Doctor Strange Could Have Been Marvel’s Greatest Ninja Warrior

He stands out as the Sorcerer Supreme of our world, however do you know there’s an alternate universe the place Physician Unusual grew to become a ninja warrior?

In a single alternate actuality in Marvel Comics, Doctor Strange doesn’t turn into the Grasp of the Mystic Arts, however as a substitute turns into a fierce ninja warrior. Unusual might not look like the kind of superhero who will get his arms soiled. If you’re the Sorcerer Supreme, taking out road thugs and customary criminals will be achieved with a easy wave of the hand, not the brutal fist combat Daredevil would possibly interact in.

Whereas Stephen has been trained in martial arts, he typically makes use of his abilities to remain match, not interact in hand-to-hand fight. And but, there is a world the place Physician Unusual chooses to not comply with the trail of magic however takes a way more violent highway. Very totally different from the Stephen Unusual we all know, this Physician Unusual turns into a grasp…of the preventing arts.

Associated: Doctor Strange’s Most Brutal Weapon is a Magic Baseball Bat

Explored in What If —? #83 (1989) by Ian Edgington, Mike Baron, and Rafael Kayanan, this unusual story reveals a parallel world the place Doctor Strange learns about the martial arts grasp Stick and the Chaste and chooses to hunt them out as a substitute of the Historical One. Turning into Stick’s disciple, Unusual goes by a interval of martial arts coaching so intense that his nerve-damaged arms are damaged and reset a number of occasions till they’re solely match for killing individuals.

Embracing his new function as warrior, Unusual goes on to coach none aside from…Matt Murdock. Sadly, he proves to be a poor teacher and Matt is corrupted, selecting to make use of his hyper senses and martial arts abilities as a member of the ninja clan, the Hand. Looking for redemption, Unusual then trains the warrior assassin Elektra, however worries that the Hand will goal her as effectively. Certainly, regardless of Elektra’s devotion to her sensei, Unusual—who can entry a level of mystic sight and telepathy—senses there’s something drawing her astray.

And he’s proper—simply not in the way in which he has imagined. The Hand and Matt Murdock (clad in a devil-themed ninja outfit) come for Elektra one evening, forcing Unusual and his new disciple right into a harmful combat. To Unusual’s shock, Matt activates his new masters and fights side-by-side with Elektra. Revealing they’ve fallen in love and are actually selecting to stroll away from the paths set by each the Hand and the Chaste, this world’s version of Daredevil and Elektra swing away, with Unusual’s blessing.

Seeing the normally elegant Physician Unusual embrace a life as a street-level martial artist may appear weird, however the inventive crew really makes it work by exhibiting a surgeon who chooses to make use of his data of the human physique to show himself right into a dwelling weapon. And though this model of Unusual exists in a grittier, semi-realistic setting, features of his mystic background proceed to indicate up, as he sees Elektra and Daredevil as his private “muse” and “satan.” So whereas this world may be denied its Sorcerer Supreme, a minimum of Stephen Unusual has discovered his personal distinctive stability.

Subsequent: Marvel’s New Daredevil Will Face Hell’s Kitchen’s Worst

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