Doctor Strange facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Doctor Strange |
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Textless cover of Doctor Strange #2 (January 2016)
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Strange Tales #110 (July 1963) |
| Created by | Steve Ditko |
| In-story information | |
| Full name | Stephen Vincent Strange |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations |
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| Partnerships |
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| Notable aliases |
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| Abilities |
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Doctor Stephen Strange is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in Strange Tales #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as Sorcerer Supreme, the primary protector of Earth against magical and mystical threats. Strange was introduced during the Silver Age of Comic Books in an attempt to bring a different kind of character and themes of mysticism to Marvel Comics.
The character starts as a brilliant but egotistically arrogant neurosurgeon who is injured in a car accident. Because his hands have severe nerve damage from the accident, he is told that current medical therapy and rehabilitation would not be enough to enable him to practice again as a surgeon. Unable to accept this prognosis, he travels the world searching for alternative ways of healing, which leads him to the Ancient One, the Sorcerer Supreme. Strange becomes his student and learns to be a master of both the mystical and the martial arts. He acquires an assortment of mystical objects, including the powerful Eye of Agamotto and Cloak of Levitation, and takes up residence in a mansion referred to as the Sanctum Sanctorum, located at 177A Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City. Strange assumes the title of Sorcerer Supreme and, with his friend and valet Wong, defends the world from mystical threats.
In live-action adaptations, the character was first portrayed by Peter Hooten in the 1978 television film Dr. Strange. Since 2016, Benedict Cumberbatch has portrayed the role of Stephen Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Contents
Fictional character biography
Stephen Vincent Strange, M.D., Ph.D., is a brilliant but highly egotistical fictional doctor. He was born in Philadelphia and raised in New York City. After high school, he went to New York College as a pre-med student and entered medical school at Columbia University and completed his residency at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where his success made him arrogant.
Despite his reputation for being able to handle even the most complicated surgical procedures, Strange is self-centered and greedy, and only treats patients who can afford to pay his exorbitant fees. One night, while speeding in his car, a terrible accident shatters the bones in his hands, leading to extensive nerve damage. He soon finds that his fingers tremble uncontrollably, rendering him unable to perform surgery. Too vain to accept a teaching job, Strange desperately searches for a way to fix his hands and subsequently wastes all of his money on expensive, but unsuccessful treatments.
Broke and ostracized from his colleagues, Strange becomes a drifter. He happens to overhear two sailors in a bar discussing a hermit called the Ancient One (who is actually the Earth's Sorcerer Supreme) in the Himalayas, who can heal any ailment. Despite not personally believing in magic, Strange uses the last of his money to track down the aged mystic. The Ancient One refuses to help Strange due to his arrogance, but senses a good side that he attempts to bring to the surface. He fails, but Strange then commits a heroic act when he discovers the Ancient One's disciple, Baron Mordo, attempting to kill his mentor and usurp his power. After a confrontation with Mordo leads to him being shackled with restraining spells preventing him from either attacking Mordo or warning the Ancient One, Strange desperately and selflessly accepts the Ancient One's offer to become his apprentice to have some hope of helping the old man. The Ancient One, pleased at Strange's sincere change of heart, accepts Strange as his new student and promptly frees him from the restraining spells while explaining he was aware of Mordo's treachery all along. Strange soon becomes Mordo's most enduring enemy, as the Ancient One trains the doctor in the mystic arts. After completing his training, Strange returns to New York City and takes up residence within the Sanctum Sanctorum, a townhouse located in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, accompanied by his personal assistant Wong.
As the Ancient One's disciple, Strange encounters the entity Nightmare, and other mystical foes before meeting Dormammu, a warlord from an alternate dimension called the "Dark Dimension" who wishes to conquer Earth. Strange is aided by a nameless girl, later called Clea, who is eventually revealed to be Dormammu's niece. When Strange helps a weakened Dormammu drive off the rampaging Mindless Ones and return them to their prison, he is allowed to leave the Dark Dimension unchallenged.
In The Unbelievable Gwenpool #3, Strange encounters Gwendolyn Poole, who explains herself to be from a reality where all Marvel characters are fictional characters in comic books. As Strange helps her locate her home reality to create a fake background for her in the Marvel Universe so that she can get a Social Security number, driver's license and other essential documents, he discovers that Benedict Cumberbatch has been cast to play him in Gwen's universe, remarking that he "could see that".
Powers and abilities
Powers and skills
Doctor Strange is a fictional practicing sorcerer who draws his powers from mystical entities such as Agamotto, Cyttorak, Ikonn, Oshtur, Raggadorr, and Watoomb, who lend their energies for spells. Strange also wields mystical artifacts including the Cloak of Levitation which enables him to fly; the Eye of Agamotto, an amulet whose light is used to negate evil magic; the Book of the Vishanti, a grimoire which contains vast knowledge of white magic; and the Orb of Agamotto, a crystal ball which is used for clairvoyance.
In addition to his magical abilities, Strange is trained in several martial arts disciplines, including judo, and has shown proficiency with numerous magically conjured weapons including swords and axes. Strange was a skilled neurosurgeon before nerve damage impaired his hands.
Doctor Strange is described as "the mightiest magician in the cosmos" and "more powerful by far than any of your fellow humanoids" by Eternity, the sentience of the Marvel Universe. He holds the title of Sorcerer Supreme beginning with the 1973 storyline in which the Ancient One dies, and retains the title thereafter, except during an interruption from 1992 to 1995. He relinquishes the title once again in a 2009 storyline, but reclaims it in a 2012 story when he proves himself willing to protect the world even without the title.
Artifacts and technology
Book of the Vishanti
The Book of the Vishanti, portrayed as being written by unknown authors, is closely associated with Doctor Strange, and is the greatest known source of white magical knowledge on Earth. The Book of the Vishanti contains spells of defensive magic and is indestructible. Its counterpart, the Darkhold, contains all the knowledge of black magic in the Marvel Universe, and is likewise indestructible. It is possible to destroy single pages of either book, but the balancing spell in the other book is destroyed as well to maintain a mystical balance. A collective of the three powerful magical beings – Agamotto, Oshtur and Hoggoth, known as the Vishanti – must allow the spell to be destroyed.
Even though the book is a tome of benevolent magic, the spells within can still be dangerous when used improperly. This is proven when a young, inexperienced Strange tried to use the Book of the Vishanti to resurrect his dead brother Victor, but the spell, known as the Vampire Verses, caused Victor to become the vampire Baron Blood years later.
The first known owner of the book was the Atlantean sorcerer Varnae from around 18,500 BC. The next known owner was the Babylonian god Marduk Kurios. Marduk set a griffin to guard the Book. The sorcerer known as the Ancient One traveled back in time to c. 4000 BC and defeated the griffin and returned to the 20th century. The Ancient One would remain the book's owner, despite a brief loss when the dark wizard Kaluu returned the Book to the Griffin, until he deemed his student, Doctor Strange, worthy of taking it.
Doctor Strange keeps the book in his town house library in New York City's Greenwich Village. He briefly lost the book when he destroyed his home to prevent the alien wizard Urthona from taking his magical artifacts, but the book was saved by Agamotto, who transported it to his realm and returned it to Strange some time later.
Cloak of Levitation
The Cloak of Levitation is depicted as a potent mystical cloak worn by Doctor Strange. The primary purpose of the cloak is to give its wearer the ability to levitate and fly. Additionally, the cloak is able to alter its shape, being often used to act as "another set of hands" to attack an opponent when Strange's own body has been incapacitated.
There were two distinctly different cloaks worn by Doctor Strange bequeathed to him by his mentor, the Ancient One: a billowing, full-length blue cloak, that had minor abilities and spells woven into it, and the later, red cloak that Strange is usually seen wearing. The first appearance of the first (blue) cloak was in Strange Tales #114 (November 1963). The first appearance of the second (red) cloak was in Strange Tales #127 (December 1964). The Cloak of Levitation is seen in a great many battles where it often plays a very significant role. While it is extremely durable, there are a few occasions when it is damaged. Its repair requires that Strange engage an ally, Enitharmon the Weaver.
The item has been referred to as a "relic" in the live-action movie Doctor Strange (2016). In this film (and other MCU films), the cloak appears to be sentient; not only does it rescue falling people on its own accord, but when Strange reached for a weapon in the Sanctum to fight an intruder, the cloaked yanked him to where a harness was sitting.
Eye of Agamotto
Orb of Agamotto
Aside from the Eye of Agamotto, the Orb of Agamotto is the other occult object that Doctor Strange owns. It is a powerful scrying crystal ball powered by the Agamotto entity to detect the use of magic anywhere in the world, providing Strange with a location and visual. It can also be used to monitor the shields that protect the planets created by the three sanctums. If Agamotto is inside the Orb, it becomes Strange's ultimate source of knowledge.
The Orb of Agamotto rests in Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum in a room called the Chamber of Shadows. It usually is inside a display case with three curved legs. When summoned, the glass covering rises and the ball levitates. While powerful, the Orb has been blocked by exceptionally powerful mystic forces (such as Umar) who do not want their exact location known. On at least one occasion, it has been used to open a dimensional portal to the realm of Agamotto. In the film Thor, the Orb is briefly shown in Odin's Trophy Room in Asgard.
Enemies
The following are a selection of enemies of Doctor Strange:
- Aggamon – The ruler of the Purple Dimension.
- Baron Mordo – An evil wizard and former student of the Ancient One.
- D'Spayre – A fear-eating demon who is a member of the Fear Lords.
- Dagoth – A sea demon who is the spawn of Dagon.
- Dormammu – A demon who is the ruler of the Dark Dimension.
- Dweller-in-Darkness – A fear-generating demon who is a member of the Fear Lords.
- Enchantress – An Asgardian sorceress. Doctor Strange first clashed with her during the "Acts of Vengeance" storyline.
- Kaecilius – An evil wizard who works for Baron Mordo.
- Kaluu – A 500-year-old wizard and a former classmate of the Ancient One.
- Mindless Ones – The inhabitants of the Dark Dimension that serve as Dormammu's foot soldiers.
- Mister Rasputin – A sorcerer who is the alleged descendant of Grigori Rasputin.
- Necromancer – Counter-Earth's version of Doctor Strange.
- Nightmare – The ruler of the Dream Dimension.
- Paradox – A creation of Doctor Strange that was originally used to fill in for him.
- Satannish – A very-powerful extra-dimensional demon.
- Shanzar – The Sorcerer Supreme of the Strange Matter Dimension. He once possessed Hulk, turning him into Dark Hulk.
- Shuma-Gorath – A many-angled one who existed during Earth's pre-history.
- Silver Dagger – A religious sorcerer.
- Sons of Satannish – A cult that worships Satannish.
- Tiboro – A humanoid who claims to be from the Sixth Dimension.
- Umar – A resident of the Dark Dimension and the sister of Dormammu.
- Undying Ones – A race of demons from another dimension with a variety of magic and a variety of forms.
- Yandroth – A Scientist Supreme from the otherdimensional planet Yann.
Cultural impact and legacy
Accolades
- In 2008, Wizard ranked Doctor Strange 83rd in their "200 Greatest Comic Book Characters of All Time" list.
- In 2012, IGN ranked Doctor Strange 33rd in their "Top 50 Avengers" list.
- In 2017, IGN ranked Doctor Strange 38th "Top 100 Comic Book Heroes" list.
- In 2018, Vanity Fair included Doctor Strange in their "Stan Lee’s Most Iconic Characters" list.
- In 2018, GameSpot ranked Doctor Strange 27th in their "50 Most Important Superheroes" list.
- In 2021, Collider ranked Doctor Strange 14th in their "20 Most Powerful Marvel Characters" list.
- In 2022, The A.V. Club ranked Doctor Strange 47th in their "100 best Marvel characters" list.
- In 2022, Collider ranked Doctor Strange 1st in their "Most Powerful Original Marvel Illuminati Members" list.
- In 2022, Screen Rant included Doctor Strange in their "10 Most Powerful Comic Book Wizards" list and in their "10 Smartest Magic Users In Comic Books" list.
- In 2022, CBR.com ranked Doctor Strange 1st in their "10 Best Sorcerer Supremes" list and 5th in their "10 Scariest Avengers" list.
Impact
- Doctor Strange inspired the name of the psychedelic band, Dr. Strangely Strange.
- Doctor Strange is referenced in the 1971 song "Mambo Sun" by glam rock band T. Rex on their album Electric Warrior.
- Doctor Strange is referenced in the song "Cymbaline" by English progressive rock band Pink Floyd on their 1969 album More.
- Doctor Strange appears on the cover of Pink Floyd's second studio album A Saucerful of Secrets, which contains a hidden image based on a panel from a 1967 Doctor Strange comic book story. The image used came from Marvels Strange Tales #158 which was illustrated by Marie Severin.
In other media
Television
- Doctor Strange appeared in the Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends episode "7 Little Superheroes", voiced by John Stephenson.
- Doctor Strange makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the X-Men: The Animated Series episode "The Dark Phoenix Saga (Part 3)".
- Doctor Strange appears in a self titled episode of Spider-Man: The Animated Series, voiced by John Vernon.
- Doctor Strange appears in The Incredible Hulk episode "Mind Over Anti-Matter", voiced by Maurice LaMarche.
- Doctor Strange appears in The Super Hero Squad Show, voiced by Roger Rose. First appearing in the episode "Enter: Dormammu!", he behaves irrationally due to an Infinity Fractal getting lodged inside the Eye of Agamotto until the Super Hero Squad cure him. In later episodes, he takes in the squad for a night at the Sanctum Sanctorum, fights the Enchantress, forms the Defenders, and aids Chthon in recovering his dimension from Doctor Doom.
- Doctor Strange appears in the Disney XD Marvel animated series Ultimate Spider-Man, Avengers Assemble, and Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., voiced originally by Jack Coleman, and later by Liam O'Brien.
- Doctor Strange appears in Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers, voiced by Yasunori Masutani in the Japanese dub and Wally Wingert (episode 2) and Liam O'Brien (episode 46) in the English dub.
- Doctor Strange appears in Lego Marvel Super Heroes - Black Panther: Trouble in Wakanda, voiced again by Liam O'Brien.
- Doctor Strange appears in Marvel Future Avengers, voiced again by Yasunori Masutani in the Japanese dub and Liam O'Brien in the English dub.
- Doctor Strange appears in the Spider-Man episode "Amazing Friends", voiced again by Liam O'Brien. This version is a member of the Avengers.
Film
- Doctor Stephen Strange appears in a self-titled film (1978), portrayed by Peter Hooten. This version is a psychiatrist.
- Doctor Mordrid began development as a Doctor Strange adaptation, but the studio's license expired before production began. As a result, the project was rewritten to change the main character's name and slightly alter his origin. Additionally, the main character was originally going to be called "Doctor Mortalis" and Jack Kirby worked on the early concept art.
- Doctor Strange appears in Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme, voiced by Bryce Johnson.
- Doctor Strange makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in Planet Hulk as a member of the Illuminati.
- Doctor Strange appears in Hulk: Where Monsters Dwell, voiced again by Liam O'Brien.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Doctor Stephen Strange appears in media set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch. First appearing in a self-titled live-action film (2016), this version is a successful, wealthy neurosurgeon who becomes severely injured following a car accident, leading him to travel the world for answers to heal his injuries, eventually landing in Kamar-Taj and becoming a Master of the Mystic Arts. He makes further appearances in the live-action films Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Additionally, alternate timeline versions of Strange also appear in the Disney+ animated series What If... ? and Spider-Man: Freshman Year as well as Multiverse of Madness.
Video games
- Doctor Strange appears as a non-player character (NPC) in The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin. This version serves as Spider-Man's advisor.
- Doctor Strange appears as a playable character in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, voiced by James Horan.
- Doctor Strange appears in Hsien-Ko's ending in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. He later appears as a playable character in the updated version, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, voiced by Rick Pasqualone.
- Doctor Strange appears as a playable character in Marvel Super Hero Squad Online, voiced by Charlie Adler.
- Doctor Strange appears as a playable character in Marvel: Avengers Alliance.
- Doctor Strange appears as a playable character in Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth, voiced by Chris Cox.
- Doctor Strange appears as a playable character in Marvel Heroes, voiced by Nick Jameson.
- Doctor Strange appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes, voiced again by James Horan.
- Doctor Strange appears as a playable character in Marvel Contest of Champions.
- Doctor Strange appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel's Avengers, voiced by Wally Wingert while Jack Coleman voices the version that appears in the "All-New, All-Different Doctor Strange" DLC.
- Doctor Strange appears as a playable character in Marvel Future Fight.
- Two versions of Doctor Strange, "Stephen Strange" and the "Sorcerer Supreme", appear as playable characters in Marvel Puzzle Quest.
- Doctor Strange appears as a playable character in Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, voiced again by Liam O'Brien.
- Doctor Strange appears as a playable character in Marvel Powers United VR, voiced by Liam O'Brien once again.
- Doctor Strange appears as a playable character in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, voiced again by Liam O'Brien.
- Doctor Strange appears as a playable character in Marvel Future Revolution, voiced again by Liam O'Brien.
- Doctor Strange appears as a playable character in Marvel's Midnight Suns, voiced again by Rick Pasqualone. This version displays a rivalry with Iron Man.
Novels
- In 1979, Pocket Books published Doctor Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts: Nightmare, by William Rotsler.
- In the 1968 book The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, Tom Wolfe writes about Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters' interest in comics and specifically refers to Doctor Strange.
- In the 2006 novel Spider-Man: The Darkest Hours, by author Jim Butcher, Strange appears briefly as a fellow superhero that Spider-Man seeks immediate assistance from amidst a battle with Morlun's vengeful siblings.
See also
In Spanish: Doctor Strange para niños
