Warning: Spoilers for Doctor Strange #17!49 years after making its Marvel debut, one God-tier entity equal in power to the Phoenix Force finally receives its origin story, as Doctor Strange reveals the true nature of the Tiger God, official counterpart to the Phoenix. The Tiger God is an often forgotten, but now Marvel has taken the opportunity to reintroduce it, and elevate its cosmic status to match the Phoenix.

Doctor Strange #17 – written by Jed MacKay, with art by Pasqual Ferry – spotlights one of Doctor Strange’s strangest friendships, as Bats the Ghost Dog unexpectedly delivers major lore-changing details about the mystifying Tiger God.

The return of the Tiger God to the Marvel Universe – and the position of prominence it is seemingly given in this issue – are significant, especially considering the upcoming Phoenix solo series is set to make Jean Grey more of a cosmic hero than ever before.

Marvel Reveals The Origin Of The Tiger God, As The Universe’s Pantheon Expands

Doctor Strange #17 – Written By Jed MacKay; Art By Pasqual Ferry, Heather Moore, & VC’s Cory Petit

The Tiger God first appeared as a vision in 1975’s Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #19 – yet it would be nearly four decades before the powerful entity fully appeared on-panel, finally making its proper Marvel Universe debut in 2012’s Avengers Academy #36. Much like the Phoenix Force, the Tiger God is spoken of as fear incarnate, an ancient manifestation of the darkest uncertainties that faced early human civilization. In Tiger God’s case, it is said to be symbolic of the average human’s fear of the dark.

In Doctor Strange #17, Bats the Ghost Dog expands upon the lore of the Tiger God, recalling a story that Doctor Strange once told him about the earliest humans and their fear of the dark. That fear would manifest in the shadows in the form of tigers, which would eat these cavemen at night. That inherent fear of the dark was powerful enough and all-consuming enough to create the God of Fear itself, the Tiger God. Consequently, Bats reveals that to protect them from fear and the Tiger God, humans had dogs, and that connection created the God of Dogs.

Marvel Could Be Reintroducing The Tiger God With Epic Plans In Mind

A Rival To The Phoenix

The Phoenix ranks among Marvel’s all-time most powerful cosmic beings, and is an entity which even other cosmic beings fear the wrath of. Any time a cosmic character or deity is introduced into the Marvel Universe, the question will arise of how it compares to the rest. Considering that Jean Grey and the Phoenix are set to take on an expanded role in Marvel’s near-future, it is entirely possible that Doctor Strange #17 could have reintroduced the mythos of the Tiger God to set up a future conflict with the Phoenix.

Born of darkness, the Tiger God contrasts with the light of the Phoenix Force – and yet both are greatly feared, making a match-up between them potentially highly consequential for anyone caught in the middle. Doctor Strange #17’s reminder about the Tiger God, with an updated origin, offers hope that this little-used Marvel Universe entity will receive a bigger role going forward. Over the last several years, Marvel’s pantheon has continued to expand, and now Doctor Strange may have just established a potential rival to the Phoenix Force.