WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Strange Adventures #10 by Tom King, Mitch Gerads, Evan "Doc" Shaner & Clayton Cowles, on sale now
The mystery at the heart of Strange Adventures has been the truth behind Adam Strange's time on Raan during the Rannian war with the Pykkts. After an arduous and horrible campaign, Adam Strange was able to help lead Rann to victory over the alien armadas. Returning to Earth a shaken hero alongside his wife Alanna -- but without their daughter, Aleea, who was supposedly killed during the conflict -- Adam attempted to reaffirm his place on his homeworld.
He was soon involved in a possible murder mystery regarding the war crimes he committed against the Pykkt, who soon followed him to Earth to wage war on humanity. Throughout the investigation into Strange and now the war against the Pykkt, Mister Terrific has been investigating his actions and trying to figure out the truth at the heart of his claims. Now, it appears he has a strong theory for the truth -- and if it's indeed fact, it changes everything about Strange's story and his actions.
Strange Adventures #10 is framed by a letter Terrific has written for Alanna, documenting his findings and explaining the threads that he couldn't ignore from Strange's story. Terrific lists three specific logical problems that have plagued him during his investigation: the first is that the Pykkts were able to be defeated by Raan after conquering so many worlds with relative ease. After other similar campaigns where the Pykkts were flawless in battle, their war against Raan was littered with tactical mistakes and errors. He specifically cites when Adam Strange was captured by the Pykkt but not executed -- allowing his escape back into the conflict. If the Pykkt were as ruthless and brutal as they've otherwise always been, how could they ever even consider sparing their greatest enemy when they had him within their grasp?
This suggests to Mister Terrific that the Pykkt chose to lose their war with Raan, making the mistakes on purpose. The second inconsistency is the fact that the Pykkt could find a flaw in Batman's plan, resulting in the loss of Phoenix, Arizona. Terrific analyzes the Pykkt strategies and comes away with the belief that there's no logical way the Pykkt could have uncovered a hole in his defenses. This implies to Terrific that someone informed the Pykkt of the hole, which would be the only logical answer for how the Pykkt knew where to strike. Finally, Terrific reveals what might be the most unexpected and minor clue towards the truth, but something that has been staring him in the face since he first came onto the case.
The dedication to Strange's memoirs, the book that set off the conflict in the first place, is a dedication to his daughter, and a reference to Psalm 31 from the King James Bible. But as Terrific explains, it's always confused him. It's not about grief, loss, or even death -- it's about guilt. As a well-studied archeologist, Adam Strange would know the true meaning of that psalm, and choosing it for his book is an indicator of his true feelings about the entire endeavor. This was what made Terrific realize it was a message for Aleea, a possible apology for lying about her fate to the world. Connecting the three, Terrific comes to the conclusion that Adam Strange made a deal with the Pykkts.
In doing so, they agreed to spare Raan after a lengthy "war," at which point a "victorious" Adam would return to Earth and effectively become their agent on the planet. With his help, expertise, and connections, the Pykkt war machine could overcome humanity's defenses. He was staged as a war criminal to serve both as a justification for the Pyykt to attack Earth AND as a cover for Strange, with the resulting investigation meant to be caught up in the obvious mystery of Strange's misdeeds during the war. As a means of ensuring Strange's assistance, Terrific theorizes that Aleena was taken by the Pykkt -- or even potentially given to them -- to ensure Strange's help.
It's a devastating truth and one that Alanna seems to believe once she reads the letter from Mister Terrific. If it's right -- and at this point, there's little reason to trust Adam Strange -- then Strange might be one of the greatest traitors in human history. He's been seemingly working through his torn loyalty to Earth and Raan, but it turns out he chose Raan a long time ago -- and was willing to sacrifice the Earth to ensure it survived. It's a harrowing discovery and makes Strange potentially one of the most nefarious people to ever call themselves a member of the Justice League.