Doctor Strange #1 (451)
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeDoctor Strange #1 (Legacy #451) opens the eighth volume of the character's solo series and marks the first comic-book appearances of Rhialla, Scythe-Rhialla, and Vyrbodin — an entirely new cast of Alfheim and Heven characters created from scratch by writer Derek Landy and artist Ivan Fiorelli. The issue plants Strange in genuinely unprecedented narrative ground: for the first time in his publishing history he operates not as Sorcerer Supreme of Earth but as Sorcerer Supreme of Asgard, stranded from Midgard after events in the concurrent Thor run sever the realms. It also marks a long-awaited return engagement for Angela (Aldrif Odinsdottir) as a prominent co-lead, expanding Marvel's exploration of Heven and Angelic society in ways the character's earlier appearances had only gestured toward.
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The series was announced in August 2025 as a direct continuation of Landy's own Doctor Strange of Asgard miniseries, picking up the status quo established there and threading directly into Al Ewing and Pasqual Ferry's concurrent Thor (2025) run, whose story beat — Loki killing Thor and severing Earth from the Nine Realms — provides the stranded-Strange premise of issue #1. Fiorelli, coming off a stint on Fantastic Four, was tapped for interior art, with fantasy painter Alex Horley producing painted main covers throughout the run; a prelude story in the giant-size Doctor Strange #450 one-shot (September 2025), also by Landy and Fiorelli, introduced Strange's new Asgardian look (costume designed by Geoff Shaw) and teased his expanded magical arsenal ahead of the ongoing's December 3, 2025 launch. Fiorelli noted publicly that designing the new characters — Rhialla, Vyrbodin, and the royal houses of Alfheim and Heven — from scratch was a particular point of pride, knowing they would enter the Marvel Universe permanently.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Rhialla (daughter of Regent Idyl of Heven, an Angel of the realm), who becomes a recurring supporting character across the series arc.
- First appearance of Scythe-Rhialla, a dark magical duplicate of Rhialla conjured by Vyrbodin using his 'Scythe magic' — a power system that draws energy from events that did not happen and the gap between what is and what could have been.
- First appearance of Vyrbodin, an ancient Elvish dark wizard imprisoned in an iron coffin in Alfheim, established as antagonist for the opening arc.
- Written by Derek Landy with art by Ivan Fiorelli, colors by Dono Sánchez-Almara, letters by Cory Petit, and editorial by Alanna Smith; main cover by fantasy illustrator Alex Horley.
- This issue is Legacy #451, the first issue of Doctor Strange Vol. 8, and launched on December 3, 2025 with a cover date of February 2026.
- Angela (Aldrif Odinsdottir) co-stars as Strange's guide and partner in Alfheim — described by Marvel as her 'long awaited return' to a prominent ongoing role — while Lady Sif, Huginn, and Muninn appear in the Asgard-set opening pages.
- Strange's new status quo — Sorcerer Supreme of Asgard rather than Earth, cut off from Midgard — flows directly out of Loki murdering Thor in Al Ewing's concurrent Thor (2025) run, making this issue a key node in a line-wide shared-continuity event.
- A dedicated prelude story in Doctor Strange #450 (September 2025 one-shot), also by Landy and Fiorelli, debuted Strange's new Asgardian costume (designed by Geoff Shaw) and served as an on-ramp for new readers before this series launched.
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