Human Torch: Written by Stan Lee – Art by Jack Kirby – Inks by Dick Ayers – Letters by Sam Rosen

Doctor Strange: Written by Stan Lee – Art by Steve Ditko – Letters by Sam Rosen

Captain America returns!

Well, not exactly.

The Human Torch story in Strange Tales #114 gives us our first real tease of Captain America’s return to Marvel.

A mysterious figure dressed as Cap appears, and the story gives readers a rundown of the character’s history, including his secret identity as Steve Rogers.

There’s even a little wink at the audience. The comic suggests that if readers like seeing Captain America again, Marvel might consider bringing him back.

Of course, this isn’t the real Captain America. It’s an impostor, and the story doesn’t actually bring the character back. That would have to wait for Avengers.

Still, it’s a fascinating little footnote. Marvel is testing the waters, reminding readers of an old favorite and gauging interest in bringing him into this new superhero universe.

It’s also a strange fit for the Human Torch. Johnny’s feature has spent much of its run building a world around him, but here the main attraction is a character who hasn’t appeared in a Marvel superhero comic in years.

Meanwhile, Doctor Strange returns in the backup story. We haven’t seen him since Strange Tales #111, and this time he finds himself dealing with Baron Mordo once more.

Mordo poses as Sir Clive Bentley and calls on Strange for help, setting a trap for his old enemy. Strange is captured, but he manages to contact Victoria Bentley, whose knowledge of her father’s death exposes the deception. Strange then turns the tables on Mordo with an illusion of his own.

It’s a short adventure, but it adds another layer to the mythology taking shape around Doctor Strange.

Baron Mordo is becoming a recurring adversary. The Ancient One remains an important part of Strange’s world. And now Victoria Bentley enters the picture, giving Strange another connection beyond his mystical training and battles with supernatural enemies.

The Doctor Strange feature is still young, but it already feels as though Lee and Ditko are building a world with its own history and recurring characters.

The two stories offer an interesting contrast. The Human Torch feature looks backward, revisiting a hero from Marvel’s past and asking whether readers want him back. Doctor Strange looks forward, building out the mythology of a character Marvel has only recently introduced.

Captain America may be the bigger historical footnote, but Doctor Strange is the one whose world is steadily taking shape.

Marvel in the 60s – Entry #92