Doctor Strange’s big face-off with Salome. Only as soon as he returns to Earth’s dimension, he learns that the mystic beings he regularly summons (Vishanti, Agamotto, etc.) have all decided to endorse Salome.
At the same time, Clea is negotiating–not fighting–with Dormammu on a way to restore their mutual home dimension.
Dormammu has been depowered, so he looks like crap and…
…Of course he resorts to violence during treaty negotiations.
It’s like an election story! It’s funny–comic books are often silly because everyone always fights before they talk. It’s very cool to see the opposite happening here.
To gain enough power to defeat Salome, Doctor Strange decides to grab back the energy he used to cast/create his two shadows: Vincent Stevens and Strange.
When we last saw them, they had decided to merge–and the Doc arrives just before that happens.
Obviously, they don’t want to be absorbed, so they fight for their existence.
Doctor Strange manages to get Strange on his side, and together they destroy Vincent. But Strange still wants to be a real boy.
So the Doc gives Strange some of his own energy to enable them to share mystic power.
Once the two agree to be partners, Strange merges with another dying mystic and becomes “Paradox.”
The, they all go help Clea.
Once Dormammu is defeated, it’s time for Salome.
Doctor Strange gets unexpected help from Sister Nil, and wins the battle.
Sister Nil is a once-hostile mystic demon (a lilin) who used to work for Salome and who Doctor Strange has been holding prisoner.
After his win, we see Doc has completely changed his appearance as a result of losing and then regaining his mystic essence.
