Doctor Strange

For other uses, see Stonekeeper (disambiguation)

For other uses, see Doctor Strange (disambiguation)

For alternate versions of Doctor Strange, see Doctor Strange's Character Hub

Doctor Stephen Vincent Strange, M.D., Ph.D. is a Master of the Mystic Arts. Originally a brilliant but arrogant neurosurgeon, Strange got into a car accident which resulted in his hands becoming crippled. Once Western medicine failed him, Strange embarked on a journey to Kamar-Taj, where he was trained by the Ancient One in the ways of magic and the Multiverse. Although he focused on healing his hands, Strange was drawn into a conflict with Kaecilius and the Zealots, who were working for Dormammu and had sought to merge Earth with the Dark Dimension. Following the demise of the Ancient One and the defeat of Kaecilius, Strange then became the new protector of the Sanctum Sanctorum, seeking to defend the Earth from other inter-dimensional threats.

From his new position, Strange aided Thor in locating Odin, before he learned of Thanos' attempts to gain all of the Infinity Stones and cause a universal genocide. Since Strange was the protector of the Time Stone, he was attacked and captured by Thanos' Black Order, only for him to then be rescued by Iron Man and Spider-Man. Joining forces with the Guardians of the Galaxy, Strange battled against Thanos. However, as Strange had seen into the future and knew his only path to victory, he willingly handed over the Time Stone, allowing Thanos to wipe out half of life, including Strange. However, Strange and all the rest of Thanos' victims were resurrected five years later by the Avengers and battled against an alternate Thanos, ending in the Mad Titan's defeat.

Strange offered his aid to Spider-Man, whose identity of Peter Parker was unmasked by Mysterio, as he asked Strange to make the world forget this. However, due to Parker's interference, the spell went wrong, and Strange inadvertently unleashed enemies of Spider-Men from across the Multiverse. Capturing these enemies, Strange tried to use the Macchina di Kadavus to send them back to their universes to meet their inevitable fates, which Spider-Man had refused to allow, hoping to give these people a chance at redemption. Having been trapped in the Mirror Dimension during a duel with Spider-Man, Strange returned and fought to contain the Multiversal rift. With no other choice, Strange cast a spell to return the visitors back to their universes and close the rifts, but also at the cost of making everyone, including himself, forget Parker's existence.

Being heralded of new interdimensional threats, Strange came across America Chavez. While investigating these threats, Strange learned that Wanda Maximoff, who fell under the influence of the Darkhold, was responsible. As Kamar-Taj fell under attack by her, Chavez sent Strange spiraling through the multiverse, where they were eventually arrested by the Illuminati. With the help of an alternate Christine Palmer, Strange and Chavez escaped, only for Maximoff to abduct Chavez, banishing Strange and Palmer to an incursion-inflicted universe. Confronting that reality's Doctor Strange, Strange claimed the Darkhold, utilizing dreamwalking in order to rescue Chavez. Helping her gain full control of her powers, the two swayed Maximoff from the Darkhold's influence, before her apparent self-sacrifice to destroy all copies of the Darkhold throughout the Multiverse. In the aftermath, Strange and Wong took Chavez, who decided to stay in their universe, under their care and taught her in the Mystic Arts. Sometime later, Strange was confronted by Clea, a sorceress who enlisted his help in fixing a new incursion he had caused.

Quick Answers

Who is Doctor Strange?

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[]

Death of Donna Strange[]

Stephen Strange had a sister named Donna, who drowned after falling into a frozen lake. Unable to save his sister, Strange decided to become a doctor to save lives.^[3]

Medical School[]

Strange went to medical school at Columbia University, and eventually graduated with an M.D. and Ph.D. at the same time, using his photographic memory to learn all of the information incredibly quickly.^[1]

Neurosurgeon Career[]

Becoming a Doctor[]

As an adult, Strange had begun specializing in neurological surgery and focusing his research on the formation of new nerve cells. 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, with Palmer even gifting him a watch.^[1]

In 2012, Stephen Strange was present in New York City during the Chitauri Invasion,^[7] performing a surgery at the hospital about twenty blocks from the New York Sanctum.^[8] In 2014, Strange was deemed a potential threat to HYDRA, whose intent was to deploy Zola's Algorithm and eliminate the threats from the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarriers. Thanks to the efforts of Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, and Sam Wilson who thwarted HYDRA's plan during the Battle at the Triskelion, Strange survived.^[9] By 2016, he was one of the top surgeons in New York City, being scheduled on discussing life-saving techniques on an interview with WHiH World News.^[10] However, Strange became more egotistical as his skills and craft increased.^[1]

Dinner with Christine Palmer[]

Strange took Christine Palmer out to dinner, at a restaurant which Palmer noted was surprisingly fancy, questioning if Strange had taken out another student loan to pay for it, to which Strange jokingly claimed to have sold a kidney that they had operated on the week before. Palmer then presented Strange with a gift, telling him congratulations, which Strange questioned what it was.

As Strange opened the box, he was shocked to see that Palmer had gifted him with an expensive watch, which had been engraved in the back with a message, telling Strange that time would tell how much Palmer loved him. Strange expressed his shock and gratitude to Palmer for the gift. Strange would go on to wear this watch as often as possible, despite building an expensive watch collection later in his life.^[3]

Interview with WHiH[]

While working at Metro-General Hospital, Strange and Christine Palmer developed a revolutionary technique for removing a vertebral bone, which would contribute to allowing paralyzed patients to walk again. This technique became known as the Strange Palmer method. Strange and Palmer would sit down for an interview with WHiH World News to discuss their work, with Strange reluctantly sharing the credit with Palmer, although noting that he usually did his best work alone.

When asked who the real brains were, Strange deflected from answering the question, with Palmer noting that they made a great team. When Palmer noted Strange was one of the best surgeons alive, Strange insisted he was the best, noting that Palmer was as well. However, the interviewer questioned if Strange's dedications to well-paid speaking engagements were his true focus, which Strange refuted, with Strange becoming annoyed and insisting that he was simply the one you would want holding the knife during a surgery.^[11]

Top of the World[]

On February 2nd, 2016, continuing his neurosurgeon career, Strange performed another operation while at Metro-General Hospital, where he had watched a team of students who were all taking notes. While he was operating, Strange requested Billy to 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 his friend 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 Nicodemus West's objections, who wanted to start recovering the patient's organs immediately, Strange found a perfectly intact bullet and realized that it had been 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 immediate surgery to try and remove the bullet.

Although West requested to assist Strange in the operation, he refused the offer and instead told Palmer to come to assist him. As the operation went underway, Palmer thanked Strange for believing her. He 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 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.

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 an 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.^[1]

Fall from Grace[]

The same day, despite the rejection from Christine Palmer, Strange prepared himself to attend the dinner alone, going through his apartment to put on a new tux and pick the perfect watch to 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 with little regard for his safety.

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 crushed his lower spine in some kind of experimental armor and a 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.

As Strange took his eyes off the road to view the patient's records, becoming interested in the x-ray Billy had sent him, he collided with another car. 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 riverbank. Trapped in the wreckage of the car, Strange lay in utter agony and eventually lost consciousness.

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, overseen by Palmer and Nicodemus West. Although his 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.

When Strange woke up the following day while in his hospital bed, he found Palmer waiting by his side. As he looked in horror, Strange discovered that his hands were terribly scarred and learned from Palmer that both of his hands, which were crushed during the crash, suffered severe nerve damage and were 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.^[1]

Searching for a Cure[]

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 career as a neurosurgeon.

Upon 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.

While undergoing 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.

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 to where 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 his hands, as well as telling him to move on by assuring him that there were other ways to save lives and live his own 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 an 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 angrier, Strange then lashed out at Palmer by stating that she was 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. Pangborn told Strange the source of his healing, leading him to Kamar-Taj and the Ancient One, and wishing him good luck on his quest.^[1]

Trained in Magic[]

Meeting the Ancient One[]

Spending the last 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.^[1] 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.^[12]

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 he tried to defend himself only to be beaten up by the thugs. However, Strange was 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 was 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.

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 was unexplainable, 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.

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 Wi-Fi password. Once alone, Strange removed his now-broken watch and read the message Christine Palmer had engraved on the back.^[1]

Beginning Training[]

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 Eminem. 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, with Strange questioning how Kamar-Taj worked in terms of knowledge.

Strange then asked 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 to his room to continue studying.^[1]

Mastering the Sling Ring[]

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 was 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 to the top of Mount Everest where Strange was bewildered by his surroundings.

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 and succumbing to the turbulent weather, Strange was able to concentrate hard enough to successfully create a portal and landed back at Kamar-Taj, and mastering this new technique, much to the Ancient One and Mordo's amusement as he fell onto his face before them.^[1]

Gaining Confidence[]

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 Beyoncé; however, Wong still believed that Strange was not ready for the books.

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,^[1] also emailing Christine Palmer whenever he could to try and repair the friendship he had so badly damaged just before he had left. Strange then learned how to master the Astral Projection.^[13]

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 the threats like Kaecilius where this dimension could protect lives from any of the Zealots' sudden attacks.^[1] As he continued to study, he read about Baelzar and became very interested in the sorcerer.^[14]

Training with Karl Mordo[]

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.

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 to beat him into submission to prove a point, telling him that he needed to fight as if his life 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.^[1]

Using an Infinity Stone[]

After nine months of training, Strange walked inside the library only to find Wong was not there. Strange then took the chance to read the Book of Cagliostro and decided to use the Eye of Agamotto. 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.

Taking Strange into the next room, Wong and Mordo explained how they would protect the Earth from mystical threats in much the same way that the Avengers would 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 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.^[1]

Conflict with Kaecilius[]

Battle at the New York Sanctum[]

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.

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 walls before having to hold on as it was then turned vertically.

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 Aster, to attack him. Using his wits, Strange gained the upper hand and locked the door before trapping Aster 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-Time 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 lift Doctor Strange back into the fight, where he created another energy whip and continued fighting against Kaecilius with all of his remaining might.

Doctor Strange then used the cloak to fight Kaecilius until he was again overpowered and thrown across the room. While Doctor Strange attempted to charge towards his enemy to continue fighting with their abilities, the Cloak of Levitation instead pulled him backward, away from Kaecilius and towards weapons that were on display. However, when Doctor Strange attempted to grab these weapons to attack his enemy, the Cloak had instead pulled him away with some aggression, forcing Doctor Strange to use the other artifact against Kaecilius and trap him with the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, finally ending the fight.^[1]

Kaecilius' Confession[]

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 would die, but insisted that within the Dark Dimension, this was not the case. Although Doctor 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 Doctor Strange listened, Kaecilius explained the Zealots' plan was to thrust reality with the Dark Dimension, giving themselves and all lives on Earth eternal life. Kaecilius then told Doctor Strange that the Ancient One dabbled in magic from the Dark Dimension, which is what gave her long lasting life, noting that Doctor 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.

As Doctor Strange began to take note of these warnings about the Ancient One and Dormammu's power, Kaecilius began to laugh. Doctor Strange questioned if he found all of this funny before Kaecilius noted that Doctor Strange's Sling Ring was missing. Just as Doctor Strange turned around to look for the ring, however, Lucian Aster made it back through the Rotunda of Gateways and stabbed him through the chest with a Space-Time Shard, almost killing Strange before throwing him down the stairs.

As he attempted to escape, Strange was followed closely by Aster who smiled as Strange was forced to slowly crawl away from his attacker. Just as Aster attempted to conjure another Space-Time Shard and finish off Strange, the Cloak of Levitation again came to his aid, wrapping itself around Aster's face and keeping him from killing Strange. While this confrontation happened, Strange chose to seek out Christine Palmer at the Metro-General Hospital.^[1]

Duel on the Astral Plane[]

Strange used Lucian Aster's 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 Aster had escaped from the Cloak of Levitation, entered the Astral Dimension, and used his own astral form. Leaving Palmer to continue to keep him alive, Strange entered the Astral Dimension and fought against Aster. 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.

Being the superior fighter, Aster had eventually managed to gain the upper hand and knocked Strange unconscious, which resulted in his physical body's heart-stopping. While Aster 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 Aster after being charged with a defibrillator, causing Aster'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-Time 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.^[1]

Demanding the Truth[]

Returning to the New York Sanctum, Strange soon found the corpse of Lucian Aster 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 Aster, 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 could not bear killing anyone else in the wake of Aster'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.^[1]

Battle of the Mirror Dimension[]

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.

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 lied down helpless, Kaecilius proceeded to create a new Space-Time Shard, which he then prepared to finally kill Strange with and end their conflict.

Just before Kaecilius could deliver the finishing blow and kill Strange, the Ancient One arrived and pulled them apart, revealing to Mordo that her power did derive from the Dark Dimension. Strange and Mordo watched the Ancient One battle against all the Zealots until she was fatally stabbed by Kaecilius with a Space-Time Shard. Kaecilius then knocked her through a portal, and she fell hundreds of stories down with Strange and Mordo failing to save her from the deadly impact.^[1]

Losing the Ancient One[]

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 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 hospital, telling her to return as she was dying; however, the Ancient One seemingly refused to listen to him and 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 could 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 astral form vanished and she finally died.^[1]

Recruiting Karl Mordo[]

With the death of the Ancient One, Strange pondered about his last conversation with his mentor and mourned her death before speaking with Christine Palmer as they both washed their hands. Strange then told Palmer that she was right that losing his hands did not have to be the end but a new beginning for him, and that there were other ways to save lives. Realizing that he found his new beginning in the Mystic Arts, Strange decided to stay as a sorcerer and become a superhero. Strange also decided to fully leave his old life behind.

When Palmer was called away for another surgery within Metro-General Hospital, Strange told her that he did not want her to go, but she told him that she had to. However, Strange was given a kiss on the cheek before she walked away. Strange then reclaimed the Cloak of Levitation, which wiped a tear from his eye with the collar, much to his 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.^[1]

Battle at the Hong Kong Sanctum[]

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-Time 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 at 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 both the Brunette and the Blonde Zealots 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 other 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.^[1]

Making a Bargain[]

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 from 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 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.

Strange 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.^[1]

New Protector[]

Guarding the Sanctum[]

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 to overuse an Infinity Stone was dangerous. Strange made it clear he did not know about the Stones; a fact that did not surprise Wong.

Wong had gone on to note that the New York Sanctum needed a new protector, due to Daniel Drumm being murdered by Kaecilius. Strange accepted the offer and placed the Cloak of Levitation back over his own shoulders before following Wong through a portal towards the Sanctum. Once there, Strange put on the watch Christine Palmer had given him and then looked out at his new home through the window.^[1]

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, such as Loki. During this time, Strange also 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.^[15] Strange attended a full moon party at Kamar-Taj, causing Strange to cast the Runes of Kof-Kol to make all sorcerers forget about the party except himself.^[16] Strange and Wong started developing a closer relationship, in which Strange would often say things in an attempt to get a rise out of Wong, but Wong would refuse.^[14]

Learning of the Infinity Stones[]

A few months into his time as the New York Sanctum's guardian, Strange had a conversation with Wong regarding the Infinity Stones and their history across the Nine Realms. Wong also explained that his reason for telling him this was that Thor had seemingly returned to Earth and brought Loki with him for unknown reasons, which could pose a potential threat to the planet.^[7]

Considering the threat that Loki had posed to the Earth when he had used the Tesseract and caused the Battle of New York, Strange sent Loki through a portal when he arrived in New York City and decided to bring Thor into the Sanctum, leaving his business card behind for Thor to find. Upon reaching the Sanctum, Thor, bemused to find Earth had mystical protectors, inadvertently also knocked several ancient artifacts over while he had been exploring the Sanctum.^[15]

Strange sat down across from Thor, at first offering him a cup of tea which he changed to an ale upon Thor's request. Strange went on to explain that since becoming one of the Masters of the Mystic Arts he had begun to keep a watchlist of many of the dangerous individuals from the Multiverse, noting that Loki was on that list, which Thor had noted was a worthy inclusion. Strange questioned why Thor had decided to bring Loki back to Earth considering the risk.^[1][15]

Thor explained that he and Loki had been looking for Odin who had vanished ever since Loki had taken his place during their conflict with the Dark Elves' leader, Malekith. Strange then offered his help on the condition that they would then return straight to Asgard as soon as the mission had been completed, which Thor agreed to. Strange noted he had been unable to contact Thor and explained that Odin had requested that he remain in exile without being found.^[15]

Locating Odin[]

Strange explained that Odin was currently still hiding out in his exile within Norway as Strange used his powers to teleport himself and Thor around the New York Sanctum while he confirmed that he did not have to modify his magic in order for it to work for Asgardians, with Thor getting also increasingly annoyed about being teleported around the building so much and spilling his ale as a result.

Strange then requested a strand of Thor's hair, ignoring his protests and taking it regardless before using it to create the portal to Norway. Before he left, Strange reminded Thor to collect Mjølnir, which had been disguised as an umbrella while he was on Earth, with the pair overhearing the umbrella smashing through several items upstairs before it returned to Thor's hand, which Thor apologized for. Just as he prepared to leave, Thor then requested Loki's return.

Once Strange released Loki, he attempted to attack Strange in his fury for allowing him to fall through the portal for thirty minutes, but Strange decided he was done with the Asgardians, unceremoniously throwing Thor and Loki into the portal to Odin's location.^[15] Strange then went back to his previous conversation with Wong in order to learn about the final Infinity Stone; the Soul Stone, which Wong had revealed had the potential to be the most dangerous of all.^[7]

Unauthorized Biography[]

That fall, Strange started to experience a cloudy mind, although he did not think anything of it. He approached Wong, who was in a room attempting to write. Strange suggested that Wong needed a break, giving him tea, which Wong was suspicious of. Strange admitted that he wanted to know what Wong was writing, since the way Wong worded it made it appear as though Wong were writing about Strange. Wong laughed and explained that, since Strange joined the Masters of the Mystic Arts, a lot had happened that needed to be documented so that future Masters could learn from it. Strange eventually left the New York Sanctum and went into New York City to clear his head. However, his cloudy mind turned into headaches that got worse and came with visions, so he returned to the Sanctum.^[14]

Defeating Kalkartho[]

He came back hours later with a suitcase and tried to leverage the information about where he was for information about Wong's writing, but Wong convinced Strange to tell him in exchange for Wong thinking about telling Strange about the writing. He told Wong about his headaches, so Wong decided to consult the texts at Kamar-Taj. Strange asked Wong to go while he stayed behind to meditate. Strange used an Inter-Dimensional Portal to offer Wong various fruits, all of which Wong turned down. Strange then used the Rotunda of Gateways to leave and meditate on a mountain. He had another vision of a tentacled creature going to Earth along with the name Kalkartho. When he returned hours later, Wong told Strange that he did not find anything and got Strange to admit that he knew he would not. Strange explained that he did not know what would happen to him while meditating and that he did not want Wong in Kamar-Taj if something followed him through the Rotunda. Wong asked what Strange learned, so Strange explained his vision to him.

They began searching the library for hope of stopping the Kalkartho. Strange searched The Book of the Five and found the Bonds of Baelzar, which Wong voiced his disagreement with Strange's idea to use them, though he hesitantly agreed to. Strange memorized the incantation and put the book back, and the two went to Mendoza, Argentina. The two sat as Strange opened a mist which created a pocket that allowed them to see into the Magenta Dimension, from which the Bonds of Baelzar drew their energy.

They returned to the New York Sanctum and Strange explained his plan to banish the Kalkartho by intercepting it in the Astral Dimension, but the Kalkartho suddenly attacked and rendered Strange unconscious, nearly killing him, but Wong resuscitated him. Wong tried to convince Strange to stay out of it, but the sorcerer refused, and they decided to end it. They projected themselves into the Astral Dimension and went to the moon, releasing energy from the Magenta Dimension. Kalkartho suddenly appeared in front of Strange and Wong, and Wong started ducking attacks while Strange worked. However, Wong passed out.

Strange brought himself and Wong back to their bodies and baited the creature to the Sanctum as Wong woke up. Kalkartho appeared in the Sanctum in the physical world, so Strange yelled for Wong to activate the Bonds of Baelzar as he avoided the attacks. As the mist faded and took Kalkartho into the Magenta Dimension, Strange and Wong went with it. They watched it consume an energy cloud, and Strange explained that the clouds were the only thing in the dimension and that Kalkartho would have a never-ending supply of energy. The two then returned to Earth.

Wong returned to his writing and Strange tried spying on him using a portal while eating pizza. Wong offered to tell Strange what he was writing in exchange for a slice, but Strange instead said that they would always be ready to fight and closed the portal.^[14]

Infinity War[]

Learning of Thanos[]

During the day at the New York Sanctum, Strange was set to head out of the deli-grocery store for food and asked for Wong about what he would like to eat to whom he asked to pay. However, Wong then revealed that he did not have any actual American money, annoying Strange, who told him he'd buy a tuna sandwich instead.

At that moment, Bruce Banner crashed inside the place, having been brought there by Heimdall's bridge. Strange then formed up with his sorcerer getup only to figure out it was Banner, telling him that Thanos was coming, much to Strange curiosity.^[2] At Banner's urging,^[17] he and Strange went to find Tony Stark who was with Pepper Potts at Central Park, telling him to come with the group and congratulate them on their proposal.

Once Tony Stark arrived with Strange to the New York Sanctum, Wong showed Stark about the Infinity Stones, where they came from and how many there were. As he named them all one by one, Strange revealed the Time Stone from the Eye of Agamotto. Once Stark asked about Thanos, Strange told him if he could get all six stones, he would destroy half of all life that should be hitherto undreamed of. Having to understand that the universe was at stake, Strange listened to Stark about his use of language, to which he grew irritated with Stark from touching the Cauldron of the Cosmos and letting the Cloak of Levitation hit his hand.^[2]

Attack on Greenwich Village[]

As Stark collected himself, the group realized that Vision, who had the Mind Stone embedded in his head, would be another target. Banner told Stark to call Steve Rogers for help. Before Stark would make the call, they were interrupted by the sound of agitation in the streets and debris flying through the air. Leaving the New York Sanctum to investigate, the four found people fleeing and screaming in panic, as a Q-Ship, sent by Thanos, had arrived, devastating the surrounding city with powerful winds.

Strange and the group confronted the ship, where Strange cast the Winds of Watoomb spell to neutralize the powerful winds created by the Q-Ship. Once the craft drew out Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian, who descended from the ship in a tractor beam, Maw demanded the Time Stone, which was kept in the Eye of Agamotto, only to be rudely rebuffed and commanded to leave by both Strange and Stark. Frustrated, Maw commanded Obsidian to attack and retrieve the Stone, while Banner unsuccessfully attempted to release Hulk, Stark donned his Mark L armor and blasted Obsidian away.

Using his Sling Ring to send Banner to safety, Strange was then told by Iron Man to flee with the Time Stone, but he refused. Strange and Wong managed to redirect the attack with their Sling Rings, injuring Maw. Infuriated, Maw incapacitated Wong by bursting a nearby fire hydrant. Strange attempted to restrain Maw with an Eldritch Whip, only for the latter to tackle Strange, telekinetically trapping him in the side of a nearby building.

Strange was then sealed by bricks from Maw, which he attempted to remove the Time Stone. Breaking free, Strange attempted to use the Stone against Maw but was quickly restrained again by cables. Before Maw could kill Strange, he warned that his death would not remove the seal, causing Maw to choke him unconscious instead, choosing to bring him back to the Q-Ship alive. However, the Cloak of Levitation managed to loosen the restraints with the unconscious Strange, with an enraged Maw in hot pursuit.

Strange passed by in the park, where Iron Man tasked Spider-Man with rescuing the unconscious Strange as he held off Obsidian. Maw noticed Spider-Man was chasing him and tried to get away. Despite Maw's efforts, Spider-Man managed to grab Strange, only for the both of them, as well as the Cloak, to be caught in the Q-ship's tractor beam. Maw boarded the Q-Ship with Strange and held him off captive until he would give up the stone.^[2]

Tortured by Ebony Maw[]

Awakening, Strange found himself in the captivity of Ebony Maw, aboard a Q-Ship bound to rendezvous with Thanos on Titan, while telekinetically immobilized and surrounded by hundreds of alien microsurgery needles. Noticing that Strange is awake, Maw approached him, preparing to begin the torture.

As the horrendous torture began, Strange was informed by Maw that he would be judged harshly by Thanos for bringing him alive, and so requires Strange to remove the magical seal protecting the Time Stone in the Eye of Agamotto, to allow Maw to retrieve it. With this remark, Maw began to telekinetically stab the microsurgery needles one by one into Strange's body, each inducing terrible pain while commanding that Strange release the Stone, to no avail.

Strange continued to get tortured by Maw, who, while under immense pain and duress, remained unyielding to Maw's demands. Before Maw could continue, he was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Iron Man. Maw threatened to kill Strange, but Iron Man fired a missile into the wall of the Q-Ship. The hull was breached, instantly sucking Maw into the vacuum of space. Strange was inadvertently caught in the vacuum, and the Cloak of Levitation attempted to rescue him.

Leaping in, Spider-Man managed to grab Strange. Stark noted that the Q-Ship was on an automated course bound for an unknown location. Strange insisted that Stark commandeer the Q-Ship to return them and the Time Stone to Earth, although Stark was reluctant. Instead, he suggested continuing on their current course to Thanos, proposing they ambush him on his territory, where he would not be expecting an attack, and to keep his attention away from Earth.

Although initially at odds, Strange reluctantly agreed with Stark's plan, after he told of his history over the years about Thanos' manipulative discourse. After agreeing, Strange reminded Stark that he would prioritize saving the Time Stone over either Stark or Parker's lives, asserting he would easily let either of them die if it means keeping the Stone from Thanos' hands.^[2]

Encountering the Guardians[]

Upon arriving on Titan, Iron Man and Spider-Man attempted to land the Q-Ship safely. Before the two crash landed on the planet's surface, Strange cast the Shield of the Seraphim to protect them. Almost immediately, the trio were ambushed by Drax, Star-Lord and Mantis of the Guardians of the Galaxy, who believed them to be Thanos' soldiers as they had emerged from one of his ships. However, after a tense standoff, both parties realized they shared the same goal, before deciding to work together to ambush Thanos, who they expected to be arriving soon.

Awaiting for Thanos' arrival, Iron Man, Spider-Man and the Guardians of the Galaxy attempted to formulate a plan of attack; while this happened, Strange activated the Time Stone, and just as he had done with Dormammu,^[18] Strange created a time loop living 14,000,605^[2] possible scenarios. While reliving all the possible outcomes,^[18] Strange contemplated cutting off Thanos' hand with his Sling Ring, but desisted upon realizing that the Titan's skin was almost impenetrable and that if he failed to cut it on time, Thanos would still be able to snap his fingers and accomplish his goal.^[19]

Strange eventually saw that the singular way to victory that involved Thanos obtaining all six Infinity Stones and achieving his goal of culling the universe, with him among the casualties; however, in 2023, with the help of Ant-Man, Stark and the other Avengers, they would perform a Time Heist that would allow them to create their own Infinity Gauntlet and have Hulk successfully resurrect the victims of the Snap back to life.

Despite seeing that the defeat of Thanos would happen only with the sacrifice of Stark,^[8] Strange returned to reality, and gravely informed the others of how many scenarios he had seen and that only one of them ended in Thanos' defeat, but did not inform them of any of the details.^[2]

Battle of Titan[]

Prior to the battle, Strange removed the Time Stone from the Eye of Agamotto and hid both artifacts while creating a replica Eye to wear. Sitting down on a faraway hill alone, Strange saw Thanos and informed him that he had been brought face-to-face with a Master of the Mystic Arts. Thanos ignored the threat, simply asking Strange where he believed Ebony Maw had brought him. Strange guessed that Titan was his former home. Nodding wistfully in affirmation to Strange, Thanos stopped and began to reminisce. Thanos would use the Reality Stone to craft an illusion of Titan's former beauty to Strange.

Strange hailed Thanos as a prophet, but Thanos retorted, claiming himself to be a survivor. Strange continued to condemn the Mad Titan's motivations as for mass murdering trillions. Thanos explained to Strange that with all six Infinity Stones, a single snap of his finger would only cause a merciful cessation of half of the universe's existence. Strange stood and questioned Thanos about once he achieved his goal. Thanos desired to simply rest while watching the sunrise on a grateful Universe.

Threatening Thanos, Strange entered a combat stance and summoned a pair of Tao Mandalas, warning Thanos that their will would be equal to his. Realizing that Strange was not alone, Thanos was temporarily ambushed, only to begin attacking. Strange conjured a sword and engaged the half-blinded Thanos in brief close combat alongside Drax the Destroyer. However, Thanos kicked Strange in which he blocked it with a Tao Mandala.

Strange conjured platforms of energy for Star-Lord to jump and conjured a portal for Star-Lord to escape. Strange told the Cloak of Levitation to not allow Thanos to close his fist, and the Cloak wrapped around the Infinity Gauntlet to prevent Thanos from activating the Infinity Gauntlet. Using his Sling Ring, Strange summoned Spider-Man to attack Thanos, leaping through conjured portals to repeatedly attack Thanos from all sides and preventing him from removing the Cloak.

However, once Thanos managed to grab Spider-Man, he threw the web-slinger towards Strange, knocking them both to the ground. Recovered from his harmful attack, Strange quickly cast the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak on Thanos, restraining the Gauntle. Until Iron Man swooped in, taking Strange's place to hold the Gauntlet. Strange used his Sling Ring to open a portal and drop Mantis on Thanos' head, before casting the Bands again to restrain his right arm.^[2]

Showdown with Thanos[]

Following the failed attempt of getting the Infinity Gauntlet off, Strange personally confronted Thanos in a ferocious duel, with Strange launching the first strike, firing the Bolts of Balthakk towards Thanos. Leaping into the air, Thanos retaliated with a blast of energy from the Power Stone. Strange countered with a barrier of the Mirror Dimension to absorb the beam, before pushing it toward Thanos to trap him. Thanos destroyed the mirror barrier with the Power Stone before throwing the remnants back at Strange in the form of a black hole with the Space Stone. Thinking quickly, Strange cast a spell to transmute the singularity into a swarm of blue butterflies, briefly confusing Thanos.

Raising into the air with the Cloak of Levitation, Strange then cast the Images of Ikonn, conjuring versions of himself to restrain Thanos with hundreds of Eldritch Whips. However, Thanos immediately regained the upper hand, activating the Soul and Power Stones to instantly destroy the false images and briefly sunder Strange's astral form from his body. With his opponent staggered, Thanos activated the Space and Reality Stones, pulling Strange to his hand before he could react, winning the duel.

Once he was subdued, Strange was within Thanos' grasp and tried to pull himself away. Admitting that while he was impressed by Strange's mastery over magic, Thanos deduced that, as the sorcerer had never once attempted to use the Time Stone to his advantage, the Eye of Agamotto that was being worn was a fake. Confirming his suspicions, Thanos took and crushed the fake Eye of Agamotto, revealing it to be empty, before throwing Strange away.^[2]

Thanos' Victory[]

Before Thanos could kill Iron Man, Strange intervened and offered the Time Stone in exchange for Stark's life,^[2] since his future vision revealed to him that Stark needed to live to convert Hank Pym's Quantum Tunnel into a time machine for the Time Heist and sacrifice himself at the Battle of Earth to defeat Thanos.^[8] Thanos agreed after warning Strange not to double-cross him. Despite Stark's pleas to not give in, Strange revealed the Time Stone, having disguised it as a star in Titan's sky, and surrendered it to Thanos. After the battle, Stark would ask Strange why he would give up the Stone. Strange could only inform Stark that they were now in the "endgame."

When Thanos collected the last remaining stone, the Mind Stone, from Vision in Wakanda, he snapped his fingers, removing half of sapient life in the universe from existence. After watching Mantis, Drax, and Star-Lord vanish before their eyes, Strange, gradually disintegrating into dust himself, assured a visibly-shaken Stark that there was no other way before disappearing.^[2] With no Sorcerer Supreme since 2017, the position had been left vacant with Strange as a candidate^[20], but with Strange dead, the title of Sorcerer Supreme was given to Wong.^[16]

Battle of Earth[]

Five years later, as a result of the Blip, Strange was resurrected on Titan. Knowing what had transpired during the five years due to looking into the future with the Eye of Agamotto, Strange enlisted the assistance of the newly resurrected Spider-Man and the Guardians of the Galaxy, who were also on Titan with him.

He then opened a portal from Titan to Earth and arrived at the destroyed Avengers Compound to prepare for the massive battle against an alternate Thanos. He observed as Wong and the other Masters of the Mystic Arts portaled in multiple allies across the universe in order for them to assist the surviving Avengers in the fight.

After seeing Wong in person, he inquired if they were able to summon everyone, to which Wong exasperatedly asked Strange if he wanted more. Strange then stood alongside the epic line of assembled heroes as Captain America led the charge against Thanos and his army. Strange then charged towards Thanos' army, using the Cloak of Levitation to fly into the air and into battle.

After taking down a group of aliens with magic into another dimension, Strange was approached by Iron Man, who questioned if this was the one out of fourteen million futures in which they would win. Strange replied that if he told him what happens, it would not happen. Stark then told Strange that he had better be right.

When Thanos ordered an airstrike to halt Wanda Maximoff's attacks, it destroyed the foundations of the nearby lake. When Pepper Potts called this to attention, Strange conjured the Winds of Watoomb to hold back the water from reaching the battlefield. Strange continued to hold back the water after Thanos had destroyed Luis' van with his sword.

After seeing Captain Marvel get knocked out of the fight by Thanos, Strange signaled to Stark that this was the one outcome he foresaw where they won. This ultimately led to Stark sacrificing himself by swiping the Infinity Stones and using them to wipe out Thanos and his army.^[8] All the heroes then gathered around the fallen hero, and following Clint Barton, everyone, including Strange, knelt before him out of respect.^[21]

Tony Stark's Funeral[]

A week later, Strange and Wong attended Tony Stark's funeral at the Stark Eco-Compound. Strange and Wong stood alongside all the heroes who they previously fought with, as Stark's Arc Reactor was sent adrift on the lake.^[8] Afterwards, Strange returned to live at the New York Sanctum.^[16]

"Friendship" with Scott Lang[]

Following the Battle of Earth, Scott Lang struck up a friendship with various Avengers, as well as other heroes. Strange was one of those heroes, as he attempted to befriend Strange; however, Strange did not reciprocate the attempts at friendship, dismissing Lang. After Lang was later nominated to write a book about the events surrounding the Blip and Thanos' defeat, titled Look Out for the Little Guy!, Strange was given a copy of the book to read and enjoyed it. Strange's review was then featured on the back of the book alongside Bruce Banner's, Captain America's, Hawkeye's and Christine Everhart's. The review said that although he was not hoping for Lang to write a book, he still enjoyed reading it.^[22]

Multiversal Crisis[]

Helping Peter Parker[]

In 2024, Strange witnessed a blizzard in Siberia come through the Rotunda of Gateways into the New York Sanctum. That November, he was visited by Peter Parker, who was surprised to learn that Strange was not Sorcerer Supreme and that Wong had been given the title. Strange asked what the reason for the visit was and insisted that Parker no longer refer to him as "sir" due to their shared experiences. Parker brought up that Mysterio revealing his identity to the world ruined his life, and asked if Strange could go back in time and stop it from happening.

As Parker pled his case, Strange informed him that he was no longer in possession of the Time Stone and voiced his concerns that the recent Time Heist affected the space-time continuum, but was given the idea to cast a spell that would make everyone forget Parker was Spider-Man. Wong objected Strange's idea, as it traveled the borders of known and unknown realities, but Strange revealed he had used the spell for less important matters, such as a party at Kamar-Taj. Strange attempted to convince Wong, who decided to let it happen, only if he were to be left out of the entire situation, and he departed through an Inter-Dimensional Portal to Kamar-Taj.

Strange brought Parker down to the Sanctum's lower level to a room that had walls that were thousands of years old and were filled with cosmic energy currents. As he began to cast the spell, he said a farewell to Parker, as he would soon forget who he was. Parker questioned what Strange meant, who revealed that the spell would make everyone in the world forget, and that it would be dangerous to change while casting the spell. However, Strange decided to allow Parker's girlfriend to remember, but Parker continued to add a few more people as he wanted not to forget him, even after Strange insisted on not altering it further, which caused him to start losing control of the spell.

Due to the interference, the spell erupted around them, creating a fissure in the Multiverse, with Parker changing again it so that only people that knew he was Spider-Man before the reveal would know, so Strange quickly shut it down before chaos ensued and stored it inside the Macchina di Kadavus.

Annoyed that his spell was changed, Strange angrily told Parker that it did not work, and explained that the problem was him trying to live two different lives. When Strange learnt that Parker tried to get him to brainwash the world before speaking to the people at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he promptly removed him from the Sanctum.^[16]

Capturing Multiversal Visitors[]

Soon after, Strange detected an otherworldly presence, and went to investigate, finding Lizard in the sewers, so he put him in a cell under the Sanctum, realizing that the spell had caused people from the Multiverse that knew Parker was Spider-Man to be brought over to their universe. Strange used his Sling Ring to bring back Parker, who had encountered another one, Doctor Octopus, who Strange put in a cell also. He explained to Parker how he was only able to contain the spell, which is why a few people have managed to cross the Multiverse.

Seeking to remedy the situation, Strange then tasked Parker with locating the rest and bringing them back to the Sanctum while he figured out a way to return them to their respective universes before they destroyed the fabric of reality. Strange upgraded Parker's Spider-Man Suit and Web-Shooters with a magic device so that he could transport any universe-displaced people directly to a cell in the Sanctum. Parker then told Strange that he would still help in finding the people, so Strange went to find Parker's friends.

Strange found Michelle Jones and Ned Leeds, and brought them to the Sanctum, where they asked about how the people got to their universe, so Strange explained how Parker's attempts to get them all into college led to the spell that went wrong. Wanting to get the problem over with, Strange reminded them to get to work and start looking for any more trespassers from the Multiverse. However, after Jones called him out for being the one that messed up the spell, Strange saw her point and told them to get to work, allowing them to use the undercroft.^[16]

Conflict with Spider-Man[]

Later, Strange returned to the Sanctum's undercroft and saw that Sandman and Electro had been added into the cells. He then spotted Norman Osborn and transported him into a cell. He revealed that he had used the Macchina di Kadavus, an ancient relic to trap the corrupted spell, and only needed to complete the ritual to reverse what had been done. Parker told Strange not to go through with the plan, as it meant sending them to their deaths, but Strange was adamant on upholding their fates, so he began the ritual to send them back.

Before Strange could complete the ritual, Parker snatched the Macchina di Kadavus away from him and used his upgraded gauntlet to put Strange in a cell with Sandman, as he ran away. Strange was able to walk out of the cell, and followed Parker outside the Sanctum, using an Inter-Dimensional Portal to prevent him from leaving. Strange removed the gauntlet from Parker and pushed his astral form out of his body but was unable to take back the Macchina due to Parker's Spider-Sense.

Parker managed to return to his physical body, and began swinging away, so Strange sent the Cloak of Levitation after him, allowing Strange to open the Mirror Dimension and put Parker in it. Being in complete control in the Mirror Dimension, Strange manipulated the environment as he pursued Spider-Man, leading to them facing off on top of a train in Central Park. Strange told Spider-Man that the spell could not get loose as an infinite number of people would cross into their universe, but Spider-Man was determined to change the fate before sending them back.

Strange opened a portal above and below Spider-Man, causing him to fall endlessly with the Cloak grabbing the Macchina. Parker collided the two portals into each other, making the Mirror Dimension alter around them and making them appear by the Grand Canyon in Arizona. The Macchina fell, so Strange flew after it. Strange retrieved the Macchina and opened a portal out of the Mirror Dimension.

Spider-Man used his knowledge of geometry to web Strange up. As he boasted that math was cooler than magic, Spider-Man took the Macchina and then used his webs to take Strange's Sling Ring. He then went through the portal, leaving Strange tied up in the Mirror Dimension.^[16]

Battle at Liberty Island[]

After being stuck in the Grand Canyon within the Mirror Dimension for twelve hours, Strange managed to escape and come through an Inter-Dimensional Portal that was inadvertently opened up by Ned Leeds to the Statue of Liberty. Being greeted by Leeds and Michelle Jones, Strange asked them where Parker was then reclaimed his Sling Ring and the Macchina di Kadavus.

However, before he could do anything else, Strange was informed by Leeds and Jones that Parker's plan to cure the universe-displaced people was working, as they witnessed Lizard turning back into a human. Seeing this, Strange realized that Parker was right about second chances and was right about him not having a heart before. Strange then asked Leeds if he was the one who opened the portal as he replied that he did. Hearing this, Strange was impressed by Leeds as he nodded his head in approval then left to go to the top of the Statue of Liberty.

Strange went to confront Parker, who introduced him to his two counterparts from other universes, and reminded him that they had to send everyone back. But at that moment, Green Goblin attacked them with his Razor Bats, with Octavius narrowly saving Strange and snatched the Macchina, so Strange used an Eldritch Whip to get it back, only to find a Pumpkin Bomb had been placed inside of it. With the Macchina destroyed, the unstable spell became loose, and despite Strange's efforts to contain it again, he could not, and the Multiverse started to crack open. Strange used his magic to close the cracks, but the spell could not be stopped.

Parker suggested to cast the spell again how it was meant to be done, but Strange stated that it was too late, as infinite amounts of people from the Multiverse were coming through because of him. Parker then told Strange to cast a new spell to make everyone forget who he was. Strange became slightly emotional and was reluctant however, warning Parker of the severity of the spell, but he accepted it, so Strange told him to say his goodbyes and began casting the spell, but not before they both bade farewell to one another themselves. The spell worked and the universe-displaced were sent back to their universes, along with the infinite number of people, and everyone in his universe forgot Parker's existence, including Strange himself.^[16]

Dreams[]

A short time later, Strange dreamt of a young girl and an alternate version of himself running from a ribboned creature in an unknown location. The creature ended up killing the alternate version of himself and tried to capture the girl, but she opened up a star-shaped portal that caused her and the deceased Strange to fall through. Strange suddenly woke up breathing hard in his bed at the New York Sanctum. After looking around to calm himself, he grabbed his wrist watch.^[3]

Christine Palmer's Wedding[]

Strange then got dressed before a mirror, but when he attempted to use his hands to tie his tie, he short cuffed it and used his Magic to do so. He put his Cloak of Levitation inside his suit front pocket and then left the Sanctum and arrived at a nearby church, where he had been invited to attend Christine Palmer's wedding.

Strange then took his seat in a pew and was pleasantly surprised when Nicodemus West came in and sat beside him. West told Strange he hadn't seen him in awhile, in which Strange remarked that he had disappeared for five years. West acknowledged that and remarked that he too had been a victim of the Blip. He then asked Strange if he was right with his actions in the Infinity War in that there was only one way to defeat Thanos.

Strange reassured him of this, stating there was only one way. West told him that ever since he had been restored to life he had been wondering if there was any other way as to have avoided the Snap. He told Strange that he had lost his two pet cats and brother in the time he was gone. Strange expressed his condolences and understood how emotional the event had been. Strange then saw Palmer walk inside as the wedding began. As flower girls threw up flowers as she entered, Strange held his composure, albeit was emotional upon seeing her get married to someone else.

After the ceremony, Strange was invited to the reception. While there, he encountered Palmer at the bar, and he used magic to fill her glass with wine. He then congratulated her on her wedding, and she told him that her husband was a fan of his. Strange told Palmer that he wished things could have been different, but he had to make sacrifices. Palmer responded that it would never have worked out with them due to his personality. Strange claimed that he was glad she was happy, and when Palmer asked if he was happy, Strange told her he was, although not as happy as he wanted to be. She then excused herself to tend to her guests.^[3]

Battle Against Gargantos[]

Strange sipped his glass only to hear a car crash outside and people screaming. As guests rushed to the balcony to see what was going on, Strange followed. Upon seeing that there was chaos in the streets, Strange handed his glass to the bartender and took the Cloak of Levitation out of his suit pocket and leaped off the balcony, changing into his sorcerer's suit.

Strange pursued where the chaos was coming from, witnessing a woman nearly get knocked over. He put up protective shields and used his magic to conjure giant hands to help him try and stop the invisible creature.

Strange descended onto the street and watched as a girl hopped onto a bus. After seeing that the girl was the same person from his dream, he became confused. When the bus was lifted off the ground, Strange became more confused but then used his magic to release the invisibility surrounding it and exposed Gargantos, a one-eyed tentacled inter-dimensional creature.

Strange used his magic to slice off one of Gargantos' tentacles in order for him to release the bus. As the girl fell out of the bus, the Cloak went and saved her, bringing her back to Strange. Strange turned to talk to her, but she told him to look out as the bus was thrown back at him.

Strange used his powers to slice the bus in half and keep it from hitting them. He then turned around and asked the girl who she was before getting swatted aside by Gargantos, who knocked him into Jonas & James where he was knocked unconscious.

When Strange regained consciousness, he found that his Cloak was missing. He then hopped onto a taxi and observed what was happening. He saw Wong, who had arrived, but was held within Gargantos' grasp. Strange conjured an ax and threw it at the tentacle, releasing Wong. Strange told him he was welcome, while Wong stated that it was custom to bow before the Sorcerer Supreme, and Strange said he was fully aware of the customs.

Strange and Wong then used Eldritch Whips to grab onto Gargantos, who was still chasing the girl. The girl had been taken onto a high rise building and Gargantos was scaling the building to get to her. Strange used his magic to knock away its tentacle as it tried to grab the girl. However, this did not work, and Gargantos knocked aside Wong and grabbed Strange.

The Cloak arrived and covered Gargantos' eye as Strange used the giant hands to lift up a nearby lamppost. The Cloak removed itself just as Strange forced the lamppost into Gargantos' eyeball. He then used the giant hand to pull the lamppost out taking the whole eyeball with it. Strange was released and the now-dead Gargantos fell to the street below.^[3]

Meeting the Multiversal Traveler[]

Afterwards, Strange and Wong demanded answers from the girl. However, she ran away from them and Strange realized she had taken his Sling Ring. Wong then used his Sling Ring to transport them to where she was. Cornered, the girl was forced to speak to them and told them she could travel the Multiverse.

Strange and Wong decided to take the girl to Mancini's Pizzeria where they could learn more about her. The girl asked them if they had any experience with the Multiverse. Strange told her that they did in an event recently with Spider-Man. The girl asked if Spider-Man looked like a spider and had the powers of a spider but Strange told her more of a man. The girl asked where his webs came out of and Strange stated he had Web-Shooters. The girl then commented that the pizza was really good and that her stomach may be different as she was from another universe. Strange then asked her why she was being chased by creatures.

The girl then told them about Strange's variant and how he had betrayed her, after which Strange stated he was in his dream as well. However, the girl told him it wasn't a dream. She said they were searching for a book of pure magic and Strange deduced it was the Book of Vishanti, which he stated was not real. Wong told him it was but was unreachable. The girl said she had found it though. Strange then told the girl to prove that what she was saying wasn't a dream.

She took them to a building's rooftop and showed them Strange's variant's corpse. When asked what should happen to the body as it would break violations, Strange used his magic to lift the body and place it a block of dirt. He then said he had buried worse. Wong asked the girl what her name was, and she introduced herself as America Chavez. She was invited to Kamar-Taj and Strange then noted that the symbols on Gargantos and the variant weren't of sorcery and were of witchcraft. When Wong asked who could know such a thing, Strange told them he knew of someone who could help.^[3]

More Multiversal Problems[]

Meeting with Wanda Maximoff[]

Strange travelled to Wanda Maximoff's location and found her living in a cabin. He approached her as she was gardening and asked her if the apples were real, and she told him that they were very real. She assumed that he was there to talk about Westview, but he told her that he wasn't there to talk about Westview, acknowledging that Maximoff had done the right thing and taken down her Hex as he thought she would. Strange then asked her what she knew of the Multiverse.

They went walking and she told him that Vision believed it to be real and dangerous. Strange stated that he was right. Strange then told her that a girl had arrived and was being chased by creatures. He told Maximoff that he needed her help as she was an Avenger, but she said there were others he could ask. Strange told her that between Hawkeye, Ant-Man, Wasp, and Spider-Man, she was the only logical answer. He offered Maximoff to come to Kamar-Taj, but she suggested that he bring America Chavez to her instead, causing Strange to pause and stop walking.

Beginning to deduce that Maximoff knew more than she let on, he became disappointed. When Maximoff saw that Strange had figured it out, she told him that the Hex was easy but lying not so much. She then removed the illusion surrounding the field, revealing a barren desolate landscape. Strange then saw Maximoff's Scarlet Witch uniform and watched as she summoned the Darkhold. He recognised it and pondered what it had done to Maximoff, knowing its corrupting powers. Maximoff told him that it merely revealed the truth that her two children were alive and that she was planning on escaping to an alternate universe to be with them. Strange retorted that she had created her children, and they were nott real.

He said that what she was going to do was breaking every law of reality, but she told him that taking Chavez's powers was for the greater good. Strange replied that her reasoning was the same justification for their enemies, but she countered saying that Strange was contradictory, noting how he gave the Time Stone to Thanos. Strange told her that that was a war and he had no choice. She then told him to go back to Kamar-Taj and prepare to hand over Chavez by sundown. As she walked away, he asked her what would happen if they did not, and she told him that they would meet the Scarlet Witch.^[3]

Siege of Kamar-Taj[]

Strange returned to Kamar-Taj and told Wong, America Chavez, and other Masters of the Mystic Arts that the Darkhold has control over Wanda Maximoff and that she was coming for Chavez. Wong explained how powerful the Scarlet Witch was and Strange noted that she had used her mind to take over a whole town. Chavez looked at him suspiciously noting that the person he had gone to ask for help was the same person after her. Strange then prepared as Wong ordered Kamar-Taj to become a fortress.

After the students and Masters went out to defend Kamar-Taj, Strange and Wong joined them. They watched as a large dark cloud rolled in, soon covering the atmosphere in darkness. Strange then looked up and saw Maximoff flying within the clouds. As he was about to speak to her, Wong told him to choose his words wisely.

Strange then flew up to speak with her as the clouds dissipated. Maximoff told him that all she wanted was them to hand over Chavez. Strange told her they could not do that and when he mentioned sacrifices, Maximoff became angry. She stated that she had sacrificed everything, mentioning how she had used her powers to destroy Vision, but that meant nothing as the Snap still happened. Maximoff moved closer and asked him to sympathize with her, asking if there was a universe where he could be happy with Christine Palmer, would not he go there. Strange refused to do so, and Maximoff told him to remember that what she did next was reasonable.

Maximoff shot a blast of her chaos magic at him, but the protective shields surrounding the perimeter blocked her. Strange then descended down to stand by Wong and the Masters. As Maximoff furiously tried to break the shields, Strange observed her actions. He then saw that she had stopped blasting the shield and was trying to use her telepathy. She was able to mind control a student in removing his shield allowing for her to break inside.

Maximoff blasted buildings and Masters aside, creating fires in the courtyards. Her blasts were strong enough to cause Strange to clutch his side. He then told everyone to fall back, knowing that they could not stop her. When Wong stayed behind, Strange yelled at him to follow.

Strange used a trap that he set up to stall Maximoff by trapping her in the Mirror Dimension. He and Wong met up with Chavez, who had been hiding in a room with Hamir and another Master. He told her they needed to get her out of there as Kamar-Taj had fallen. Suddenly, doors slammed shut around them and Hamir and the Master were taken away through puddles on the floor. Strange realized that Maximoff was using reflections to escape the Dimension and told them to cover them up.

Along with Wong and Chavez, Strange covered the reflections. Despite their efforts, Maximoff emerged from a gong and demanded Strange hand over Chavez. Strange attempted to talk some sense into Maximoff once more, by telling her that her children would not exist. Maximoff insisted that Billy and Tommy were present in other universes, and proved her point by telling them she would dream about her sons, before showing them how happy her other variants were with their children. Strange and Chavez sadly watched the visions projected from the pages of the Darkhold, before the book closed and Maximoff stated that "she wakes up to find herself in the same nightmare", referring to her world without her sons.

Strange then asked that, if she were to reach her boys in another universe, what would happen to their mother, to which Maximoff responded by gritting her teeth angrily at him. Sensing an incoming attack, Strange unhesitatingly summoned several serpentine dragons to attack Maximoff, only for them to be finished off quickly and then get thrown aside into a pillar. Maximoff then defeated Wong and began to capture Chavez.

Fortunately, as Maximoff began to absorb Chavez's power, the latter involuntarily opened one of her portals behind her. Strange took this as an opportunity to dive after her. In the process, Maximoff blasted a fiery ball of chaos magic, which burnt a hole in the Cloak of Levitation as Strange and Chavez fell through the portal.^[3]

Trip Through the Multiverse[]

Strange and Chavez then plummeted fast leaving his universe and entering several alternate universes, including Living Tribunal Statue World, Savage Land, Underwater World, Pipe World, Mirror World, Onslaught Canyon World, Paint World, HYDRA World, Cube World, and Comic Book World, among others.

Strange and Chavez finally landed on the roof of a building in New York City of Earth-838. Upon catching his breath, Strange asked Chavez if she was okay, to which she answered in amazement that he had saved her and was surprised that Strange did not vomit from the interdimensional trip. Strange recalled his first trip through the Multiverse that the Ancient One sent him on to Chavez, and was intrigued by the way New York looked like in the alternate universe, only to be interrupted by his own stomach, and rushed over to a nearby chimney to go vomit into it, much to Chavez's disgust.^[3]

Arrival in Dimension 838[]

Strange demanded that America Chavez open a portal to take them back to Kamar-Taj to save Wong from Scarlet Witch, but she informed him that she was not in control of her powers. This frustrated Strange, and he began to vocalize how he would be in control if he had her powers, which began to frighten Chavez, having been betrayed by the other Strange, so he apologized.

Strange then asked about Chavez's variants, but she explained that she had none, so they decided to locate Strange's variant from the universe they were in. They then headed to the New York Sanctum, and along the way, Chavez taught Strange the rules of Multiversal travel. When Chavez was caught stealing food by Pizza Poppa, he questioned Strange on his costume, thinking that it was stolen. Pizza Poppa went to attack Strange, so he put a spell on Pizza Poppa, causing him to uncontrollably hit himself.

As they continued through the streets, Strange asked Chavez more questions until he stepped on a memory machine platform, which displayed a memory of him and Christine Palmer on a date. Watching this made Strange get emotional, so he stepped off the platform. Chavez then used the machine and Strange saw the moment she gained her powers, which resulted in her parents being swept away into it and never to be seen again. Strange comforted Chavez, assuring her that her parents were still alive. They then talked about Strange's complicated relationship with Palmer.

Arriving at the Sanctum, Strange immediately saw a sculpture acting as a memorial for himself in that universe. The plaque said that Strange gave his life defeating Thanos. Strange said that not all of him was bad. Chavez pointed out that if Strange was dead, there was a different master guarding the Sanctum. Strange then proceeded to see none other than Baron Mordo. Mordo walked up to Strange, initially looking serious. However, his serious face quickly faded into a smile as he openly greeted Strange as his brother, saying that his Strange knew they would meet one day. He then led Strange inside. Before following, Strange reminded himself to go on red.

Inside the Sanctum, Strange talked about how Scarlet Witch had the Darkhold. Mordo said that they had a Darkhold as well and he guarded it because of what could happen to it in the wrong hands. Strange was relieved for that as he drank his tea. Mordo then revealed and explained how Maximoff seemed to be Dreamwalking, which meant that she could use the body of an alternate version of her. As Mordo explained, Strange started getting woozy. He looked over to Chavez who was passed out. Strange exclaimed to what he thought was his friend before he passed out himself.^[3]

Trial by the Illuminati[]

Strange woke up in a cell with America Chavez in a separate one. After failing to remove his cuffs, Strange tried to get information on what was going on, and discovered a variant of Christine Palmer working there. She explained that they were being surveilled and tested, and that the universe they were in was Earth-838. Strange enquired about her relationship with his variant, which she told him was complicated.

Strange then tried to warn Palmer about Scarlet Witch coming after Chavez, but he was ignored. Strange began guessing what organization Palmer was associated with, including the Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA, but when Baron Mordo returned with Ultron Sentries, he revealed that he was going to take Strange to the Illuminati. Strange was then let out of his cell, and he told Palmer to not let anyone hurt Chavez, as he was guided through the Illuminati Headquarters and brought to a new room.

Inside, Mordo introduced Strange to the members of the Illuminati: Captain Carter, Black Bolt, Captain Marvel, and Mister Fantastic. Despite being on trial, Strange's arrogance kicked in and he repeatedly quipped and mocked the Illuminati. Mister Fantastic informed Strange that his presence in Earth-838 increased the possibility of an Incursion, which could destroy their reality. They then explained how their Strange formed the Illuminati to make the hard decisions, and now they were going to decide what to do with Strange and Chavez.

Strange, in attempt to defend himself, warned them that the Scarlet Witch was a threat to the Multiverse, but he was shut down by Captain Marvel. Mister Fantastic explained that Strange was the greater danger, which confused Strange. The Illuminati, joined by Professor X, told him about how the 838 version of Strange became corrupted by the Darkhold, and eventually destroyed another universe, and was then willingly executed. After this, the Illuminati suspected every Strange was capable of being dangerous.^[3]

Attack on the Illuminati Headquarters[]

An alarm was then set off, as the Illuminati discovered that Scarlet Witch had infiltrated their headquarters, not surprising Strange. The Illuminati left to face Scarlet Witch, leaving Baron Mordo and Professor X to watch Strange. Before leaving, Professor X chose to trust Strange and revealed that there was a waypoint to the Book of Vishanti in the building.

After a while, Strange realized that the Illuminati were not coming back, and he chose to use that to antagonize Mordo into fighting him by accusing Mordo of being jealous of 838-Strange and possibly even being responsible his corruption from the Darkhold. Strange's tactic worked, and Mordo drew his sword and attacked Strange, who managed to get Mordo to break his cuffs off one hand. This allowed Strange to put it on Mordo, disabling his magic, forcing the two to use their fighting skills, resulting in Strange escaping from Mordo.^[3]

Entering the Gap Junction[]

Strange reunited with America Chavez, who was joined by Christine Palmer. Chavez rushed to hug Strange as he asked if she was fine. Strange also was reunited with the Cloak of Levitation, which had been repaired by Palmer. Strange asked Palmer about the Book of Vishanti, but she was unsure if she could trust him until Chavez vouched for him.

Palmer led Strange and Chavez through the Illuminati Headquarters, but they were soon found by Scarlet Witch. They made their way to a tunnel under the river with Scarlet Witch right behind them. To buy them time, Strange flooded part of the tunnel, trapping Scarlet Witch, allowing them to make it to the door where the book was being kept. Strange tried to open the door with magic, but it did not work, making him realize it required a passkey. Palmer figured out it was the watch that she had given him, and the door opened to the Gap Junction.

Spotting the book, Strange landed on a platform, followed by Chavez and Palmer. Strange approached the book and grabbed it, but at that moment, Chavez was attacked by Scarlet Witch, who pulled the young girl into her grip. Palmer went to save Chavez, but Strange stopped her and fired a blast at Scarlet Witch, which she managed to deflect and fire back at him. This caused the book to be destroyed. Scarlet Witch then lifted Strange and Palmer into the air, and by using Chavez's powers, a portal was opened, and the two were thrown into it.^[3]

Fighting a Corrupted Strange[]

Upon looking around the new reality that was collapsing in on itself, Strange and Christine Palmer realized that this universe had been destroyed by an Incursion. Understanding that America Chavez did not have long before Scarlet Witch would kill her, Strange decided to head towards the New York Sanctum in hopes to find a variant of himself for help.

Strange and Palmer found the Sanctum, and observed how isolated it was. As they walked closer, Strange noticed the skeletons littering the ground as well as the trees bare and dying. Palmer remarked that this universe's Strange did not do a good job at stopping the Incursion, and Strange quipped that he would tell him she said that. Seeing his variant through the window, Strange told Palmer to stay outside as he entered the Sanctum, carefully walking into it. As he walked up the long staircase, it creaked eerily.

Reaching the top level, Strange was cautiously greeted by his variant, who asked him how he arrived in his universe, as well as getting him to verify his identity, so Strange told him about their sister and how she died due to drowning. Gaining the variant's trust, Strange explained that he wanted to escape this universe, which the variant interjected that he had tried and failed, revealing that he was in possession of the Darkhold, so Strange requested use of the book.

However, his variant warned him against using the cursed book, saying that the Darkhold would not only impact the fate of reality, but it would also take a heavy toll on the user. Strange insisted his variant help him, but in response, he asked Strange if he was happy, referring to being asked that question by his Christine Palmer, and proceeded to reveal his past, in which he hunted down many counterparts of himself and killed them through Dreamwalking. Now revealing a third eye, the variant reiterated how the Darkhold would exact a heavy toll.

His variant said that the only way that he could have the Darkhold would be if he gave him his version of Palmer, much to Strange's fury. Seeing no other options, Strange engaged him in a battle with his variant, with Strange using musical notes around the Sanctum, and turning them into spells to attack his Darkhold-empowered variant.

Throughout the fight, Strange struggled to win against his variant, due to the variant being empowered by the Darkhold; however, he eventually managed to turn the battle into his favor. He trapped all of his spells along with his variant's in a powerful energy ball, and then attacking his variant with it, allowing Strange to kill his counterpart and retrieve the Darkhold.^[3]

Battle on Mount Wundagore[]

Using the retrieved Darkhold, Strange summoned red energy orbs surrounding him, spun them around until he viewed a vision of America Chavez being drained through one of the orbs. Strange shoved the orbs into the Darkhold within a split second, and then began casting the spell of dreamwalking, making the illustrations on the page glow red. Christine Palmer entered and was furious with him, declaring that all Doctor Stranges in every universe were the same.

He agreed with Palmer and stated that right now, Chavez needed him, and he could not do this without Palmer's aid. Strange instructed her to protect his body from the Souls of the Damned while he would Dreamwalk. As he initiated the ritual, candles assembled around him, which he lit up with magic. Strange positioned his fingers and closed his eyes before he levitated, and when Palmer questioned if a version of him needed to live in Earth-616, Strange asked who said the Variant had to be living.

With the ritual commencing, Strange projected his consciousness into the decaying corpse of his alternate self he buried on a New York City building in his home reality. The zombified Strange opened his eyes while he, in his real place, snarled softly. He outstretched his arm through the floor, and he unearthed himself, then wheezed at the sky full of lightning. The undead Strange struggled to step forward and his fingers were cracking as he used his Sling Ring to open an Inter-Dimensional Portal to Mount Wundagore.

He then was attacked by the demons, becoming overwhelmed. Palmer, alarmed, told him to use them to his advantage with his knowledge of the mystic arts. He grabbed them and used them as a cape to fly him over to the Darkhold Castle. Upon landing, he flapped the demons, creating winds that blew the Elder Beasts off the ledge and into the abyss below.

Strange was then confronted by Wanda Maximoff, who called him a hypocrite. Maximoff blasted him with her chaos magic and Strange tossed the demons at her in response. They carried her to the open wing of the Castle, where Strange and Wong used an enchantment to keep Maximoff inside a prism. Strange then released Chavez from the spell and came to her side by the altar, where he encouraged her to be confident in her abilities. Maximoff then broke free, destroying the demons, and blasting Wong away. She angrily attacked Strange, nearly killing him, but was stopped by Chavez. Strange then watched as Chavez brought Maximoff to her variant's house in Earth-838. He then watched as Maximoff broke free from the Darkhold, after she saw her alternate children returning to her normal self.

Maximoff was left in tears as Chavez returned them back to their universe. Strange watched as Maximoff flew back to the altar and began destroying the Castle. As she did, Chavez and Wong left through a portal. Maximoff destroyed the Castle and Strange's variant's body, ultimately destroying Darkholds throughout the Multiverse. Strange broke out of his dreamwalking and spoke with Palmer, who stated that Maximoff did the right thing. He then told her that he loved her in every universe, and that it was not that he did not want to care or be cared for, but just that he got scared. They were then saved by Chavez, who opened a portal, and they returned to their universes.^[3]

Aftermath[]

Soon after, Strange and Wong rebuilt Kamar-Taj and resumed teaching of the mystic arts. Strange observed America Chavez, who was not a student but had troubles with using the Sling Ring, which prompted Wong to compare Chavez's impatience to Strange's when he began training. After talking about Strange's dreamwalking experience, Strange asked Wong if he was happy, remarking that saving the world did not necessarily bring him happiness. Wong replied that despite everything, he was grateful for his current life. As a show of growth, Strange then bowed to Wong.

As Strange was about to leave and return to the New York Sanctum by way of portal, he was approached by Chavez, who told him she had managed to make some sparks. Strange then told her that her parents would be proud and that he hoped they would get to see her again. Chavez told him she was happy she entered his universe, in which he agreed and said goodbye to her. Strange then walked through the portal and entered his Sanctum.

Strange took his time to finally repair his watch that Christine Palmer gifted to him. Once it was fixed, he put it away, a gesture of him accepting and moving on from Palmer. Strange then decided to take a walk in the streets; however, he suddenly collapsed on the ground in the middle of a crosswalk and cried out in pain. As the results of his dreamwalking, Strange's third eye on his forehead opened, but Strange managed to take ahold of himself.^[3]

Multiversal Duties[]

Stopping an Incursion[]

Sometime later, Strange was out for another walk when he was approached by a sorceress named Clea. He asked her if he could help her, in which she stated that his recent actions caused an incursion and he needed to fix it.

Using a magic blade, Clea then tore open a portal to the Dark Dimension in the air, causing nearby people to run away. She asked if he was afraid to join her but Strange, who had changed into his Masters of the Mystic Arts robes, confidently replied that it was far from the truth, revealing his third eye to her. With no hesitation, the two then jumped into the portal and entered the Dark Dimension, heading off to fix the Incursion.^[3]

Personality[]

Prior to his accident, Strange had a massive ego and pride that fueled his career. As a result, Strange only took on patients that he believed would help benefit his status, even refusing to heal a U.S. 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 to avoid ruining 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 seemed to prioritize his research over his physician work, as he stated his work would save thousands for years to come, whereas a physician would only save a handful of patients that they would have to 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 stubbornness, 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. Also, 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 violently killed by countless times by Dormammu until he gave in to his demands and later giving up the Time Stone to Thanos in exchange for saving Tony Stark's life when he was about to be killed by the Mad Titan, even though wanted to save the Time Stone first. Despite his determined and stubborn attitude, Strange has shown to be the voices of reason to those around him.

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 humbler. 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 annoyance 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 new Master of the New York Sanctum, despite his relative lack of training and inexperience.

Having trained as a doctor, Strange is a pacifist as he tries to avoid in killing and physically harming people, as it goes against the Hippocratic Oath. He was disgusted by his actions in killing Lucian Aster, stating he became a doctor to save lives, not take them. However, neither the Ancient One nor Karl Mordo was 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 Dormammu without killing him. However, overtime, Strange has come to terms that he would have to forsaken his pacifist in killing and physically harming people in order to do what's right, but it mostly shows that he did grow a spine in order to do what needed to be done. Strange even goes to the point of not caring what happens to anyone that has mental and physical issues, as shown when he was going to allow a group of villains from different universes with their own Spider-Man to return to their universes and meet their fates instead of helping them, which goes against his nature as a doctor, although his intentions were to preserve the safety of the Multiverse.

Despite coming off as arrogant and genuinely selfish, Strange does show an emotional side, especially when it comes to those who are closest to him, as he nearly broke down after the Ancient One's death, saying goodbye to Christine Palmer, the prospect of losing his memory of Peter Parker, seeing the memory of Palmer giving him his watch, and having to recall his sister's death. Strange has even shown to have good and well-meaning intentions. Also, Strange shows loyalty to those he considers his allies or friends and would help them in anyway he could, even those he distrusts, as seen when he helped Thor locate Odin so he and Loki would return to Asgard. In addition, Strange will show a soft spot for orphaned children or teenagers, as he showed this to Parker and America Chavez. Strange has even been seen to be protective towards his friends and allies, as he will put his life on the line to ensure they were safe from harm. Also, Strange will go extended lengths to protect those he cares about, as seen when he gave up the Time Stone to Thanos in exchange for Stark's safety and used the Darkhold to Dreamwalk into the corpse of his counterpart to save Chavez from the Scarlet Witch.

Strange had lack of faith for others and believed that he can only trust himself, which can come off as both a good and bad thing. Also, due to his controlling tendencies, Strange would choose to go it alone and always had to be the one to hold the knife, as it caused him to not think things through in his intentions to help those he cares about and his relationship with Palmer to end, even though they remain friends. However, during his talk with Kaecilius, Strange began to see his own failings reflected in him and started showing signs of self-improvement, as shown when he expressed a newfound trust in Nicodemus West. Also, upon seeing the actions of his counterparts in their universes, Strange realized what he was becoming if he continued his obsession for control and realized that he needs to have confidence in the people around him.

While he may look fearless, Strange on the inside has fears, as he is afraid of failure and losing those who are closes to him, as those fears came from his childhood trauma of having to watch his younger sister drown because he was unable to do anything to save her. The sense of helplessness that he felt that day has developed into a need to always keep everything under control, owing to his own fear of ever having to go through such trauma again. Although he won't admit it to others, Strange does confess during his talk with the Ancient One before her death, that his fear of failure is what pushed him to be a successful neurosurgeon. Strange also confessed to the alternate Christine Palmer that even though he wants someone to care for and someone to do the same for him, but gets scared because of his fear of losing those who are closes to him. In addition, Strange 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 West to cover his watch as the ticking was distracting him, this even extended to his performing of spells, as Spider-Man's constant chattering in an attempt to make alterations to his spell distracted him and made him lose control of it and break open the multiverse.

Through his fear of losing those who are closest to him, Strange tries not to hurt or damage the lives of those around him, as seen when he was reluctant to tell his friends and fellow superheroes, especially Stark, the outcome against Thanos as he hoped for another way to defeat him until he realized that there was not and had no choice but to make sure the only victory against the Mad Titan would happen and how he hesitated and got emotional in going through with the spell that would make himself and the world forget Peter Parker. However, Strange had been secretly blaming himself for sacrificing Stark's life as he felt responsible for how the lives of his friends and allies got damaged because of his actions, in spite of his efforts saved the universe. This was shown when Strange felt at fault for Parker's identity as Spider-Man getting exposed by one of his enemies and ruining his life, which contributed to his decision to help the boy. Strange also showed remorse for and sympathized with Wanda Maximoff, as he felt guilty, because he gave Thanos the Time Stone, that she had to kill someone she loved to stop the Mad Titan, which turned out to be for nothing, created a hex in a town, got corrupted by the Darkhold, and became the Scarlet Witch. However, Strange's guilt was mostly because he had come to see Stark and Parker as his friends.

Although he has a good heart, Strange has shown to get easily annoyed and frustrated with everyone around him, especially his friends and allies, as he can be harsh and would lose his temper with them at times. Also, Strange has let his pride get the better of him, as he would place the blame on others instead of taking responsibility for his actions and mistakes. This is shown when Strange blamed Palmer, West and other doctors for ruining his life because he would not accept the fact that the car accident was caused by his carelessness and lack of regard for his safety, and Parker for botching up the spells that was meant to help restore his secret identity as Spider-Man, even though they were both to blame for the incident. Also, Strange can sound heartless whenever he was upset and does not listen to reason, even when his friends or allies call him out for his behavior, as seen when he was unfazed when Parker told him to have a heart. However, despite his annoyances, frustration and pride, Strange has shown to be understanding as he gets that those around him had good intentions and their hearts were in the right place. Also, Strange would make an honest effort in making amends for his actions and mistakes, especially if he realized how badly he messed up, hurt and pushed those he cares about away.

After taking his talk with the Ancient One to the heart, Strange showed strong selflessness, as seen during his battle with Dormammu, allowing himself to be killed over and over in order to keep him trapped in the time loop so mankind could live and let go of his fear of failure. Also, through the alternate Palmer encouragement to face his other fears, Strange decided to put them behind him, although he would always have his fear of losing those who are closest to him. In addition, after realizing the error of his controlling ways and the consequences that came with it, Strange decided to not make the same mistakes his counterparts have made and to trust those around him. Strange even admits to the alternate Palmer that he and his counterparts were all the same because of their controlling tendencies, as seen when he was left with no choice but to use the Darkhold to help Chavez beat the Scarlet Witch. However, Strange assured the alternate Palmer that his intentions of using the Darkhold were well-meaning and needed her help, which shows that he was putting faith in those around him instead of going it alone.

However, despite demonstrating tremendous maturity, Strange does maintain some of his old habits such as making sarcastic comments and jokes when talking to others, such as when he was put on trial before the Illuminati and he chose to mock each of them, despite the fact that they were going to decide his fate. He also retains his meticulous and diligence by forming a watchlist of individuals that might pose a threat to Earth, such as Loki. Strange's greatest strength is his flexibility and open mind, as shown when he used the Time Stone to give himself and Mordo a second chance in stopping the Hong Kong Sanctum from getting destroyed by Kaecilius and letting Dormammu into their universe. 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 light years 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. Also, through his intelligence, Strange is able to imagine unorthodox solutions to problems, even when he lacked experience of using powerful magical relics.

After his car crash, Strange's hands suffered from constant shaking, as it became a problem during his training in the Mystic Arts. However, due to his training as a sorcerer, Strange's hand shaking faded over time. Also, when the Accident One told him that Jonathan Pangborn used magic for his legs so he can walk, Strange thought about doing the same thing for his hands at first but decided not to, presumably to be reminded of his mistakes in the past that led him to leave his old life as a neurosurgeon behind and the beginning of his new one as a sorcerer/superhero.

During his new life as a sorcerer and superhero, Strange has learned 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 vowed to never use the Eye of Agamotto until he was fully prepared, as he came to terms with the fact that time is beyond even his control. In addition, Strange does see potential in individuals that also possess magic abilities, as shown with Ned Leeds, even though he was initially skeptical, when he was impressed that he opened a portal without any training and Chavez when she told him that she made some sparks. Although he has become a strong sorcerer over time, Strange still lacked the compassion and velocity of being a superhero, but does care about helping and saving lives. However, upon seeing Parker's selflessness and beliefs, Strange realized what it truly means to be a hero. Through this newfound perspective of being a superhero, Strange opened up in protecting the innocent and that everyone deserves a second chance, whether they are good or bad, as seen when he gave Maximoff various chances of redemption, even though she was possessed by the Darkhold, as he knew there was still good within her and was proven right with Chavez's help.

In the beginning, Strange attempted to make Wong laugh and befriend him, although Strange did earn Wong's respect when he witnessed his natural talent for the Mystic Arts. However, during the events with Kaecilius and Dormammu, Strange earned Wong's friendship as he took upon himself to finish his training and mentor him in the absence of the Ancient One. Over time, Strange came to see Wong not only his strongest ally but also his best friend. Despite his strong friendship with Wong, Strange does clash with him at times, but does not argue with him. Also, Strange does get annoyed with Wong's lack of faith in him as a sorcerer, but knows that he still trusts him as a friend. Strange has shown to have enough faith in Wong to look after the New York Sanctum whenever he is absent.

Through his friendship and soft spot for Parker, Strange attempted to become a father-figure to him and tried to guide him just like Stark did, although he did it mostly out of his guilt in inadvertently causing Iron Man's death as he was aware of their close relationship. Strange even came to respect Parker's friends, as he did not argue back when Michelle Jones called him out for blaming the whole botched up spell on Spider-Man and does not get angry at Leeds for using his Sling Ring. Also, Strange was impressed with Parker's intelligence and came to admire his kindness towards those in need. In addition, Strange hesitated in going though with Parker's plans in casting a spell to make everyone in their universe, including himself, forget his civilian identity to preserve the Multiverse and fix the mistake they have made, but eventually went through with it and in the process ended up respecting Spider-Man for his selfless and mature choice. Although he now has no memory of his civilian identity, Strange deep down still held onto Parker's influences and how he showed him the right path of being a superhero.

At first, Strange was annoyed with Chavez because of her smart-aleck attitude and that she had no supervision or being shown the differences between from right and wrong, such as stealing. However, Strange ended up bonding with Chavez as they form a father-daughter relationship, as he decided to help Wong take care of her when she decided to stay in their universe. Also, Strange encouraged and believed in Chavez, as he inspired her to fight back against the Scarlet Witch and find the strength in controlling her powers. In addition, Strange helped and guided Chavez in the way of a superhero, as he used what he learned from his forgotten friendship with Parker to do so.

Powers and Abilities[]

Powers[]

• Magic: As the master of the New York Sanctum and a former candidate for the position of Sorcerer Supreme,^[20] Doctor Strange possesses an extremely high level of mastery over magic which he used to defend his native reality. With the death of the Ancient One, Doctor Strange is currently the most powerful member of the Masters of the Mystic Arts. Indeed, despite his initial inexperience, an impressed Karl Mordo and Wong 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. Indeed, even while still inexperienced, Strange was able to use the powers of the Time Stone's container, the Eye of Agamotto, quite effectively and safely, despite it being considered to be very dangerous for the natural order. 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, an extremely skilled master of Asgardian sorcery, and even defeated Kaecilius by outsmarting Dormammu, forcing the latter to leave Earth alone and take Kaecilius with him. By the time of the Infinity War, Strange dramatically improved his power and skill in magic as he had received more training and gained more experience. He proved capable of single-handedly combating Thanos' use of the Infinity Gauntlet more effectively than the Guardians of the Galaxy and even Iron Man, with even the Titan himself praising Strange for his use of the Mystic Arts. The Ancient One stated long before Doctor Strange became a Master of the Mystic Arts that he was always meant to be the best of them. Later on, Doctor Strange was able to grow his power to such a level that he was able to contend against the likes of Scarlet Witch, despite her superior innate power. After tapping into the power of the Darkhold and accessing his third eye, Strange's magic increased to unknown levels.
  • Eldritch Magic:

    

    Strange is able to shape and manipulate Eldritch Magic, forming tangible constructs of energy, such as weapons or shields, as well as cast spells by writing specific formations with the fiery energy. Strange had demonstrated the ability to form his Eldritch Whips and Tao Mandalas, the latter of which he was even capable of conjuring the Shield of the Seraphim to shield himself, Iron Man, and Spider-Man from the impact of Ebony Maw's Q-Ship crashing on Titan. During the Battle of Titan, Strange demonstrated being able to conjure platforms for his allies to walk upon, as shown when Star-Lord jumped across them to attack Thanos. Additionally, he was able to craft a sword from Eldritch Magic that he used to engage the Titan alongside Drax. Strange was able to imbue one of Spider-Man's web-shooters with Eldritch Magic, thus allowing the web-shooters to fire webs of Eldritch Magic that teleported their targets to the cells in the dungeon. Strange was also able to go intangible by surrounding himself in an aura of Eldritch magic to escape the dungeon after Spider-Man put him into it. He can also create other weapons like a saw to cut through a bus thrown by Gargantos as well as use the musical notes on sheet music to throw at Sinister Strange.
    • Spell Casting:

      

      Utilizing magic, Doctor Strange can cast various spells as long as he has practiced them prior to the casting. Strange used a locator spell by scanning a piece of Thor's hair with fiery energy, briefly conjuring Odin's symbol in the process, to aid in forming a portal directly to Odin. He conjured the Winds of Watoomb, which cleared the street of smoke and debris after Ebony Maw's Q-Ship landed in Greenwich Village, while also stopping the destructive windstorm the ship was causing. The smoke was expelled from the street and towards the sky. Strange also used the spell to hold back the lake outside the Avengers Compound from rushing into the battlefield after its foundations were breached, gathering the water into a funnel and pushing it away. To protect the Eye of Agamotto from being stolen by Ebony Maw, Strange cast a spell upon the relic that burned anyone that attempts to take it, making it seemingly impossible to remove it unless the spell was removed, even if he were killed. Strange cast the Shield of the Seraphim to proect Iron Man, Spider-Man and himself when they crashed landed on Titan. During the Battle of Titan, Strange conjured the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak to restrain Thanos' hand so he couldn't use the power of the Infinity Gauntlet. The bands were much stronger than the usual Eldritch Whip he uses to restrain enemies, notably able to restrict Thanos' use of the Gauntlet for a considerable period of time, although Thanos was able to eventually break out and redirect the force of the bands to knock Strange away. Strange also projected a spell in front of himself that transformed a singularity sent by Thanos into multitudes of blue butterflies, impressing the Mad Titan. During the same battle, Strange cast the Images of Ikonn to create dozens of copies of himself to attack Thanos with their Eldritch Whips. The duplicates, however, were quickly dispersed when Thanos released a wave of energy using the Power and Soul Stone, with only the real Strange remaining. During the Battle of Earth, Strange opened up numerous chasms in the earth, producing glowing purple tendrils of energy that forcefully lifted up Thanos' soldiers and dragged them into the ground before resealing themselves and vanishing. Strange temporarily enchanted Spider-Man's Web-Shooters, infusing its webs with the ability to transport individuals to his dungeon on contact. With his portals, Strange was able to teleport Peter Parker and Otto Octavius to his dungeon, without being anywhere near them. An important spell that Strange has cast is the Runes of Kof-Kol that erased everyone's memory that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. However, this also included himself. Strange was able to design a circular saw made of energy to split a bus thrown by Gargantos in half, as well as cast a spell that revealed the giant monster when it was invisible. During an altercation with a street vendor in the Illuminati’s universe, Strange caused him to squirt mustard onto his own face and repeatedly punch and grapple with himself, an effect that would go on to last three weeks. During his fight with Sinister Strange, he was able to make tangible musical notes of energy from nearby music sheets before launching them like shurikens at his corrupt doppelgänger, as well as create force-fields.
    • Portal Creation:

      

      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 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, as well as rapidly open portals for Star-Lord and Spider-Man during their fight with Thanos. 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 another, as the portal he used to abduct Loki left a card bearing the address to the New York Sanctum in his place. Strange is also able to conjure portals cooperatively, as, during Ebony Maw's attempt to retrieve the Time Stone, he and Wong conjured separate portals to redirect several brick daggers back to Maw. There seem to be no limits to the distance Strange can reach with this power.
      • Dimensional 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. 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. When the Black Order arrived to retrieve the Time Stone, Strange and Wong were able to send an attack by Ebony Maw back by opening portals to a void-like dimension.
    • Energy Projection: Strange can project energy blasts, streams, and bolts of fiery energy. He notably generated powerful torrents of energy that ricocheted off several floating boulders, melting the surfaces they touched as they went, to attack Thanos. While fighting Wanda at the Gap Junction, Strange created a concentrated beam of intense energy. During his fight against Sinister Strange, he conjured energy blasts using musical notes.
  • Mirror Dimension Magic:

    

    After his training at Kamar-Taj, Doctor Strange is able to manipulate Mirror Dimension Magic. Strange was notably able to access the Mirror Dimension and transport himself, Karl Mordo, and the Zealots within the parallel reality with ease. Additionally, Strange was also capable of conjuring a construct of the Mirror Dimension in the form of crystalline fractals that acted as a shield, absorbing an energy beam from the Power Stone, and was also able to send the fractals at Thanos. Strange can warp space within the Mirror Dimension, as demonstrated during his skirmish with Spider-Man within the dimension. He was able to trap Scarlet Witch in the Mirror Dimension for a short time before she used her reality warping to break free through the reflections in the ground and objects.
  • 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 the use of the Mirror Dimension as a medium. Strange's astral body could also make his physical body glow from the inside out by putting his hand through it and touching it, which he used to allow Christine to better see his wound when she operated on him. As the Ancient One was dying, Strange was able to use his astral form to communicate with her astral form before her physical death. Notably, Strange found that as Palmer defibrillated his real body, his astral form would send out a blast of energy, which he used offensively while grappling with Lucian Aster's astral form, ultimately destroying it and killing him.
  • Conjuration:

    

    Strange was able to make an umbrella stand appear in front of Thor for him to put down Mjølnir, which had been disguised as an umbrella, as well as make a tea cup appear in Thor's hand. He also was able to hide the Time Stone after secretly removing it from the Eye of Agamotto and later made it appear between his fingers, allowing it to float over to Thanos. During his fight with Gargantos, he summoned a throwing axe to sever one of the creature's tentacles and caused it to vaporize. Strange was also able to summon a giant cat head from another dimension to eat a car before it hit a civilian. He also conjured two massive, bestial hands to grab a pole to use it to defeat the octopus creature. Strange summoned extra-dimensional serpents to fight Scarlet Witch.
  • 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. After Bruce Banner crashed through the roof of the Sanctum, Strange was able to seamlessly transform the normal street clothes he was wearing into his blue robes. He repeated this process again when he changed from his suit to his blue robe so he could fight Gargantos. He also turned Christine Palmer's beverage into red wine by pointing at her glass.
  • Teleportation: Strange, while in the New York Sanctum, was able to transport himself and Thor around the building with ease, which was heavily disorienting to the Asgardian. At one point, he accidentally caused an entire bookshelf that Thor was leaning against to be brought along with them, before returning it and Thor to its previous location. However, he usually chooses to use his Sling Ring to teleport instead.
  • Fire Manipulation:

    

    Strange can generate and control the element of fire. He used this power to light a fire in the fireplace at the sanctum. He also summoned a type of green fire when fighting against Gargantos.
  • Telekinesis: Strange can influence objects and people with mere gestures, occasionally enveloping them with orange energy while doing so. He was able to use telekinesis to take away the Sling Ring from Ned Leeds, and the Macchina di Kadavus from Michelle Jones. He was also able to use his telekinesis to tie his tie as well as pulling a bus apart and put it back together using Mirror Dimension Magic. He would later open a grave for his deceased Variant on top of a roof, manipulated a street vendor's arm to stop him from spraying him with mustard and would open a metal gate with a raise of his arm while fleeing Scarlet Witch through a tunnel.
  • Levitation:

    

    Using the Cloak of Levitation, Strange is able to levitate and hover. The Cloak can greatly lessen the impact of falling from great heights by effortlessly reducing his speed. He used his cloak to reach the heights of Scarlet Witch in the air to reason with her before her eventual attack and destruction of Kamar-Taj.

Former Powers[]

• Time Manipulation:

  

  Using the Eye of Agamotto, Strange could 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. Despite having safely and effectively handled the Time Stone's powers, Strange still concluded that he was not ready to use it liberally yet and decided to return it until he was ready to use it again. By the time of the Infinity War, it seems that Strange has mastered the Time Stone's powers, as he was confident he can use it safely in battle. Apparently seeing that the only future that led to victory involved the Snap taking place first as well as Iron Man's survival, Strange willingly surrendered the Time Stone to Thanos in exchange for sparing Iron Man's life, losing the ability to use it. 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. Strange notably used the ability to trap Dormammu himself in a temporal loop, 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.
  • Parachronal Cognition:

    

    He was able to use the Eye of Agamotto to peer into various futures just like the Ancient One did, so as to gain insight into all the results of the upcoming conflict against Thanos and his ferocious crusade. Strange saw that there was only one future where he and his allies won while over 14 million more was that they lost against Thanos. Seeing all the scenarios for how the Infinity War could end required him to exert an immense amount of energy, as he had to physically live them and then die in each one and right before he dies he has to reset and repeat, and took notes as he went.^[23]

• Dark Magic: In order to stop the Scarlet Witch while in another universe, Strange was forced to use that universe's Darkhold, despite knowing the risks. The use of this caused the Souls of the Damned to come for Strange, but they were fought off by Christine Palmer using the Brazier of Bom'Galiath.
  • Dreamwalking:

    

    With the Darkhold, Strange dreamwalked into his alternate self's corpse, which was laying in a roof. Strange used an Inter-Dimensional Portal to get to the Mount Wundagore. He was then attacked by Souls of the Damned, but was skilled enough to use them and make wings. He then flew over to the Darkhold Castle and fought Scarlet Witch. However, he was no match for her and had to talk America Chavez into defeating her.

Abilities[]

• Genius-Level Intellect:

  

  Strange has a photographic memory and perfect recall had originally greatly aided him in medical school, helping him to earn both his M.D. and Ph.D. simultaneously, going on to become one of the world's most renowned neurosurgeons, and later proving himself equally prodigious in the study of mystic arts. During his mystic arts studies in Kamar-Taj, Strange managed to master entering the Astral Dimension, despite Wong not believing him to be ready. When Strange used the Eye of Agamotto to restore the missing pages from the Book of Cagliostro, he only saw the page for about 15 seconds, but was able to learn about Dormammu, the Dark Dimension, and the ritual for eternal life as well as work out the ritual and deduce how the Ancient One has remained alive for so long. He proved to be capable of intellectually sparring with Tony Stark and Thanos.

• 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 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. Strange was even able to perform surgery during the extremely stressful Battle of New York.

• Expert 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 while using tactics of psychological warfare to mentally torment Dormammu instead of stopping him with magic and, as a result, ultimately succeeded in forcing his foe back into the Dark Dimension, taking the Zealots along with him.

• Master Martial Artist:

  

  After studying under the guidance of the Ancient One and training with Karl Mordo for months, Strange became proficient in martial arts, both armed and hand-to-hand combat, with his skill being great enough to allow him to fight off and evade many of the far more experienced and extensively trained Zealots sorcerers attacks while trying to escape the New York Sanctum, overpower and kill Lucian Aster, and even managing to hold his own against Kaecilius himself reasonably well, with Strange notably managing to fight Kaecilius almost to a standstill in their last altercation by using the reconstructing landscape of Hong Kong to his advantage, although he was ultimately overpowered and only defeated Kaecilius by outsmarting him rather than defeating him in pure skill. Eventually, as he further practiced and trained, by the time of the Infinity War, Strange's skill and experience in fighting had improved significantly to the point that with help from Drax, Strange was even able to fight against Thanos himself in close-quarters combat, lasting longer than Drax, although Thanos only had the use of one eye due to the other being blinded by a webbed cotton and is quick to overwhelm Strange soon after beating back Drax. 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 of parries and the use of spells. During his fight with an alternate Karl Mordo, he proved himself capable of blocking, dodging and countering his attacks as well as effectively landing his own when neither one of them were using their magic, despite his hands still being injured. Strange is also proficient with weapons, as he wielded an Eldritch sword against Thanos and threw a conjured axe to chop off one of Gargantos' tentacles.
• Whip Mastery:

  

  Strange was able to form Eldritch Whips which he used in various ways. He was able to pull back Thanos with the whips as well as attacking Gargantos.
• Bilingualism: 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.

Equipment[]

Other 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 enemies flying through the air. The cloak assists Strange in combat by protecting him from attacks, preventing his enemies like Lucian Aster and Thanos from blindsiding him, as well as attacking enemies on its own whenever possible, and doing maneuvers that are difficult for most humans to do.
• Sling Ring: A mystical object which enables the wearer to open an Inter-Dimensional Portal to another location.
• 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. Originally the containment vessel for the Time Stone, it was still worn by Strange following the Stone's destruction.

• Brazier of Bom'Galiath: During his battle with Kaecilius in the New York Sanctum, Strange found himself overpowered and grabbed the first weapon he could find which was the Brazier of Bom'Galiath, only for Kaecilius to call him out on his lack of knowledge about it, resulting in Strange simply throwing it.
• Rotunda of Gateways: During his fight with Kaecilius and his Zealots in the New York Sanctum, Strange used the Rotunda of Gateways he had found earlier, to trap one of the Zealots in the desert and the other, Lucian Aster, in the jungle, leaving only himself and Kaecilius to continue fighting throughout the Sanctum.
• Crimson Bands of Cyttorak:

  

  While fighting Kaecilius, Strange was advised by the Cloak of Levitation to use a suit of armor attached to the wall. Although initially skeptical that they would have any benefit, Strange relented and threw the armor at Kaecilius, who became entrapped in the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, ending their fight although Kaecilius was later able to escape.
• Cauldron of the Cosmos: Stationed in the main hallway of the New York Sanctum was the Cauldron of the Cosmos, which the Cloak of Levitation stopped Tony Stark from disrespectfully leaning against.
• Magic Inhibitor: When Strange was detained by the Illuminati, Magic Inhibitors were placed around his wrists to prevent him from using Magic.

Former Equipment[]

• Time Stone: Upon taking the role of one of the Masters of the Mystic Arts, Strange was vowed to protect one of the Infinity Stones housed within the Eye of Agamotto. Initially unaware of its true power, Strange experimented with the Stone to rot and grow back an apple, before using it to undo Kaecilius' attempt to destroy Hong Kong before trapping Dormammu into a time loop which he was unable to escape from. As Strange prepared to battle Thanos, he used the Stone to see into the future in an attempt to find any possible way they could be victorious in their clash against the Mad Titan. Strange was later forced to give Thanos the Time Stone to save Tony Stark.
• Darkhold: Strange used the Darkhold from Sinister Strange's reality to take over Defender Strange's corpse, wanting to save America Chavez from Scarlet Witch. However, he was attacked by demons, as taking control over corpses was forbidden, but thanks to Christine Palmer he remained unharmed. After Wanda destroyed the book throughout the Multiverse, he left alternate Strange's corpse and returned to his own body. However, after a while it was found that the Darkhold had left a mark on him: a third eye on his forehead.

Vehicles[]

• Lamborghini Huracán: Strange used to own and drive a Lamborghini Huracán, however, while he was driving to one of his speaking events, Strange became distracted by Billy's descriptions of a potential patient and lost control. Strange would drive his car off a hill as a result, destroying the car, and crushing his hands during the impact.
• Q-Ship: After the Attack on Greenwich Village, Ebony Maw took Strange to the Q-Ship in order to extract the Time Stone from the Eye of Agamotto and deliver it to Thanos on Titan. However, Iron Man and Spider-Man rescued Strange by sending Maw to the vacuum of space, killing him. Strange eventually agreed to use the Q-Ship to confront Thanos on Titan and used a protection spell to prevent it from crash-landing to its destination.

Facilities[]

• Metro-General Hospital:

  

  After graduating, Stephen Strange started working in the ER at Metro-General Hospital. At this hospital, he met Christine Palmer who he became very close with. He then worked as a successful neurosurgeon until early 2016. On the night of February 2nd, 2016, he got a call from his friend Billy while driving. His friend gave him potential patients to treat. This conversation caused Strange to get distracted from the road and drive into another car, making him to spin out of control. Having severe nerve damage in his hands, he was picked up by a helicopter and brought back to Metro-General where he then spent months recovering.
• Stephen Strange's Apartment: Due to being a successful neurosurgeon, Strange was able to buy a very luxurious apartment in New York City overlooking many skyscrapers.
• Kamar-Taj:

  

  With many failures to heal his hands, Strange went to go see Jonathan Pangborn, a former patient with paralysis, Pangborn quickly mentioned how Strange refused to see him for treatment. Strange stated that he was untreatable. He then asked how he was able to heal his broken spine. Pangborn said that he went to a place called Kamar-Taj. After spending the last of his money to get there, Strange met the Ancient One. She taught him that Kamar-Taj was not a normal place, it is the home of sorcerers and magic. She explained how Pangborn uses magic to let himself walk and Strange can do the same. For many months Stephen trained and studied to become a good sorcerer, he quickly made friends with other sorcerers like Karl Mordo and Wong.
• New York Sanctum:

  

  The Zealots and Kaecilius attacked the New York Sanctum and killed its master, Daniel Drumm. Doctor Strange fought off the sanctum alone and trapped Kaecilius for a short time until he was freed by his Zealot. The Ancient One then gave Strange the title Master of the New York Sanctum. In 2018, Bruce Banner suddenly crashed through the roof of the sanctum and exclaimed that Thanos was coming. Doctor Strange and Wong then tracked down Tony Stark and brought him to the sanctum to discuss the new threat that has emerged. Hearing commotion outside, the group took to the streets to stop Ebony Maw's attack on New York. Following the Battle of Earth, Strange returned to being the master of the Sanctum Sanctorum. While Strange had been a candidate for Sorcerer Supreme before he had been turned to dust^[20], Wong had become the Sorcerer Supreme in his absence.
• Darkhold Castle: To be added

Relationships[]

Family[] Donna Strange † - Sister Allies[] Metro-General Hospital Christine Palmer - Ex-Girlfriend, Former Colleague, Love Interest and Savior Nicodemus West - Former Colleague and Former Rival Billy - Friend and Former Assistant Patel - Former Assistant Garrison - Former Colleague Weiss - Former Colleague Bruner - Former Colleague Etienne - Former Colleague Jonathan Pangborn Masters of the Mystic Arts Ancient One † - Former Leader and Predecessor Wong - Mentor, Leader and Best Friend Hamir † Sol Rama † Daniel Drumm † Tina Minoru Grem B'sso Hong Kong Master London Master Sara Wolfe † Rintrah Weasel Vinny America Chavez - Friend Odin † Avengers Steve Rogers/Captain America Tony Stark/Iron Man † - Savior and Former Rival Bruce Banner/Hulk - Resurrector Peter Parker/Spider-Man - Savior, Former Friend and Temporary Enemy Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch † - Temporary Enemy and Former Attempted Killer Sam Wilson/Falcon Scott Lang/Ant-Man James Rhodes/War Machine Clint Barton/Hawkeye Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel Pepper Potts/Rescue Guardians of the Galaxy Peter Quill/Star-Lord - Temporary Enemy Drax the Destroyer - Temporary Enemy Mantis - Temporary Enemy Nebula Groot Rocket Thor Golden Tribe T'Challa/Black Panther † Shuri Dora Milaje Okoye Jabari Tribe M'Baku Border Tribe Wakandan Royal Guard Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier Brunhilde/Valkyrie Warsong Korg Miek Einherjar Ravagers Kraglin Obfonteri Howard the Duck Hope van Dyne/Wasp Gamora Ned Leeds Michelle Jones Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus - Former Prisoner and Savior Flint Marko/Sandman - Former Prisoner Max Dillon/Electro - Former Prisoner Peter Parker/Spider-Man Peter Parker/Spider-Man Charlie - Fan Carla Christine Palmer - Friend Charles Xavier/Professor X † Clea

Enemies[] HYDRA Zealots Kaecilius - Attempted Killer Lucian Aster † - Attempted Killer and Victim Blonde Zealot Brunette Zealot Tall Zealot † Dormammu - Killer (in the time loops) Karl Mordo - Former Trainer and Attempted Killer Loki † Black Order Ebony Maw † - Attempted Killer Cull Obsidian † Thanos † - Killer Thanos † Black Order Ebony Maw † Cull Obsidian † Proxima Midnight † Corvus Glaive † Chitauri Leviathans Chitauri Gorillas Outriders Sakaarans Curt Connors/Lizard - Former Prisoner Norman Osborn/Green Goblin - Former Prisoner and Attempted Killer Gargantos † - Attempted Killer and Victim Pizza Poppa Illuminati Karl Mordo/Baron Mordo - Former Captor and Attempted Killer Blackagar Boltagon/Black Bolt † Peggy Carter/Captain Carter † Maria Rambeau/Captain Marvel † Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic † Ultron Sentries Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange † - Alternate Self, Attempted Killer and Victim Demons Souls of the Damned - Attempted Killers Elder Beasts

Appearances[]

Appearances for Doctor Strange

Chronological Narrative In chronological order: Avengers: Endgame (mentioned; alternate universe) Captain America: The Winter Soldier (mentioned) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (flashbacks) WHiH Newsfront | Episode 2.04: WHIH Newsfront Exclusive: President Ellis Discusses the Avengers (mentioned) Doctor Strange Doctor Strange: Mystic Apprentice (concurrent events) Avengers: Infinity War Prelude, Issue 2 (flashbacks) Doctor Strange: Strange Tales and Talismans Doctor Strange: I Am Doctor Strange Doctor Strange: The Path to Enlightenment Phase Three: Marvel's Doctor Strange Avengers: Infinity War: The Heroes' Journey (flashbacks; concurrent events) Avengers: Infinity War - Doctor Strange Thor: Ragnarok Doctor Strange Avengers: Infinity War Prelude, Issue 2 Avengers: Infinity War: The Heroes' Journey Avengers: Infinity War Avengers: Endgame Prelude, Issue 1 Avengers: Endgame Prelude, Issue 2 Marvel Die-Cut Classic: Avengers: Infinity War Avengers: Endgame The Falcon and The Winter Soldier | Episode 1.02: The Star-Spangled Man (mentioned) Spider-Man: Far From Home (mentioned) Eternals (mentioned) Spider-Man: No Way Home Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (alternate universe) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (alternate universe) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (alternate universe) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (alternate universe) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (alternate universe) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (alternate universe) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (alternate universe) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (alternate universe) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (alternate universe) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (alternate universe) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (alternate universe) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (alternate universe) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (alternate universe) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (alternate universe) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (alternate universe) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (alternate universe) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (alternate universe) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (alternate universe) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (alternate universe) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (alternate universe) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (alternate universe) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Hawkeye | Episode 1.02: Hide and Seek (mentioned) She-Hulk: Attorney at Law | Episode 1.05: Mean, Green and Straight Poured into These Jeans (mentioned) She-Hulk: Attorney at Law | Episode 1.09: Whose Show is This? (footage) Ms. Marvel | Episode 1.01: Generation Why (depiction; mentioned) Look Out for the Little Guy! (mentioned) Avengers: Doomsday (unreleased)[6] Loki | Episode 1.06: For All Time. Always. (voice) In narrative order: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (mentioned) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (flashbacks) WHiH Newsfront | Episode 2.04: WHIH Newsfront Exclusive: President Ellis Discusses the Avengers (mentioned) Doctor Strange Doctor Strange: Mystic Apprentice (concurrent events) Avengers: Infinity War Prelude, Issue 2 (flashbacks) Doctor Strange: Strange Tales and Talismans Doctor Strange: I Am Doctor Strange Doctor Strange: The Path to Enlightenment Phase Three: Marvel's Doctor Strange Avengers: Infinity War: The Heroes' Journey (flashbacks; concurrent events) Avengers: Infinity War - Doctor Strange Thor: Ragnarok Doctor Strange Avengers: Infinity War Prelude, Issue 2 Avengers: Infinity War: The Heroes' Journey Avengers: Infinity War Avengers: Endgame Prelude, Issue 1 Avengers: Endgame Prelude, Issue 2 Marvel Die-Cut Classic: Avengers: Infinity War Avengers: Endgame The Falcon and The Winter Soldier | Episode 1.02: The Star-Spangled Man (mentioned) Spider-Man: Far From Home (mentioned) Eternals (mentioned) Spider-Man: No Way Home Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Hawkeye | Episode 1.02: Hide and Seek (mentioned) She-Hulk: Attorney at Law | Episode 1.05: Mean, Green and Straight Poured into These Jeans (mentioned) She-Hulk: Attorney at Law | Episode 1.09: Whose Show is This? (footage) Ms. Marvel | Episode 1.01: Generation Why (depiction; mentioned) Look Out for the Little Guy! (mentioned) Avengers: Doomsday (unreleased)[6] Loki | Episode 1.06: For All Time. Always. (voice)

Trivia[]

• In the comics, Stephen Strange was the founder and long-time leader of the Defenders, a member of the New Avengers and one of the Illuminati, a group made of the smartest and most powerful individuals, including Blackagar Boltagon, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Medusa, Hank Pym, and T'Challa.
• 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.
• Strange is a fan of Earth, Wind & Fire, Chuck Mangione, and Pink Floyd.

Behind the Scenes[]

• Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the second live-action incarnation of the character, following an incarnation portrayed by Peter Hooten.
• As Stephen Strange was previously mentioned in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Kevin Feige revealed that Strange did not have any powers yet, 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."^[24]
• Aaron Lazar was a body double for Benedict Cumberbatch in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame due to the latter having scheduling conflicts with The Current War.^[25]
• Doctor Strange was considered to physically appear in the series finale of WandaVision, where it would be revealed that all the commercials seen in the show were messages from Strange attempting to reach Wanda Maximoff. However, his planned appearance was discarded in order to keep the focus on Maximoff.^[26]
  • As part of this idea, Strange was considered to appear in Breaking the Fourth Wall, where he would have replaced Ithamar Enriquez's Commercial Man for a split second.^[27]
• Joaquin Phoenix, Colin Farrell, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tom Hardy, Ethan Hawke, Jack Huston, Oscar Isaac, Jared Leto, Matthew McConaughey, Ewan McGregor, Keanu Reeves, Justin Theroux, Jon Hamm, Johnny Depp, Ryan Gosling, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were all considered for Stephen Strange; Gyllenhaal was later cast in Spider-Man: Far From Home as the similarly themed Mysterio.
• Justin Eaton, Trevor Habberstad, George Kirby, Leo Woodruff, Martin De Boer, Lloyd Pitts, Andy Lister and Bogdan Kumsackij were stunt doubles for Benedict Cumberbatch in the role of Doctor Strange.
• Peter Alberti, Trevor Powers and Jared Leland Gore were stand-ins for Benedict Cumberbatch in the role of Doctor Strange.
• Michael Chase was a double for Benedict Cumberbatch in the role of Doctor Strange.
• This version of Doctor Strange is mentioned by Spider-Man 2099 in the Sony Pictures Animation film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.^[28] Co-director Kemp Powers later clarified in an interview with SFX, however, that Miguel O'Hara's mention of Doctor Strange was merely a reference to Spider-Man: No Way Home that Phil Lord and Christopher Miller came up with as a tongue-in-cheek joke acknowleding the Spider-Man character's history, explicitly affirming that the Spider-Verse films aren't connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.^[29]
• In Unbelievable Gwenpool Vol 1 #3, Doctor Strange and Gwenpool look at a theater where Doctor Strange is showing in the Multiverse. Doctor Strange is pleased with the choice of Benedict Cumberbatch to portray him.

References[]

Preceded by: Daniel Drumm

Master of New York Sanctum Doctor Strange 2017 – 2018; 2023 - Present

Succeeded by: -

External Links[]

• Doctor Strange on Marvel Database
• Doctor Strange on Wikipedia
• Stephen Strange on Wikipedia
• Doctor Strange on Marvel Website