The title of Doctor Doom. In this story, readers witness the doctors compete in a mystical trial that determines who is truly more worthy of holding the title of Sorcerer Supreme.
Roger Stern’s and Mike Mignola’s Doctor Strange & Doctor Doom: Triumph & Torment begins with a centuries-old sorcerer known as Genghis reminiscing about a hooded man who asked to be tutored in the ways of sorcery, attacking mercilessly when he refused. Doctor Strange is able to save the man, but Genghis tells him that he was attacked by the most dangerous man alive - one Strange will face in the future.
Genghis’ story continues, revealing that the hooded man made his way to Tibet and studied under the monks, eventually becoming their master. As their leader, the man instructed them to build him an enchanted suit of armor. After having an extremely hot steel mask placed on his face, the man stood atop a mountain and began his life as Doctor Doom. The comic returns to the present with Genghis and his servant, who is shocked by this revelation. However, Genghis is immediately teleported to a jungle temple in South Asia.
Unsurprised by this, Genghis calls the sorcerers of the world to come to the temple so they can decide who is the most powerful sorcerer on earth. The next day, Strange arrives at the temple, only to be met by the other sorcerers who received the call. However, the most shocking member of the crowd is Doctor Doom, who is also there to prove his skill in the mystic arts. Genghis informs the group that they were gathered to take part in a trial that would test their abilities so the next Sorcerer Supreme can be chosen. The mystical beings known as the Vishanti appear before the group and confirm the winner of the trial will be crowned as Sorcerer Supreme, while the runner-up will be given a boon, which the winner must grant.
The trial then begins, with Genghis encased in what seems to be an unbreakable crystal, and the Vishanti explaining that the one who can free Genghis will be Sorcerer Supreme. The first attempt is by a young sorcerer called Jules St. Thomas, who uses a spell called the Mojo Lance to pierce the crystal, only to have it deflect backward and incapacitate him. The group as a whole then attacks the crystal with their own spells, just to have them deflected back at them. Those who are struck by the deflected spells are possessed and attack whoever is still standing. In the end, only Strange and Doom remain, able to fight off the possessed sorcerers. Doom attacks Strange, only to be incapacitated by his Crimson Bands of Cyttorak.
With Doom taken care of, Strange uses his astral form to retrieve Genghis from the crystal. Having completed the trial, the Vishanti reward Doctor Strange with the title of Sorcerer Supreme, which makes him the highest mystical authority on earth. However, the runner-up for the title is Doctor Doom, who asks Strange to help him save his mother from Hell. This story is an amazing piece of backstory for both characters, showing them go through huge, character-defining moments together. The contest and the adventure that followed gave Doom and Doctor Strange a kind of kinship, making the Sorcerer Supreme one of the few people Doctor Doom respects, even if he did return time and again to steal the title.
