Meet Marvel's first new character of 2022: Lyra Bloodstone

Death of Doctor Strange: Bloodstone #1 excerpt
Death of Doctor Strange: Bloodstone #1 excerpt (Image credit: Marvel Comics)

The death of Doctor Strange has left a power vacuum inside the Marvel Universe, as the various spells he enacted to protect the Earth from magical threats fell when he did in Death of Doctor Strange #1. Since then, heroes like the Avengers and Spider-Man have attempted to step up and bridge the gap, but in January 2022 we're getting a surprise: Elsa Bloodstone.

Death of Doctor Strange: Bloodstone #1 cover (Image credit: Marvel Comics)

In January 12's Death of Doctor Strange: Bloodstone one-shot by writer Tini Howard and artist Ig Guara, Elsa is stepping up to fend off magical invaders - but to do it, she'll need to find a way to work with her villainous brother Cullen, who described himself in Avengers Undercover #2 as "a cold-blooded weapons expert who hates people and periodically transforms into a ten-ton indestructible man-eating soul beast."

"Death of Doctor Strange: Bloodstone is a must-read for Bloodstone fans, and a great introduction to the family for curious readers," Howard tells Newsarama. "There's even a mysterious new family member you'll get to meet right along with Elsa and Cullen, as the death of Doctor Strange breaks pacts all over the cosmos..."

Newsarama has confirmed that the "mysterious new family member" is a previously unknown sister named Lyra Bloodstone, who will make her debut in Death of Doctor Strange: Bloodstone. 

CHeck out this preview of Death of Doctor Strange: Bloodstone, and the first appearance of Lyra:

The Bloodstone family business has been monster-hunting going back to the prehistoric era, but until now Elsa and Cullen were the only two Bloodstone left alive. So the question becomes, who is she - and more importantly where has she been that even Elsa and Cullen didn't know of her existence?

David Nakayama has drawn the primary cover to Death of Doctor Strange: Bloodstone #1, with variant covers coming from Maria Wolf and Ig Guara (a design variant). Check them out here:

Death of Doctor Strange: Bloodstone #1 goes on sale on January 12.

Elsa Bloodstone joins a pool of potential successors as Earth's next Sorcerer Supreme. 

Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)