Some Say the World Will End in Fire… Some Say in Ice!

This story continues from Doctor Strange #178…

Hawkeye and the Black Panther are up in the wee hours of the morning to help the Vision recharge his solar batteries. That’s when they are visited by the astral form of Doctor Strange who has come to enlist the aid of the Avengers. Remembering Strange from Yellowjacket and the Wasp’s wedding, the three Avengers agree to help.[1]

Taking a Quinjet, the three Avengers follows Doctor Strange’s astral form to the location of his physical body. This is in a nearby cemetery and once back in his physical body, Strange takes them down into a mausoleum. There they find the Black Knight knocked out on the floor. Strange explains how the pair were trying had just returned to Earth following a battle with Tiboro. They had just banished the Sons of Satannish, but were attempting to get their leader, a man named Marduk, to stop the spell of fire and ice that he has cast.[2] In order to do so, he Marduk took them to the mausoleum to collect the Crystal of Conquest. Marduk then tried to betray them by using the crystal to blast the Black Knight. Strange then placed Marduck into a mystical trance.

Since the Black Knight needs immediate medical attention and is taken back to Avengers Mansion. There, Strange’s magic spells and the Avengers rejuvenation can go so far. The Knight needs immediate surgery and despite the fact that he has not performed such treatment in years, Doctor Strange conducts the life saving procedure needed.[3] Despite his shaky hands, Doctor Strange succeeds in saving the Black Knight’s life. That’s when the Vision comes rushing into the room to tell them that a volcano suddenly appear in Antarctica. At the same time, the Black Panther receives a distress call from his people in Wakanda, as the region has been struck by a terrible cold that begins covering everything in snow and ice. Doctor Strange recognizes this as a result of the spell of fire and ice and orders the Avengers to go to each location to contain the disasters while he works with counteracting the spell using the Crystal of Conquest.

The Black Knight and Vision take a Quinjet to Wakanda where they discover the region is under attack by Ymir the Frost Giant. Meanwhile, Hawkeye ventures to the South Pole with the Black Knight on his flying horse Aragorn. There they witness the fire demon Surtur emerge from the volcano. Although the Avengers are out of their league against these creatures of Asgardian myth, they do their best to mitigate the destruction they are causing to the climate. Eventually, Doctor Strange finishes his spell, causing Surtur, Hawkeye, and the Black Knight to be instantly teleported to Wakanda. Surtur then appears in front of Ymir just as the pair are about to strike a powerful blow. When the pair come into physical contact with one another the opposing elemental forces causes the pair to be banished from the Earth. They are soon joined by Doctor Strange’s astral form who informs them the spell was a success and the danger has passed.

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Hawkeye, Black Panther, Vision), Doctor Strange, Black Knight, Surtur, Ymir, Sons of Satannish (Marduk), Aragorn

Continuity Notes

1. Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne got married last issue and Doctor Strange was one of the guests. It’s surprising that the Avengers recognize him since Strange started wearing a mask since he attending the wedding. See Doctor Strange #177 for all the details why.

2. Marduk’s name is an alias. His real name is revealed as David Puerto in the Fire and Ice entry of Thor: Asgard’s Avenger #1.

3. Before becoming a master of the mystic arts, Doctor Strange was a renown surgeon until a car accident caused extensive nerve damage to his hands, making him unable to perform surgery anymore. See Strange Tales #115.