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Perfect. 💕

If someone really tries to convince me to agree with their hate for Clea, and won't respect I or others have a different view and love her, I've decided from now on I'm just gonna respond with "Ok Umar".

This....

ART! 😭

Mmmmm, would you just look at the time? It’s prompt time!

[tw: depression]

Stephen is in his Sanctum, it’s just another regular day. Yet, he feels devastated by loneliness. It has intensified in the past couple of days, result of the recent losses in his life. Guilt, self-loathing, pain, they all worsened his depressed state of mind.

It’s night and he’s trying really hard to keep himself composed. He feels like sinking into a pit of darkness, bottomless and suffocating. The radiance in his eyes is long gone. They only gleam when tears reflect light. And they’re coming. The sorcerer can feel it.

Resist. Resist, Stephen curls up on his bad, wrapping his arms around his legs. However, those thoughts feel like famished ghosts, haunting the host as an attempt of self-destruction. He thinks of Clea, and Wong, and Zelma. He thinks of how many people he has hurt through his life, physically or not. He doesn’t deserve love. He doesn’t deserve to be the Sorcerer Supreme. The only reason he still carries the burden is because, unfortunately, he’s still the most powerful user of magic on Earth.

Even so, saving lives is not enough to atone his sins. Finally, the pain strikes his heart and soul. His hands shake more than usual. It doesn’t feel like the habitual pain. He wishes it does. No, this time it feels overwhelming, aching like a burning hell of misery and despair.

Stephen gave in. It’s too much. Tears are the only thing capable of easing the pain, making him feel real and alive. Everything else seems fluid, abstract. There was also the fact that the sorcerer couldn’t send it away magically. The last time he sought such easy solution, he literally created a monster in his attic.

Luckily, he would soon grow tired, and the gentle touch of the Sandman would make it all go away, as a long past moment forgotten in time.

However, Stephen was not a lucky man. Magic is unbalanced. Someone is abusing of its power, mostly for evil. The sorcerer takes a deep breath, wipes the tears from his eyes and waves his hands, getting dressed and covered by his Cloak of Levitation.

He leaves the Sanctum, levitating towards the source. He sights a green energy on the horizon, its intensity increasing. He recognizes the energy. In fact, it’s quite familiar.

The place is the Baxter Building. The Fantastic Four is on the ground, defeated. Standing, there is Doctor Doom, ready to strike the last blow. Stephen knows that the ruler of Latveria is waiting for someone to stop him. Victor couldn’t afford having Reed Richards killed. Otherwise, his life would be meaningless, even though he would never admit it.

“Victor, I thought you have changed,” the sorcerer floats towards the villain, his tone disheartened. The man before him even took Tony Stark’s legacy once.

“Change is an understatement, sorcerer.”

Their dynamics have also changed. They’ve grown distant from one another, colder even. Victor has built an armor to protect him from harm, yet it also deprived him of kindness, and love.

The only man who once touched Doom’s heart was no longer capable of reaching him. It was just another failure in Stephen’s life. The sorcerer felt the weight increasing within, his heart becoming heavier and heavier.

It was a fierce battle, though. Stephen cast his best, most powerful spells. However, he was indeed tired, and his mind was doubtful. A sorcerer needs a clear state of mind in order to channel magic. Otherwise, they will fail. Stephen, as the Sorcerer Supreme, was still capable of conjuring and materilizing magic. On the other hand, its effectiveness was shameful.

For this very reason, Doom soon drained Stephen. The Shield of Seraphim, his last resource, was broken. He was entirely vulnerable, in more senses than Victor could imagine. The ruthless man finally approached his enemy. The word was even more painful when their background once considered they were very close partners. The sorcerer was on the ground, panting.

Doom kneeled before him. His cold steel fingers wrapped Stephen’s neck, squeezing and lifting his body in mid-air. The sorcerer was too weak to fight back. In fact, he was exhausted. His breathe was heavy, his lungs desperate for air as Victor’s fingers tightened their grasp harder and harder.

One last time, the sorcerer gazed at the ruler’s eyes behind the mask. He saw no soul, no feeling on them, no regret from the last time the same episode happened. It hurt him deeply, all that pain consuming, swallowing him entirely. Stephen then made up his mind. Some tears rolled down over his face as he closed his eyes, resigned.

I’m sorry, Victor. I’ve failed you.

Somehow, Stephen’s thoughts unintentionally reached Doom’s mind. Victor realized the sorcerer craved that. He magically had a glimpse of his pit of darkness and pain, and for a split second, he felt all that despair. The light in his eyes returned, and his heart ached as empathy took over.

Victor loosened his grap until he finally set Stephen free, leaving him on the ground once more.

“I cannot give you what you seek,” he turned his back on the defeated sorcerer, walking away as his cape swayed with the wind.

“You are… indeed… the most ruthless man I’ve ever met…” Stephen cried, his voice wrecked. “You had a glimpse of my soul… and still decided to walk away… when you could have ended it all. How could you? You’re really… a monster…”

Stephen’s words were like razors, cutting Victor’s heart. He never meant to be a monster, not to him. The sorcerer saw the ruler’s deepest side. He saw virtues, and he tried his very best in order to nourish them. Stephen knew Victor like no one else did. And it pained him.

“I have little concern of your impressions towards me, Strange,” the man replied. “Even so, this small portion within still compels me to act.”

Victor then turned once more and headed to the sorcerer. He kneeled again and touched Stephen’s face with both hands. Lastly, a spell came out from his mouth and a flash of light emerged from their respective eyes. All faded to black.

                                                           —

Stephen woke up on his bed in the Sanctum. He instinctively measured the magical balance on Earth in a hurry. It was restored. The sorcerer then turned his attention to himself. His body was still aching like hell, but his heart was… lighter, somehow.

Lastly, he recalled Victor’s words. He recognized the spell. Its purpose was sharing burdens. For some reason, Victor drained part of Stephen’s pain. There was still some left, of course. Even so, the gesture was wholesome. The sorcerer touched his chest and smiled.

He still can be saved.

This man feels guilt so freaking deeply. I hate it but I love it. Good for him for at least knowing what he did was very wrong

Stephen’s indelible sin

For those who follow me for a while, you’re probably aware that I speak of guilt and self-loathing A LOT when it comes to Stephen. Once I wrote about his most terrible sin, but since then, I’ve gathered MORE information concerning Stephen and Hulk’s relationship. And, on a personal level, I think both fans and writers should explore this bond more, given their history.

Today, I’ll bring a detailed review on Stephen’s mistake and how it escalated into a pain that will never cease to exist within his heart and soul.

Warning: get your handkerchiefs ready, this is about to become sad quite rapidly.

We’ll begin our journey of angst in 1967, as seen in Strange Tales #156-157. In order to prevent Umar from walking on Earth, the Ancient One advises Stephen to release an evil and powerful demon called Zom. The demon is able to defeat Umar, but his strength is overwhelming, enough to give the Ancient One a hard time. Zom’s power is so evil and cursed that releasing him is a deed that catches the Living Tribunal’s (undue) attention. The Living Tribunal is so offended he wants to destroy Earth. And guess what? He blames Stephen, even though he was a mere apprentice imbued with blind obedience at that time.

The Living Tribunal imprisons Zom again, while Stephen convinces the deity that Earth deserves another chance. Stephen basically saves the planet, as usual, while Zom remains dormant for literally decades.

We’ll skip now to a not-so-canon event called “the birth of the Illuminati”, or “how Stephen ruined his life for good out of arrogance and toxic masculinity”. It’s uncertain when they first gathered to boss around the planet, but according to History Of The Marvel Universe #3 (2019) and New Avengers: Illuminati #1 (2007), they made this decision after the Kree/Skrull War, creating a secret council to answer for all humanity, even though humanity itself wasn’t aware of those dubious representatives. The Kree/Skrull war dates back to 1971, which means they spent decades plotting their hidden agendas.

Still, they’re heroes, right? They wouldn’t harm people, would they? They wouldn’t harm their friends or make mistakes. They’re supposed to be the smartest, most powerful people on Earth. Oh. Let me tell you something. Their very first mission was the reason why we had Civil War and Secret Invasion. Yes. It’s their fault that the Skrulls invaded Earth. And yes, Stephen is to blame because he was there with the group when they first threatned the Skrulls never to come back, or else they’d face them. Hah.

However, this is not his indelible sin. As you all know, what I consider an irreparable mistake was sending Hulk to Sakaar. And what’s even worse? It wasn’t the first time that Stephen tried to banish Hulk, as seen in The Incredible Hulk v1 #305 (1985).

But why is Stephen so haunted by banishing a menace? Because Hulk was, foremost, a dearest friend.

From Defenders v1 #12 (1973)

When it comes to Hulk’s friendships, people always think of Rick Jones, Amadeus Cho, even his cousin Jennifer Walters. But few people remember that Stephen and Valkyrie were two of the first heroes to treat Hulk kindly and with respect, even though Hulk always called Stephen names (the most iconic, “dumb magician”, which is a personal favorite of mine).

Stephen has always treated Hulk as an equal, as someone who is so much more than a mindless brute. So it’s really strange for me to read that, at some point, Stephen tried to banish him twice.

Sadly, it happened. The first was not as iconic as the second, though. So I’m focusing on the latter. Remember the Illuminati? The group thought they had the right to decide Hulk’s fate after he went berserk and destroyed Las Vegas. And Stephen agreed to it. Namor, who was also a member of the Defenders along with Stephen and Hulk, was the only one who refused, as seen in New Avengers: Illuminati One-Shot (2006). The three of them were the original members. Stephen should’ve known better. So why would he agree to this?

Because, again, the Illuminati are a very dubious group whose foundations are based on toxic masculinity. Powerful, egoic men left unchecked. And Stephen, as Earth’s most powerful sorcerer, couldn’t resist the call. The Ancient One was dead. The mantle of the Sorcerer Supreme was his. Clea left him years later - and he never told her about his dirty little secret, something that is subtly confirmed somewhere between New Avengers: Illuminati #4 (2007) and Avengers v4 #9 (2011).

Thus, it seems that Stephen, at some point, decided that he was better than everyone around him, a trait that was supposed to be buried in the past along with his arrogant neurosurgeon self. The kind man who has always praised his allies was now gone.

Except… World War Hulk happened. Long story short, Hulk ended up in Sakaar and found a new life after defeating his captor. He married and became king, and he was happy (you can get a very shady glimpse of this story in MCU’s Thor: Ragnarok, but that version is quite family friendly. World War Hulk is far worse). But then, the ship which the Illuminati created to send him into space exploded, killing his wife in the process. Spoiler: it wasn’t the Illuminati. It was Miek, who framed the Illuminati so Hulk would call revenge upon them. Enraged as never seen before, Hulk was truly decided to kill Reed, Tony, Black Bolt and… yes, Stephen.

At first, Stephen tried to reason with him. But Hulk’s hatred was beyond words. Stephen had all his fingers broken, ouch. Imagine his pain, assuming his hands were once injured in the car accident and still hurt from the damage and all the surgeries he has been through…

Now, as you know, Stephen is stubborn as hell. Remember the demon Zom? When everything else failed to stop the Hulk, Stephen finally corrupted his soul and let the demon possess him. Obviously, he lost control and almost harmed innocent people, which was enough for him to be distracted long enough for Hulk to finish him off.

In the end, Hulk discovered the truth behind the explosion and, after a rage outburst, transformed back to Banner. Stephen almost died that day by the hands of his friend. But he didn’t. All that was left from that sad event was guilt. Endless, heavy guilt.

One could arguee that Stephen is out of character. And I would’ve agreed with you, except… Nor time nor actions were good enough to heal Stephen’s heart. It never went away. Never.

The reason why he forfeited the mantle of the Sorcerer Supreme? Because he used Zom’s dark magic and hurt Bruce deeply. And that affected him on so many levels that he didn’t find himself worthy anymore.

From New Avengers v1 Annual #2 (2008).

It didn’t stop there. He tried time and time again. He was never able to find the proper words to apologize because he knows words will never heal the pain he inflicted on his friend.

These thoughts are Stephen’s. “Two words I’ll repeat for the rest of my days. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” (From Incredible Hulks #618)

And poor Stephen even goes and tries to compensate his lack of expertise when it comes to interpersonal relationships, projecting his relationship with Hulk into, well, another Hulk. He’s so afraid of making the same mistakes he doesn’t even know where the line is drawn.

From Weapon H #2 (2018).

As I said, it will never go away. And Stephen knows it.

From Defenders v4 #1 (2011).

The point is, people make mistakes. And sometimes these mistakes are just too painful to be erased. Stephen strongly believes he’ll never be forgiven, which is quite sad because this sin will always be a source of guilt for him. Whether or not Hulk forgives Stephen in the future, it will always remain a burden.

Personally, I believe that blaming himself for what happened to Hulk is even worse than blaming himself for Clea’s departure. Because, see, Clea has forgiven Stephen over the years. They still love each other and, once you ignore Fearless Defenders, there’s no sin. They both agreed to take separate ways, even though their love still existed.

But Hulk? It’s a story about betrayal between friends. It’s quite cruel and sad for both sides. I can only hope that, someday, a writer will make it up for them. They deserve another chance. And, as unreliable as I am, all I want to see is a happy Stephen.

Man Thing #2 (1997)

‘Nough said. :)

I also encourage reading the Fantastic Four: Books of Doom by Ed Brubaker. It’s an extended backstory for Victor and is actually very insightful as to his Romani heritage.

What are some stories about Dr. Doom that showcase his Romani heritage ? I keep reading that him being Romani is a big part of his motivations but I haven't read a lot of Fantastic Four comics.

I don’t read very much Fantastic Four, either. I’m really not a Doctor Doom expert, but I can tell you that Victor’s cultural identity, and his upbringing in a migrant Roma community, have always a core part of his backstory. Fantastic Four Annual #2, which is first telling of Doom’s origin, details his adolescence and young adulthood in Latveria. Although the language used is, as usual, super problematic-- Fantastic Four Annual makes it very clear that Victor and his community were honest, mostly ordinary people who endured prejudice and violence in a racist system. This is a comic that came out in 1964, so this stuff has been part of the canon for almost sixty years.

Victor’s father, Werner, was a folk medicine healer who was indirectly killed by the cruel Baron who governed Latveria at the time. The Baron had demanded Werner treat his dying wife, but when Werner was unable to save her, the baron threatened to kill him. Werner and Victor were forced to flee their camp and, without shelter, Werner died of cold that winter. Victor, grief-stricken swore vengeance.

Fantastic Four Annual #2 (1964)

Victor’s mother, Cynthia, died when he was a baby. Her life and death have been alluded to many times over the years, but in Marvel Graphic Novel #49, it is stated that Cynthia struck a deal with Mephisto in an attempt to gain enough magical power to protect her community, and especially her young son. As is often the case where Mephisto is involved, Cynthia’s plans went awry and she was fatally wounded by one the Baron’s guardsmen during an attack on his castle. 

Marvel Graphic Novel #49 (1989)

I wanted to share these panels because there is a clear consciousness of race and class, which comes to the surface in spite of the problematic language and flawed imagery. I was really surprised, reading these stories, at how many details resonated with my understanding of Roma history. Werner’s profession as a folk healer, and the way that his skills were both sought after and vilified by non-Roma, struck me as very true-to-life. This line, in particular, really stood out to me.

“... the old Baron of Latveria never allowed us a moment’s peace. He forced us to live on the move, and then condemned us as ‘shiftless wanderers.’ Resistance to his authority was always dangerous and often fatal.”

This a simple, and in many ways shallow, commentary on systemic antiromanyism. It is also one of the only times I’ve seen an American superhero comic interrogate an actual, real function of Roma oppression in a way that would disabuse American readers of misinformation. The popular image of “gypsies” in Western cultures is that “shiftless wanderer,” but this story casts that in a new light. That’s... kind of a big deal, and it’s surprising to me that these stories haven’t had a greater impact, considering how iconic and widely known the Doctor Doom character is .

This happens entirely too often.

Stephen: *Says some weird mystical phrase for no good reason*

Random superhero he is teamed up with: Do you say anything normal, like ever?

Making too many doomstrange posts? Sorrynotsorry...

But okay...first of all Victor completely forfeiting his own safety and leaving himself vulnerable to any attack while unconscious because he just trusts Stephen THAT much to protect him and succeed in the mission is...amazing. But also- was Stephen’s emblem just- already painted on it? If so...he’s had this suit made specifically for Stephen for a WHILE. He didn’t give any other commands than “deploy.” Not “deploy and attach yourself to the sorcerer supreme.” Not doubting Victor’s technology’s ability to just rEad hIs mInd or anything but... Idk I’m just saying- 👁👁

(Savage Avengers #9)

Older comics x accenting Stephen’s physical prowess.

(Marvel Premier #6, 1972)

I need this now. They have way too much in common yet they rly do dislike each other. Ironic.

I can definitely see them arguing endlessly over who will be calling the shots, though.

Give me a comic where Magneto and Doctor Doom team up to hunt Nazis

A romani mad scientist wizard and a German Jewish holocaust surviving super mutant probably hate Nazis more than they hate each other. 

Can’t stand each other, but dammit, if killing Nazis is on the table, then we’ll team up.

*sigh* yup.

It's actually illegal to post any form of Doom content if you're a fan of MCU Wanda

I mean. Yeah? Wandavision writers didn’t even know who Mephisto was so 🤡. Plus there’s- a lot more. Way too much to list for the MCU.

Tell me I’m wrong

How to read comic

Pick character

Read every comic with that character

Ignore other comics

If you don’t like the way the character was written in a series ignore that too

Get into fights online

Oh my gosh, this is one of the few times I’ve ever seen this amount of compassion for Stephen from other non-mystic heroes and I’m loving it! 💕

This is sweet 💙 (New Avengers (2010) #7)

People who are new to Doctor Strange’s full collection of magic abilities (aka only follow MCU), will be very surprised when they see that What If...? episode.

Comic friends- we already knew what’s up if Stephen’s ‘evil.’

Stephen Strange to his universe:

(What If...? Episode 4)

Ancient One: Stephen you can’t reverse an absolute point.

Stephen: Watch me

Regular Stephen: you’ll destroy the universe!

Evil Stephen:

I don’t get why people always need to make it a competition. This has been such a HUGE debate in the fandom. 🙄 Just enjoy the characters and the content marvel creates with those characters. And yes!!! Oml the creator of WandaVision didn’t even read the comics! So whatever they say, it really doesn’t matter. Their uneducated opinion isn’t valid 😌✋.

Hi! I hope you're doing well! I hate to ask about the MCU as you seem to be exclusively about 616 Stephen, but there's seems to be debate with regards to who is the more powerful magic user: Stephen Strange or Wanda Maximoff. I was wondering if you have any opinions on this or if there were any recs regarding any confrontations they've had or comics regarding Stephen's power level?

Greetings, anon!

Well, let's just say I tend to avoid that area of the fandom ahahaha and this is one of the reasons why I decided to step back from it.

As Stan Lee once stated: the stronger character is whoever the writer wants to be stronger.

There's no such thing as who's the most powerful magic user. I've made this mistake in the past but gladly I grew past this kind of discussion.

So when Agatha says that Scarlet Witch's power "exceeds that of the Sorcerer Supreme", this is pure bs from people who haven't read comic books (and it shows because they didn't even know who Mephisto was).

Also the title of the Sorcerer Supreme is not meant to be taken by the strongest user but the wiser. This is actually canon. Check out Triumph and Torment and see how Stephen managed to pass the test without any power displays.

So it doesn't really matter who's the strongest. They have confrontations but that's not the point. Bendis wanted Stephen to knock out Wanda in Avengers #503 because he was going for a harmful representation of her character, thus Stephen won.

Spencer wanted a simple solution to revert Chthon's possession so he used Stephen to exorcize her in Secret Empire #9.

At the same time, Stephen was defeated by Illyana in Avengers Vs. X-Men #2. Does that mean that Illyana is stronger than both Wanda and Stephen? WHO KNOWS?

My tip is, do not walk this path. It only leads to discourse and fandom war and *sigh* it's tiresome. I know for sure I don't do that anymore.

Thank you for passing by, have a great day as well!

!SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME SPOILERS AHEAD!

Now that that’s out of the way, did anyone else notice things like this in Stephen’s fridge in that BRIEF shot during the movie? Y’know, while Ned was curiously looking inside? The tentacle/claw poking out of the bowl with foil covering it and others.

Comic fans (including me obv), you already know what’s up, but Stephen’s diet is changing! He’s probably no longer able to support a normal human diet with his current occupation, which of course is due to large amounts of spell casting and the toll it takes on the human body. It would line up, seeing as how in the MCU Stephen has been a fairly busy sorcerer for a few years now, counting the “blip”. I love seeing small details like that in the MCU! We had a rough start accuracy-wise, but things are looking up!

(I didn’t exactly get pictures or video of the movie scene itself because I don’t film in theaters and none were online, so sorry about that 😅. But if you saw it you probably noticed.)