Doctor Strange has been dead since, well, the Death of Doctor Strange limited series, with his ex-wife Clea taking up the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme in the wake of his death in the current Strange ongoing title. Clea's been trying to resurrect Stephen Strange since the start of the series, and in July's Strange #5, she'll succeed - but will it work out how she wants or is he coming back as a zombified menace?
According to the just-released solicitation for Strange #5, it's, unfortunately, looking more like the latter, as Clea and the agent of death known as the Harvestman must join forces to fight off a wave of resurrected Marvel characters who have been imbued with ghoulish magic.
With Clea actively working against the Harvestman - an agent of death who works against resurrections - in previous issues of Strange as he tries to prevent her from bringing back her dead husband, the pair now teaming up is quite a twist. But it also points to a larger story brewing about the nature of life, death, and resurrection in the Marvel Universe.
The idea of superhero resurrection has evolved in recent years, with titles like the now-concluded Immortal Hulk and the current X-Men line putting new twists by embracing the concept of death as a revolving door for superhero stories. But the Harvestman presents an interesting counterpoint to this concept as a check and balance against heroes who come back to life.
Strange #5 seems to double down on these ideas, while also potentially reflecting some possible plot points of the upcoming film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which has featured zombie-ish characters in some trailers.
Strange #5 is due out July 27. Check out Marvel's just-released full July 2022 solicitations.
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