Warning: Contains spoilers for Doctor Strange #9!Doctor Strange‘s new set of powers have effectively proven why no hero can trust him. Despite Stephen Strange’s likable character, he’s made some decisions that have been questionable given his Avengers status. Now, his newest powers are confirming his untrustworthiness.
In Doctor Strange #9 by Jed MacKay and Pasqual Ferry, Stephen Strange heads back to his childhood farm in Nebraska where he enters a battle with his evil variant General Strange. However, to prepare for the fight, he’s called upon the Trinity of Ashes to imbue him with power. It’s a dangerous magical method that even terrifies Wong. However, none of this phases Stephen as he uses the power from the Trinity Ashes to gain the upper hand.
By repeating the words “I have no hope for salvation. Redemption. Only victory” back at the General, Stephen Strange ultimately shows his true colors. He’s a hero who will fight for what’s right, but this can include his determination to get a win no matter how dangerous the method may be.
Doctor Strange Is Motivated By Victory, Which is a Major Flaw
The dark potential behind Strange’s line of thinking is absolutely staggering. He’s concerned more with winning no matter what the cost, so he has more potential to turn to the dark arts. He never quite crosses the line to complete supervillainy, but his careless actions pose a major risk to the Marvel Universe. It’s made even worse though when his ego comes into play. Before unleashing the power of the Trinity of Ashes on the General, he shouts, “You hurt my wife, General–you dead-end future.You lost and hopeless stub of life.” If someone powerful were to get on Strange’s bad side and hurt anything or anyone close to him, he has the capability of turning to darker magic to exact his revenge. This makes him incredibly untrustworthy as a hero, despite the good he’s done to help the Avengers.
Strange’s Actions are Shortsighted and Could Lead to Worse Outcomes
What’s worse about Strange’s actions is that he can be incredibly shortsighted when making battle choices. When choosing the Trinity of Ashes to take on General Strange, it’s clear that he’s done so without weighing the repercussions. Wong actually mentions that his biggest fear regarding Strange’s actions is how dangerous the powers of the Trinity of Ashes can be if not handled properly. He explains that death would be one of the better scenarios of their use because “the worst outcome is replacing one monster–with a new one.” These new powers could take Strange over completely and make him a far greater threat than General Strange ever could be, and yet he elects to use them without a second thought.
Fans of the MCU have had their concerns regarding Strange’s actions whether it be using the Darkhold in Multiverse of Madness or attempting to alter a fixed time point in What If…? by becoming something darker. However, the comics are effectively showing that he can be so much worse as he’s conducted worse deeds, such as casting a Superman-killing spell in one of his darkest moments. His shortsightedness and ego have caused Doctor Strange to make poor choices no matter how good they may seem at the moment, and this effectively makes him the least trustworthy hero to ever join up with the Avengers.
Doctor Strange #9 is available now from Marvel Comics!
