Warning: contains spoilers for Blood Hunt #1, Doctor Strange #15, and Strange Academy: Blood Hunt #1While most fans view the impressive Blade as Marvel’s premiere Vampire Hunter, the truth is that the iconic sorcerer Doctor Strange has killed more vampires than any other hero in the Marvel Universe. As night descends on planet Earth in Blood Hunt – and vast armies of bloodsuckers attack – Doctor Strange’s long history with vampires reminds him that finding and using the Montesi Formula, a spell from the Darkhold, is the quickest way to defeat the Structure.
The shocking conclusion to Blood Hunt #1 revealed that Blade was the evil mastermind behind the vampiric invasion, before the now-infamous Vampire Hunter stabbed Doctor Strange through the heart, and bit his neck.
Doctor Strange #15, from writer Jed MacKay with artists Pasqual Ferry and Heather Moore, sees Clea Strange save Stephen’s soul from his now vampiric body before the Doctor astrally projects to Doctor Voodoo in Strange Academy: Blood Hunt #1, where the students of Strange Academy take on the mission to find the Darkhold.
Doctor Strange Once Used The Montesi Formula To Kill All Vampires
The Montesi Formula is an ultra-powerful spell from the demonic Darkhold – a book that also helped to create the first ever vampire – that can eradicate the vampire curse from Earth’s reality, causing all vampires to instantly die. Doctor Strange has a long history with vampires, as one of the first Marvel heroes to fight them in Tomb of Dracula. 1983’s Doctor Strange #62 saw Strange use the Montesi Formula, instantly killing Dracula and all other vampires on Earth. Unfortunately, Stephen accidentally reversed the incantation in an attempt to bring his brother Victor back to life, turning him into a vampire.
Doctor Strange’s Brother Officially Returns to Marvel Lore (With Wild Supernatural Powers)
As soon as Doctor Strange realized what was happening in Blood Hunt #1, he began researching how to compile a new version of the Montesi Formula. The original spell was in the Darkhold, which the Scarlet Witch has absorbed into her being, meaning Strange cannot easily access the Formula. After being stabbed and turned into a vampire by Blade, the astral form of Doctor Strange wants to continue his search for the Montesi Formula, but his wife Clea convinces him to give up his quest, and instead focus on bringing the heroes of Earth together. While Strange used the Montesi Formula to become the greatest vampire hunter of all time in his past, he will need to rely on other methods this time around.
Strange Academy Is Now On A Hunt For The Montesi Formula
Doctor Strange astral projects to Strange Academy, where he asks Doctor Voodoo to seek out a remnant of the Darkhold to obtain the Formula, but Voodoo refuses. The Strange Academy students hear Voodoo’s refusal and decide to travel to Madripoor regardless, where they find Darkhold, a child-like entity created from a piece of the monstrous tome through a spell Agatha Harkness cast. While Doctor Strange may not be able to wield the Montesi Formula, the Strange Academy kids may carry on his legacy, as well as the burden of snuffing out countless vampiric souls.
Marvel’s Blood Hunt event could have ended before it began if Stephen Strange had kept an accessible copy of the Montesi Formula around, allowing the magician to wipe out all vampires. Although Doctor Strange may have acted as Marvel’s ultimate vampire hunter at one point, the children of Strange Academy are now bravely attempting to carry on the torch, while forced to wrestle with the weight of a vampiric genocide.
Doctor Strange #15 and Strange Academy: Blood Hunt #1 from Marvel Comics are available now in stores.
