With the publication of Doctor Strange: The Oath, as part of The Definitive Collection of Marvel Graphic Novels, we review some of the important moments in the history of the Supreme Sorcerer
SMASH, Marvel Comics México and Salvat bring you The Definitive Collection of Marvel Graphic Novels. A series of stories that every good fan of La Casa de las Ideas should collect. And this time we bring you an unmissable reading: Doctor Strange, The Oath
Don’t Miss: The Definitive Collection of Marvel Graphic Novels
Although The Oath, authored by Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin is one of the most important stories in Doctor Strange, this story makes us think about the moments that defined the Supreme Sorcerer
That is why we present you some of the most important passages of Doctor Strange in his career in the Marvel Universe.
The number that started it all
You cannot understand a hero without going back to his origin. For Stephen Strange, that font is Strange Tales # 110, which hit stores in the summer of 1963. Interestingly, the character was first introduced as “Dr. Strange, master of black magic ”; his nicknames “Master of the Mystic Arts” and “Supreme Sorcerer” would come later. That said, the word “mystic” is mentioned only once.
Written by Stan Lee, illustrated by Steve Ditko, and with lyrics by Terry Szenics, the first Strange comic story was not an origin tale. Instead, it was more of a Sherlock-style mystery in which Strange acted as some kind of consulting occult detective. He was hired by a man who kept having the same disturbing dream over and over again, night after night.
The rivalry with Baron Mordo
In Strange Tales # 111, Mordo hatched a plan to become the most powerful wizard in the world by defeating his “Master”, the Elder (again, not named yet) and extracting all his secrets about black magic.
He ended up fighting Strange in an astral projection battle, but, thanks to his arrogance and cowardice, he was defeated by the Doctor. On the final page, readers finally saw the first mention of the phrase “Mystical Arts.”
Origin of the Supreme Sorcerer
Strange Tales # 115 related the story most of us know now; how a talented and somewhat headstrong surgeon lost the use of his nimble hands, only to find comfort and redemption in the snowy Himalayan mountains. Wanting to return to his old life as a star doctor, Stephen discovered something much, much more under the tutelage of The Ancient One.
It is in this issue that Strange first met Mordo. Even back then, he knew the man was no good, as he found Mordo praying to Dormmamu (more on him later). The shocking twist is that the Ancient One was aware of Mordo’s defection to the black magic side, but kept him close so he could control it.
The origin of Strange was later reviewed in a bit more detail in 1968’s Doctor Strange # 169 by writer Roy Thomas and artist Dan Adkins.
Dormmamu appears
No story about the history of Doctor Strange would be complete without a mention of Dormmamu. While Baron Mordo is Strange’s greatest mortal and humanoid adversary, Dormmamu is the hero’s greatest non-human.
First introduced in Strange Tales # 126, The Ancient One described the now iconic antagonist as the “most powerful of the denizens of the realm of darkness,” who wanted to take over the world of man. Strange was enthusiastic about tackling Dormmamu, but even the Ancient One (who fought him many eons ago) was wary, aware of the villain’s alien forms and abilities that defied earthly description.
Facing a series of challenges in the mind-boggling dimension of Dormmamu, Strange finally met face to face with the leader of the kingdom of darkness and challenged him to a fight.
Congress of Doctors by Mike Mignola
After earning the title of Sorcerer Supreme, Strange had to discharge a debt to another ‘colleague’ Doctor Doom. All Victor asked was that his mother’s soul be released from the clutches of Mephisto (with whom she made a dark deal many years before). However, before venturing into that dimension, Strange, a guest of Latveria, became a mystical master of Doom, preparing him for the dangers that lay ahead.
While in the demon-filled domain of Mephisto, Strange was forced to relive his previous arrogance and the accident that changed his life forever. Even after getting over the painful memories, he was apparently betrayed by Doom, who hatched such a crazy plan that Strange realized that the dictator was not as evil as he seems.
Shuma-Gorath arrives
Shuma-Gorath’s debut at Marvel Premiere # 5 in 1972 drove home the point that Doctor Strange was not like the Avengers or any other earthbound hero. The arrival of an almost omnipotent cosmic deity from another dimension proved that Strange protected the planet from things humanity could not even begin to imagine.
As one of the “Old Ones”, Shuma-Gorath ruled humanity’s predecessors as a god, often using them for food. The being inspired by the stories of HP Lovecraft was eventually banished to another dimension, but tried to return, eons later, through the mind of the Elder. Unable to defeat the demon in combat, he was forced to kill his own master, the Elder, to ensure that the Earth continued to spin.
How did the Cloak of Levitation arrive?
Doctor Strange is always associated with a very particular magical item: his red and yellow Cloak of Levitation. For the first appearance of this artifact, readers must return to Strange Tales # 127 in December 63; Strange Tales was instrumental in establishing much of the Doctor Strange canon that would later be explored in his own solo careers.
Stephen received the cloak as a reward from the Elder after he defeated Dormmamu for the first time. Sure, he could levitate before this issue, but the cloak he got in issue # 127 was the iconic red and yellow that we now associate with the hero in the comics. And hey, he also has a fancy new magic amulet in the book.
Stephen Strange’s son
Did you know that Doctor Strange had a child with the sorceress named Clea? We didn’t either until Brian Michael Bendis and Ted McKeever’s Ultimate Marvel Team-Up # 12 in 2002.
Shortly after Clea announced that she was pregnant with their child, Stephen mysteriously disappeared for two decades; his astral form was not even found. His absence destroyed Clea, who searched in vain for the father of her child. After Clea abandoned her quest, she raised the boy, also named Stephen, in the suburbs, never letting him know about the mystical world of magic. She insisted that her father died in a car accident.
When the boy grew up, Wong appeared on his doorstep to enlighten him about his past and offered him the opportunity to follow in his father’s footsteps. The boy accepted the offer and became the guardian of mystical objects such as Watoomb’s Wand.
An Oath That Revived Doctor Strange
One of the most acclaimed plots of Doctor Strange, as well as one of the best stories in the Marvel Universe came to us in 2006 when Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin presented a series that shows us the dilemma of keeping the Oath of Hippocrates, or using the magic to end worldly evils.
Strange with Night Nurse to search for a supposed general formula capable of curing any disease, including Wong’s rapidly progressing brain tumor. The oath was Marvel’s most recent attempt to make Dr. Strange cool again and set the tone for many of the character’s appearances with The Avengers.
You can also read: The curiosities that surround Doctor Strange
Source: Marvel
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