The Atom and The Defenders

 

Can the world's greatest non-team subdue a dwarf star-infused hero out of control?  And just what happened to Ray Palmer anyway?  The answers are only sixty cents away!

Man-Bat and Doctor Strange in "No Escape From Castle Mordo!"

 

This is another example of a cover that required the removal and patching of portions before any new images could be added to it.  Here is a look at the behind the scenes progress:

Man-Bat and Dr. Strange Previously met in STF#2993 and STF #2833...

Doctor Mid-Nite and Dr. Strange in: "The Doctors Are Out!"

 

This is the third meeting between Doctors Mid-Nite and Strange, a pairing originally suggested by Bob Greenwade, frequent commenter and Patron of this Blog.  They were last seen with Dr. Fate in STF #3267 and they first met in STF #2721...

Teen Titans and Doctor Strange

 

One cool thing that I have liked about the Teen Titans is the variety of types of stories that were told with the team.  They could easily go from standard superhero fare to epic off-planet action to street level mysteries.  It would be cool to see them share a mystic adventure with Dr. Strange.

7 Soldiers of Victory and The Defenders

 

Uh oh! Mr. Universe is back for his 4th appearance and he looks more powerful than ever!  Let's hope the combined might of these two super-teams is enough to put him down for good!

The Flash and Doctor Strange (Vs. Abra Kadabra!)

 

With James Gunn's DCU featuring a universe where superheroes have existed for a long time, I really hope that we get a proper Justice Society with Jay Garrick, Ted Grant, Alan Scott and the rest.  I'd be happy to see them as older mentors or in their prime in a period piece... or why not both?

Doctor Strange met the Barry Allen Flash back in STF #728...

Jimmy Olsen and Doctor Strange

 

We saw Doctor Strange's frustration working with Peter Parker in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and I think there would be similar friction if he had to team up with Jimmy Olsen as well. Jimmy is no fool, but he does seem to be a magnet for chaos.  This could be an entertaining story to read.

Green Lantern & The Flash and The Defenders

 

Another pair of JLA members with a classic Marvel team again today, like on yesterday's cover. This time I feature the GL/Flash team, which made more sense to me as a kid than GL/Green Arrow.  You could always count on an action packed tale when Barry and Hal got together.

Doctor Strange Vs. Eclipso

 

I had previously featured a battle between these two as one of the back up stories in STF #2400, but I thought that this was a match up that was worthy of its own issue.  Doctor Stephen Strange is familiar with having to stave off his own darker side - The end of his last cinematic outing left him doing just that, after all - hopefully it will not be too many years before we see that plot point resolved.

Doctor Strange and Blue Beetle & Booster Gold

 

It looks like Beetle and Booster have found themselves in another fine mess.  Let's hope they can rescue Doc Strange and get back on his good side after their ill-fated attempt to join The Defenders way back in STF #165...

Adam Strange and The Defenders

 

It was only a matter of time before Adam Strange joined The Defenders for an adventure.  After all, he is the brother of Stephen, The Master of Mystic Arts - in fact, this marks the seventh appearance of The Strange Brothers on the blog.

Doctor Strange and The League of Extraordinary Gentleman

 

If there's one hero from the Marvel Universe that would fit in with these literary figures, it has to be Stephen Strange. I can only imagine what kind of globe-spanning calamity could be going on that would prompt them to call in the Master of Mystic Arts, though!

Doctor Strange and The Terrifics

 

I don't keep up with many titles these days, opting to trade wait if something gets really great reviews.  One series I did pick up in total was The Terrifics.  A great cast of characters involved in old school comic action is what the title provided, and it was a fun read.  It's too bad the series was canceled, but with the rumors that James Gunn is looking to bring them to the big screen as part of the DCU, hopefully they will get another chance down the line.

Wonder Woman and Doctor Strange

 

This is another pairing that I have been meaning to get to for a while.  The red, gold and blue of their costumes go together well and I am sure they would have a mutual appreciation for one another.  I can see Strange getting mixed up with some of Diana's more mystical threats, like Circe.

The Defenders and Johnny Thunder

 

Marvel has all the ingredients for a Defenders film, but they don't seem interested in making one. I thinks getting Hulk, Dr. Strange and Valkyrie together with a Namor variant (one closer to the comics please) in an adventure that introduces The Silver Surfer (thus avoiding having him first appear in an FF film for a second time) would make for a great tale. We'll see if they ever get around to getting the non-team together, but as for now I am not holding my breath.

Doctor Strange and Swamp Thing in: "Unchecked Growth!"

 

There have been some rumors that Bill Skarsgaard is up for the role of Alec Holland/Swamp Thing in the new DCU movies.  I'm only familiar with his work in the It movies, but he was pretty good in those.  We'll see if we get any official announcements regarding casting soon.

Doctor Strange and Swamp Thing were last together facing demons in STF #941 and first met in STF #227...

Blue Devil, Doctor Strange and Clea

 

I enjoyed Nathan Fillion's small role in Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3., and I know that James Gunn likes to work with his acting friends  - so I fully expect him to show up somewhere in the new DCU line up as well.  I think that Blue Devil would be a great character for Fillion to play.  His combination of physicality, heroics and humor could turn the C-List hero into a fan favorite.

Blue Devil first met Dr. Strange in STF #46 and then battled Mephisto with him in STF #3051...

Captain Marvel and Doctor Strange

 

While I was let down by Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, I am intrigued to see where  his story goes from here.  I want to know if he is evil now or if his "third eye" persona is something that comes and goes.  The whole incursion plot line seems to be setting up the future Avengers epics and has my interest.  Mostly, I want to see more of Charlize Theron as Clea, I really do love that casting.

Doctor Strange and Adam Strange in: "Strange New World!"

 

This marks the sixth appearance of The Strange Brothers.  They were last seen escaping Hell in STF #3163, they faced their wicked uncle in STF #2801, They were forced to do penance in STF #2649, they were trying to escape from Limbo in STF #2146, and they were first revealed to be brothers in STF #370...

Doctor Strange Vs. Lex Luthor

 

Like many, I was entertained but slightly disappointed with Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.  There were some fun action scenes but I didn't care for the cannon fodder cameos and wanted much more madness out of the multiverse than we got.  I think Marvel is waiting for Avengers: Secret Wars before they go really crazy with the multiverse stunt casting stuff.  For a much better movie about variants and multiple realities, I highly recommend Everything Everywhere All At Once. That was incredibly creative and interesting, not to mention touching and funny on a much smaller budget.  It's starting to get noticed now that awards season is rolling around, so I am hopeful that more people will discover it.