6 Times Magic Nearly Destroyed or Saved the Marvel Universe

Magic might just be the most powerful force in the Marvel Universe. Over the years, it has threatened the very fabric of existence, but also saved it on several occasions.

The students at STRANGE ACADEMY will surely learn of many of these sorts of events during their course of study in the new series by Skottie Young and Humberto Ramos. Here are some of the most iconic instances of magic either threatening or saving reality!

The Dread Dormammu

Over the years, Doctor Strange has struggled to stop any and all magical menaces. One of the most persistent beings intent on destroying all of reality is none other than Dormammu. The Dread One debuted in STRANGE TALES #126-127 in a story that saw the Master of the Mystic Arts going to the Dark Dimension and actually helping him fend off the Mindless Ones. This began a long-standing enmity between the pair which has often threatened a variety of realities.

Blazing Inferno

In 1989, a pair of demons by the name of S'ym and N'astirh from Limbo, launched an event called INFERNO when they tricked Magik into opening portals to Earth, using them to send out scores of demons. This led to conflicts with the likes of the Avengers, Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and, of course, the X-Men. The demons also cast spells over the heroes and turned Madelyne Pryor into the Goblin Queen. However, Magik managed to harness her demonic power to vanquish the villains back to Limbo and parts beyond!

The Titanic Tussle

A great deal of elements went in to stopping Thanos from becoming the end-all, be-all in the universe -- including his obsession with Death and an ego that wouldn't quit -- but Doctor Strange definitely came in handy, especially after Nebula stole the Gauntlet from the Mad Titan. The Sorcerer Supreme cast a spell that allowed some of his fellow heroes to remain in a gambit that eventually lead to Adam Warlock attaining the Infinity Stones and breaking them up among a variety of individuals in an attempt to keep all that power out of the wrong hands.

Trouble in Scarlet

After realizing that her magically-induced twins had been lost and the very memory of them had been hidden from hero, the Scarlet Witch found herself in a bad mental space, partially due to her dealing with a cosmic demon. In AVENGERS #500-503, she used her massive magic abilities to send everything from Ultron to the Kree after her one-time teammates, seriously injuring She-Hulk in the process and apparently killing Jack of Hearts, Scott Lang AKA Ant-Man, and Hawkeye.

Had Doctor Strange, Captain America, and Magneto not intervened, there's no telling how much death and destruction Wanda Maximoff could have wrought in that damaged state. Shortly after, she completely rewrote reality resulting in the HOUSE OF M event. When things got back to normal, Wanda made one more unexpected choice when she decimated the mutant population with three simple words: “No more mutants.”

A Runaway Success

In the very first volume of RUNAWAYS, the kids not only found themselves dealing with their parents being full-on villains, but also the fact that they served a mysterious interdimensional cult called the Gibborim. These strange beings intended to destroy the world, but Molly, Chase, Nico, Karolina, Victor, and Xavin dealt with death, betrayal and their own demons before managing to find a way to beat incredible odds and stop the would-be destroyers.

War of the Realms

After eons of scheming, the Dark Elf king Malekith fully launched his War of the Realms, which carried through THOR: GOD OF THUNDER, THOR, MIGHTY THOR, and WAR OF THE REALMS. In the latter series, he led an army of fire demons, frost giants, and other mythical creatures on a warpath through Midgard. However, thanks to the combined efforts of Asgard, the League of Realms, the heroes of Earth, and four Thors, the evil elf and his minions were vanquished from Earth.

For even more STRANGE ACADEMY talk, tune in to the latest episode of This Week in Marvel, featuring a conversation with Skottie Young!

Now that a new generation of magically powered students are learning to hone their respective crafts, will they use them for good or for evil? You’ll have to follow STRANGE ACADEMY to find out!

Remember to pick up your copy of STRANGE ACADEMY #1, written by Skottie Young with art by Humberto Ramos, online or at your local comic shop!