Appearing in "Dawn of Death!"
Featured Characters:
- ⏴ Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange) ⏵ (Main story and flashback)
Supporting Characters:
- ⏴ Madeleine St. Germaine ⏵ (Main story and flashback)
- Sara Wolfe
- Clea
Antagonists:
- ⏴ Azrael (Lord Julian Phyffe) ⏵ (Death) (First appearance as Azrael)
- Baron Mordo (Only as an astral projection)
Other Characters:
- Madeleine St. Germaine's husband (Photo)
- Madeleine St. Germaine's 2 children (Photo)
- Colette Joubert (Madeleine's maid, killed by Azrael) (Death)
- Paris Police
Locations:
- Paris
- United States of America
- New York State
- New York City (Main story and flashback)
- New York Hospital (Only in flashback)
- Greenwich Village (Main story and flashback)
- Adirondack Forest Preserve
- New York City (Main story and flashback)
- Florida (Mentioned)
- Citrusville (Mentioned)
- Nexus of All Realities (Mentioned)
- New York State
Items:
- Cloak of Levitation
- Eye of Agamotto
- Seven Gates of Chaos (Mentioned)
- Spells
- Bolts of Bedevilment
- Shield of the Seraphim
- Hounds of Hoggoth (Invoked)
- Hosts of Hoggoth (Invoked)
- Crimson Bands of Cyttorak
- Winds of Watoomb
- Images of Ikonn
- Flames of the Faltine
- Rings of Raggadorr
Synopsis for "Dawn of Death!"
Continued from last issue...
Dr. Strange confronts his old colleague, Lord Julian Phyffe, asking why he now serves Strange's arch-foe, Baron Mordo. Phyffe explains that Mordo is planning on opening the Seven Gates of Chaos and, in return for Phyffe's service, promised to save him when he completed his spell and destroyed the Earth. When Strange tries to explain to Phyffe that Mordo will likely betray him, Lord Phyffe stuns Strange with a mystic bolt and makes his escape in a sports car. However, when he is unable to escape from Strange, Phyffe begs Mordo to save him but Mordo instead causes the car to go out of control and crash into the River Seine.
When Strange dives down after him and breaks into the sinking car, the Sorcerer Supreme finds that it's too late to save Phyffe because his neck had broken in the crash. Strange himself almost meets his end when he almost drowns in the powerful currents of the Seine, but he manages to make it to shore and is pulled up onto dry land by Madeleine St. Germaine. After Stephen brings her up to speed, the two decide to leave. As their car speeds off, they're too far away to notice as the reanimated corpse of Lord Phyffe rises from the water, resurrected by Baron Mordo to finish his appointed task of killing Dr. Strange. In order to facilitate this goal, Baron Mordo transforms Phyffe into a new form which he christens Azrael and sends him after Strange.
Meanwhile, the Doctor has returned to the home of Madeleine St. Germaine where he calls his Sanctum Sanctorum in New York. Sara Wolf answers the phone and tells Stephen about how Clea's search for Wong was impeded by demon wraiths and how they had temporarily switched physical forms so that she might get past them. Elsewhere, Clea has tracked down Wong's location to a mansion in the Adirondack mountains, where she is shot from behind and tumbles down a hill.
Back in Paris, Stephen reads a copy of the International Herald Tribune but barely notices a front page headline about mysterious disappearances near Citrusville, Florida. Seeing pictures of Madeleine's family makes Stephen reflect back to his early days as a surgeon when he saved Madeleine's life and the two had a whirlwind romance thereafter. It ended after a year when Strange's love of money became an obsession that caused Madeleine to turn down his marriage proposal and walk out of his life. With the recollection over, Strange realizes that he still cares deeply for the woman. When Madeleine returns, he explains that the Chaos Gates are part of an ancient spell that can be used to reverse the seven days of Genesis, that the spell requires the sacrifice of 13 people and that the sacrifices must be performed in a place of great occult power. When Madeleine mentions that Phyffe had recently made an unusual number of business trips to Florida, Strange remembers the article and realizes that the Nexus of All Realities is where Mordo will be. Suddenly, Strange and Madeleine hear an scream just before Madeleine's maid enters in the room in a panic. To their horror, she ages rapidly before their eyes and within seconds has crumbled to dust. The transformed Lord Phyffe then enters the room and attempts to destroy Dr. Strange. The Sorcerer Supreme soon finds that Azrael's power allows him to age not only people at a touch, but spells as well, making any of the Doctor's attacks nearly useless against his foe. Their battle rages, and brings the attention of the police. While all are distracted, Dr. Strange grabs Madeleine and makes a run for it by jumping out a nearby window. Azrael manages to catch up by ageing the mortar in a brick wall enough to cause a rain of bricks to fall on Stephen. Pulled out of the rubble by Azrael whose face is now masked by an astral projection of Mordo, Dr. Strange soon begins to succumb to the evil magician's powers, ageing rapidly.
This story is continued in Man-Thing (Vol. 2) #4...
Notes
- Milgrom is consulting editor.