Warning: contains spoilers for G.O.D.S. #2!
Doctor Strange has revealed a dark downside to being a magic user in the Marvel Universe. Marvel’s magic community is a large and diverse one, some good and some evil, with varying levels of power. But as revealed by Doctor Strange in G.O.D.S. #2, there is one tragic and common thread that unites all of Marvel’s magic users, regardless of who they are.
G.O.D.S #2 is written by Jonathan Hickman and drawn by Valerio Schiti. Dimitri, an agent of the science-based Natural Order of Things, makes a joke about Doctor Strange’s “friends.” Strange retorts by telling Dimitri that the path of a magic user is a solitary one. As a man of science, and the “academy,” Dimitri cannot understand this.
Doctor Strange goes on to say that magicians “do not have peers or colleagues. And we most certainly do not have friends.”
G.O.D.S. is Redefining Everything We Thought We Knew About the Marvel Universe
This revelation fits within G.O.D.S.’ scope, which is to redefine certain aspects of Marvel lore, namely magic users and its cosmic beings. The book follows an agent of the Natural Order of Things and another from the magic-themed Powers That Be as the precarious balance between the two factions is threatened by an evil magician known as Cubisk Core. The Natural Order and the Powers That Be must work together to stop Core from unleashing a destructive “Babylon Event.” As one of Earth’s most powerful magic users, Doctor Strange has been on the front lines of many such threats.
And this experience has given Doctor Strange insight into the true workings of magic in the Marvel Universe, including the solitary nature of the work. Doctor Strange tells Dimitri all of this to point out the differences between the two factions, but it also points to a harsh truth about magic. Various stories have made it clear that magic in the Marvel Universe is a dangerous thing, and the idea of navigating such a world alone is terrifying, not to mention unfair. As Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange knows this, but does not seem interested in changing it.
Doctor Strange Has No Interest in Changing Things, Despite His Own Experiences
Doctor Strange’s comments are reinforced by his own life experiences. While it was true that he was trained by the Ancient One, the initial leap to embrace the path of magic came from within Stephen. Seeing Baron Mordo threaten the seemingly frail Ancient One shocked Doctor Strange into action, helping him move past the ego that was holding him back. While Doctor Strange is probably the most cordial of Marvel’s magic users, he is still just as solitary as the rest of them. This alienation from the rest of the world is a harsh truth of being a magic user in the Marvel Universe.
G.O.D.S. #2 is on sale now from Marvel Comics!
