Blood Hunt #5 has brought Marvel's big summer event to a close, and as Marvel itself spoiled over the weekend at Comic-Con International: San Diego, Doctor Doom has officially inherited the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme from Stephen Strange.
As shocking as the development may be - and as potentially disastrous for the Marvel Universe - it's been a long time coming, as Doom has often been considered one of the top contenders for the title. Here's how it finally comes to pass, and what it may mean for the Marvel Universe.
Spoilers ahead for Blood Hunt #5
Blood Hunt #5 by writer Jed MacKay, artist Pepe Larraz, color artists Marte Gracia and Fer Sifuentes-Sujo, and letterer Cory Petit picks up where #4 left off, with Doctor Strange and Clea entreating Doctor Doom for help to dispel the barrier of Darkforce energy that is protecting the vampire armies that are ravaging the Earth from the sun.
Doom assents, but tells Strange that he must be the Sorcerer Supreme to enact the spell necessary to do so. After some back and forth between the two - through Clea's horrified objections - Doom convinces Strange to transfer the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme to him by pointing out that he will be doing Strange's duty by saving the world from a magical threat.
Strange accuses Doom of "engineering" the entire vampire insurrection just to achieve the position of Sorcerer Supreme, but gives the title to Doom on the condition that Doom will return it to him "once the world is saved."
Normally the mantle can only pass to someone new when the current Sorcerer Supreme dies, but Strange uses a loophole to do it anyway, since his body is currently an undead vampire while his astral form remains conscious outside his physical body.
With the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme now his, along with the Eye of Agamotto and the Cloak of Levitation that go with it, Doom enlists the help of the students of Strange's own Strange Academy for his ritual, combining each of their unique magical styles with his own knowledge of Atlantean magic to reverse the Darkforce spell.
At the same time, Bloodline, the daughter of Blade, and Miles Morales arrive at the First Temple of Atlantis, where Varnae the first vampire (in Blade's body) is fighting the Avengers. Just as Varnae seems like he's about to win, Bloodline and Miles attack, critically wounding Blade but also banishing Varnae. Blade is stabilized just as Doom's spell takes effect, removing the Darkforce barrier and letting the sun shine through.
But strangely, many of the vampires, including Miles Morales (who was turned by Varnae earlier in Blood Hunt) and Dracula himself are safe from the rays of the sun, with Dracula saying "Let us just say… when you save the world, the world owes you a debt."
Back in Latveria, Strange entreats Doom to return the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme to him, now that the world is saved from the vampires. Doom has a trick up his sleeve, however, telling Strange he had promised to give him back the title of Sorcerer Supreme "once I have saved the world. And I have only just begun Stephen," dismissing Strange's astral form.
With the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme now in his possession, Doom addresses the entire world, telling them that he is the one who saved them all, and that he is now the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth.
We already know that Doom will be the main villain of the Marvel Universe in 2025, an announcement that came just as Robert Downey Jr. was being announced as the actor who would portray Doom in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel dropped a teaser with the phrase "One World Under Doom" with all of Marvel's heroes kneeling at his feet.
In other words, things are looking quite ominous in the days ahead, with Doom apparently stepping back up to being a threat big enough to take on the entire Marvel Universe, just in time for the 10th anniversary of 2015's Secret Wars event, and the 40th anniversary of the original 1985 Secret Wars, both of which featured Doctor Doom as the main antagonist - with reality altering results.
Avengers: Secret Wars will directly adapt the concept of the Secret Wars comic event.
