WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for The Death of Doctor Strange #1, available now from Marvel Comics.
Over his nearly 60 years as Marvel's Master of the Mystic Arts, Doctor Strange has amassed his share of equally powerful enemies. No matter how menacing these villains might be, few have ever managed to defeat the Sorcerer Supreme. The Death of Doctor Strange #1 (by Jed MacKay, Lee Garbett, Antonio Fabela, and VC's Cory Petit) kicked off with a devastating tragedy as someone finally gets the better of Strange and unleashes a huge Marvel mystery with no shortage of suspects.
Doctor Strange is having one of his busier days when the story begins, juggling his duties in the operating room with his heroic and mentoring duties. After tackling so much in such a short amount of time, there is nothing left for Strange to do but hang up his cape and turn in for the evening. His rest is interrupted by a late night visitor knocking on the front door of the Sanctum Sanctorum. Although the identity of Strange's late night visitor has not been revealed, it is clear that they are someone who Doctor Strange is at least somewhat friendly with considering his reaction to finding them on his doorstep.
Strange is caught off guard as his surprise guest launches a vicious mystical assault. Even more surprising is the impossible power that the unseen assailant wields, one that the Sorcerer Supreme exerts shouldn't even exist. The doctor is held tight in mystical bonds, preventing him from using his hands to cast spells or fight back in any meaningful way.
This all seems to feel eerily familiar to the Sorcerer Supreme, who even in his final moments assures his killer that the outcome they are seeking is not the one they will receive. His warning doesn't dissuade the attacker from dealing a mortal blow, and with that Doctor Strange's life is brought to an untimely end.
It isn't long after that Strange's loss is felt across the world, bringing his closest allies to come check on him and stumble across the crime scene. The discovery of Doctor Strange's corpse is understandably devastating one, even for some of the greatest heroes in the mystic corner of the Marvel Universe.
There is no shortage of suspects who could have been responsible for the murder. Dormammu has long threatened the Sorcerer Supreme, but there is a low probability that Doctor Strange would have simply allowed his greatest enemy entry into his home. It is more likely that one of Strange's acquaintances is behind the crime, specifically one of his students or coworkers from his New Orleans Academy. With any luck, some more concrete evidence will crop up before long to point the investigation in one direction or another before the mysterious killer can strike again.