Appearing in "Final Encounter!"
Featured Characters:
- S.H.I.E.L.D.
- ⏴ Colonel Nick Fury ⏵ (Impersonates Baron Wolfgang von Strucker) (Main story and flashback)
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Hydra
- ⏴ Supreme Hydra (Baron Wolfgang von Strucker) ⏵ (Impersonates Colonel Nick Fury) (Apparent death) (Main story and flashback)
- Numerous unnamed agents
Other Characters:
- Nazis (Mentioned)
- Blitzkrieg Squad (Mentioned)
- Cassius Clay (Mentioned) (Topical Reference)
- Supreme Hydra (Arnold Brown) (Referenced)
- Agent "Dum Dum" Dugan (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
- Humans (Main story and flashback)
- Pigs (Mentioned)
- Mules (Referenced)
- Butterflies (Mentioned)
- Possums (Mentioned)
Locations:
- Earth (Main story and flashback)
- Pacific Ocean (Main story and flashback)
- Hydra Island (Main story and flashback)
- S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters (Mentioned)
- Pacific Ocean (Main story and flashback)
Items:
- Alpha-Tron
- Satan Claw
- Oxygen Buttons (Only in flashback)
- Epiderm-Mask (Only in flashback)
- Death Spore (First appearance)
Vehicles:
- S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier (Only on screen as a static image or video record)
Synopsis for "Final Encounter!"
The battle between Fury and Strucker continues, with the "Satan Claw" electrifying the floor, until Fury manages to get it off Strucker's hand. But surrounded by HYDRA thugs, Fury dives into a pit of water, and after not emerging for 5 minutes is presumed dead. Big mistake-- as Fury had used an oxygen pellet to wait out the thugs, then raced ahead of Strucker. Minutes later, as HYDRA thugs enter the room, they discover 2 Struckers! One of them is revealed to be wearing a mask, panics, and winds up incinerated in an "Alpha-Particle Reactor Cube". The other orders Laura put aboard the Dyna-Soar, and he takes off from Hydra Island, despite the imminent detonation of The Death Spore bomb. Surprise-- it's Fury, who used Strucker's "face-changing gizmo" to disguise both himself and Strucker, to fool the guards. He also reveals that when he left the Heli-Carrier, he brought the bomb WITH him, even though at the time he didn't know what it was. It detonates, and thanks to the impenetrable dome, only Hydra Island and all within are wiped off the face of the Earth!
Appearing in "The Sands of Death"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Umar (Only in recap)
- Zom (Only in recap)
- Dormammu (Vision)
- Numerous unnamed practitioners of magic (Vision)
- Watoomb (Invoked)
- Raggadorr (Invoked)
- Seraphim (Invoked)
- Vishanti (Invoked)
- Ancient One (Mentioned)
- Cyttorak (Invoked)
- Denak (Invoked)
Races and Species:
- Abstract Entities
- Humans
- Faltine (Only in recap)
- Demons (Only in recap)
- Chaos Lords (Vision)
Locations:
- Earthspace (Main story and recap)
- Milky Way (Main story and recap)
- Earth (Main story and recap)
- Europe (Main story and recap)
- United Kingdom (Main story and recap)
- England (Main story and recap)
- Wiltshire (Main story and recap)
- Amesbury (Main story and recap)
- Stonehenge (Main story and recap)
- Amesbury (Main story and recap)
- Wiltshire (Main story and recap)
- England (Main story and recap)
- United Kingdom (Main story and recap)
- Sanctum Sanctorum (Mentioned)
- Europe (Main story and recap)
- Earth (Main story and recap)
- Milky Way (Main story and recap)
- Numerous unnamed dimensions (Vision)
Items:
- Eye of Agamotto
- Cloak of Levitation (Repaired)
- Flames of Regency (Only in recap)
- Links of Living Bondage (Only in recap)
- Wand of Watoomb (Mentioned)
- Spells
- Rings of Raggadorr
- Sign of the Seraphim (Invoked)
- Flames of the Faltine (Invoked)
- Crimson Bands of Cyttorak (Invoked)
- Hosts of Hoggoth (Invoked)
- Demons of Denak (Invoked)
- Glass of Doom (First appearance)
Synopsis for "The Sands of Death"
The Living Tribunal has appeared in judgment of the Earth and judges that it should be destroyed. It explains to Doctor Strange that when he freed Zom and destroying the creatures forelock he had unleashed a terrible power on the Earth. These events have awakened those with latent mystical abilities to become evil and manifest magical abilities, thereby upsetting the cosmic balance and threaten to destroy the universe.
Doctor Strange after fighting a futile battle against the Tribunal, manages to convince it to give him some time to try and stop these newly awakened mystics. The Tribunal agrees, bringing forth the Glass of Doom to count down the time that Doctor Strange has to solve the problem. The Tribunal then disappears to await the final fate of the Earth and Doctor Strange flies off to correct the terrible mistake he has made.
Notes
- This issue contains a letters page, "Strange Mails". Letters are published from Jose Medina, Bill Mantlo, Larry Good, and Michael Esterson.
Trivia
- Letter writer Bill Mantlo will be a significant writer and creator for Marvel Comics in the 1970's.
- The Pink Floyd album cover for Saucerful of Secrets features images from this issue. The face of the Living Tribunal is in the upper left corner, Doctor Strange is on the mid-right side, and the swath of planets across the middle all were taken from Strange Tales Vol 1 158.