■Doctor Strange: The Oath
■Doctor Strange: The Oath
■Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
■Penciler: Marcos Martin
■Translation: Takakuni Tanaka
■Supervision: idsam
■Color/Hardcover/1,999 yen ■ASIN: B0BMW3KS31
The 23rd volume of the "Marvel Graphic Novel Collection" features the first Japanese translation of the limited series "Doctor Strange: The Oath," which brought on Brian K. Vaughan, a highly popular writer at the time of its publication (2006) known for works like "Y: The Last Man" and "Ex Machina."
The collected works are "Doctor Strange: The Oath" #1-5 (12/2006-4/2007).
Now, around the end of 2006 when this work was published, Doctor Strange had long been unable to maintain an ongoing series (it had been 10 years since the conclusion of the 90-issue "Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme" series that ran from 1988 to 1996). He was resigned to a rather low-profile position, occasionally appearing in limited series or one-shots, showing up in team books that carried on the legacy of the Defenders (the team he once belonged to), or appearing in major crossovers as a "helpful support character on the side" (well, that's better than disappearing completely, at least).
As an aside, the "Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme" series was released in "Omnibus" editions of over 1,000 pages per volume in 2017, 2018, and 2022 (3 volumes in total), and all volumes were released as e-books in 2022, so it is now easy to read (setting aside whether 1,000 pages per volume is easy). Hell is wonderful. Above is the final 3rd volume (I personally have a strange fondness for the Doctor Strange on the cover of this volume, with his round glasses, long hair, and no beard).
So, because this work, "Doctor Strange: The Oath," was highly acclaimed (it is now considered one of the top all-time best "Doctor Strange" stories), he finally received some attention. However, that didn't immediately lead to the launch of a new ongoing series. It wasn't until eight years later, in 2015, that a new ongoing series by Jason Aaron,"Doctor Strange (vol. 4)" was launched, and from then on, he became a character of sufficient stature to have ongoing series published consistently.
In this entry, I would like to briefly introduce those approximately 20 years of obscurity (1996-2015) (or so I thought, but when I finished writing it, it was easily over 25,000 characters).
First, the approximately eight years from 1996, when the ongoing series "Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme" was suspended, to around 2004.
During this period, Strange couldn't even land the position of a "nice support character." The Marvel editorial department would sporadically publish one-shots or limited series to gauge "whether Doctor Strange would sell," and after looking at the sales, they would conclude (probably), "Well, it doesn't look like it will sell, so let's pass for now," and then after another interval, they would try another one-shot or limited series to see "how about this time?"... It was a period where his exposure itself was sporadic (he also made guest appearances in occult-themed comics like "Ghost Rider" or in episodes of "Spider-Man" with strong occult elements, but well, he didn't have any groundbreaking activities that would lead to the next step).
As the first of those one-shots and limited series, "Doctor Strange: What Is It That Disturbs You, Stephen?" #1 (10/1997) was published in 1997, with art by fantasy comics master P. Craig Russell.
This work was a remake of a story originally published in "Doctor Strange" Annual #1 (12/1976), which Russell had created in 1976 with writer Marv Wolfman, with Russell himself redrawing the art from scratch (a new introduction leading to the strangely long title was also added), making it a volume where one could enjoy Russell's masterful art.
The content is a story where Strange is told by his master, the Ancient One, that his servant Wong is in danger, so he travels to the golden city of Diccopolis (named, of course, after Strange's creator, Steve Ditko) and confronts the evil witch Electra (Note: Electra. The female assassin who appears in Daredevil is Elektra).
Well, this work is not so much a "wait-and-see one-shot to lead to a new ongoing series" as mentioned above, but rather a remake project that Russell had been pitching to Marvel for many years that finally came to fruition at this timing, so it is a work without any particular strings attached, but since I personally like Russell, I will introduce it without hesitation.
Although it is a one-shot, the Kindle e-book version of the work is also sold as a single volume, which shows the high popularity of Russell.
For those interested in Russell's art, I recommend the above collected volume "Doctor Strange: What Is It That Disturbs You, Stephen?" (the title is the same, so be careful not to confuse it with the single-volume version).
This volume includes the original version of the title story, "Doctor Strange" Annual #1, allowing you to compare the old and new art and panel layouts.
Furthermore,
・Short stories starring Doctor Strange with art by Russell in the past: "Marvel Premiere" #7 (3/1973), "Marvel Fanfare" #5 (11/1982)
・Short stories starring Doctor Strange with Russell as inker: "Doctor Strange (vol. 2)" #34 (4/1979), the latter half of "Doctor Strange (vol. 2)" #46 (4/1981), the first half of "Marvel Fanfare" #6 (12/1982)
・Occult short stories starring Scarlet Witch & Spider-Man with art by Russell: "Marvel Fanfare" #6 (1/1983)
・Horror short stories with art by Russell: The opening short story of "Chamber of Chills" #1 (11/1972), the middle short story of "Chamber of Chills" #2 (1/1973), the middle short story of "Journey into Mystery (vol. 2)" #4 (4/1973)
...It is a substantial volume that covers "Doctor Strange" and other occult-themed comics for which P. Craig Russell was responsible for art or inks, and also includes interviews with Russell that were published in Marvel's in-house advertisements at the time of the publication of "Doctor Strange: What Is It That Disturbs You, Stephen?", as well as covers, pin-ups, and original art for Strange-related comics for which Russell was responsible for the art.
Also, in 1998, the one-shot "Untold Tales of Spider-Man: Strange Encounters" #1 (6/1998) was published as an extra issue of Kurt Busiek's "Untold Tales of Spider-Man," which was a popular ongoing series at the time. This work depicts the first encounter between Spider-Man, just after his debut, and Doctor Strange.
Above is the single-issue e-book version.
Now, in 1998, Marvel Comics invited Joe Quesada & Jimmy Palmiotti, the leaders of indie comic publishing, to launch a new label, "Marvel Knights," and tasked them with revamping "heroes who are slightly outside of Marvel's flagship works but have deep-rooted popularity and potential," such as "Daredevil," "Black Panther," and"The Punisher", and as a result, they produced consistent hits (following this success, Quesada was appointed Editor-in-Chief of Marvel starting in 2000).
So, for this "Marvel Knights" label, Doctor Strange was also chosen as one of the "heroes who are slightly outside of Marvel's flagship works but have deep-rooted popularity and potential (probably)," and thus the limited series "Doctor Strange (vol. 3)" (4 issues total, 2-5/1999) was published in 1999.
This work is a modern story in which Doctor Strange stands up against the ambitions of a cult group led by Jonathan White, who has the power to grant magical powers to others, and was drawn in a style where Tony Harris (pencils) & Ray Snyder (inks) provided the art, and the three of them, Dan Jolley, Tony Harris, and Ray Snyder, co-wrote the script.
Tony Harris's art reinterpreted the world of "Doctor Strange" with a noir atmosphere (the influence of Mike Mignola, the cutting edge of occult comics at the time, can also be seen), and it depicted Strange's dandy and calm atmosphere well, but... well, to be honest, it was low-key and did not become a hit big enough to earn an ongoing series after that.
This limited series was first collected in "Doctor Strange: The Flight of Bones," published in 2016. The fact that it took 17 years after publication to be collected into a book shows the subtlety of this work's popularity (to put it bluntly).
In addition to all four issues of the limited series, this book includes the black-and-white comic one-shot "Mystic Hands of Doctor Strange" #1 (3/2010) published in 2010, black-and-white short stories starring Doctor Strange published in the short story collections "Marvel: Shadows & Light" #1 (2/1997) and "Shadows & Light" #2 (4/1998), and a short story starring Strange published in the anthology comic "Marvel Double-Shot" #4 (4/2003), packing in small short stories (that are difficult to compile into a book) that were released around the same time.
Then, from Marvel Knights, in 2004, they invited popular writerJ. Michael Straczynski to publish the limited series "Strange (vol. 1)" (6 issues total, 11-12/2004, 2, 4, 6-7/2005), which reinterpreted Doctor Strange's origin.
However, this work (as usual) did not gain much popularity, and the origin that had been reinterpreted with such effort was not followed in subsequent comics. Currently, the story of this work is considered to be the origin of a different Stephen Strange set in the parallel world "Earth-41101".
This is the collected volume "Strange: Beginnings and Endings." It contains all 6 issues of the limited series.
While these one-shots & limited series starring "Doctor Strange" were being published sporadically, in 2001, a new ongoing series of the hero team "Defenders," to which Doctor Strange once belonged, "Defenders (vol. 2)" #1 (3/2001), was launched. Doctor Strange also appeared as a regular in this magazine, but perhaps the decision to hire Erik Larsen (who also served as a writer in collaboration with Kurt Busiek), who draws with a very idiosyncratic style, backfired, and it was canceled after only 12 issues.
Note that this series has not been collected into a book, nor has it been released as a single-issue e-book (to put it badly, that's how subtle its popularity was at the time, and that evaluation has not been overturned in later years).
Also, two months after "Defenders (vol. 2)" was canceled, the limited series "The Order" (6 issues total, 4-9/2002) was published. This one had Kurt Busiek, who was a co-author of "Defenders (vol. 2)," writing the script alone, and Carlos Pacheco on art (in short, the"Avengers Forever" combo).
Due to a curse cast by Yandroth, the archenemy of the Defenders, the founding members of the Defenders (Doctor Strange, Hulk, Sub-Mariner, Silver Surfer) go on a rampage and establish a new team, "The Order," that pursues absolute order. This is a story with a twist where the members of the Defenders oppose them.
This one has not been collected into a book either, but fortunately it has been released as a single-issue e-book, so it is still easy to read today.
Furthermore, in 2005, the limited series "Defenders (vol. 3)" (5 issues total, 9/2005-1/2006) was published, inviting the cult-popular writer duo Keith Giffen & J.M. DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire, who has a reputation for "drawing expressive faces" (the creative team that gained popularity in DC Comics' "Justice League International" magazine).
This is an offbeat comedy where, following an unprecedented situation where Doctor Strange's archenemy Dormammu and his twin sister Umar the Unholy form an alliance, Strange decides to reform the Defenders. He visits the founding members, but because the members, who were already egoists to the point where it was a wonder they were ever a team, had become even more twisted in their personalities as they aged, they couldn't get in sync at all, and before they knew it, the Earth had been conquered by Dormammu...
This is the collected volume of this work, "Defenders: Indefensible." Keith Giffen is a cult writer who is very selective about his readers, but well, since he is more popular with readers than the previous two works, it has been normally collected into a book & released as an e-book (normal is wonderful). The collected works are all 5 issues of the limited series. It is a delightful work where you can enjoy Kevin Maguire's facial expressions, Giffen's mastery of panel layout (*), and DeMatteis's witty dialogue, so I recommend it regardless of Doctor Strange (no, it's just that I love Giffen & DeMatteis too much).
* Because Keith Giffen is a writer who started as an artist, he does not write works in script format like normal writers, but creates works based on things he draws directly on copy paper, laying out panels and drawing rough characters (what is called "name" in Japanese manga, and "breakdown" in English). Also, co-author J.M. DeMatteis has a unique division of labor where he thinks of dialogue based on Giffen's explanation, such as "this kind of conversation unfolds on this page" (often, the credit is listed as "dialogue").
That concludes the overview of Doctor Strange's "period of obscurity" from 1996 to the early 2000s.
Now, entering the mid-2000s, Doctor Strange gradually established his position as a "nice support character," and the person who contributed to the establishment of that image was Brian Michael Bendis, the writer of the "New Avengers" magazine launched in 2005."New Avengers" magazine.
Bendis frequently featured Strange as a support character in the "New Avengers" magazine, while also depicting Doctor Strange as a support character in the major Marvel crossovers he worked on during the same period. As a result, Strange would go on to be active for the next 10 years or so as a "nice support character" and at the same time as Bendis's "pet character."
--It is a happy thing to become a pet character of a popular writer because his appearances increase, but conversely, until Bendis stepped down as the writer of "New Avengers," it became difficult for other writers to use Strange, and it became difficult for plans for solo works to be approved, so it was a painful and itchy period for the character of Strange (and Bendis continued to be the writer for "Avengers"-related magazines for a very long time).
So, first, at the beginning of the major crossover event "House of M" #1 (6/2005) in 2005, for which he served as the main writer, Bendis had Doctor Strange appear in a "meeting on what to do from now on with Scarlet Witch, who went on a rampage in "Avengers Disassembled"" by Professor X, Magneto, X-Men, New Avengers, etc., and had him express his opinion on "what should be done with Scarlet Witch from the perspective of an occult expert" (he exchanged a "Bendis conversation" that dragged on for a page with the X-Men's White Queen)."Avengers Disassembled" Furthermore, in the latter half of "House of M," Strange participated in the final battle along with the New Avengers & X-Men (his contribution was just casting some magic in the background), and in the climax, he touched Scarlet Witch's memories to reveal the truth of the incident to the readers, but he could not be involved in the resolution of the incident, and after everything was over, he appeared before the New Avengers and explained, "This is how the world became a mess," demonstrating his exquisite "nice support character" nature.
Also, Doctor Strange made a guest appearance in the "Sentry" storyline that unfolded in "New Avengers" #7-10 (7-10/2005) of the same period, and in the scene where the New Avengers & X-Men gathered to deal with the super-superhuman Sentry who had lost his memories, he quietly appeared at the edge of the panel in a "not main, but somewhat easy to see position." After that, he played a support role by continuing to fight until the end in the battle between the monster Void, born from Sentry's mind, and the New Avengers & X-Men alliance (but he didn't get close-ups or speak any lines). However, the role Strange played in "House of M" of "contacting Sentry's memories and learning the truth of the incident" was taken by the X-Men's telepath, White Queen, in this work.
Also, in this "Sentry" arc, the secret organization "Illuminati," consisting of some of the greatest minds in the Marvel Universe—Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, Sub-Mariner, Black Bolt, Professor X, and Doctor Strange—made their first appearance. This further solidified Strange's position as a "support character who watches over the future of the New Avengers from the rear with a knowing look."
This is the collected volume "New Avengers: Sentry." It contains "New Avengers" #7-10 (Note: "New Avengers" was once published in Japanese by Village Books, and now e-book versions are also published by Shogakukan Shueisha Productions, so it is relatively easy to read in Japanese).
It is also a continuation of the 33rd volume of the "Marvel Graphic Novel Collection," "New Avengers: Breakdown" (Note: There are no plans to publish anything after "Sentry" in the "Marvel Graphic Novel Collection").
So, in the major event of the following year, 2006,"Civil War" (writer is Mark Millar), Doctor Strange also maintains his position as a "support character."
In the one-shot "New Avengers: Illuminati" #1 (5/2006), which is the prologue to the event, Strange takes on a somewhat tasty position: "In past Illuminati meetings, he had a cooperative stance toward Iron Man, but regarding the Superhuman Registration Act, he clearly takes an opposing stance."
This is the single-issue e-book version of "New Avengers: Illuminati." If you intend to follow the entire "Civil War" event,as I introduced before, it would also be good to buy the collected volume "Civil War: The Road to Civil War," which includes this one-shot (a Japanese translation of this book was also released by Village Books, and now an e-book version is also out from Shogakukan Shueisha Productions, so I will omit the rest).
On the other hand, in the main "Civil War" story, Strange serves the role of "stating a few words of wisdom when the heroes gather to discuss future measures" at the beginning of #1 (7/2006) as usual, but after the Superhuman Registration Act is enforced, he disappears, and in the subsequent "Civil War" #6 (12/2006), his position is explained: "As the Sorcerer Supreme, he has enough power to end the Civil War immediately, but because of that, he does not side with either party and takes a neutral stance," and he withdraws from the story without lowering his stature.
For reference, the "Civil War" e-book collected volume.
By the way, "New Avengers" #26 (1/2007), published in the same month as #7 (1/2007), the final issue of "Civil War," was a past flashback story depicting the circumstances of the resurrection of Hawkeye, who died in "Avengers Disassembled," but in the work, Doctor Strange made a guest appearance in a role very characteristic of him, giving advice to Hawkeye, who was searching for Scarlet Witch.
So, at the end of this "Civil War" event, this book, "Doctor Strange: The Oath" (5 issues total, 12/2006-4/2006), starts.
By the way, this work, "The Oath," is a story for which no specific timeline is set, but from the depiction that crime fighters like Iron Fist (who was active wearing Daredevil's costume for various reasons during "Civil War") and Araña (registered as a superhuman in "Civil War") seem to be active quite freely, it is presumed to be before the Superhuman Registration Act was enforced in "Civil War."
By the way, on Kindle Unlimited, "The Oath" can be read for free. As expected of Doctor Strange's all-time best.
On the other hand, from the month after "Civil War" concluded, the limited series "New Avengers: Illuminati (vol. 2)" (5 issues total, 2-3, 7, 9/2007, 1/2008) by Bendis started. Here, episodes of the Illuminati members secretly working for Earth's defense from before "Civil War" to the present are depicted, and Strange also showed a leading role as a member of the Illuminati.
This is the collected volume. This work also has a Japanese translation version (omitted) from Village Books, and an e-book version (omitted) from Shogakukan Shueisha Productions.
Also, since the "Revolution" storyline developed in New Avengers #27-31 (4-8/2007), the members of the New Avengers, who became wanderers after opposing the Superhuman Registration Act, have been staying at Doctor Strange's base, the Sanctum Sanctorum, and have also begun using Doctor Strange's teleportation magic for travel.
This "Revolution" arc is a story where the members of the New Avengers teleport to Japan using Strange's magic and fight the female assassin Elektra, who has brought the ninja clan The Hand under her control... and at the end of the story, it is revealed that the murdered Elektra was actually a Skrull in disguise. This lays the groundwork for the subsequent large-scale crossover "Secret Invasion" (also written by Bendis).
This is the collected volume "New Avengers: Revolution". It includes the aforementioned New Avengers #26 and the "Revolution" arc (#27-31) (there is also a Japanese translation version by Village Books and an e-book version by Shogakukan Shueisha Productions).
And, around the same time as the final episode of the "Revolution" arc, Marvel's large-scale event of that year, "World War Hulk" (main writer Greg Pack), begins.
In this work, the Hulk, who was exiled to outer space by the schemes of Iron Man, Strange, and the Illuminati, returns to Earth with his allies after the long story arc "Planet Hulk" developed in "Hulk"-related magazines. It is a story where Iron Man, who became the head of the Earth's hero community since "Civil War", and General Thunderbolt Ross, Hulk's long-time nemesis, use all their might to oppose the Hulk and his allies, who have declared war on the Illuminati.
At the beginning of this work, Strange is asked by Iron Man to use magic to exile the Hulk to outer space again, but he refuses, saying, "We created this situation, we must solve it ourselves."
While Black Bolt, Iron Man, and Mr. Fantastic are defeated by the Hulk, Strange uses magic to contact Bruce Banner, who is deep within the Hulk's mind, and attempts to reconcile with him... but his dialogue is rejected by the angry Hulk, and his arms are broken ("World War Hulk" #3 (10/2007)).
Forced to act, Strange hosts the power of the demon Zom within himself and confronts the Hulk directly. Although he initially overwhelms the Hulk with his immense power of rage, he regains his reason after being consumed by his own violence and nearly causing collateral damage to nearby citizens, and is defeated by the Hulk when he takes advantage of that opening ("World War Hulk" #4 (11/2007))... and so, he shows a fairly good performance as a "villain"—since Strange was the closest to the Hulk among the Illuminati (they were teammates in the Defenders), it was inevitable that he would be given such a good role in this work.
This is the "World War Hulk" collected volume (there is also a Japanese translation version by Village Books. I think an e-book version will also be released by Shogakukan Shueisha Productions eventually).
After this, Doctor Strange continues to appear as a member of the New Avengers in the "Trust" arc developed in New Avengers #32-37 (9/2007-2/2008) and New Avengers Annual #2 (2/2008).
And, at the beginning of this "Trust" arc, a situation occurs where the "Skrull Elektra's corpse" that appeared in the previous episode is taken away by Spider-Woman (who is actually a spy for Iron Man), an early member of the New Avengers. As a result, the members of the New Avengers, caught in the suspicion that "a teammate might be a Skrull" or "a teammate might be Iron Man's spy," disband for the time being and return to their respective daily lives. --By the way, at this time, Strange returns to the Sanctum Sanctorum and goes to bed with Night Nurse (it seems they have been in that kind of relationship since "The Oath").
Eventually, the group cools their heads and reassembles, and after a subtle crossover with the "countless New York citizens possessed by symbiotes and turned into Venoms due to a mysterious virus from space!" incident that was unfolding in the "Mighty Avengers" magazine at the time, they share the same boat with the Mighty Avengers and engage in a large-scale decisive battle against the villain army led by The Hood, who was making a name for himself in the New York underworld at the time.
At this time, Strange, who was fatally wounded by The Hood, succeeds in neutralizing the villain army while involving the New Avengers (terrible) by drawing out the dark magic of Zom that he used in "World War Hulk" again. However, deeply ashamed that his teammates were hurt due to his own arrogance in thinking he could control dark magic, Strange leaves the team and disappears into the beyond of the dimension to re-learn the magic of light.
As usual, the "New Avengers: Trust" e-book collected volume (as usual, a Japanese translation version is published by Village Books & Shogakukan Shueisha Productions).
Note that in "New Avengers: Illuminati (vol. 2)" #5 (1/2008, the final episode of the series, tie-in with "Secret Invasion"), which was published around the same time as "Trust", Iron Man, who secured the Elektra/Skrull corpse via Spider-Woman, convenes the members of the Illuminati (Strange, who is now in a hostile position, also attends as an astral body, surprising Iron Man). A story unfolds where they discuss future measures...
And the subsequent "New Avengers" magazine continues stories tied in with the 2008 large-scale event "Secret Invasion" #1-8 (6/2008-1/2009), for which Bendis serves as the main writer, for 10 months from #38-47 (4/2008-1/2009).
However, Doctor Strange, who disappeared into the beyond of the dimension in the previous story, did not appear at all in the main "Secret Invasion" story or the "New Avengers" magazine tied in with the event (only a "Clone Doctor Strange" created by the Skrulls appeared in New Avengers #44 (10/2008)).
I mean, "Secret Invasion" has two main plot points: "Nick Fury, who had been in hiding since a certain incident, returns and gathers heroes from the city to lead a resistance army against the Skrulls," and "scientific heroes like Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, and Yellowjacket cooperate to discover countermeasures against the Skrulls." To make use of those plot lines, they probably removed Doctor Strange, who is too versatile as a support character, in advance.
This is the e-book collected volume of the main "Secret Invasion" story. It includes all 8 issues of the limited series (there is also a Japanese translation version by Village Books and Shogakukan Shueisha Productions).
This is the collected volume of the "Secret Invasion" tie-in period of "New Avengers". Because the tie-in period was long, it was published as two collected volumes. Book 1 includes New Avengers #38-42, and Book 2 includes #43-47 (both also have Japanese translation versions by Village Books and Shogakukan Shueisha Productions).
By the way, during this "Secret Invasion" event, completely unrelated to it, the limited series "The Last Defenders" #1-6 (5-10/2008) is published (writers are Joe Casey and Keith Giffen).
This story stars the new Defenders, founded after "Civil War" as part of the 50 State Initiative (a plan to create unique hero teams in each of the 50 states in the US and have them handle defense), with Nighthawk, a former Defender, as the leader.
Perhaps because members unrelated to the traditional Defenders (She-Hulk, Colossus, Blazing Skull) were gathered besides Nighthawk, the team could not fully demonstrate teamwork in their first mission, and the team, which caused enormous damage to the surroundings, is immediately disbanded by Iron Man.
However, Nighthawk, who does not like to withdraw from a mission he has once been involved in, stands up against the conspiracy of the terrorist organization Sons of the Serpent together with She-Hulk, who remained in the team... that kind of story.
And, in #3 of this series, Doctor Strange from this time appears for about two pages. While stating explanatory lines like "Although I have returned to this world, my magic and physical condition are not at a level where I can fight at all, now is the time to act alone," he gives advice to Daimon Hellstrom, a member of the old Defenders, saying, "Perhaps your destiny will soon intertwine with Nighthawk's," and encourages him to assist the Defenders in his place.
Note that although "The Last Defenders" was published as a collected volume at the time, it was not published as an e-book collected volume, and was treated as a distribution of single-issue e-books (perhaps more than "The Order" and less than "Defenders: Indefensible").
Now, after "Secret Invasion", Iron Man, who was the face of the traditional hero community, was removed from the position of commander of S.H.I.E.L.D. because he could not respond sufficiently to the invasion by the Skrulls, and instead, Norman Osborn became the commander of the new organization H.A.M.M.E.R. and came to control the hero community.
And, in each subsequent Marvel comic book, the "Dark Reign" development begins, depicting the dark age of the hero community ruled by Osborn, who secretly brought villain groups like The Hood to his side (specifically, the "Dark Reign" logo is crowned on the covers of each comic magazine, and stories are told about each hero suffering under Osborn's rule. It is an event whose purpose is to tell the "atmosphere of the entire community" in each comic magazine, rather than telling a single-track story like "Secret Invasion").
In response to this, the "New Avengers" magazine also ties in with "Dark Reign" in #48-55 (2-9/2009), but in this #51 (5/2009), Doctor Strange reappears.
In this work, it is revealed that Doctor Strange has returned the title of "Sorcerer Supreme" that he held (it seems that purity is required for the Sorcerer Supreme who governs the balance of the world, and it was bad that he had been devoted to dark magic since "World War Hulk").
And, Doctor Strange, whose magic power has recovered somewhat recently, was searching for a Sorcerer Supreme to replace him, but The Hood, who is aiming for the magic artifact "Eye of Agamotto" held by Strange, appears and inflicts a serious injury on him. For this reason, Strange asks the New Avengers for help, and while fighting The Hood with them, he searches for a new Sorcerer Supreme...
And, this is a spoiler, but ultimately the Eye of Agamotto passes into the hands of Brother Voodoo (Jericho Drumm), and with the combined efforts of him, Daimon Hellstrom, and Doctor Strange, they exorcise the demon Dormammu that was possessing The Hood. And Strange ends up training Voodoo as the new Sorcerer Supreme.
This is "New Avengers: Search for the Sorcerer Supreme", which collects only the stories related to Doctor Strange in the latter half of "New Avengers" during the "Dark Reign" period. It includes New Avengers #51-54 (published by Village Books as "New Avengers: Dark Reign" which includes #48-55, and later made into an e-book by Shogakukan Shueisha Productions).
Note that in "Hulk (vol. 2)" #10-12 (4-6/2009) of the same period, a story is depicted where the original Defenders (Hulk, Sub-Mariner, Silver Surfer, Doctor Strange) reunited by the Hulk fight the Offenders (Red Hulk, Tiger Shark, Terrax, Baron Mordo) led by Red Hulk, but the Doctor who appears in this story is brought from the past world, so you don't have to worry about it that much (they probably made it "not the current Strange" so as not to interfere with Bendis's Strange story).
The story above is included in this "Hulk: Hulk No More". The included works are "Hulk" #10-12 and "Incredible Hulk" #600.
Now, "New Avengers" after "Dark Reign" focuses on the battle against the supervillains led by The Hood, who is in a cooperative relationship with Osborn. ...However, Strange, who is busy training Brother Voodoo, disappears from the magazine for a while.
Instead, Doctor Strange makes a guest appearance in "Thor" #602 (8/2009), where J. Michael Straczynski was the writer. Asked by Thor to repair the malfunctioning magic hammer "Mjolnir," he shows his ability as a great supporting player by giving advice like "It's impossible for me, but Thor can fix it if he does this," and showing the guideline for Thor's next action.
This is the 3rd volume (final volume) of "Thor by J. Michael Straczynski"."Thor: Reborn" (equivalent to the 1st volume), the final volume of the Straczynski period. The included works are "Thor" #601-603 and "Thor: Giant-Size Finale" #1.
Eventually, at the end of 2009, in "New Avengers" #60 (2/2010), Strange reappears with Voodoo (now renamed Doctor Voodoo). He performs a magic scan of the body of Luke Cage, a core member of the New Avengers, reveals that Osborn had planted a bomb in his body, and then uses Dr. Hank Pym's object-shrinking technology to enter Cage's body and perform surgery to remove the bomb, fulfilling the role of a "good support character" for the first time in a while.
"New Avengers: Power Loss" which includes the same episode. It includes New Avengers #55-60 (there is also a Japanese translation version by Village Books and an e-book version by Shogakukan Shueisha Productions).
And, from the month after this "New Avengers" #60, the 2010 large-scale event "Siege", for which Brian Michael Bendis serves as the main writer, begins with all 4 issues (3-6/2010).
In this work, Norman Osborn, the commander of H.A.M.M.E.R., makes a false accusation against Asgard, the city of the Nordic gods, which was being rebuilt in the suburbs of Oklahoma at the time (for details, see "Marvel Graphic Novel Collection" No. 8"Thor: Reborn"), and begins an invasion. In response to this, the hero community unites to oppose it, centering on Thor, the resurrected Captain America, and Iron Man, who was being chased by Osborn ("Siege" means an invasion of a city), and ultimately Osborn's ambition is thwarted, and the era of heroes returns again.
However, Doctor Strange does not appear in the main "Siege" story (in the climax of the main story, a development was prepared where "heroes are strengthened by the magic protection generated by the sacrifice of Loki, the joker of Asgard, and oppose the formidable final boss," so they probably didn't want to let human-side magic characters like Strange and Voodoo interfere too much).
This is the e-book collected volume. It includes all episodes of "Siege" and the special issue "Siege: Cabal" #1 (the Japanese translation version released by Village Books also has the same content).
Note that, perhaps not to compensate for the lack of appearance in the main "Siege" story, the limited series "Strange (vol. 2)" #1-4 (1-4/2010) starring Strange is published around the same time as "Siege".
This is a story where Strange, who has returned the title of Sorcerer Supreme and has some of his burden lifted, solves several occult-related incidents together with a woman named Casey Kinmont (Voodoo does not appear).
Strange, whose arm destroyed by the Hulk has not yet healed, teaches Casey a simple dispelling spell when solving the first incident and has her cast it in his place. After the incident, she uses that spell, and they get caught up in further trouble...
This is "Strange: The Doctor Is Out", which includes all 4 issues of the limited series. The cover is a pen-drawing style with strong contrast, but the inside is a so-called "manga style," and the coloring is also cel-shaded (see the sample at the link).
Also, Doctor Voodoo, a disciple of Strange, had the limited series "Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural" all 5 issues (12/2009-4/2010) published around the same time as "Siege," and acquired his first starring magazine.
In terms of content, it is a story where Doctor Voodoo and the spirit of his partner Daniel strive for their "mission as Sorcerer Supreme," such as sealing Dormammu who was lending power to The Hood, confronting Doctor Doom who seeks the Eye of Agamotto, and fighting against old enemies of Doctor Strange who are planning to manifest in the real world... Doctor Strange also appears a little in #1 and #4.
This is the collected volume. It includes all issues of the limited series and the special issue "Doctor Voodoo: The Origin of Jericho Drumm" #1 (2/2010, a reprint of the Brother Voodoo origin story published in "Strange Tales" magazine).
Then, Doctor Voodoo makes a guest appearance in "Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth" #7-8 (3-4/2010) published in early 2010.the previous entryHe gives advice like a Sorcerer Supreme to Deadpool, who is trying to return Headpool (Zombie Deadpool) introduced in the previous entry to his original world, opens a dimensional gate, and transfers the Deadpool party to Earth-2149 (at that time, Deadpool made a snide remark, "Doesn't a Sorcerer Supreme come with a mustache? Aren't you going to grow one?" and silenced Voodoo).
I posted the link last time, but this is the e-book collected volume of "Deadpool Classic" Vol. 11, which reprints all episodes of "Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth" (a Japanese translation version is also on sale from Shogakukan Shueisha Productions).
And, with "New Avengers" #61-64 (3-6/2010) tied in with "Siege," the "New Avengers" magazine ends its serialization of over 5 years. In the special issue "New Avengers Finale" #1 (6/2010) published in the same month as the final issue, the story closes with a decisive battle against the supervillain army led by The Hood, a long-time nemesis.
This is the final 13th volume of "New Avengers", "Siege: New Avengers". It includes New Avengers #61-64, "New Avengers Finale" #1, "New Avengers" Annual #3, and the special issue "Dark Reign: The List - Avengers" (a Japanese translation version has also been published by Village Books).
And after "Siege," Marvel began the "Heroic Age" event depicting a new era of heroes (this, like "Dark Reign," has the "Heroic Age" logo crowned on the covers of each comic book, depicting the atmosphere of the new era that each hero has welcomed).
And, in a form that ties in with this "Heroic Age," a new series that inherits the lineage of "New Avengers," named "New Avengers (vol. 2)," is launched (just like that). Brian Michael Bendis continues to be in charge of the writer for this as well.
And, in the "Possession" arc developed in #1-6 (8/2010-1/2011) as the first story arc of this "New Avengers (vol. 2)," an unexpected turning point visits Doctor Strange.
--While the Avengers are reorganized by Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and others, another team centered on Luke Cage, the New Avengers, also starts. Immediately after the new members are gathered by Cage, the team gets caught up in a battle against a mysterious existence aiming for the Eye of Agamotto, together with Doctor Voodoo, Doctor Strange, Daimon Hellstrom, and others.
Eventually, it is revealed that the balance of power in the supernatural world had collapsed due to the battles shaking space-time in recent years, that Agamotto had been expelled from the Vishanti (an alliance of three divinities: Agamotto, Hoggoth, and Oshtur, which grants protection to the Sorcerer Supreme), and that for that reason, Agamotto himself was seeking the Eye of Agamotto to regain his own magic power.
Ultimately, Doctor Voodoo challenges Agamotto to a duel, and the winner gets the "Eye." And, after various things, Voodoo commits suicide by taking Agamotto with him to prevent the "Eye" from passing into Agamotto's hands, and Agamotto, Doctor Voodoo, and the Eye of Agamotto are lost. And the spirit of Voodoo's brother Daniel vows revenge on Strange, claiming that Voodoo died for him...
This is the collected volume "New Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis" Vol. 1, which includes all episodes of the "Possession" arc.
For that reason, the story related to Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme, and Doctor Voodoo, which Bendis had been steadily spinning in the previous series of "New Avengers," stops developing further with the sudden development that Voodoo dies at the beginning of the new series.
It is unknown why this happened. Bendis might have originally intended to end Doctor Voodoo's succession of Sorcerer Supreme in a very short period. Or perhaps the development of Voodoo becoming Sorcerer Supreme did not attract as much reader interest as expected.
Anyway, the new Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Voodoo, left the Marvel Universe after only one limited series and a few guest appearances.
On the other hand, Doctor Strange officially becomes a member of the New Avengers from the following "New Avengers (vol. 2)" #7 (2/2011), and although his magic power has not yet fully recovered, he continues to be active as a key member of the team (note that the seat of "Sorcerer Supreme" remains vacant even after Voodoo's death).
Thus, Strange, who was promoted from a "good support character" to a "regular member of the 'Avengers' magazine," subsequently participates in the 2011 large-scale crossover "Fear Itself" (main writer Matt Fraction) and the 2012 large-scale crossover "Avengers vs. X-Men" (main writer Bendis) as a member of the New Avengers.
This is the collected volume "Fear Itself: Avengers" which includes "New Avengers" #14-16 tied in with "Fear Itself" and "Avengers" #13-17.
Note that in "Fear Itself: The Deep" #1-3 (8-10/2011), one of the series of limited series published as a tie-in to "Fear Itself," Strange reunites the Defenders together with Sub-Mariner, Silver Surfer, She-Hulk (Lyra), and Loa (Alani Ryan, a young mutant close to Sub-Mariner). They are fighting Attuma (who has been powered up by the protection of the Serpent, the mastermind of "Fear Itself"), the nemesis of Sub-Mariner.
Above is the collected volume "Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force / The Deep" which couples all 3 issues of "Fear Itself: The Deep" and all 3 issues of "Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force".
This is 'New Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis Vol. 3', which collects all the tie-in issues with 'Avengers vs. X-Men'. It includes 'New Avengers' #24-30.
Also, at the end of 2011, right after 'Fear Itself' concluded, a new 'Defenders (vol. 4)' ongoing series was launched. In this series, Doctor Strange, Sub-Mariner, Silver Surfer, Red She-Hulk, and Iron Fist formed a new Defenders team (Black Cat joined later) to deal with events that shook space and time. It was a fairly ambitious project, featuring Matt Fraction, the main writer of 'Fear Itself', and Terry Dodson, one of the top artists at the time, but... it ended after only 12 issues (it seems recent 'Defenders' series cannot exceed 12 issues).
This 2012 version of 'Defenders' is collected in two volumes titled 'Defenders by Matt Fraction'. Volume 1 contains #1-6, and Volume 2 contains #7-12.
Furthermore, three months after the end of 'Defenders (vol. 4)', a new ongoing series, 'Fearless Defenders' #1 (4/2013), was launched. However, this was a female team founded by former Defender Valkyrie, and Doctor Strange was not particularly involved. By the way, this one ended at issue 13 (it lasted one issue longer than the previous series).
Above is the first volume of the 'Fearless Defenders' trade paperback, which was published in two volumes. It collects issues #1-6.
But I digress.
Now, after the conclusion of the major crossover 'Avengers vs. X-Men' by Bendis, the 'New Avengers (vol. 2)' and 'Avengers (vol. 4)' series came to an end with the long story arc 'End Times', which unfolded in 'New Avengers (vol. 2)' #31-34 (12/2012-1/2013) and 'Avengers (vol. 4)' #31-34 (12/2012-1/2013)—or rather, the super-long run of Avengers-related titles by Brian Michael Bendis, which had continued uninterrupted since the launch of 'New Avengers' in 2005, came to an end.
And in this 'End Times' arc, the spirit of Daniel, the brother of Doctor Voodoo, who had been left neglected since the first episode of 'New Avengers (vol. 2)', reappeared. He killed Daimon Hellstrom and then possessed members of the New Avengers to carry out his revenge against Doctor Strange.
Then, after many twists and turns, Doctor Strange succeeded in exorcising Daniel's vengeful spirit using dark magic. Immediately after, the spirit of Daimon Hellstrom and the spirit of the Ancient One, Strange's mentor, appeared before him.
The Ancient One praised him for getting through this incident without hurting his allies, for not being consumed by dark magic while defeating Daniel, and for his selfless dedication as a hero to protect this dimension even after relinquishing the title of Sorcerer Supreme. He then gave Strange the restored Eye of Agamotto and the Cloak of Levitation, returning him to the position of Sorcerer Supreme.
*Regarding this depiction, there are some puzzling aspects, such as why the Ancient One, who is merely a wizard (albeit the previous Sorcerer Supreme), could appoint Strange as 'Sorcerer Supreme', and why the Eye of Agamotto was restored. It is likely that the Vishanti, who protect the Sorcerer Supreme, were involved.
・Evidence: In the 'End Times' story, the spirit of Hellstrom observes the aftermath of the events from another dimension (the afterlife) and points out that 'this dimension needs a Sorcerer Supreme'. Someone beside him replies, 'We agree.' Since they say 'We', it is speculated that the speaker is not the Ancient One, but the members of the Vishanti.
This is 'New Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis Vol. 5', a trade paperback that collects only the 'New Avengers' part of the 'End Times' arc. It includes 'New Avengers (vol. 2)' #31-34.
By the way, the life or death of Agamotto is unknown at the time of this episode (since the Eye of Agamotto was restored, it is logical to think that Agamotto, the source of its power, was also restored). However, Agamotto reappears as a member of the Vishanti at the beginning of 'Strange Academy' #16 (4/2022), so it seems he was resurrected for some reason after being defeated by Doctor Voodoo in 'New Avengers (vol. 2)'.
This is 'Strange Academy: Wishcraft', which collects the relevant issues. It includes 'Strange Academy' #13-18.
Incidentally, the Japanese translation of 'Strange Academy: Wishcraft' was released by Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions in January 2024 (advertisement).
On a side note, the spirits of Doctor Voodoo and Daniel were resurrected in the 2014 major Marvel event 'Avengers & X-Men: AXIS' (main writer Rick Remender) when Doctor Doom made a deal with a certain 'Demigod' (the details are unknown, but it was likely a level of selling his soul). Immediately after, Daniel possessed the 'inverted to evil' Scarlet Witch, a key character in the story, and achieved the feat of neutralizing her.
Above is the 'AXIS' trade paperback. Captain America's nemesis, Red Skull, transforms into 'Red Onslaught' and scatters the Avengers & X-Men allied forces. In response, Magneto gathers Doctor Doom and other villains to challenge them to a final battle. Due to the inverted magic used by Doom and Scarlet Witch at this time, a strange event occurs where villains become good and heroes become evil... that is the story.
Back to the story.
Now, with the conclusion of 'Avengers (vol. 4)' and 'New Avengers (vol. 2)', the long-running Brian Michael Bendis era ended, and from early 2013, 'Avengers (vol. 5)' (2/2013) and 'New Avengers (vol. 3)' (3/2013) were launched with Jonathan Hickman as the main writer.
Among these, the 'New Avengers' title, contrary to its name, did not feature the New Avengers team, but instead featured the new Illuminati as the main protagonists.
The team composition at this time included Doctor Strange, Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, Black Bolt, and Sub-Mariner, with new members Black Panther, Beast (replacing Professor X, who died in 'Avengers vs. X-Men'), and Captain America (who left soon after). Naturally, Doctor Strange played an active role as the team's wise man.
In the first episode of this new series, the story depicted the Illuminati doing everything in their power to protect Earth-616 in the face of 'Incursions', a cosmic disaster where parallel worlds collide.
This is 'New Avengers: Everything Dies', which collects the first episode. It includes 'New Avengers (vol. 3)' #1-6.
This is a digital-only re-release in October 2025 by Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions of the Japanese translation 'Everything Dies' that was previously published by Village Books.
The following 'New Avengers (vol. 3)' #7-12 (8/2013-1/2014) was a tie-in with the 2013 major event 'Infinity' (main writer Jonathan Hickman).
The main 'Infinity' story is about Thanos and his army, led by his lieutenant Black Order, starting an invasion of Earth while the main Avengers team, including Captain America, is away in deep space fighting the cosmic entity 'Builders'. The Illuminati stand up against them... that is the story. The 'Avengers' tie-ins depicted the details of the battle against the Builders, while the 'New Avengers' tie-ins depicted the battle against Thanos's army.
In the main 'Infinity' story, Doctor Strange was involved in a turning point of the story when he detected the location of 'Thanos's son', which Thanos was seeking, but had that information stolen by Thanos's subordinate Ebony Maw, and his memory erased ('Infinity' #3). He also participated in the final battle in Wakanda along with the other members of the Illuminati.
This is the trade paperback 'New Avengers: Infinity', which collects the crossover issues with 'Infinity'. By the way, Village Books published a three-volume Japanese original edition that collected the main 'Infinity' story along with the tie-in issues from 'Avengers' and 'New Avengers' in chronological order.
This is the digital version of the first volume of the three-volume Japanese 'Infinity' edition. Re-released in October 2025.
Also, in 'Mighty Avengers (vol. 2)' #1-3 (11/2013-1/2014), a new ongoing series launched in conjunction with 'Infinity', Doctor Strange made a guest appearance and was manipulated by Ebony Maw to summon the evil god Shuma-Gorath into the streets of New York City, which was quite a flashy development.
This is the trade paperback 'Mighty Avengers: No Single Hero' (writer Al Ewing). It collects #1-3, which are 'Infinity' tie-ins, and #4-5, which are tie-ins with the 'Inhumanity' event of the same period ('Inhumanity' is a story where, as a result of the battle between Thanos and the Inhumans in 'Infinity', the Terrigen Mist, the source of the Inhumans' superpowers, is scattered across the Earth, and new Inhumans are born... the new Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan also gained her powers during this event).
In the following 'New Avengers' #13-23 (2-10/2014), the Illuminati continued to deal with Incursions, engaging in further struggles and secret battles to protect Earth-616.
On the other hand, Doctor Strange, unable to bear just watching while the other members of the Illuminati made grave decisions, tried to obtain the power of the divine realm that could stop the Incursions by selling his soul to the legendary 'Resolute Throne'... but he was told by 'The Lady', the administrator of the Throne, that 'your soul has flaws, so it cannot be used as material for a deal', and the plan fell through.
This is 'New Avengers: Other Worlds', which collects #13-17. Strange visits the Throne in #14 and declares at the end that he will sell his entire soul, but he disappears from the pages for a while without the result of the deal being depicted.
This is the sequel, 'New Avengers: Perfect World', which collects #18-23. Strange returns to Earth-616 in #18 and goes on a mission with the other Illuminati members to destroy Earth-4290001. At the beginning of #20, it is explained how Strange failed the deal and instead turned to the forbidden grimoire 'Blood Bible'. Then, in the following #21, the heroes protecting Earth-4290001 are destroyed by the demons Strange summoned using forbidden magic.
However, when it came time to destroy Earth-4290001, the Illuminati members fell into an ethical conflict, and ultimately Sub-Mariner pressed the switch for the destruction bomb to avoid the annihilation, but the Illuminati disbanded... Immediately after, it was revealed that the next Incursion was only eight hours away. The Illuminati members, not wanting to destroy any more parallel universes, accepted their doom and quietly waited for that moment, but...
(By the way, the Japanese translations of 'New Avengers' by Village Books skipped these 3rd and 4th volumes.)
Then, the long crossover story arc 'Time Runs Out' unfolded in 'New Avengers' #24-33 (11/2014-6/2015) and 'Avengers (vol. 5)' #35-44 (11/2014-6/2015).
—The Avengers, led by Captain America, learned of the Illuminati's actions of secretly destroying other parallel worlds to stop the Incursion phenomenon, and branded the Illuminati members as 'enemies' and tried to capture them.
Meanwhile, Sunspot of the Avengers, aiming to cut off the cause of the Incursion phenomenon, founded the New Avengers (also known as the Multiversal Avengers) with volunteers such as Odinson (formerly Thor) and Hyperion, and set off to the far reaches of the dimensions.
On the other hand, Sub-Mariner brought Thanos and others to his side and founded his own team, the 'Cabal', to stop the Incursion phenomenon, and began destroying other parallel worlds that were about to collide with Earth-616 without hesitation.
In the midst of this, Doctor Doom, who was conducting his own search, closed in on the Beyonders, the cosmic entities lurking in the far reaches of the multiverse who were the root of all evil... After such chaos, the final Incursion finally occurred, and Earth-616 faced its inevitable destruction.
In the story, it was revealed that Doctor Strange had become the leader of the 'Black Priests' (a group that aimed to stop Incursions by destroying the 'Earths' of the two parallel worlds that were the focus of the Incursion, thereby preventing the destruction of both universes) in the middle of the story. Strange, who joined the New Avengers led by Sunspot, went on a mission to defeat both the Ivory Kings, who were considered the cause of the Incursions, and the 'Great Destroyer' Rabum Alal.
While the New Avengers headed toward the Ivory Kings (*they were subsequently wiped out), Strange and the Black Priests raided Rabum Alal's base... and everyone except Strange was wiped out.
And Strange learned that the true identity of Rabum Alal was Doctor Doom (and his partner Molecule Man), who had been opposing the Beyonders across time and space.
This 'Time Runs Out' arc is collected in four trade paperback volumes titled 'Avengers: Time Runs Out' (above is the first volume). By the way, Village Books also published a Japanese translation of 'Time Runs Out', but it was in three volumes (the content is the same).
Above is the first volume of the three-volume Japanese 'Time Runs Out' edition (re-released digital version. Re-released in October 2025).
So, with the conclusion of the "Time Runs Out" arc, "Avengers (vol. 5)" and "New Avengers (vol. 3)" came to an end. The story continued into the 2015 major crossover "Secret Wars" #1-9 (7/2015-3/2016, main writer Jonathan Hickman), which began the following month.
At the end of "Secret Wars" #1, Earth-616 was destroyed. All ongoing series set in that world also ended. In response, for the following several months, Marvel Comics halted the publication of regular comics and took the bold step of publishing only "Secret Wars" and its tie-in titles for a while (after which, starting in October 2015, they launched the "All-New, All-Different Marvel" initiative, where new ongoing series for each hero set in the "reborn Earth-616 after Secret Wars" were launched simultaneously).
Then, at the end of "Time Runs Out," Doctor Doom, accompanied by Doctor Strange and Molecule Man, went to the final battle against the trans-universal beings known as the Beyonders (the Ivory Kings), succeeded in destroying them, stole their omnipotent power, and recreated the universe.
As a result, in the new world "Battleworld" ruled by Doom, Strange became one of the very few people who retained memories of the "world that once was" and its destruction. Strange then devoted himself to pacifying the new world as Sheriff Stephen Strange, the right-hand man of the great ruler, God Emperor Doom.
However, eventually, a group of heroes including Mr. Fantastic and Spider-Man (Miles Morales), who had survived the Incursions, and the Cabal, including Namor and Thanos, appeared on Battleworld. Realizing that they, as survivors of the former world, were the key to restoring the world, Strange hid them in his base, but their presence was soon discovered by Doom. To keep hope alive, Strange used magic to teleport them far away and was executed by Doom ("Secret Wars" #4).
After that, through many twists and turns, in "Secret Wars" #9 (the final issue), Doctor Doom was defeated by his greatest rival, Mr. Fantastic, and the world returned to its original state (Doctor Strange was also resurrected).
This is the collected volume of "Secret Wars." It includes all nine issues of the limited series and the prologue published in "Free Comic Book Day 2015: Secret Wars" #0.
This is the Japanese translated version (a reprinted e-book) that was published by Village Books. It was reprinted all at once in October 2025 along with "Infinity" and "Time Runs Out."
…And, as mentioned above, in parallel with "Secret Wars," as one of the new titles launched in October 2015 as part of "All-New, All-Different Marvel," Jason Aaron's"Doctor Strange (vol. 4)"#1 (12/2015) was launched. After 20 years of dormancy, Doctor Strange finally received a new ongoing series for the first time in a while.
By the way, as part of "All-New, All-Different Marvel":
・"All-New, All-Different Avengers" (Writer: Mark Waid)
・"New Avengers (vol. 4)" (Writer: Al Ewing)
・"Uncanny Avengers (vol. 3)" (Writer: Gerry Duggan)
were launched, but Strange did not participate in any of these teams (a new ongoing series called "Illuminati" was also launched, but this was a villain team founded by The Hood, and Strange and his associates were not involved).
…Well, since Aaron's "Doctor Strange" was going with the premise that "the magic of this world is disappearing!," it was probably decided that it wouldn't make sense for him to show up in "Avengers"-related magazines and provide magical support.
That's all. I intended to talk about the history of Strange's misfortune, but I ended up talking at length about the history of "New Avengers"-related magazines (wait, this is even longer than the previous entry!?), so I'm tired and will end it here.