with a group of spider-people known as the Order of the Web, including Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen, and others, to save Peter Parker’s lost soul. The team, led by Strange, finds themselves in the astral plane looking for Peter and fending off all manner of demonic threats in the process. While fighting the otherworldly villains, Strange’s magic seems to be the only truly effective way of taking them down, much to the good doctor’s exasperation. After encountering the most powerful demon they come across on their journey, Doctor Strange alone approaches the monster so the others may escape through a wormhole to continue their search for Peter. While on his way to fight the beast, he says, “I’ll handle this. Like always”, clearly showing signs of annoyance at his ongoing role as Spider-Man’s consistent savior. 

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While the root of Doctor Strange’s frustrations with Spider-Man may lie in constantly bailing out the web-slinger, Strange is assuredly annoyed with one of his known associates as well. The Order of the Web may have gotten under Strange’s skin during their last outing, but there is another morally grey friend of Spider-Man who Stephen is currently less than happy with in Marvel Comics continuity. In Black Cat #3 by Jed MacKay, Black Cat stole the Original Deed to the Island of Manhattan from the Sanctum Sanctorum, leaving Doctor Strange’s home a wreck in the process. While the actions of Black Cat are not directly related to Spider-Man, Strange knows they frequently work together and would understandably feel frustrated with Spidey for the actions of his longtime friend and associate. 

Doctor Strange And Spider-Woman Flying Into Battle

No matter what, Doctor Strange will always be there for Spider-Man in times of dire need. However, it is simply the number of times Doctor Strange has to be there for him that is causing Stephen grievance.

To be fair, Spider-Man has helped Doctor Strange many times in the past as well, including in Marvel Team-Up #80 where Spidey saves Doctor Strange from being a Werewolf, though lately in Marvel Comics Strange has much more reason to be upset with Spider-Man than vice versa. Between being robbed by Black Cat and his implied lingering resentment towards Spider-Man for consistently having to pull Parker out of danger, Doctor Strange may need to take a step back from their relationship, at least for a little while. 

Next: Spider-Man Finally Knows Kindred’s True Identity