The following contains major spoilers from Doctor Strange #3, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
Over the years, Doctor Strange has faced off against monstrous foes from every corner of the Marvel Universe, yet none have posed quite the same sort of threat as the Dread Dormammu. The ruler of the Dark Dimension has made it his mission to destroy everything Doctor Strange holds dear. Now, he has found the worst possible way to get under his skin as both a hero and, more importantly, as a doctor.
With the murder of yet another Sorcerer Supreme looming overhead, Doctor Strange is almost caught completely unaware when the eponymous menace of “A Day with Dormammu” (by Jed MacKay, Pasqual Ferry, Heather Moore, and VC’s Cory Petit) from the pages of Doctor Strange #3 shows up on his doorstep. Rather than looking for a fight, Dormammu has instead come to attend his and Strange’s annual parley. Of course, just because he is there on business doesn’t mean the Dread Dormammu can’t sink his claws into Strange’s flesh. To that end, Dormammu arrives in the body of one of his all too willing subjects, one whose life will surely be extinguished by the time his meeting with Strange is over.
Dormammu has a Very Personal Way of Attacking Doctor Strange
It isn’t surprising in the least that Dormammu would find some way of getting a dig in at Strange’s expense during an otherwise peaceful meeting. Especially not after everything they have been through together. When the ruler of the Dark Dimension first appeared in Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s “The Domain of the Dread Dormammu!” from the pages of 1964’s Strange Tales #126, it was made perfectly clear that any encounter between him and the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth would always end poorly. In the years since then, Dormammu has gone to every length imaginable to destroy his foe, or at the very least make him hurt as much as possible.
As Strange is happy to point out, however, none of Dormammu’s plots have come to fruition so far, largely thanks to the Sorcerer Supreme’s interference. Even during the course of Dormammu’s grandest schemes, Doctor Strange and his allies have stood as the ultimate end to whatever had been set in motion. Although he would never admit it, Dormammu has come to realize that there are few if any circumstances under which he alone could defeat his nemesis. This is why claiming the lives of his followers on Earth during his annual parleys with Strange is so important.
Dormammu Proves That Doctor Strange Can’t Save Everyone
It isn’t just the fact that Doctor Strange is a hero that makes Dormammu’s consumption of his human hosts so deeply disturbing, but the Sorcerer Supreme’s status as a doctor. As someone who has taken the Hippocratic Oath, being utterly incapable of saving a life is one of the worst pains Strange could suffer. Worse still, Dormammu’s plan ensures that Strange will have to watch that life as it is lost to the Dark Dimension’s infernal flames, as well.
Thankfully, Strange is eventually able to convince Dormammu’s latest host to purge himself of the demon’s Faltine influence. Although that doesn’t mean all that much when stacked up against the numerous others who couldn’t bring themselves to escape the same fate. Dormammu might not be taking over the primary Marvel Universe any time soon, but he can do plenty of damage during even the most mundane of treks into it. If nothing else, that proves just how dangerous he is no matter how often he might falter elsewhere.