Marvel Reveals First Image of New Sorcerer Supreme ‘The Strange Doctor’

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Ultimate Black Panther #11! The Ultimate Universe has been teasing the introduction of a character known only as the Strange Doctor for some time now, and it seems Marvel Comics has finally revealed the first image of this new presumptive Sorcerer Supreme. With Stephen Strange out of commission in the Ultimate Universe, it seems someone else has stepped up as Sorcerer Supreme, and that someone may have just appeared on the cover of Ultimate Black Panther #11.

Marvel Comics’ solicitation for Ultimate Black Panther #11 by Bryan Hill and Stefano Caselli includes the official synopsis for the upcoming book as well as a first-look at the main cover art by series artist Stefano Caselli.

THE BLACK PANTHER AND THE STRANGE DOCTOR? A prison break brings unlikely aid to Wakanda, but is this new ally a reliable confidant? Or does the godly Moon Knight have more to offer?

While the synopsis makes no clear mention of the woman on the cover, seemingly torturing Black Panther with a magic spell, the image itself is all fans need to draw the fairly convincing conclusion that this is the Strange Doctor. Not only do her garbs resemble those of Doctor Strange in both the main Marvel Comics continuity and the original Ultimate Universe, but fans have been expecting the big reveal of the Strange Doctor for some time, as Ultimate Black Panther has been teasing their appearance.

First Mention of the Strange Doctor was in a Preview for Ultimate Black Panther #10

Ultimate Black Panther tells the story of T’Challa going to war against Khonshu and Ra, who are using the full might of their Moon Knight army as well as the resources of the Maker’s Council to try and overtake Wakanda. When the Maker remade the world of Earth-6160, he granted everyone in his council territories, and Khonshu and Ra were granted the entire continent of Africa. However, Wakanda remained outside their control, and they’re now trying to remedy that.

Given the extent of Khonshu and Ra’s power and influence, Black Panther needs all the help he can get to defeat them. So far, he’s recruited the likes of Killmonger and Storm, but now it seems he’s going to ally himself with the Sorcerer Supreme. In the preview for Ultimate Black Panther #10, Marvel makes mention of the Strange Doctor, indicating that this mysterious person is the Sorcerer Supreme. And right now, that’s all fans know about this character, though the solicitation for Ultimate Black Panther #11 may have just shown fans what the Strange Doctor looks like.

Ultimate Black Panther’s Strange Doctor Tease May Be a Total Fakeout

Dr. Stephen Strange May Still Be the Ultimate Universe’s Sorcerer Supreme

While the first mention of this Strange Doctor was made in the preview for Ultimate Black Panther #10, that preview also said, “A prison break brings unlikely aid to Wakanda”. That’s interesting because Stephen Strange is currently being held captive by the Maker (as a way to neutralize the Sorcerer Supreme), leading fans to believe that this ‘prison break’ will be that of the original Doctor Strange. That would also mean that the original Doctor Strange would be this universe’s Sorcerer Supreme, and perhaps even this ‘Strange Doctor’, making the cover for Ultimate Black Panther #11 a total fakeout.

It’s possible that the person on the cover of Ultimate Black Panther #11 has nothing to do with the Sorcerer Supreme or the Strange Doctor, but it’s also just as possible that this person is exactly who she seems to be. All fans can do at the moment is speculate and consider all options based on the limited information that’s available, and one extremely likely conclusion is that Ultimate Black Panther #11 just gave fans the first image of the Ultimate Universe‘s new Sorcerer Supreme, the Strange Doctor.

Ultimate Black Panther #11 by Marvel Comics is available December 25, 2024.