Marvel 1976.04 - Doctor Strange #13

Doctor Strange #13

Title: Planet Earth is no more!

Writer: Steve Englehart

Artist: Gene Colan

Villain: Nightmare

Regulars: Clea, Ancient One

Guests: Eternity

Earth has been destroyed. The only survivor is Doctor Strange. He can't die, because he was granted immortality in Doctor Strange #4.

Refusing to accept that this is the end of the world, Doctor Strange enters the dream world to search for Nightmare. I've never liked Nightmare much as a villain. He has the potential to be an all-powerful being, but Doctor Strange defeated him when he was a novice and he has no problem defeating him now.

After defeating Nightmare, Doctor Strange finds Eternity asleep. Doctor Strange wakes him with his amulet. Everything that happened in the last three issues was a dream, but Eternity is the sum of all that is, so when Eternity dreams everything really happens. Doctor Strange asks Eternity to undo the destruction of the Earth, but he refuses. What's done is done. The Ancient One, who's now one with everything, steps in and convinces Eternity to save the Earth. He still refuses to undo the Earth's destruction, but he recreates the Earth, evolving it from its beginning to the present day, but without a Doctor Strange. There's a new Earth, and Doctor Strange is the only being that's survived from the old Earth.

I'll be honest: the ending of this story is unsatisfying. It's effectively the same as the creation of the universe in Marvel Premiere #14. Can the two events be reconciled? Maybe. In Doctor Strange #13 only the Earth is recreated, whereas in Marvel Premiere #14 the whole universe – the whole multiverse? – was created. That would place Sise-Neg on a higher level of existence than Eternity. That makes sense, but I still don't like these two parallel stories being told so soon after one another.