Marvel's Original Doctor Strange Was Just Hilariously Explained Away
Warning — Spoilers for The Marvels #9 Ahead!
The adventures of Doctor Strange are known for bending time and space and wreaking havoc on continuity. While Stephen Strange may be the most iconic 'Sorcerer Supreme,' few may realize that he was not actually the first person in the Marvel universe to bear the title of 'Dr. Strange.' In The Marvels, writer Kurt Busiek and artist Yildiray Cinar address this conundrum, cleaning up one of Marvel's oldest continuity snarls with his signature wry humor.
Doctor Stephen Strange, Sorcerer Supreme and master of magic, debuted in 1963's Strange Tales #110 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. However, the first Marvel character to be named 'Dr. Strange' actually appeared two months earlier in Lee and Kirby's Tales of Suspense #41. This was no prototype magician or Dr. Strange rip-off — Instead of a sorcerer, Dr.Carlo Strange was a mad scientist who plotted world domination from his 'Stronghold of Strange' and used his super-science to hold the world hostage. After being defeated by Iron Man, Dr. Carlo Strange promptly vanished from subsequent comics and his title would become associated with the far more successful Sorcerer Supreme.Related: Marvel Confirms Captain America Would Have Switched Sides in Vietnam
As a spiritual sequel to Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross' original series Marvels, The Marvels by Busiek, Yildiray Cinar, and Guru-eFX acts as a love letter to Marvel characters and stories. Taking place in Siancong (Marvel's stand-in setting for Vietnam War-era events), The Marvels #9 deals with Cold War-era villains such as Lady Lotus and Dr. Carlo Strange. Through the character of Hana, Lady Lotus's advisor and aide, Busiek gives a voice to these villains, elevating them from flat war-time
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