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Doctor Strange

Who is Clea? Marvel’s Sorceress Supreme and Daughter of the Dark Dimension

Wanda Maximoff can be considered Marvel Comics’ most famous sorceress, but she isn’t the sole possessor of mystical powers. Clea, introduced the same year, stands out as a superhuman spellcaster and illusionist, deserving readers’ attention.

She was first introduced as a damsel in distress to be saved by Doctor Strange in the Dark Dimension before she became her disciple and lover. Endowed with vast magical powers and knowledge, Clea dedicates much of her life to fighting oppression, on Earth or in her dimension, with Strange and as part of the Defenders. She fought many menaces (including her own family), led the rebellion in her dimension, took over as the new ruler, and became the Sorceress Supreme of The Dark Dimension.

Despite those prowesses, Clea appeared sporadically in Marvel Comics for a long time and was mostly used in service of other characters, mainly Stephen Strange. Her origins started to be explored only ten years after her debut, and it took many more decades before the character was offered a real chance to shine away from Strange. She had to undergo numerous tribulations, but her fate started to change in the noughties. She finally became a main character in her ongoing series in 2022, completing her transformation from the “mysterious silver-haired girl” into the Sorceress Supreme we know today.

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The Defenders Reading Order (Marvel Comics)

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The Defenders Reading Order

When the Dr. Strange series was canceled in the middle of a story arc in 1970, Roy Thomas searched for a way to tell the end of his crossover storyline. This led to  Marvel Feature #1 (December 1971) in which Doctor Strange, Namor, and The Incredible Hulk formed a team named The Defenders to battle the alien techno-wizard Yandroth. The Silver Surfer soon joined them, as well as Valkyrie.

Steve Englehart, Len Wein, Steve Gerber, Gerry Conway, David Anthony Kraft, J. M. DeMatteis, and more wrote The Defenders series for a long time and, after 124 issues, the title was renamed The New Defenders – a roaster that didn’t include the Strange, Namor, Hulk and the Surfer. The first three will later reunite in pages of The Incredible Hulk, then again a bit later with Silver Surfer in a crossover storyline.

It was nevertheless necessary to wait a bit longer to see The Defenders come back, in 1993, but with a new formula and a different roaster – Wolverine, Darkhawk, Spider-Woman, Spider-Man, Hulk, Ghost Rider, and others. At that time, even the name was not the same as they were called The Secret Defenders.

During the 2000s and 2010s, there were multiple attempts at launching a new Defenders series, even one that was an echo of the TV series – that was The Defenders only by name.

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Doctor Strange Reading Order

Created by Steve Ditko with Stan Lee in Strange Tales #110 (1963) at a time when Marvel tried new things (like mysticism!), Doctor Strange is the Sorcerer Supreme, the main protector of Earth against magical and mystical threats. 

At first, he was just in a 5-page filler story but rapidly gained in visibility and popularity. Meet Stephen Strange, also known as Doctor Strange. But he is no ordinary doctor, being the Master of the Mystic Arts, a sorcerer supreme, a white knight who wields black magic against blacker villains still. Strange is mankind’s only hope against the dark otherworldly forces that conspire to destroy the conscious world. 

Doctor Strange was born in the heart of the counterculture era, mixing mysticism and psychedelia. The art was surrealist and he was an unconventional hero, but he found enough success in his niche to become the main character of the book that ended up renamed after him. His popularity was fluctuant and he jumped from his solo series to team books or even anthologies, never getting the exposition other big superheroes got.

The Sorcerer Supreme is now a big player in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which led to new collected editions, but it may be hard to follow. So, here is the guide to the mystic adventures of Doctor Strange.

Where to start reading Doctor Strange? The Recommended Reading List

With more than 50 years of stories to discover, new readers may not be interested in reading everything from the start. Before our chronological reading order, here is a recommended reading list for Doctor Strange:

  • Doctor Strange: The Oath by Brian K. Vaughn and Marcos Martin – A story in which Doctor Strange sets out to solve an attempted murder – his own!
  • Dr. Strange Season One – A modern retelling of Doctor Strange’s origin story by Greg Pak and Emma Rios.
  • Doctor Strange by Jason Aaron (aka Volume 4) – A good and modern entry point for new readers who want an ongoing series, not just a one-shot.
  • Doctor Strange & Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment by Roger Stern, Gerry Conway, and Mike Mignola. A graphic novel that took two unlikely allies, Strange and Doom, on a journey to Mephisto’s infernal realm.
  • Strange: The Doctor is Out by Mark Waid and Emma Rios. A 4-part miniseries. No longer Sorcerer Supreme of the Marvel Universe, Stephen Strange must discover a new path to fulfillment and enlightenment. 
  • Dr. Strange: What Is It That Disturbs You, Stephen? by Marc Andreyko and P. Craig Russell. From the arcane shadows of the Sanctum Sanctorum to the dizzying spires of the mystical city of Ditkopolis! 

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Doctor Strange Damnation Reading Order (Secret Empire’s fallout)

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Doctor Strange Damnation - Reading Order

Damnation is a short Marvel event centered on Doctor Strange, written by Donny Cates and Nick Spencer and illustrated by Rod Reis. Published in 2018, it deals with the aftermath of Secret Empire, or to be more precise of what happens in Las Vegas. The City of Sin has been completely destroyed during Evil Captain America’s regime and Doctor Strange has raised Las Vegas up from its destruction during this event.

As expected when using magic for something major in Marvel, Doctor Strange inadvertently opens a big door for the embodiment of evil, Mephisto! The devilish villain takes the city for himself and sets his sights on the rest of the world. It’s going to take heroes from all over the Marvel Universe to defeat him, but there’s nothing simple about fighting the lord of Hell.

What to read before Doctor Strange Damnation?

Damnation builds directly on the aftermath of Secret Empire, during which Las Vegas was destroyed. To know more about this major Marvel event, you can check out our full Secret Empire reading order.

  • Secret Empire
    Collects Secret Empire #0-9, Free Comic Book Day 2017 Defenders #1

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Death of Doctor Strange Reading Order

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Death of Doctor Strange Reading Order

Like numerous Marvel characters, Doctor Strange had died several times already. But until now, he didn’t have his classic “Death Of…” storyline, like Wolverine, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Daredevil, Ultimate Spider-Man, or The Mighty Thor. It’s all changed now, with the event Death of Doctor Strange, written by Jed MacKay and penciled by Lee Garbett.

Doctor Stephen Strange is known as the world’s greatest neurosurgeon and Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme (except for that time when, you know, Loki took that title). He defends our planet from the supernatural and interdimensional threats no other hero is equipped to handle. But what would happen if he unexpectedly died? Who would protect Earth and keep the mystical evils at bay? And most importantly…who killed Stephen Strange?!

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