Doctor Strange is about to be zombified -- again.
Marvel Comics unveiled its solicitations for July 2022, including details for Strange #5 written by Jed MacKay with art by Marcelo Ferreira. The series focuses on Stephen Strange's wife, Clea, filling in the role of Earth's Sorcerer Supreme following his death, an event Clea wishes to undo. In the upcoming issue, she will get her wish, though it may not be exactly how she imagined it going.
STRANGE #5
- JED MACKAY (W) • MARCELO FERREIRA (A)
- Cover by Lee Garbett
- BACK FROM THE DEAD!
- Dead heroes and villains alike have been reanimated as ghoulish versions of their past selves.
- Now it’s up to Strange and the Harvestman to make sure these dead supers stay dead!
- But what happens when the next reanimated hero is Clea’s dead husband: Stephen Strange?!
- 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
The issue's solicitation promises that dead heroes and villains will appear "as ghoulish versions of their past selves," with the cover showing Strange's zombie-like hand reaching up out of the ground. This will actually be the third time within a year that Doctor Strange has been turned into a zombie. Aside from the future comic issue, reanimated versions of Strange appear in different projects from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In the episode "What If... Zombies?!" of What If...? on Disney+, Strange is shown to have fallen to the zombie virus that originated from the Quantum Realm, along with other Marvel heroes like Iron Man and Wong. However, zombie Strange will not be limited to the MCU's animated television series. Trailers and advertisements for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness show that some kind of reanimated Doctor Strange will appear in the film releasing on May 6, as well as other variants of the sorcerer.
In Strange, Clea already dealt with a zombified Marvel hero. For the series' second issue, she fought a reanimated Eric Masterson aka Thunderstrike alongside the Harvestman. Thunderstrike is a Thor-like hero whose appearance seems to be the inspiration for the God of Thunder's Ravager wardrobe in Thor: Love and Thunder. Masterson's return and the issue revealed that there is trouble stirring in Death's domain, something Clea seeks to take advantage of to resurrect Strange (just not as a zombie).
As of writing, the next chapter in Strange is not set to release until June 2022. In addition to her quest to bring back Strange, Clea also seeks to deal with criminals hunting New York's mystical inhabitants, who she vowed to go to war against at the end of Strange #2. Another future issue teases that she will battle Shadow Knight, a dark version of Moon Knight.
Strange #5 is written by MacKay with interior art by Ferreira and main cover art by Lee Garbett. The issue is set to go on sale July 27 from Marvel Comics.
Source: Marvel