One of the most befuddling, unsolved mysteries to arise under the Marvel Comics banner in recent memory is one concerning Doctor Strange's son, Stephen Strange Jr. In the Ultimate Marvel universe, Stephen Strange Jr. is the biological son of the original Strange and Clea, the former of whom disappeared from the latter's life when she became pregnant. Furious at her partner's abandonment, Clea raises the younger Stephen in the suburbs without knowledge of his father or his magic lineage. It isn't until he's visited by Wong on his 21st birthday that he's notified of his birthright, beginning his training and adopting the Doctor Strange mantle in his father's absence.
The major mystery surrounding the character begins in Marvel's 2009 issue Ultimatum #4 by Jeph Loeb and David Finch. Like many characters under the Ultimate Marvel imprint during this story arc, Strange Jr. is brutally killed in this issue. In his case, the new Doctor Strange's fate is decided following a confrontation with Dormammu, who crushes his head with Strange's own sash. However, shortly afterward, a dark, silhouetted figure approaches the corpse, dropping to their knees while producing an ethereal, glowing light.
On the surface, this seems like a big cliffhanger worth addressing. In fact, it's very likely that Loeb and Finch had big plans to address this visual in the future. However, the future itself had different plans for the Ultimate Marvel imprint, which would be greatly diminished after the critically panned Ultimatum. After paring down the Ultimate Marvel line to fewer titles that saw diminishing sales, the imprint was discontinued in 2015. The Ultimate version of Doctor Strange was not revisited in any subsequent series. Thus, this is the final image that fans got to see of this universe's Doctor Strange, depriving readers of proper answers to their questions.
A lot can be speculated and assumed based just on Doctor Strange's history in the Ultimate Marvel universe. For many readers, the natural conclusion may be that the mysterious figure is none other than Stephen Strange Sr. finally resurfacing. Meanwhile, it could also very well be Clea, who prior to shunning magic in Strange Sr.'s absence was actually a devout, skilled pupil of his in her youth. Although she did discard her belief and trust in magic when Strange Sr. abandoned her, the possibility of bringing her son back to life with magic is as good a reason as any to renew her faith.
Much can be speculated, but only so much can be confirmed when well over 10 years has passed since Ultimatum hit the shelves. However, considering that Marvel has been dropping hints lately of a return to the Ultimate Marvel universe in some way, shape, or form, perhaps the mystery of Doctor Strange will finally be answered one day, however slim that chance may be.
