History Characters / MCUStephenStrange

->'''''Stephen Strange:''' "Are you happy?"\\
'''Wong:''' "That's an interesting question."\\
'''Stephen Strange:''' "You'd think that saving the world would get you there, but it doesn't."''

* AmbiguousSituation: The end of ''Doctor Strange'' states that after the Ancient One's death their currently isn't a Sorcerer Supreme on Earth, implying Strange might take on that mantle later. In Strange's next appearances ''Thor: Ragnarok'' and ''Avengers: Infinity War'' it's still open if he took on the mantle yet. Than in ''Film/AvengersEndgame,'' he's shown to be leading the other Mystics alongside Wong, but whether he's officially the Sorcerer Supreme or just Master of the NY Sanctum is unclear. Later, ''Series/WandaVision'' has [[spoiler:Agatha Harkness mention that Scarlet Witch is stronger than the Sorcerer Supreme,]] but who bears that title stays unclear. [[spoiler:''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'' finally confirms that he's not the Sorcerer Supreme; Wong is. Although Strange [[TookALevelInBadass clearly has the aptitude]] and claims he'd have gotten the job if not for the minor technicality of his having been dead at the time the appointment was made. Given that Strange is very renowned, more than likely Agatha was referring to Strange and not Wong]].

* TheArchmage: Strange is destined to succeed the Ancient One as the new Sorcerer Supreme, but he lost the position to Wong due to being a victim of Thanos's Snap for five years. That said, even with Wong now bearing the title and its perks, it's quietly acknowledged that Strange is the ''true'' Master of the Mystic Arts.

->''"This time, it's going to take more than killing me to kill me."''

** Subverted as of ''No Way Home'' where he's now much closer to his comic counterpart in terms of power level. ''Film/DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness'' further shows him at much higher levels of skill.

** [[LoopholeAbuse Subverted]] by the time of ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome''. Strange, due to the sheer universe-breaking scale of the miscasting of the Runes of Kof-Kol, has little to no qualms about [[spoiler: sending the villains [[EvilGenius Doc Ock]], [[SplitPersonalityTakeover Green Goblin]], and [[PsychoElectro Electro]] back to their home dimensions to die, as it is their original fate, [[LoopholeAbuse he’s not the one killing them]], and in the grand calculus of the Multiverse, their sacrifices mean the safety of his home dimension.]] [[spoiler: Ultimately [[DoubleSubvertedTrope double-subverted]] as he comes to agree with Peter's efforts and even ensures that the villains do indeed return to their own worlds with a good chance to survive and make better choices.]]

** ''Multiverse of Madness'' has him learning not to be controlling and not to always do things his way. Christine reveals that the main reason for their breakup was that Stephen always wanted to be the one in charge and [[spoiler: he learns not to repeat the same actions of his Defender counterpart and trust America to wield her own power against Wanda.]] [[spoiler: By the end of the movie he also comes to terms with the fact that him and Christine were not meant to be and moves on with his life.]]

** In keeping with his comic counterpart, Strange wins many of his battles, not through skill or strength, but by using his wits and whatever resources he has on hand. Best demonstrated when he forces an EldritchAbomination -- one he has no hope of fighting -- into a conditional surrender.

'''Christine:''' ... and this is the part where you apologize.\\

** In his first film, he traps Dormammu and himself in a StableTimeLoop where Dormammu can kill him thousands of times...but never for good, [[AndIMustScream nor can Dormammu escape]], and ultimately forces the EldritchAbomination to leave Earth in exchange for nothing more than [[DidYouJustScamCthulhu him letting Dormammu go.]]

** This aspect of his personality serves as an interesting foil to Peter's [[NiceGuy more openly heroic and loving nature]] in ''No Way Home''. [[spoiler: Doctor Strange sees the fate of the multiversal villains as inevitable and unlike other times in his career, he doesn't really bother to [[TakeAThirdOption think of an alternative that could save them]]. Peter meanwhile sees them as [[TragicVillain the lost souls they are]] and wants to at least try to spare them from their fates. However, Strange isn't trying to be callous or cruel, he simply doesn't want to mess with the natural order (any more than he already has). And as Peter discovers the hard way, his optimism of saving the bad guys has [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished dire consequences for him and his loved ones,]] something Strange himself [[JerkassHasAPoint warned him would happen.]] Their conflict in the movie stems from Peter's emotional side vs. Strange's logical side. That being said, Strange takes no pleasure in resigning even more people to a grim fate. In the end, when Peter makes a HeroicSacrifice to save the Multiverse, Strange is in tears warning him, "Everyone who knows and loves you, [[FreudianSlip we]]...we'd have no memory of you." He's been acerbic to Peter the whole movie, but he loves the kid.]]

* MyGreatestFailure: [[spoiler:''Multiverse of Madness'' reveals that much like his comic counterpart, he had a younger sister Donna, who drowned as a child when she fell through a frozen lake. His tremendous guilt over his inability to save her is what inspired him to become a doctor, so he could save the lives of others to atone for it. Sinister Strange even somberly mentions it's an event ''no'' variant of Strange likes to remember.]]

** [[spoiler: ''No Way Home'' has the good Doctor sense the presence of multiversal beings, discern the situation, then travel into the underground to find the Lizard, beat him into submission, construct a prison to contain the otherworldly threats and then rescue Peter from the Goblin's bombing onslaught with a well-placed portal. All in the time it took for Peter to defeat Doc Ock.]]

-->'''Strange:''' Please, we saved [[Film/AvengersEndgame half the universe together,]] I think we're beyond you calling me "sir".\\

** [[spoiler: Rather than be angry with Ned for using his sling ring, Strange compliments him on his ability to create a portal.]]

** Demonstrates this on a grander scale in ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'', [[spoiler: first when he casts the spell to have everyone forget that Peter is Spider-Man, then again later in the film when he hurls Peter into the Mirror Dimension, where his control over the domain is absolute and it's put to ''glorious'' effect.]]

* StrongAndSkilled: Not quite to the level of Scarlet Witch or Thor, but by the time of ''Multiverse of Madness'', he's clearly become far more capable in combat and experience and much closer to his comic counterpart in power, as he's shown [[spoiler:handing Karl Mordo his ass in hand-to-hand and contending with Scarlet Witch herself in the mystic arts]]. He's a very far cry from the novice in Kamar-Taj who could barely hold a weapon or conjure a simple portal.

* ThirdEye: [[spoiler: He ''painfully'' grows one at the end of "Multiverse of Madness," an implied side effect of Dreamwalking into his own corpse.]]

** Taken up a notch once again in ''No Way Home.'' [[spoiler: Despite not being the Sorcerer Supreme (albeit on a technicality as he was blipped during the succession), he's developed his skills to a grander scale, and the memory spell he uses only went wrong because of Peter (as he's cast the spell successfully before, such as on Wong after [[NoodleIncident their wild party in another world]]) and he's now the master of the Mirror Dimension, with his skill and control over it surpassing that of the Ancient One's! He's also able to cast a spell that can briefly ''hold back the tears in space-time'' caused by the botched memory spell being released.]]

** Averted in ''No Way Home'', where saving half the universe together put Peter in his good books enough that he agreed to help him with hardly any coaxing, and [[spoiler: he's moved to tears out of respect and gratitude at Peter's sacrifice at the end of the movie.]]

* AntiVillain: Strange Supreme was willing to cross any moral line as long as it meant he could save Christine. [[spoiler: When his actions cause the destruction of the universe, he tries desperately to fix it and is clearly horrified by what he's done.]]
* ArcVillain: The VillainProtagonist of [[Recap/WhatIfS1E4WhatIfDoctorStrangeLostHisHeartInsteadOfHisHands "What If… Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?"]].

* BadPowersGoodPeople: His tenure into evil turned him into a humanoid Lovecraftian abomination that houses an innumerable amount of mythic/demonic creatures within his body, gained from the power to eat energy and life forms. [[spoiler: These abilities end up helping him defend the Multiverse against Infinity Ultron.]]

* DealWithTheDevil: [[spoiler: A literal (since he’s a HumanoidAbomination in the form of a demon sorcerer) and inverted example, as he agrees to help Uatu in his quest to stop Infinite Ultron from destroying the entire Multiverse, as a way to redeem himself.]]

* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Unlike his Sacred Timeline self, this Doctor Strange became an EvilSorcerer after Christine Palmer died in a car crash...only to [[spoiler:destroy his home universe attempting to save Christine, and having to cope with the consequences of that ultimately puts him back on track to once again becoming a hero, though one with a DarkAndTroubledPast.]]

* LovecraftianSuperpower: During the battle with [[spoiler: Infinity Ultron, Strange uses the abilities of several of the various mystic beings he absorbed, most notably sending three dragons to engulf the android in flames and later crushing the giant-sized Ultron back to normal size with the appendages of the kraken creature.]]

* DrivenToSuicide: A twisted variation. [[spoiler: He has become a serial killer of his own variants across the Multiverse, [[DemonicPossession possessing them]] and forcing them to jump to their deaths.]]

* LoveMakesYouEvil: [[spoiler: Despite the influence of the Darkhold he gives the lack of happiness due to Christine Palmer marrying another man as his main motivation to be evil. He even wants 838-Christine for... well, whatever purpose.]]

* PutThemAllOutOfMyMisery: [[spoiler: His own variants, specifically. He is convinced that no Strange is happy and they are all a menace... so he uses Dreamwalking to force his variants to kill themselves.]]

* ApologeticAttacker: Is not thrilled about [[spoiler: killing America by absorbing her power]], but is convinced it is necessary.

* {{Expy}}: As an undead doppelganger of the hero in a Sam Raimi film, he's essentially [[Film/ArmyOfDarkness Evil Ash]] if he wasn't...well, evil. The way he bursts from his grave, the exposed teeth and the cheesy one-liners are all strongly reminiscent of the character.

* ShadowArchetype: Like Supreme and Sinister Strange, he’s this to the Sacred Timeline Strange in ''Film/DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness''. [[spoiler:Specifically he represents what Strange would become if he dedicated himself to being a PragmaticHero, and as a result while he’s trying to save the multiverse he’s willing to kill a child to do so.]]

* IneffectualLoner: [[spoiler: According to Professor X, this Strange has a tendency to do things by himself. Despite being the founder of the Illuminati, he refused to band together with his fellow members to fight Thanos and chose to read the Darkhold to find a way to beat him. It didn't work out in the end, and the other members were victorious through their own teamwork and companionship.]]

* ShadowArchetype: Like Defender and Sinister Strange, he’s this to the Sacred Timeline Strange in ''Film/DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness''. [[spoiler: He specifically represents the logical conclusion of Strange’s ControlFreak tendencies and inability to follow the rules, the result being that he refuses to work with a team he helped create and used the Darkhold despite its dangers, and as a result destroys an entire universe.]]
* ShoutOut: His blue cape and his lack of facial hair makes him bear more resemblance to ''Film/DoctorMordrid'' than his comic-book counterpart.
* TruerToTheText: The blue outfit he dons resembles the one his comic-book counterpart originally wore in his [[https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Marvel_Milestone_Edition:_Doctor_Strange_Vol_1_1 debut.]]

[[folder:Raimi-Verse Strange]]
!!''Doctor Strange''

!!!'''Portrayed By:''' N/A

A Variant of Stephen Strange confirmed to exist on [[Film/SpiderManTrilogy Earth-96283]], he is also TheGhost and isn't mentioned beyond one scene in ''Film/SpiderMan2''.

-> For more info on this Variant, see the Characters/SpiderManTrilogyOthers page
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Freshman Year Strange]]
!!''Dr. Stephen Strange''
!!!'''Species:''' Human

!!!'''Voiced By:''' Creator/BetoCastillo (Latin-American Spanish dub), Iván Muelas (European Spanish dub), Jérémie Covillault (European French dub), Creator/TristanHarvey (Canadian French dub), Michał Żebrowski (Polish dub), Creator/SatoshiMikami (Japanese dub), Fábio Azevedo (Brazilian Portuguese dub)

* BadassBaritone: Strange has a powerful and deep voice, courtesy of Creator/BenedictCumberbatch. So does Dormammu -- interestingly, also courtesy of Cumberbatch, though his voice was digitally blended with that of another, unnamed, deep-voiced actor.

* WhipItGood: As with the other sorcerers in the film, Strange has his own weapon choice despite still being a relative novice. When battling Kaecilius and the Zealots throughout the film (as well as in his training scene with Mordo), Strange conjures some sort of weapon manifesting itself similar to a bath towel whip (at least in the way he uses it), while in the New York Sanctum, Strange briefly conjures twin shields with engraved shapes (''emphasis on briefly''). Of course, in the second half of the movie he uses the Eye of Agamotto as well as the below-mentioned Cloak of Levitation, which make him fare far better.

* TimeMaster: Wielding his universe's version of the Time Stone, [[spoiler:Strange Supreme is able to counteract Infinity Ultron's manipulation of time via his own Time Stone.]]

* SayIt: [[spoiler:When Uatu needs help after Infinity Ultron proves how dangerous he is, Strange makes him say that he specifically needs Strange's help.]]

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cloak_of_levitation_9.png]]

* DeathEqualsRedemption: [[spoiler: When it becomes apparent that ''he’s'' the one who is going to die in the encounter he thought America had no way out of, he spends his final moments casting spells to defend her. Subverted in that America never seems to notice the truth and Sacred Timeline Strange never tells her, although his body being used to protect America once-and-for-all has undertones of this trope as well, earning him some redemption-by-proxy.]]

!!!'''Voiced By:''' Beto Castillo (Latin-American Spanish dub), Iván Muelas (European Spanish dub), Jérémie Covillault (European French dub), Creator/TristanHarvey (Canadian French dub), Michał Żebrowski (Polish dub), Creator/SatoshiMikami (Japanese dub), Fábio Azevedo (Brazilian Portuguese dub)

* PhysicalGod: [[spoiler:At the end of his pursuit of power, Strange Supreme becomes one of the most powerful beings in his universe (so much that ''he accidentally destroys it'') and one of the most powerful beings in the entire multiverse. He is able to sense and eventually speak to the Watcher, where it takes Ultron with all six Infinity Stones to do the same. In the first season finale, Strange is singlehandedly the reason why the Guardians of the Multiverse don't immediately fall to Ultron. When the AI detonates the galaxy to get rid of them, Strange reverses time and ''eats the explosion''. He is also capable of containing Zola-in-Ultron's-body and Killmonger with the Infinity Stones in a bubble by himself.]]

* PhysicalGod: [[spoiler:At the end of his pursuit of power, Strange Supreme becomes one of the most powerful beings in his universe (so much that ''he accidentally destroys it'') and one of the most powerful beings in the entire multiverse. He is able to sense and eventually speak to the Watcher, where it takes Ultron with all six Infinity Stones to do the same. In the first season finale, Strange is singlehandedly the reason why the Guardians of the Multiverse don't immediately fall to Ultron. When the AI detonates the galaxy to get rid of them, Strange reverses time and ''eats the explosion.'' He is also capable of containing Zola-in-Ultron's-body and Killmonger with the Infinity Stones in a time bubble by himself.]]

* TheWorfBarrage: He is the reason why the Guardians of the Multiverse are able to fight on an even playing field against the omnipotent Infinity Ultron. He casts a protection spell on his teammates that cushions blows that would obliterate normal humans. When Infinity Ultron tries destroying the planet they're on, Strange Supreme ''eats'' the attack. When Infinity Ultron tries using the Time Stone to steal back the Soul Stone, Strange Supreme just cancels it out with his own Time Stone.

* DarkIsNotEvil: After the tragic events of his premiere episode, he uses his {{Lovecraftian Superpower}}s to buff his new team and fend of Infinity Ultron's campaign of oblivion.

** This aspect of his personality serves as an interesting foil to Peter's [[NiceGuy more openly heroic and loving nature]] in ''No Way Home''. [[spoiler: Doctor Strange sees the fate of the multiversal villains as inevitable and unlike other times in his career, he doesn't really bother to [[TakeAThirdOption think of an alternative that could save them]]. Peter meanwhile sees them as [[TragicVillain the lost souls they are]] and wants to at least try to spare them from their fates. However, Strange isn't trying to be callous or cruel, he simply doesn't want to mess with the natural order (any more than he already has). And as Peter discovers the hard way, his optimism of saving the bad guys has [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished dire consequences for him and his loved ones,]] something Strange himself [[JerkassHasAPoint warned him would happen.]] Their conflict in the movie stems from Peter's emotional side vs. Strange's logical side. That being said, Strange takes no pleasure in resigning even more people to a grim fate. In the end, when Peter makes a HeroicSacrifice to save the Multiverse, Strange is in tears telling him, "The people who love you, we won't remember you." He's been acerbic to Peter the whole movie, but he loves the kid.]]

* KillingYourAlternateSelf: [[spoiler:He ultimately defeated the version of him created by the Ancient One.]]

* StarcrossedLovers: He's the only Doctor Strange to have a functioning, healthy romantic relationship with Christine... and it happens to be the universe where Christine is fated to die. No matter how many times Strange tries to save Christine using the Time Stone, Christine always dies. [[spoiler:Even breaking the laws of reality and unwittingly destroying the universe didn't help, as Christine only lives long enough to be horrified by Strange's actions before dissolving away along with the rest of the universe.]]

* AnIcePerson: He uses a nice magic spell to freeze the monster attacking Chavez.

** In ''[[Recap/WhatIfS1E4WhatIfDoctorStrangeLostHisHeartInsteadOfHisHands What If...Doctor Strange Lost his Heart Instead of his Hands?]]'', the Cloak of Levitation helps assist the Good Doctor Strange in trying to defeat his evil Supreme variant. Unfortunately, the cloak [[DeathByAdaptation ends up being ripped apart by Supreme]] [[HeroicSacrifice when he attempts to save his master from a particularly powerful attack]].
** In the ''What If...Zombies?!'' timeline both Strange and Wong had become zombies, with the Cloak having joined the surviving heroes. It apparently has some sort of bond with Peter Parker in this timeline as it works with him often and allowed Peter to wear it. When they encounter Scott Lang, who is a head in a jar, the Cloak takes responsibility of moving Scott around.

* ArtifactOfHope: Implied. The Cloak is described as being rather picky and would prefer its own wielder. That said, the only people we ever see wearing the Cloak of Levitation (and variants) include Sacred Timeline Doctor Strange (who, while perfectly capable of doing questionable things, is still ultimately a force for good), Doctor Strange Supreme's benevolent counterpart, Ned Leeds (albeit only briefly to save him from falling to his death), Zombie Hunter Spider-Man and [[BreadEggsMilkSquick Survivor Scott Lang's severed head]], all of whom default to the side of the angels. Every other version of Doctor Strange without their own Cloak of Levitation either prioritize their own selfish desires over the good of others (Strange Supreme and Sinister Strange), [[WellIntentionedExtremist use extreme methods when there are other solutions available]] (Defender Strange and Supreme Strange) or are no longer themselves at all (Zombie Strange).

* ClothingDamage: In ''Multiverse of Madness'' a magical blast from [[spoiler:Wanda]] that Strange [[TakingTheBullet leaps in front of to protect America]] leaves the Cloak with a large hole in the back. [[spoiler:The Earth-838 version of Christine Palmer repairs it with a large blue patch that likely was taken from the 838 Cloak as a flashback to 838 Strange's death showed it was blue.]]

* DeadAlternateCounterpart: If you believe the Cloak is a living being, then in ''What If... Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?'' it was killed by Strange Supreme.
* EarlyBirdCameo: When Strange is exploring the New York Sanctum, he passes it by as it lies crumpled in the corner of the room, and it flies up as if he piqued its interest.

* HypercompetentSidekick: It can block close-range attacks with impressive speed, can detach itself from its user to protect them, has a working knowledge of the New York Sanctum's artifacts, and if it weren't for its seemingly mundane gift of flight, Strange would have died a few minutes into the Mirror Dimension chase.
** In ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', the cloak gives Ebony Maw more trouble than Doctor Strange himself, not to mention Wong, Iron Man, or Spider-Man. It even single-handedly prevented Thanos from using the Infinity Gauntlet.

* OnlyTheChosenMayWield: It's rather picky, and Strange can only wear it because it agrees with it.

!!!'''Species:''' Enhanced Human

----

* NoBodyLeftBehind: [[spoiler:Disintigrated by Black Bolt's [[MakeMeWannaShout sonic powers]].]]

** Film/SpiderManNoWayHome revealed that despite his phenomenal talent and power, Strange is not the Sorcerer Supreme due to Wong having seniority over him.

!!!'''Species:''' Human

* InSpiteOfANail: The Strange of the Sacred Timeline is able to convince his counterpart he's from an AlternateUniverse by [[TrustPassword mentioning the death of his sister Donna which Sinister Strange also experienced]]. Also like Strange Supreme, his relationship with Christine indirectly resulted in him going down a darker path. [[spoiler:And like Supreme Strange of Earth-838,this darker path invovled using the Darkhold and causing an Incursion, the difference being that Sinister Strange's reality was destryoed.]]