History
Donna Strange was the second child and only daughter of Eugene Strange and his wife Beverly. Donna was born on the Strange family's farm in Nebraska in 1932, sometime before December, two years after her older brother Stephen and over five years before her younger brother Victor. Donna lived on the farm her whole life.[1]
When Donna was seven years old, her brother "Stevey" was often able to persuade her to be his assistant in his magic act.[2]
When Donna was nine years old and suffered an injury, her older brother aided her. This experience inspired Stephen to pursue a medical career.[1]
In 1949, when "Stevie" was home on vacation for his nineteenth birthday, the seventeen-year-old Donna invited him to join her and three friends from high school who were going to the lake to swim, telling her brother that she wanted to show him off to everyone with the new mustache he had grown while he was off at college.[3][4] Stephen agreed and the group drove to the lake but once they got there Stephen remained on the shore while the other four swam. They were having a good time, diving and swimming, until Donna suffered a cramp that incapacitated her. No longer able to swim, Donna called out for help before sinking beneath the surface of the lake even as her friends and her brother tried to save her. In his search for his sister, Stephen repeatedly dived deep to the bottom of the lake but, after more than thirty minutes had passed, he finally gave up.[4]
After finding Donna's body, Stephen felt a sense of personal responsibility that eroded his medical idealism.[1]Notes
- Although a flashback in Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #45 depicts Stephen's desperate search for his sister, there is no mention of him finding her body. That fact was created by the writers of his entry in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Marvel Knights 2005 #1.
- Since it was established in Strange Tales #176 that Stephen Strange was born sometime in the month of November, if Donna was 17 years old when she drowned on his 19th birthday, then her birthday must have been earlier in the year than his was.
See Also
- 3 appearance(s) of Donna Strange (Earth-616)
- 2 minor appearance(s) of Donna Strange (Earth-616)
- 4 mention(s) of Donna Strange (Earth-616)
- 2 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Donna Strange (Earth-616)
- 2 image(s) of Donna Strange (Earth-616)