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"I never saw your future, only its possibilities. You have such a capacity for goodness. You've always excelled, but not because you crave success but because of your fear of failure." "It's what made me a great doctor." "It's precisely what's kept you from greatness. Arrogance and fear still keep you from learning the simplest and most significant lesson of all." "Which is?" "It's not about you."
Stephen Vincent Strange M.D., Ph.D is a powerful sorcerer and a leading member of the Masters of the Mystic Arts. Originally a brilliant and renowned yet arrogant neurosurgeon, Strange suffered a car accident that had resulted in his hands being crippled. When all Western medicine failed to restore his hands, Strange embarked on a journey that led him to the Masters of the Mystic Arts as well as the discovery of magic and alternate dimensions, being trained by the Ancient One and Karl Mordo. Though his focus was healing his hands, Strange learned more about the mystic arts and helped the Masters prevent Kaecilius and the Zealots from merging Earth with the Dark Dimension, but not before witnessing the death of the Ancient One. With the demise of his mentor, Strange became the protector of the New York Sanctum in New York City as well as Earth's protector from any inter-dimensional threats. From his new position, Strange met and aided Thor with locating Odin.
Doctor Stephen Vincent Strange, M.D., Ph.D., also known as Doctor Strange, is a powerful sorcerer and Master of the Mystic Arts from Marvel Comics who featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He was once a brilliant yet arrogant neurosurgeon before suffering a car accident in 2016 which left him unable to practice medicine. He then went on to study magic and became a powerful sorcerer. He was in several MCU films, including the Doctor Strange, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, What If...?, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
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Is Doctor Strange 3 happening?
There has been no announcement for a third Doctor Strange film as of September 2023.
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Does Doctor Stranger have a happy ending?
As the MCU is currently ongoing, the nature of Doctor Strange's ending is unknown.
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Do Doctor Strange's hands ever heal?
Despite spending his entire fortune on experimental treatments, Doctor Strange's hands were unable to be repaired, as nerve damage can't simply be reattached. However, with the help of the Ancient One, Strange learned to heal his soul and gain magical abilities to erect barriers against enemies and fight back, thus helping him protect the world from Kaecilius and his Zealots' evil plans.
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Why is he called Dr Strange?
Stephen Strange was a world-class neurosurgeon in New York City, and so he has the title Doctor. Although he no longer practices medicine after his car accident, he is still called Doctor Strange.
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Biography
Early Life
Medical School
"I've got a photographic memory. It's how I got my M.D. and Ph.D. at the same time."
Stephen Vincent Strange was born in New York City. He had a sister named Donna, who eventually died due to unknown reasons. He went to medical school and eventually graduated with an MD-PhD at the same time, using his photographic memory to learn all of the information incredibly quickly.[2]
Career as a Neurosurgeon
"Look, I'm using trans-sectioned spinal cords to stimulate neurogenesis in the central nervous system. My work is at least going to save thousands for years to come."
As an adult, Doctor Strange had begun specializing in neurological surgery and focusing his research on the formation of new nerve cells. His popularity eventually increased to the point where he was labeled by Project Insight as a threat to HYDRA.[3] By 2016, he was one of the top surgeons in New York City and was exclusively interviewed by WHiH World News about all of the new life-saving techniques he had been investigating in his field.[4]
Strange eventually became attracted to Christine Palmer, a fellow surgeon who had worked alongside him in the ER department of Metro-General Hospital where together they successfully invented a laminectomy procedure, something which Strange tried to take full credit for and even have named after him. The two later began a relationship; it did not last due to Strange's arrogance and his focus on his career, but the two continued to work with each other and remained friends.[2]
Top of the World
Doctor Strange prepares for an operation
"Now's not the time for showing off, Strange." "How about ten minutes ago when you called the wrong time of death?"
Continuing his career as a neurosurgeon, Strange performed another operation while at Metro-General Hospital, where he was watched a team of students who were all taking notes on his work. While he was operating, Strange requested that Billy play music and have Strange use his impressive memory to guess the song, artist and year it had been released, which he was able to do each time, much to the great frustration of Billy and all of the other nurses.
Once he had completed yet another successful surgery, Strange was asked by Christine Palmer to help with a patient who had been shot in a firefight. Leaving his nurses to finish with the operation without him, Strange met with Palmer outside the operating room where she presented the x-ray of her patient. While Strange joked that clearly the issue she was having was that the patient had a bullet inside his head, Strange suddenly realized there was something wrong.
Despite all the objections of fellow surgeon Nicodemus West, who wanted to start recovering the patient's organs immediately, Strange found a perfectly intact bullet and realized the bullet was hardened by a poison that caused the patient to fail reflexes tests and enter a death-like state. Realizing Doctor West misdiagnosed brain death in the patient, Strange and Palmer rushed to stop West and prepared to perform an immediate surgery to try and remove the bullet.
Strange successfully removes the lost bullet
Although West requested to assist Strange in the operation, Strange refused the offer and instead told Palmer to come assist him. As the operation went underway, Palmer thanked Strange for believing her before Strange prepared to remove the bullet freehand, without the use of a machine as there was such little time. Demanding absolute silence, which included West being told to cover his watch, Strange eventually managed to find and then remove the bullet.
Immediately following the successful surgery, Palmer questioned if Strange really needed to humiliate West in front of all of the other doctors, although Strange confidently noted that he did not have to save West's own patient either but sometimes he just could not help himself. When Palmer continued to defend West and called him a great doctor Strange asked Palmer if she and West were sleeping together, claiming that the mere concept disgusted him. Palmer then denied the accusation, stating it was against the "Strange Policy," a policy against dating coworkers, which she named after him, which still pleased Strange to have something named after him.
Strange invites Palmer to his speaking event
They briefly discussed the laminectomy procedure they had invented together, with Strange still complaining that it had not been named after him yet. Strange proceeded to tell Palmer that he was set to speak at a American Neurological Association dinner later that night and invited her to accompany him. Palmer declined, stating that she never enjoyed going to speaking engagements and that the reason he went was that it boosted his already absurdly large ego.[2]
Fall From Grace
Strange prepares to go to the speaking dinner
"Give your body time to heal." "You've ruined me..."
Despite the rejection from Christine Palmer, Strange prepared himself to go and attend the dinner alone, going through his Apartment and putting on a new tux and picking the perfect watch the wear, one that was gifted to him by Palmer while they were in a relationship. Now dressed and ready to go, Strange got into his sports car and drove through New York City at high speed and little regard for his own safety while driving.
While en route to the dinner, Strange received a phone call from his colleague Billy, who had come across three new potential surgeries, including a thirty five year-old Air Force colonel who had rushed his lower spine in some kind of experimental armor and sixty eight year old woman with an advanced brain stem glioma. After turning down the first two which he deemed below him, Strange eventually showed interest in a schizophrenic who had been struck by lightning.
Strange is involved in a major car crash
Strange took his eyes off the road so he could look at the patient's records, becoming interested in the x-ray Billy had sent him, only to collide with another car while he was driving at high speed. Unable to do anything to save himself, Strange's hands were crushed beyond repair by the impact, all while his car flew straight off the road before crashing into a nearby river bank. Trapped in the wreckage of the car, Strange lay in utter agony and eventually lost consciousness.
Strange is taken to hospital after the accident
Having eventually been found in the wreckage of his own car after a desperate search, Strange was immediately rushed to Metro-General Hospital and underwent a surgery that lasted eleven hours and was overseen by Palmer and Nicodemus West. Although his own life had been saved due to the emergency surgery, both of Strange's hands had now suffered permanent nerve damage which had forced West to use eleven stainless steel pins inside of the bones.
Strange awakes while still inside the hospital
When Strange woke up the following day while in his hospital bed, he found Palmer was waiting by him. As he looked in horror, Strange discovered that his hands was terribly scarred and he learned from Palmer that both of his hands, which were crushed during the crash, had suffered severe nerve damage and rendered inoperable. When Palmer insisted that nobody else could have done a better job for him, Strange still insisted that he could have done better.[2]
"Pass the stent under the brachial artery under the radial artery." "It's possible. Experimental, and expensive, but possible." "All I need is possible."
Eventually Strange's bandages on his hands were removed and he finally attempted simply to part all his fingers, however this proved almost impossible due to the pain it caused and the amount his hands shook. Nicodemus West advised Strange to allow his body to heal, but Strange then furiously accused West of ruining his body and his entire career.
Strange attempts to find a cure for himself
After being released from Metro-General Hospital, Strange focused his efforts on finding a way to cure his own hands, pushing for new experimental treatments. Strange had soon spent most of his money on seven different operations as well as numerous other rehabilitation techniques, but all soon proved to be unsuccessful. With each new attempt, he was forced to sell up his lavish lifestyle and belongings to fund the operations, leaving him with little left to his name.
Strange undergoes his next physical therapy
While undergoing all his physical therapy, Strange was instructed to open his fingers using a brace, something he still found to be almost impossible to do without causing himself great pain. While Strange complained to his physical therapist about how unlikely it was that he would ever fix this nerve damage, the therapist gave an example of one patient he had treated who had seemingly cured himself of a paralyzed spine, which Strange refused to believe was possible.
Strange's next medical concept is rejected
One day while in his Apartment, Strange was on a video call with a doctor who stated that he cannot help him and turned him down, angering him as he threw his tablet across the room. While Strange was still fuming, Christine Palmer came to his apartment trying to convince him to stop wasting all his money on fixing his hands and telling him to move on by assuring him that there were other ways to save lives and live his own life to the fullest with her help.
Strange did not want to move on but find a way to restore his hands so he could return to his former life as a neurosurgeon, claiming there was a experimental procedure in Tokyo he wished to try as it could be an opportunity to fix his hands and return to his life. Becoming more frustrated and angry, Strange then lashed out at Palmer by stating that she is only pitying him because she loved a sob story which Strange saw himself as. This hurt Palmer who then demanded that he apologize, but he refused, stating that she should leave.
Palmer left him and walked out of his life, leaving the now alone and frustrated Strange to look out over New York City and consider all the decisions he had made and what he was going to do next. While he was picking up the papers he had thrown on the ground in a rage, Strange eventually found a letter from his physical therapist with the documents on Jonathan Pangborn, the paraplegic who had regained the ability to walk again, which seemed to confirm his story.
When the instructor sent him Pangborn's file, Strange tracked him down and found him playing a game of basketball with his friends, seemingly in top physical condition. Despite his initial reluctance due to Strange having refused to take him as a patient before, Pangborn agreed to help when Strange revealed his damaged hands and explained the source of his healing, leading him to Kamar-Taj and the Ancient One. He then wished him good luck in his quest.[2]
"I reject it because I do not believe in fairy tales about chakras or energy or the power of belief. There is no such thing as spirit! We are made of matter and nothing more. You’re just another tiny, momentary speck within an indifferent universe." "You think too little of yourself." "Oh, you think you see through me, do you? Well, you don’t!"
Spending the rest of his money on a ticket to Nepal, Strange began his search for Kamar-Taj. Without any knowledge of where it was located or even what Kamar-Taj was, Strange resorted to simply asking any person he passed if they could give him the information.[2] While walking through the back streets, Strange encountered a hurt dog and decided to stop and give it a makeshift bandage for his leg, joking he would be charging the dog for the treatment.[5]
He was then cornered in an alley by three thugs who attempted to rob him, despite Strange insisting that he did not have any money. The thugs demanded his expensive watch, which Strange refused as it was a gift from Christine Palmer, so Strange tried to defend himself only to be beaten up by all of the thugs. However Strange was then rescued by Karl Mordo, a student of the Ancient One who promised to bring him to Kamar-Taj as Strange had wanted.
Mordo led Strange into Kamar-Taj, which was not the mystic location he was expected as he joked about it. Mordo warned him not to be disrespectful and to forget everything he thought he knew. Inside, Strange initially mistook an elderly man for the Ancient One before he is introduced to the true Sorcerer Supreme, who presented him with tea and welcomed him to their world. Strange began asking how she helped Jonathan Pangborn to heal his broken body.
Strange's astral form is pushed out his body
At first, Strange believed they were researching cell regeneration, but quickly became skeptical of her methods of curing Pangborn as she claimed she and the Masters of the Mystic Arts had healed Pangborn through his spirit. Strange became angry, declaring that she was now wasting his time, noting that he had spent all his money to find her and cure his hands, claiming that he saw through her lies, before she then pushed his Astral Form out his body to present him with his first experience of the Astral Dimension, much to Strange's horror.
Strange was shocked but denied what just happened, thinking he had been drugged, although the Ancient One insisted all she gave him was tea with a little honey, which Strange doubted. Seeking to show him more of what she could offer, the Ancient One then sent Strange through the Multiverse, showing him the various realities before dragging him back when Mordo claimed that his heart rate was spiking, although the Ancient One said he was fine.
Strange was sent back through the Multiverse where he was told that the reality he knew was simply one of many. The Ancient One spoke to him while he was still being flung across all the different realities, challenging him to open his eyes to these possibilities while he had visions of the Quantum Realm as well as the Dark Dimension, seeing a glance of the terrifying Dormammu. The Ancient One made Strange question who he was within this multiverse, while he encountered sights and senses beyond his wildest imaginations.
Having experienced something that was unable to explain, Strange was then back into the room within Kamar-Taj where he fell to the feet of the Ancient One, to questioned if he had ever had an experience like that in a gift shop. Barely recovering from the revelations shown to him, Strange remained on his knees and begged her to teach him how to do this, but she refused and then had him cast out because of his previous disrespect towards her and their ways.
Strange is thrown back out onto the streets
Thrown out on to the streets of Nepal, Strange was unable to stop the Masters of the Mystic Arts from locking the door behind them and trapping him outside. Seeing this as his last chance, Strange charged back at the door and screamed out at the Ancient One and Mordo to please let him back inside. Strange then spent the next five hours banging on the door and begging to be let back inside until finally, Mordo had changed the Ancient One's mind.
Once back inside, Strange was shown into his room by Mordo who advised Strange to use his time to rest and meditate until the Ancient One had called for him in the morning. When Strange was handed a piece of paper reading Shamballa, he questioned if this was now his mantra, to which Mordo explained that it was their wifi password. Once alone, Strange removed his now broken watch and read the message Christine Palmer had engraved on the back.[2]
"Even if my fingers could do that, my hands would just be waving in the air. I mean, how do I get from here to there?" "How did you get to reattach a severed nerve and put a human spine together bone by bone?" "Study and practice, years of it."
The next morning Strange sat down with the Ancient One who began to explain how the Masters of the Mystic Arts drew their power from other dimensions within the Multiverse which allowed them to shape reality, explaining how Jonathan Pangborn used his Magic to move his body, and that she planned for Strange to learn how to do the same with his hands. When Strange asked how he could gain these new skills with his damaged hands, the Ancient One compared it to Strange's studies to become a world-renowned doctor.
Seeking to better his understanding, Strange went to the library to take out several books on the concept of Magic. There he met the librarian Wong, who Strange began mocking for his refusal to smile and his single name, comparing him to Adele and Bono. As Wong expressed his great surprise that Strange had read so many complex books on the Mystic Arts, he invited him to a deeper section of the library to study some of the more detailed books.
Strange questioned how Kamar-Taj worked in terms of knowledge, asking if he could read the Book of Cagliostro, to which Wong said that while no knowledge was off limits in Kamar-Taj, some was too dangerous for a new student like he currently was and therefore Strange was not permitted to read it. Strange noted how the book was missing a page, Wong explained that the previous Kamar-Taj Librarian had been killed by Kaecilius and his Zealots before Wong threatened Strange not to take books without permission, to which Strange simply teased him, questioning the punishment for late fees, before returning back to his room to continue studying.[2]
"I control it by surrendering control? That doesn't make any sense." "Not everything does. Not everything has to. Your intellect has taken you far in life. But it will take you no further. Surrender, Stephen. Silence your ego and your power will rise."
Strange began his training with all of the other students under the watchful eye of Karl Mordo but struggled initially, finding himself disappointingly unable to create a portal using the Sling Ring which the other trainees appeared to have no issue doing. Becoming more frustrated as he continued to fail, Strange told the Ancient One that he believed that the shaking in his hands is the cause. Not accepting this excuse, the Ancient One invited Master Hamir to demonstrate his own skill.
Revealing that Hamir was missing a hand but was still able to use his power regardless, the Ancient One made it clear that Strange could do the same thing if given more practice and confidence in his own abilities as a sorcerer. Deciding that Strange needed more pressure to improve his skills, the Ancient One created her own portal and then took Strange the top of Mount Everest where Strange suffered the horrific cold but was amazed by the views before him.
Wearing only thin clothing, the Ancient One told Strange that the only way he would be able to return to Kamar-Taj before he froze to death was to successfully use his Sling Ring, before she left him behind, much to Strange's horror. Despite still struggling at first, eventually Strange mastered the techniques he needed and successfully created a portal and landed back at Kamar-Taj, much to the Ancient One and Mordo's amusement as he fell onto his face before them.[2]
Gaining Confidence
Strange gains more confidence in his studies
"Once, in this room, you told me to open my eyes. Now I'm being told to blindly accept rules that make no sense." "Like the rule against conjuring a gateway in the library?"
With this achievement, Strange gained the confidence that he could have the skills to become a sorcerer. Strange successfully managed to shave his beard down, giving himself a new look before he went to the library and asked Wong for some new books, jokingly calling him Beyonce, however Wong still believed that Strange was not ready for the books.
Strange continues reading while he sleeps
When Wong refused to hand over the books, Strange took it upon himself to use his Sling Ring to take books from the library behind Wong's back, though he quickly found out. With the books borrowed from Wong, Strange studied in his sleep using the Astral Dimension and progressed rapidly in his studies over the following months, also emailing Christine Palmer whenever he could to try and repair the friendship he had so badly damaged just before he had left.
While his studies were becoming even more impressive, Strange also began questioning many of the rules presented to him in Kamar-Taj and started teaching himself. As a result the Ancient One invited Strange to use the Mirror Dimension to study where he could not affect the real world. While she presented this dimension to him, the Ancient One warned of threats like Kaecilius where this dimension could protect lives from any of the Zealots' sudden attacks.[2]
"So, just how ancient is she?" "No one knows the age of the Sorcerer Supreme. Only that she is Celtic and never talks about her past." "You follow her even though you don't know?"
Stepping back onto the courtyard of Kamar-Taj, Strange began his fight training with Karl Mordo. He questioned Mordo about the Ancient One, asking her true age. Mordo explained that nobody knew the true age of the Ancient One, to which Strange questioned how he could follow someone he knew nothing about, but Mordo insisted that she was trustworthy regardless of her secrets.
Strange attempts to summon his own weapon
As they sparred, Strange and Mordo discussed Kaecilius and why he had turned against the Masters of the Mystic Arts. Taking a break from fighting, Mordo explained the concept of relics which held their power within objects rather than in the Masters themselves. Strange laughed at the complex names as Mordo introduced him to the Staff of the Living Tribunal and Vaulting Boots of Valtorr and then invited Strange to conjure up his own weapon using his powers.
Just as Strange conjured his whip out of pure Magic energy, Mordo proceeded beat him into submission to prove a point, telling him that he needed to fight as if his life had depended on it as one day it may. Once back in his room later that night, Strange went back onto his tablet and wrote yet another email to Christine Palmer, hoping that she might finally reply to him so that he could make amends for all of his unfortunate actions to her and they could move forward.[2]
"I was just doing exactly what it said in the book!" "And what did the book say about the dangers of performing that ritual?" "Yeah, I don't know. I hadn't gotten to that part yet."
One day Strange walked inside the library only to find Wong was not there. Strange took the chance to read the Book of Cagliostro and decided to use the Eye of Agamotto. Using the Eye's power, Strange experimented with its power by making an apple regrow and then rot, discovering the Eye had given him control over time itself in the process. Strange also recreated the missing page on the book which made him realize how The Ancient One remained young.
Wong and Karl Mordo stumbled into Strange's experiment and both warned him not to bend fundamental natural laws so haphazardly, noting that misuse of items of such incredible power, like the Eye, could cause Strange to become trapped in a time loop forever as a result. Upon hearing this Strange awkwardly recommended that the warnings should be put in front of the spells, not after. When asked how he had performed such a difficult spell for an early level trainee of the Masters of the Mystic Arts, Strange explained that he had used his photographic memory before questioning what the purpose of the Masters was as this had never been explained to him.
Strange learns the Masters' role in the world
Taking Strange into the next room, Wong and Mordo explained how they protect the Earth from mystical threats in much the same way that the Avengers protect it from physical ones. Strange questioned if one of these great threats was Dormammu, noting how he had read of Dormammu in the book. Wong then explained how Dormammu came from the Dark Dimension and sought to consume the Earth and rule over the entire Multiverse to become all powerful.
Strange initially refused to fight in a "mystic war" before the London Sanctum was attacked by Kaecilius, with the corpse of Sol Rama, the Sanctum's protector, dropping at their feet. The Sanctum was then destroyed and the explosion ripped through the Kamar-Taj and knocked everybody off their feet, trapping Strange in the New York Sanctum based within New York City as he became separated from all of his allies and was now unable to return to Kamar-Taj.[2]
Finding himself in a new location in New York City due to just being thrown through the portal, Strange walked throughout the New York Sanctum looking for anybody and had soon discovered the Rotunda of Gateways as well as the Cloak of Levitation, which had seemed to acknowledge him, during his time looking around all of the corridors and searching around for someone to help him get back.
However Strange soon heard some commotion and when he went to investigate, he discovered Kaecilius and all his Zealots attacking the building, with Kaecilius seemingly having gained the ability to fold space and matter outside of the Mirror Dimension. While watching from a safe distance, Strange witnessed Daniel Drumm, the guardian of the Sanctum, being murdered by Kaecilius and made his presence known to the attackers but was too late to save Drumm.
Kaecilius initially mistook Strange's name for Mister Doctor as they awkwardly greeted each other, but soon forgot this and attacked him in order to complete his plan to bring Dormammu to Earth. Strange fought back against the Zealots as they all charged towards him as a unit, using his Sling Ring to create whips that stopped their attacks and beat them back as he had been taught to do by Karl Mordo, at one point using the whip to grab hold of a lamp which he threw at his attackers before attempting to run away for his life.
Strange tries to defend himself with magic
As Strange attempted to run through the hallway however, Kaecilius used his own Magic to manipulate the hallway and keep Strange from getting away, forcing Strange to continue defending himself. Using all of the Ancient One's techniques, Strange created shields for himself, although he had trouble controlling them as he lost control over one. Kaecilius' zealots then attacked Strange who managed to defend himself for a time, until Kaecilius used his magic to twist the hallway, causing Strange to be thrown painfully against the all walls before having to hold on as it was then turned vertically.
Strange is forced to fight against Lucian
Seeing an opportunity, Strange used the Rotunda of Gateways he had found earlier to throw one disciple in the desert. With limited time to trap the Zealot within the desert with no way back, Strange attempted to lock the door only for another Zealot, Lucian to attack him. Using his wits, Strange gained the upper hand and locked the door before trapping Lucian in the jungle, leaving only himself and Kaecilius inside the New York Sanctum to continue fighting.
As they continued to fight throughout the Sanctum, the desperate Strange soon found himself being overpowered by the highly trained Kaecilius and at one point attempted to intimidate Kaecilius by using the Brazier of Bom'Galiath, only to have to eventually admit that he did not know how to use it as a weapon and instead threw it at his head. Believing that their fight would soon be over, Kaecilius began knocking Strange through all of the glass containers.
Strange was soon knocked into the Cloak of Levitation's container, which then proceeded to save Strange's life as it began deflecting all of the Space Shards that Kaecilius had continued to attack him with. Frustrated by this, Kaecilius threw Strange off the balcony, only for the Cloak to wrap itself around his shoulders and lifted Strange back into the fight, where he created another energy whip and continued fighting against Kaecilius with all of his remaining might.
Strange then used the cloak to fight Kaecilius until he was was again overpowered and thrown across the room. While Strange attempted to charge towards his enemy to continue fighting with their abilities, the Cloak of Levitation instead pulled him backwards, away from Kaecilius and towards weapons that were on display. However when Strange attempted to grab these weapons to attack his enemy, the Cloak had instead pulled him away with some aggression, forcing Strange to use the other artifact against Kaecilius and trapped him with the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, finally ending the fight.[2]
"What do you have to gain out of this New Age dimensional utopia?" "The same as you. The same as everyone. Life. Eternal life. People think in terms of good and evil, but really, time is the true enemy of us all. Time kills everything." "What about the people you killed?"
With Kaecilius incapable of defending himself, Strange explained that his name was Doctor Strange, not Mister Doctor. Seeing that Strange was a Doctor, Kaecilius explained how the laws of nature declared that all things but die, but insisted that within the Dark Dimension this was not the case. Although Strange tried to gag Kaecilius in order to shut him up, he went on to insist that the Earth did not have to die but could instead join Dormammu and live forever.
As Strange listened, Kaecilius explained the Zealots' plan was to thus reality with the Dark Dimension, giving themselves and all lives on Earth eternal life. Kaecilius then told Strange that the Ancient One dabbled in magic from the Dark Dimension, which is what gave her long lasting life, noting that Strange himself had not come to Kamar-Taj to fight with the Masters of the Mystic Arts but instead intended to save his hands, something the Ancient One had failed to do.
Strange is stabbed in the chest by Lucian
As Strange began to take note of these warnings about the Ancient One and Dormammu's power, Kaecilius began to laugh. Strange questioned if he found all of this funny before Kaecilius noted that Strange's Sling Ring was missing. Just as Strange turned around to look for the ring however, Lucian made it back through the Rotunda of Gateways and stabbed him through the chest with a Space Shard, almost killing Strange before throwing him down the stairs.
Strange attempts to escape from Lucian
As he attempted to escape, Strange was followed closely by Lucian who smiled as Strange was forced to slowly crawl away from his attacker. Just as Lucian attempted to conjure another Space Shard and finish off Strange, the Cloak of Levitation again came to his aid, wrapping itself around Lucian's face and keeping him from killing Strange. While this confrontation happened, Strange chose to seek out Christine Palmer at the Metro-General Hospital.[2]
Strange used his own Sling Ring to transport himself into the Metro-General Hospital to find Christine Palmer, and asked her to operate on him alone. Palmer began the surgery and Strange, feeling that his physical body was getting too weak, entered the Astral Dimension and used his Astral Form to help, shocking Palmer and leaving her bewildered, but Strange insisted they did not have time.
While Palmer attempted to save his life, Strange suddenly noticed that Lucian had escaped from the Cloak of Levitation and had entered the dimension using his own Astral Form. Leaving Palmer to continue to keep him alive, Strange entered the Astral Dimension and fought against Lucian. As they fought, they disturbed several objects in the physical world in the process while Palmer continued performing the surgery, briefly distracting Nicodemus West while he was buying snacks.
Strange overloads and destroys Lucian
Being the superior fighter, Lucian had eventually managed to gain the upper hand and knocked Strange unconscious, which resulted in his physical body's heart stopping. While Lucian attempted to finish him off, Strange's Astral body was filled with energy when Palmer used a defibrillator. Ordering Palmer to do it again, Strange was able to kill Lucian after being charged with a defibrillator, causing Lucian's Astral Form to then explode from the sudden burst of energy.
Returning into his body as Palmer finished her work on his wound, Strange explained that he had been to Kamar-Taj to heal his wounds and learned Magic from the Ancient One, which had allowed him to do what he could do now, although Palmer claimed this meant that he had likely joined a cult, which Strange claimed was untrue despite being amused by the idea. Strange apologized to Palmer for what he had said to her before leaving, asking for her forgiveness.
With his wound from the Space Shards mostly dealt with, Strange decided to return to the New York Sanctum and to continue his fight against the Zealots, although Palmer insisted that this was a bad decision. Explaining that he was still fighting against Kaecilius before he could allow Dormammu and the Dark Dimension to take over the world, Strange then showed Palmer the portal he had previously made with his Sling Ring when he had arrived to confirm once and for all that what he had been saying was completely true. While Palmer looked on in amazement, Strange apologized and vanished through the portal to continue his fight against Kaecilius.[2]
"It is Doctor Strange! Not Master Strange, not Mr. Strange, Doctor Strange! When I became a Doctor I swore an oath to do no harm, and I have just killed a man! I’m not doing that again. I became a doctor to save lives, not take them."
Returning to the New York Sanctum, Strange soon found the corpse of Lucian lying on the ground, confirming he had been killed during the Duel on the Astral Plane. Horrified by seeing the body of the man he had killed, Strange walked away from Lucian, but not first recollecting the Cloak of Levitation. As Strange walked through the Sanctum, he discovered that Kaecilius had successfully managed to escape the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak while he had been gone.
Strange discovered that Karl Mordo and the Ancient One had also arrived, with Mordo expressing his great surprise that the Cloak of Levitation had chosen him. Upon learning that Daniel Drumm had been killed, the Ancient One congratulated Strange for defending the Sanctum and declared him "Master Strange" as its new protector. Strange refused as he was supposed to save lives, not end them and couldn't bear killing anyone else in the wake of Lucian's death.
While the Ancient One accused Strange of returning to his ego and his belief that he could control everything, Strange denied this before making a remark that while he could not control death, perhaps it was Dormammu who could. Strange confronted the Ancient One, noting he had read the rituals in the Book of Cagliostro which had seemed to confirm that she had been secretly over dabbling in the magic of the Dark Dimension to keep herself alive for centuries, all while telling the Masters of the Mystic Arts to do the opposite.
Although Mordo denied this, as he could not believe the Ancient One had been doing something so reckless and lying about it, she did not and returned to Kamar-Taj, leaving Strange and Mordo. Disgusted by Strange's insults, Mordo furiously called him a coward, claiming he had just saved his own life against all the Zealots and still cared for nobody but himself. Strange insisted that they did not have to kill, but Mordo told him that there was no other way to win.[2]
While Strange and Karl Mordo continued to argue about the ethics of killing, they were interrupted by Kaecilius, who had returned to attack the New York Sanctum. While Mordo charged forward to fight him, Strange stopped Kaecilius from destroying the Sanctum, dragging them all into the Mirror Dimension where they could not harm the physical world.
Strange learns he has just doomed himself
However Kaecilius remained confident and began manipulating the world around them, causing Strange and Mordo to run outside, with Strange stealing Kaecilius' Sling Ring. Mordo then informed Strange that although Kaecilius could not damage the physical world, his own connection to the Dark Dimension made him more powerful in there and would likely kill them both. Strange and Mordo then ran for their lives, with Kaecilius and the Zealots following closely behind.
Desperate to get free, Strange attempted to create a portal back to the physical world, but Kaecilius then affected the gravity within the Dimension to destroy their portals. Strange and Mordo attempted to run to safety but Kaecilius gained the upper hand, throwing them off a building before they were saved by the Cloak of Levitation and the Vaulting Boots of Valtorr slowing their fall until Strange confessed to Mordo that he had indeed just made a terrible mistake.
Strange and Mordo had soon become separated by Kaecilius' world bending powers, causing Strange to desperately escape across New York City in an attempt to get away, with the entire landscape around him changing constantly, with Strange barely making it through with his life. Despite all of his attempts to get away however, Kaecilius eventually managed to catch up with Strange and violently threw him to the ground, reclaiming his Sling Ring from him. While Strange lay helpless, Kaecilius proceeded to create a new Space Shard which he then prepared to finally kill Strange with and end their conflict.
However, just before Kaecilius could deliver the finishing blow and kill Strange, the Ancient One arrived and pulled them apart, revealing to Mordo that her dabbling with the Dark Dimension was true. Strange and Mordo watched on helplessly as the Ancient One battled against all the Zealots until fatally stabbed her. Kaecilius then knocked her through a portal and she fell hundreds of stories down with Strange and Mordo too late to save her from the deadly impact.[2]
In a desperate attempt to save the Ancient One, Strange rushed her to Metro-General Hospital and called upon the help of Christine Palmer to try and save the Ancient One from her life threatening injuries caused by the stabbing and fall. Unable to perform the surgery due to his shaking hands, Strange handed the scalpel back to Nicodemus West and told him to relieve the pressure from her brain.
As the Ancient One began to go into cardiac arrest, Strange noticed that the Ancient One had entered the Astral Dimension and had left the room. Knowing that leaving her own body now could prove fatal, Strange entered his own Astral Form and followed the Ancient One as she moved through the hosptial, telling her to return as she was dying, however the Ancient One seemingly refused to listen to him and entered glided onto the balcony to see New York City.
Ignoring Strange's pleas for her to return to her body, the Ancient One told him of how she had peered into her own future and never seen further than this very moment in time, but she had seen infinite possibilities for his future. She told him, like Jonathan Pangborn, he can use his Magic to heal his hands and return to being a surgeon, which would come at a great loss to the Earth, or become a member of the Masters of the Mystic Arts and fight for the earth's survival.
She told him about the Dark Dimension and why she had drawn her power from there, claiming that Strange would agree that sometimes one had to break the rules for the better good, agreeing that Karl Mordo would not likely see it from this point of view. The Ancient One then told Strange that he could only defeat Kaecilius and Dormammu with Mordo's help before she commented on her own desire to see the snow falling just as her Form vanished and she finally died.[2]
With the death of the Ancient One, Strange chose to give up his old life and become a Master of the Mystic Arts. Strange mourned the Ancient One's death before speaking with Christine Palmer as they both washed their hands. Strange noted that Palmer had told him that losing his hands was not the end for him and there were other ways to save lives.
Strange prepares to continue the next battle
Telling Palmer that he finally understood what she meant as losing his hands did not have to be the end but could become a new beginning for him. Palmer was then called away for another surgery within Metro-General Hospital as Strange told her that he did not want her to go, so she kissed Strange on the cheek before walking away. Strange then reclaimed the Cloak of Levitation which wiped a tear from his eye, much to Strange's minor annoyance.
Returning into Kamar-Taj which had been left in utter ruins due to the previous attack, Strange found Karl Mordo who was now considering everything he had learned about the Ancient One's lies. Although Strange passed it off as her being complicated, Mordo argued that she was directly responsible for Kaecilius and all the Zealots turning against them. Despite all this however, Strange convinced Mordo to continue fighting against Dormammu while they still could.[2]
Strange and Karl Mordo headed into Hong Kong only to discover to their horror that the Masters of the Mystic Arts had been defeated by the Zealots and the Hong Kong Sanctum itself had already been destroyed, allowing the Dark Dimension to begin consuming the entire Earth. The devastated Mordo then told Strange that nothing could be done to stop the Zealots from executing their plans.
Unwilling to allow the Zealots to succeed and the Dark Dimension to destroy the Earth, Strange began opening the Eye of Agamotto in a final effort to defeat the Zealots. Seeing this, Kaecilius ran forward as Strange opened the Eye and harnessed its Magic. As Kaecilius reached him and tried to kill Strange with a Space Shard, Strange completed the spell and froze Kaecilius in place. Strange then began breaking the natural laws of time as he reversed what happened, repairing the destroyed buildings all around the currently burning city.
Kaecilius refused to allow this however and broke himself and his Zealots out of the spell, allowing them to remain in the same time span as Strange and Mordo. As they made their way across the city, Strange and Mordo were ambushed, with Mordo being forced to battle the both Brunette and the Blonde Zealot while Strange fought Kaecilius, who desperately attempted to break the new spell while Strange used the changing landscape to his advantage.
As Mordo assisted Strange using the Staff of the Living Tribunal to trap Kaecilius inside of a building as it was being rebuilt, they then discovered the corpse of Wong who had died fighting the Zealots. Strange proceeded to use the Eye of Agamotto's magic to return Wong and many others innocent bystanders from the dead, with Wong, who was still armed with the Wand of Watoomb, shocked by what he was seeing but still choosing not to complain.
As Strange, Mordo and Wong prepared to run back to the Hong Kong Sanctum to defend it, they were then interrupted mid-spell, resulting in time being frozen around the fighting. Kaecilius returned and declared that Dormammu's arrival could not be stopped and once again mentioned that the Dark Dimension was beyond time. Hearing this, Strange figured out a way to defeat Dormammu and headed to the Dark Dimension where time was irrelevant.[2]
"Dormammu! I've come to bargain." "You cannot do this forever." "Actually, I can. This is how things are now. You and me, trapped in this moment, endlessly." "Then you will spend eternity dying."
Using the Cloak of Levitation, Strange flew away from the battle and arrived inside the Dark Dimension, where he proceeded to use the Eye of Agamotto to cast another time spell which allowed him to create a time loop. Strange then confronted the monstrous Dormammu declaring that he had come to bargain. However Dormammu simply ignored Strange's offer and swiftly destroyed him.
Suddenly, Strange appeared again repeating the exact same words as before. Slightly confused but undaunted, Dormammu then killed Strange again, only for him to reappear and repeat his challenge yet again. Perplexed by this, Dormammu demanded to know what was happening. Strange explained that he had used the Eye of Agamotto to create an endless time loop, keeping both him and Dormammu trapped repeating the loop forever until he relented and listened to his bargain. Enraged, Dormammu killed Strange over and over again but was unable to stop the cycle repeating itself endlessly.
Unlike Strange, Dormammu had no power over time since the Dark Dimension was a place beyond time. Trying to convince him to break the loop, Dormammu noted Strange would spend an eternity dying in agony, but Strange insisted it was a price worth paying to protect everyone on Earth. Eventually, Dormammu became desperate and surrendered, asking what Strange had wanted. Strange demanded he never return to Earth and to take the Zealots with him.
He returned to Hong Kong to complete the time spell, coming back moments before he left as the Zealots overlooked their own victory. As Kaecilius looked around at Strange in horror, he demanded to know what he had done, to which Strange announced he had made a bargain which Kaecilius would not like. Strange then watched as Dormammu turned Kaecilius and his Zealots into Mindless Ones and took them all away into his Dimension to suffer for eternity.
As Strange noted that Kaecilius should have read the warnings of the spell, Wong burst out laughing before Strange completed his time spell and returned Hong Kong back to normal. Having witnessed Strange and the Ancient One's liberal use of Magic to break their own rules, Karl Mordo told Strange that he had made his choice and left the Masters of the Mystic Arts, having become disillusioned by their questionable and dangerous use of their own magic.[2]
"Wise choice. You'll wear the Eye of Agamotto in time. Until then, best not to walk the streets with an Infinity Stone." "A what?" "You have a gift for the mystic arts, but you still have much to learn."
Realizing he was not yet worthy of wielding the Eye of Agamotto due to his potential to change the fabric of both reality and time, Strange decided it would be best to return the relic inside Kamar-Taj. Joining Strange there, Wong agreed with his choice, claiming overusing an Infinity Stone was dangerous. Strange made it clear he did not know about the Stones; a fact that did not surprise Wong.
Wong went on to note that the New York Sanctum currently needed a new protector ever since Daniel Drumm had recently been killed by Kaecilius while defending it. Strange accepted the offer and placed the Cloak of Levitation back over his own shoulders before following Wong through a portal to the Sanctum. Once there, Strange put on the watch Christine Palmer had given him and then looked out the window.[2] Immediately following his duel with Dormammu, Strange created a list of extraterrestrial and inter-dimensional beings who posed a threat to the people of Earth. One of those beings was Loki of Asgard, who led the Chitauri Invasion five years prior.[6]
"I keep a watchlist of individuals and beings from other realms that may be a threat to this world. Your adopted brother Loki is one of those beings." "A worthy inclusion."
Some time following the battle on Hong Kong, Strange learned that Odin the former king of Asgard was on Earth and made contact with him, with Odin opting to stay on Earth, instead of returning to Asgard.
A few months into his time as the New York Sanctum's guardian, Strange sensed Thor and Loki's arrival in New York City. He made Loki disappear leaving his business card behind for Thor to find. Upon reaching the Sanctum, Thor was bemused to find Earth now has mystical protectors; upon Strange's discussion, Thor explained they were searching for their father Odin.
Strange warns Thor that there is going to be a great change in Thor's future and that destiny has dire plans for him. Strange offered to help him on the condition that they all would then return straight to Asgard as soon as the mission had been completed, which Thor agreed to. Strange used his powers and tracked Odin to Norway, and upon being reminded released Loki from his endless fall (which had lasted thirty minutes). Loki was furious and attempted to attack Strange, who decided he was tired of the Asgardians and unceremoniously threw them through a portal to Odin's location.[7]
Personality
"There is a strength to him." "Stubbornness, arrogance, ambition, I've seen it all before."
Prior to his accident, Strange had a massive ego that fueled his career, very much like Tony Stark in the latter's early years prior to becoming Iron Man. Strange only took on patients that he believed would help benefit his status, even refusing to heal a US Army Colonel's back, albeit it was because this injury was a simple one any neurosurgeon can fix. His work was also driven by a desire to control death and time, which led him to refuse even looking into any patient he perceived to have little chance of recovery so as to not ruin his track record. However, if he also perceived the chance a patient could survive, he would help them recover even if it would not benefit his public image, showing that at his core, he does care about saving people. In addition, he seems to prioritize his research over his physician work as he stated his work would save thousands for years to come whereas a physician will only save a handful of patients they directly interact with. This, however, changed after his accident, which left Strange a broken man and constantly frustrated due to being incapable of returning to the life he knew. Upon visiting Kamar-Taj, Strange initially maintained his narrow-minded arrogance and stubbornly refused to believe that the Ancient One was telling the truth until she forcibly demonstrated astral projection and sent him across multiple dimensions to prove her point.
Strange has shown extreme determination and stubborness, a useful trait in a doctor as he would never give up on his patients even when one was called dead with a bullet in his brain, Strange was able to determine the patient was still alive to successfully save him. He spent most of his remaining money in seven different surgeries to attempt to heal his hands to the point of near bankruptcy, remained outside of Kamar-Taj's front door for five hours after being initially thrown out, then spent most of his time at Kamar-Taj studying and improving his abilities, even going as far as studying while sleeping through Astral projection. He even allowed himself to be killed by Dormammu countless times until Dormammu gave into his demands.
Through his training with the Ancient One, Strange gained a newfound appreciation for the natural order of things due to his studies of the Mystic Arts and became more humble. However, this was not to say he was a completely changed man; he retained a cocky attitude when dealing with people and things, as seen in how he behaved when he went to borrow books from Wong. This, coupled with his inquisitiveness and willingness to break rules, made him an odd one in Kamar-Taj and constantly an eyesore to many of his peers. However, due to this nature of his, he was also more willing to compromise and be somewhat flexible with his principles, quickly accepting that the Ancient One broke her own rules to do what was deemed necessary to protect the world, and he had to be willing to do so himself, which, when combined with his natural talent in the Mystic Arts, had the Ancient One name him as the Master of the New York New York Sanctum, despite his relative lack of training and inexperience.
Having trained as a doctor, Strange is a pacifist and tries to avoid hurting people, as it goes against the Hippocratic oath. He was disgusted by his actions in killing Lucian, stating he became a doctor to save lives, not take them. However, neither the Ancient One nor Karl Mordo were especially sympathetic towards this, with the former stating it was his towering ego and delusion that he could control death itself that made him become a doctor and the latter simply calling him a coward for not having the spine to do what has to be done. Nevertheless, Strange claimed that there were other ways to defeat their enemies, a claim he ultimately proved correct by defeating both Kaecillius and Dormammu without killing either of them.
Ultimately, Strange has always had good intentions, despite coming off as arrogant and selfish. After his talk with Kaecilius, Strange began to see his own failings reflected in Kaecilius and started showing signs of self-improvement. He repeatedly and genuinely apologized for his past treatment of Christine Palmer and showed a newfound trust in former rival Nicodemus West. During his talk with the Ancient One before her death, he admitted that his fear of failure is what pushed him to be a successful neurosurgeon. However, the Ancient One stated that his fear is exactly what kept him from greatness, as well as learning the simplest and most important lesson of all; it's not about him. Strange took this very much to heart, and when he faced Dormammu, he showed strong selflessness, allowing himself to be killed over and over in order to keep Dormammu trapped in the time loop so mankind could live and came to stop fearing failure.
Despite his tremendous maturity, Strange maintains some of his old habits such as making sarcastic comments and jokes when talking to others, similar to Tony Stark and Peter Quill. Whilst he compensates his lack of experience by further using the powerful magical relics at his disposal and his intelligence allows him to imagine unorthodox solutions to problems, Strange has also learnt to comprehend his limits and despite his success at the hands of Dormammu's defeat, he has begun to realize the natural order should not be entirely disturbed, the same reason why Mordo left the Mystic Arts and vows to never use the Eye of Agamotto until he is fully prepared. This was his second greatest lesson to learn - that time is beyond even his control. He also retains his meticulous and diligence by forming a watchlist of individuals that might pose a threat to Earth. However, his flexibility is his greatest strength in this regard as, even though he wants to be rid of these individuals, he was willing to help Thor locate Odin so he and Loki would return to Asgard. During Thor's visit, Strange was visibly annoyed and wary of the Asgardians but remained polite towards Thor.
Strange's imagination and intellect have given him a vastly flexible personality, so much so the Ancient One could never see exactly what his future would be, only possible paths he would take. Due to his inquisitiveness, Strange is easily able to adapt and teach himself lightyears ahead of even experienced sorcerers like Mordo and Kaecilius. Once he started to get the hang of his sorcery studies, he began to teach himself and was able to learn at an accelerated rate.
Strange is noted to have a severe case of misophonia, meaning he is greatly distracted by even the slightest sound when he requires absolute focus. This was shown when he was operating on a patient and asked Nicodemus West to cover his watch as the ticking was distracting him. After his car crash, Strange's hands suffered from constant shaking though unlike Pangborn he refused to direct magic into his body to heal this, presumably to be reminded of his mistakes in the past.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Master Sorcerer: As the present guardian of the New York Sanctum, Strange, despite his relative inexperience, is one of the most powerful Masters of the Mystic Arts, possessing a extremely high level of mastery which he uses to defend his native reality. Indeed, despite his inexperience, an impressed Karl Mordo claimed that Strange's prodigious skills meant that he was "born for the mystic arts", and the Ancient One herself noted that Strange has tremendous potential as a sorcerer. With the help of numerous mystical artifacts and relics, in addition to his astral powers, Strange is able to gain access to a multitude of mystical powers. Strange makes up for his lack of experience with his gifted intellect, photographic memory, and ingenuity, as he swiftly imprisoned Loki, and even defeated Kaecilius by outsmarting Dormammu, forcing the latter to leave Earth's dimension and take Kaecilius with him. Strange was predicted by Zola's algorithm to become a significant enough potential threat to HYDRA to be targeted by Project Insight.
Eldritch Magic Manipulation:
Strange wielding Tao Mandalas in battle.
Strange is able to shape and manipulate Eldritch Magic, forming constructs of tangible energy like weapons or shields, or cast spells by writing specific formations with the fiery energy. He demonstrated the ability to form Eldritch Whips and Tao Mandalas, and scan a piece of Thor's hair with the energy to aid in forming a portal that would take him to Odin.
Levitation: Using the Cloak of Levitation, Strange is able to levitate, hover, and fly. The Cloak can greatly lessen the impact of falling from great heights by effortlessly reducing his speed.
Teleportation: Using a Sling Ring, Strange is able to open portals that lead to different locations, gaining the ability to both move across the material world and transport himself to other parts of the Multiverse. Strange can also teleport others at great speeds, with him notably causing a portal to move and engulf Thor and Loki, sending them to Odin's location, which he was able to locate by grabbing a piece of Thor's hair and scanning it with his fiery energy. In addition, he can make portals small enough to reach through and grab things, such as several books from Wong's library or to exchange one object for other, as the portal he used to abduct Loki left a card bearing the address to his Sanctum in Loki's place. Aside from this, he later became able to seamlessly cause himself and Thor to abruptly and rapidly appear at different parts of his Sanctum without either of them physically moving, which caused Thor to become disoriented.
Interdimensional Travel: Using the same Sling Ring, Strange can travel between different dimensions of the Multiverse, crossing over different planes of existence or traveling across various forms of reality. However, Strange was notably able to access the Mirror Dimension and transport himself and the Zealots there without the Sling Ring. Furthermore, Strange can forcibly transport others to another dimension, and later retrieve them, as he did when temporarily imprisoning Loki in a dimension where he was constantly falling, leaving him there for thirty minutes until Thor asked for his release.
Astral Projection: Strange is capable of separating his astral form from his body, gaining access to the Astral Dimension. He notably was able to assist Christine Palmer in operating on his physical body, demonstrating being able to make himself visible to her at will using a fractal-like portal, seemingly through the use of the Mirror Dimension. Strange's Astral body could also make physical body glow from the inside out by putting his hand through it and touching it. As the Ancient One was dying, Strange was able to use his astral form to communicate with her spirit before her clinical death. Notably, Strange found that as Christine defibrillated his real body, his astral form would send out a blast of energy, which he used offensively while grappling with Lucian's Astral form, ultimately destroying it and killing him.
Time Manipulation: Using the Eye of Agamotto, Strange is able to control the flow of time or be it on a small or massive scale, notably to turn back something to a previous state, accelerating its time in order to apply changes that have not happened yet, or to lock in a time loop, with time resetting over and over until he stops its effect. He first tested the ability on an apple, rewinding time on it to make it whole and then forwarding time to make it rot, despite not actually eating it to that point beforehand. If interrupted while using this ability, time freezes until he resumes the spell. He even used it to make a reconstruction of the stolen pages of the Book of Cagliostro and read from it, though he seemed to be unable to make the page real and only could reveal what had been there before. He notably used this ability to trap even Dormammu himself in the same moment, which would reset each time he killed Strange, keeping Dormammu from leaving his dimension to invade Earth until he agreed to leave Earth for good. Strange concluded that he isn't ready to wield the Eye of Agamotto's powers yet and decided to return it until he's ready to use it again.
Transmutation: During his meeting with Thor, Strange was able to turn a cup of tea into a large mug of beer that was also able to magically refill itself, much to Thor's pleasant surprise.
Abilities
Doctor Strange performing a surgery.
Genius-Level Intellect: Strange is one of the smartest humans in the world, rivaled only by fellow geniuses like Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Hank Pym, Shuri, and Helen Cho. Hence, Strange achieved his MD and Ph.D. simultaneously at medical school, going on to become one of the world's most renowned neurosurgeons, and later proving himself equally prodigious in the study of mystic arts.
Master Physician: Strange was one of the world's most renowned neurosurgeons. His genius surgical skill allowed him to flawlessly perform extremely complicated surgeries with little to no mechanical assistance. Indeed, Strange's skills were superior to those of his colleagues Christine Palmer and Nicodemus West, as he was able to notice a cause of injury in a patient while neither of them could, thus preventing West from killing the patient. Strange's perfect record and reputation with the craft reached such a point that ultimately, he developed a penchant for undertaking only the most challenging but still viable of operations, in order to boost his huge ego. Despite losing the ability to perform surgeries after his hands were damaged beyond repair in a catastrophic car accident, Strange still kept his profound medical knowledge, which allowed him to give out directions to Palmer and West during a surgery on the Ancient One. During his surgical career, Strange was able to develop entirely new techniques for performing highly complicated surgical procedures that he claimed would significantly advance medical practices for years to come.
Multilingualism: Strange is fluent in his native English, and becomes proficient enough with Sanskrit during his months in Kamar-Taj to enable him to study advanced books Wong deemed him not ready for, including the Book of Cagliostro.
Eidetic Memory: Strange's photographic memory and perfect recall had originally greatly aided him in medical school, helping him to earn both his MD and Ph.D. simultaneously. During his mystic arts studies in Kamar-Taj, Strange managed to master entering the Astral Dimension, despite Wong not believing him to be ready.
Master Tactician: Strange's tremendous intellect contributes to his already incredible tactical insight. A highly ingenious strategist, Strange relied on pure wits to stop both Kaecilius and Dormammu himself due to his lack of experience in fighting supernatural forces. He used the Eye of Agamotto to trap the primordial entity in an endless time loop, using tactics of psychological warfare to mentally torment Dormammu instead of stopping him with magic, ultimately succeeding in forcing his foe back into the Dark Dimension, taking the Zealots along with him.
Skilled Martial Artist: After being trained by both the Ancient One and Karl Mordo, Strange gained somewhat adequate skill in martial arts, enough that he was able to not only ultimately defeat and kill the Zealot Lucian, but he was even able to hold his own relatively well against the far more experienced and trained Kaecilius. However, Strange's hands still suffer from severe nerve and bone damage as a result of his accident, further exacerbated by the unsuccessful surgeries made towards restoring his dexterity, meaning his hands are delicate and prone to intense pain should he attempt to directly strike something or someone, thus leading his technique to consist mainly of a combination parries and the use of his Eldritch whips.
Equipment
Cloak of Levitation: A mantle that enables Doctor Strange to levitate and hover in the air. It appears to be sentient and can move on its own power, causing it to move and flap in the air without the presence of wind. Offensively, the cloak's ability to move and fly with or without a wearer allows it to grab, lift, tackle or send opponents flying through the air. The cloak often assists Strange in combat by protecting him from enemy attacks, preventing enemies from blindsiding him, as well as attacking enemies on its own whenever possible, and doing maneuvers that are difficult, if not impossible for most humans to do.
Eye of Agamotto: An ancient relic with a number of mystical properties, especially time manipulation in the user's immediate vicinity and on specific areas or targets. It is able to do so since it contains the Time Stone.
Sling Ring: A mystical object which enables the wearer to open a portal to another location. Doctor Strange began wearing the ring under a glove, after realizing his vulnerability without it.
As a result of his confrontation with Dormammu in the Dark Dimension, Strange has officially died more times than any other character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Kevin Feige revealed that Strange did not have any powers yet during the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, as Project Insight was designed to anticipate future threats, not just catalog current ones. He said that at this point Strange is "probably not... the sorcerer supreme," but is an "unbelievably talented neurosurgeon who's opinionated and kind of arrogant... [which] might put him on the list."[8]
Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the second live-action incarnation of the character, following an incarnation portrayed by Peter Hooten.
