Marvel Masterworks: Doctor Strange #2 (2005)

Realizing Mordo's presence has been erased from his sanctum Strange suspects fowl play, disposing of a hidden bomb just before it explodes. Stunned by the blast Mordo's minions imprison him so that he cannot use his magic. Strange attempts to telepathically contact The Ancient One, but fails because his spirit form is searching for the missing Clea. While Mordo's minions study Strange's cloak & amulet The Demon tries to probe his mind but Strange is stronger and instead takes control of him. Fighting desperately Strange barely escapes his captors and remains virtually helpless in spirit form.

Strange hides his bound body in a rooftop water tank, as The Demon & his men search for him. At their HQ, Strange retrieves his Cloak Of Levitation, and uses it to capture one of Mordo's men. But his body has been found by the witch. The complex cat-and-mouse game continues until Strange finally regains control of his body and Amulet, and he hypnotizes Mordo's minions into forgetting all they know of black magic. Now he is free again to focus on the remaining threat of Dormammu, and the missing Clea...

Dormammu uses Asti to lure Strange into an alien dimension where he will be under no vow to spare him. The Ancient One takes Strange to the ruler of a dimension who has senses one of Dormammu's spells in a far-off corner of infinity. There, Dormammu contacts Tazza, and claims that Strange is coming there to kill him. The two battle to a standstill, until Strange convinces Tazza he only seeks information-- and forces the release of Tazza's various prisoners, who are grateful for his help. Both Dormammu & Strange mentally prepare for a coming "final combat" between them.

Mr. Rasputin, descendant of the original, amasses magical & scientific knowledge in his goal of world domination. Sensing an evil presence Strange finds Rasputin who soon realizes he cannot match Strange's magic and shoots him. A hospitalized Strange informs the police about Rasputin but when they fail to find him Strange realizes he may have taken refuge at his sanctum! As Strange investigates a hit-man Rasputin hired enters the hospital to finish the job. Strange emerges victorious erasing all memory of magic from Rasputin and forcing he & his henchman to confess their crimes to the police.

Using his mystic powers to temporarily bind the sleeping Eternity, Dormammu lures Strange to another dimension and challenges him but as they begin their mystical combat, Eternity breaks free. He tells Dormammu to end the violence, but instead he attacks Eternity. Their encounter is brief and destructive as Dormammu is smashed between two colliding spheres. Eternity vanishes while Strange is hurled between dimensions and rescued by The Ancient One. Strange releases all those who were banished by him, including Baron Mordo and Clea, who he affectionately bids farewell to for the time being.

Strange walks the streets of Greenwich Village and after stopping a robbery returns home to find his bills unpaid, his bank account empty, and a city building inspector informing him he has six months to bring his house up to code. He instructs Wong to sell some jewels to pay the bills, checks up on Baron Mordo, thinks back on recent events, and then contacts a theatrical agent, Hiram Barney, about a possible nightclub gig. But he's told magic is "out"-- rock bands are "in"! Just then he's contacted by The Ancient One, who tells him of a most dire menace in the offing, named Kaluu.

The Ancient One tells Strange of his early life in Kamar-Taj, a hidden land in the Himalayas. He & Kaluu were born there, but while Strange's mentor sought to use magic for good, Kaluu dreamed of power. Kaluu mentally gained control of the people, imprisoned his once-friend, and enslaved neighboring lands. The Ancient One eventually used a spell to strike, inadvertently causing the people to suffer, no longer immune to diseases. Kaluu fled to another dimension while The Ancient One left Kamar-Taj, swearing to use his magic to help others. In the present Kaluu prepares to seek his revenge.

After 500 years of exile in the Nameless Dimension Kaluu returns to destroy his former friend, The Ancient One. Sealing Strange's sanctum in an impenetrable barrier which not even Strange's ectoplasmic form can pass he summons the Demons Of Danak, other-dimensional monsters, to attack. Knowing they cannot be stopped while in contact with their master, Strange & his mentor wait until the creatures penetrate the barrier. Finally striking out in a destructive force of energy, Kaluu enters the house, only to find his foes have vanished among the wreckage.

Kaluu realizes Strange and the Ancient One have escaped to the past of ancient Babylonia where The Ancient One obtains the Book of the Vishanti. Before Kaluu can extinguish the Flames of the Faltine, Strange returns to the present with the mystic book which hurls his spell back to him. The Ancient One sends Kaluu into Limbo for all time. In The Dark Dimension Clea fears the onslaught of the Mindless One's freed from their prison with Dormammu gone. But another former prisoner controls them: Umar, Dormammu's sister, who vows his deeds shall pale beside hers.

Umar uses the "Lamp Of Lucifer" to learn of events during her long imprisonment. She is stunned to learn her brother was defeated by Dr. Strange, and though she & Dormammu hated each other, she still vows to avenge him. Back in NYC, Strange conjures "wealth without measure" so Wong need never again concern him with money matters. To lure Strange into a trap, Umar casts Clea into a void between dimensions. No sooner does he sense her danger, then Strange as well is hurled into another dimension as well...

Strange finds himself once more in the Dark Dimension, the home of Dormammu & Clea. After facing several dangers, he senses the power of a woman behind it all. Umar uses a pair of cloudy "spirits" to summon Strange to her presence. She tells him of her imprisonment, and that she wishes to "make amends" for her brother's deeds. She also tells him that Clea has been captured by the Mindless Ones, and that she summoned him as the one Clea hoped would rescue her. Strange doesn't trust Umar, but departs to help Clea, soon confronting the Mindless Ones...

While Umar watches, Strange battles the Mindless Ones. He finally reaches Clea and frees her from a mystic prison, only to learn it was merely an illusion-- and now, severely weakened, he faces doom at the hands of a Mindless One!

Thru trickery Strange manages to escape the Mindless One. Using the Eye of Agamotto, he spies on Umar in her castle, as she plots to grind each dimension in turn under her heel. Seeking to free the prisoners in Umar's dungeon, Strange encounters Veritas, the "Embodiment of Truth Incarnate", and takes him to the castle past as swarm of flying demons. Umar is shocked and cannot bear the sight of herself as she really is (thanks to Veritas), but as Strange confronts her, she sends forth a mystic bolt of death-- toward Clea!

Stranges races the bolt of death and barely manages to save Clea's life. Together they race thru one dimension after another, until The Ancient One answers Strange's call for help and guides them to Earth. Feeling there is no other way to protect her, Strange's mentor uses the "Spell of Vanishment" to sent Clea to a unknown place of safety. But then, he also sends Strange to another dimension, as he declares "Umar walks the Earth!"

The Ancient One sends Strange to the Amphora, a large vase guarded by fiery demons in order to free Zom, a being imprisoned by Eternity. Umar comes to earth, destroys Strange's house and summons The Ancient One. Strange unleashes Zom who he persuades to follow him to Earth. The Ancient One lures Umar to Stonehenge where he defeated Dormammu in the past. Strange surprises Umar who flees back to The Dark Dimension, where Zom cannot find her! Zom had been bound by chains of living bondage by Dormammu and seeks vengeance, but with Umar gone he turns his anger against Strange & his mentor.

In order to pass his powers onto his desciple, The Ancient One allows Zom to defeat him. Before Strange's eyes, his mentor is fused with one of the giant rocks at Stonehenge, but not before he utters a warning. A battle ensues, until Strange manages to rip the forelock of hair from Zom's head-- at which point, an aura of evil is unleashed, and Zom declares that all is lost! From the horizon, a booming voice is heard, and Zom is banished. Strange turns to behold the towering sight of The Living Tribunal-- who declares that because of Strange's actions, Earth must be "totally destroyed"!

The Living Tribunal decrees that because Strange has unleashed a menace to the cosmos Earth must be destroyed. Before he recites the Incantation of Oblivion he recounts events leading up to his decision, agreed upon by his 3 faces of Equity, Revenge & Necessity. Strange challenges the Tribunal to let him deal with the menace, having defeated the forces of darkness in the past. Strange is granted a reprieve for as long as it takes the Sands of Death to run out of a mystic Hourglass resting in the middle of Stonehenge. Strange departs wondering if he will be able to succeed in time.

Strange returns home to find his Sanctum gone! Wong, who barely escaped its destruction, recounts how Umar used a spell of vanishment. Strange dispels her enchantment and his house returns. Using the Crystal of Agamotto he senses evil mystic powers around the world. Casting a spell he discovers a group of mystics, banded together, working to free an imprisoned mystic to lead them. Strange strikes down the most powerful of the group, but is too late, they have freed Baron Mordo, his most hated enemy, knowing it will be impossible to convince him to join forces to save the Earth!

Strange is surrounded by a horde of evil mystics under the command of Baron Mordo! Mordo refuses to listen to reason and orders his minions to kill Strange, who grabs the ring-leader and drives out the evil magic from him. He forces Mordo to see a vision of the danger menacing Earth but Mordo's first instinct is to flee for his life! Strange explains that with his help the evil from the assembled mystics can be drained with a living form to contain it - Mordo. Strange succeeds but coursing with the power of the coven Mordo strikes down Strange and plans conquest on a monumental scale.

Mordo exiles Strange to "The World Of the Million Perils", then sets about restoring some of the magic to his new coven. Lost in a distant galaxy Strange suffers temporary memory loss and faces a nameless beast within a hollow sphere. On Earth, Victoria Bentley, freed of the evil finds herself being hurled between worlds, wondering if it's Mordo's doing. Strange hears a cry for help, and discovers Victoria being menaced by a gigantic ant! The two face Nebulos, a bizarre alien creature who claims they are part of his plan.

Nebulos commands Strange to take hold of his Staff of Polar Power which places Strange under his control. He returns Strange to Earth to face Mordo, whose power is absorbed by the staff. Strange's spell sends Mordo into cosmic limbo. Returning to Stonehenge where the mystic hourglass remains Strange attempts to remove it from earth but both are pulled back to the Planets Perilous by Nebulos, whose staff returns to him. Nebulos says Victoria was his hostage to ensure Strange's return and the staff could have saved them both. At that moment Strange sees the approach of The Living Tribunal.

The Living Tribunal learns that Nebulos' staff is a force of evil which he must destroy. As the Tribunal & Nebulos battle, Strange fears for the life of the missing Victoria. The Tribunal uses "Cosmic Lightning" to begin destroying Nebulos' home planet! As Nebulos refuses to hand over his staff to the Tribunal, Strange wrests it away as Nebulos is buried under an avalanche. Strange hands the staff to the Tribunal, declaring the "Cosmic Balance" restored! In reward, the Tribunal sends Strange to the world where Nebulos imprisoned Victoria, warning him of the terrible dangers that await him.

Hurling thru the void of space, Strange sees a vision of Victoria Bentley, surrounded by machinery. He lands on a jungle planet inhabited by savage, monstrous creatures. Strange finds an underground cavern, and inside it, an elaborate machine, from which emits a mental challenge. Yandroth, Scientist Supreme, claims to have unlocked the "inner-most secrets of the cosmos", and intends to make Victoria his queen-- to rule many planets, including, eventually, Earth. Strange refuses to depart, and realizes a challenge of science vs. magic awaits him...

Strange continues thru the underground tunnel until he comes to a large set of doors. Upon getting them open, he finds a "Disintegrator" ray is waiting for him. After he takes it out with the "Flames of Faltine", Yandroth realizes his magic is more "potent" than he "calculated", and uses an "Ultra-Spectrum Laser" to incinerate Strange's brain! But as Yandroth gloats to the imprisoned Victoria, he doesn't realize that Strange is not dead, but has mentally left his body. Things soon come down to a running fist-fight, until Yandroth summons "Voltorr"-- a large lightning-wielding robot!

A running battle ensues between Strange and the lightning-hurling Voltorg, which nearly destroys Yandroth's lab before Strange finally takes it out. Yandroth grabs Victoria and uses a "Teleportation" machine to instantly send the two of them to a far-distant world. Strange tries to alter the destination setting so they'll end up on Earth, then follows, winding up in Stonehenge, the very place where his mentor apparently met his demise. But suddenly, a vision of the Ancient One appears before him, leaving Strange wondering if his master lives again, or if it's some "evil phantasm"...

The Ancient One is alive and tells Strange he made Zom believe he was dead so he could pass on his powers to his disciple. With the Cosmic Balance restored he was able to shatter the spell that bound him. In his Himalayan retreat Strange and the Ancient One discover that Victoria Bentley is a prisoner in the Dimension of Dreams. Using a mystic gem and with his mentor to mentally guide him Strange travels to Victoria. Strange catches up with Yandroth & Victoria and faces a giant behemoth and a pair of Viking warriors while Yandroth raises a gun and prepares to fire.

Yandroth's shot sends Strange plunging into the abyss, but the Ancient One uses the Trans-Hypnotic Jewel to stop his fall. Strange uses his Cloak of Levitation to grab Yandroth, but sees the Viking women about to kill Victoria. To save her, he releases his grip on Yandroth, sending him plummeting through the Dimension of Dreams, where he will eventually become nothing more than a dream himself. Banishing the phantoms, Strange whisks Victoria back to Earth where the memory of her ordeal will soon fade.