The following article contains spoilers from Doctor Strange #3, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
Considering that Doctor Strange is mostly a magic-based character within the Marvel Universe, sometimes it is easy to forget that he is actually one of the smartest men alive. Doctor Strange #3 (by Jed MacKay, Pasqual Ferry, Heather More, VC’s Cory Petit) set out to prove this fact by having Strange spend the day with Dormammu. However, the entire thing was a ploy by Strange to save the soul of the man whose body he was inhabiting, and slowly killing.
Strange did this, not by forcing the two apart, but by giving the victim, Everett Stone, the chance to reject Dormammu himself. Doctor Strange proved his intelligence by banking on Dormammu’s arrogance, and his own innate faith in people. In the end, he risked his own life to give someone else the chance to be a better person.
Doctor Strange’s Cunning Manipulation of Dormammu
The reason the two long-time enemies were even in the same general vicinity was due to something called “Parley Day”. During this special occasion, Doctor Strange would spend the day with Dormammu under peaceful pretenses. Naturally, he used this as an excuse to try and torment Strange. He deliberately inhabited Everett’s body, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to excise him because Everett was a willing follower who thought having Dormammu use him was an honor, even though it would kill him.
Throughout the day, Dormammu would taunt Strange with the knowledge that he was walking alongside a dead man and that there was nothing he could do. Strange though, was playing the long game, recounting the long and storied history between himself and Dormammu. Specifically, he brought up his many failures to destroy him. From the grand defeats to the humiliating ones. It seemed like Strange was just trying to bite back, but in reality, he was reaching out to Everett, showing him how Dormammu shouldn’t be worshiped, and that he needn’t waste his own life in service to his pettiness. His plan worked, and Everett rejected him, allowing Strange to banish him.
Doctor Strange is as Brilliant as He is Powerful
What’s truly remarkable about this is how it draws a parallel between Strange and Dormammu. While he taunted and threatened his rival, Doctor Strange looked past their personal issues and focused on saving Everett. His priority was to save the victim, demonstrating how he is still a doctor at his core, as he was trying to, in his words, “surgically remove a man’s faith”. While he may not have been entirely okay with the ethics of crushing someone’s worldview, it was necessary to save his life.
It also highlights how Strange has faith in the human spirit. He counted on Dormammu’s arrogance to blind him. This was the hero’s true victory. Everett started as a devoted servant who was grateful to have his life wasted just so Dormammu could one-up Strange. This is the fundamental difference between Dormammu and the Sorcerer Supreme, Strange has never been in this for his own personal gain. He gave Everett the chance to have a better life and also proved how he is one of Marvel’s most cunning heroes to date.