How Powerful The MCU"s Doctor Strange Is Compared To The Comics

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Doctor Strange is one of the MCU"s most powerful characters, but his powers aren"t exactly identical to those in Marvel Comics. Doctor Strange"s MCU timeline is a little shorter than most other prominent heroes like Thor, Hulk, and Captain America after his solo movie debut in 2016 was followed by just one sequel so far. Doctor Strange also featured prominently in Avengers: Infinity War, but not as much in Avengers: Endgame as he was one of the victims of the Snap, which was only undone in the movie"s final act.
Doctor Strange hasn"t had the most screen time to demonstrate the extent of his powers - but he has still shown himself to be among the most powerful superheroes in the MCU regardless. Doctor Strange"s comic book counterpart, meanwhile, has been a core member of Marvel Comics since 1963 after debuting in Strange Tales #110 and receiving his moniker from the anthology series" title. With that in mind, it"s clear that comic book Strange has had a bigger stage to demonstrate his powers, but whether they are more powerful than his live-action counterpart is another matter.
Doctor Strange's Powers In Marvel Comics Explained Doctor Strange Is A Naturally Talented Sorcerer Close As is the case in the MCU, Doctor Strange is one of the most powerful figures in Marvel Comics. The Sorcerer Supreme"s history mirrors that of Benedict Cumberbatch"s live-action rendition, with a similar ascent to power as the Sorcerer Supreme. In that position, Strange is often approached by other Marvel heroes to tackle challenges that are insurmountable to anyone unfamiliar with magic, other dimensions, and the tools required to deal with some of Marvel Comics" most powerful beings, like Death or the Living Tribunal.

Related 10 Powers Doctor Strange Hasn't Used In The MCU Doctor Strange has a lot of powers in Marvel Comics thanks to his ability to wield powerful magic. So far, the MCU hasn"t shown many of his powers.
Doctor Strange owes the vast majority of his powers to his talents in sorcery. While anyone can become a sorcerer through practice, Strange demonstrates a particular proficiency in the arcane arts. These talents are vast, as Strange taps into the powers of godly interdimensional beings, of which there are countless. Strange is also in possession of some of the Marvel Universe"s most powerful artifacts, which he, again, demonstrates a particular talent for wielding. Unlike other Avengers, Strange does not boast superhuman physiology - though he is capable of imitating as much with his magic.
Invocations Among the most recognizable of Doctor Strange"s mystical arsenal is his ability to channel the powers of godlike beings from other dimensions. These eldritch spells are typically among his most powerful and are often credited to the entity that granted them in their name. These invocations have taken countless forms, but the most recognizable include:

The Crimson Bands of Cyttorak: a powerful binding spell that has been deployed against the likes of Hulk.
The Winds of Watoomb: channels a powerful current of air typically used to repel adversaries or other dangers or to empower the Shield of the Seraphim.
Shield of the Seraphim: summons shields that can protect against both physical and mystical threats, even as powerful as a supernova.
Images of Ikonn: typically conjures several illusory duplicates of Strange though it can be invoked for other illusions.
Flames of the Faltine: conjures mystical flames.

These powers functionally make Strange as strong as the beings he invokes. These are the kinds of powers that allow him to go toe-to-toe with some of the most powerful entities in the entire Marvel universe, including Hulk. Invoking the powers of these beings rarely comes with a transaction, though not all of Marvel"s extra-dimensional entities are willing to part with their power for little more than an acknowledgment. Strange"s foremost patrons are the virtuous Vishanti, who willingly help Strange in his role as a defender of Earth.
Eye of Agamotto Doctor Strange possesses the Eye of Agomotto (one of three in Marvel Comics), which can only be wielded by sorcerers who are pure of heart, deploying only "White magic." The eye can augment Strange"s powers, though its main function is to emit an "all revealing light" that can pierce through any illusion, including shape-shifting Skrulls. Its purity as an artifact of the Vishanti (specifically, Agomotto himself) also helps weaken infernal beings, undead, and entities from the Dark Dimension.
Chronokinesis One of the most powerful abilities in Strange"s repertoire is his ability to manipulate time. Strange has trivialized many calamitous events in Marvel Comics, such as the cleaving of Earth, by manipulating time. He has traveled through time, cast others through time, frozen Earth"s flow of time, and wielded time-loops, among other feats. What"s most notable about Strange"s time manipulation in Marvel Comics, however, is that he does so without the use of the Time Stone.
Functional Immortality Doctor Strange once bested Death itself following the death of The Ancient One by confronting the entity and accepting its inevitability as another experience that the soul must face. This recognition earned Strange the ability to stave off death through natural means such as disease and age, meaning he could live for 600 years or longer. He is not, however, immune to fatal blows from external forces, nor the deprivation of things required to sustain typical human bodies like food, water, and oxygen.
Flight (Cloak Of Levitation) Doctor Strange can fly through the use of magic or, as is most often the case, with his characteristic Cloak of Levitation, which remains a mainstay of his typical attire. The cloak is a sentient enchanted cloth that can be directed independently of Doctor Strange, as has been seen multiple times in the MCU. The cloak is not indestructible, but also offers a measure of protection as a shield thanks to its magical properties.
Energy Manipulation While the ability to unleash blasts of energy is something of a mainstay among Marvel Heroes through various means, Doctor Strange"s magical energy blasts vary wildly in their power. While they can often be a swift form of offense in a tight spot, seemingly requiring no incantation or ritual to unleash, Strange has also proven capable of destroying entire planets. Most of the time, however, Strange"s energy blasts match the likes of Iron Man in being damaging, but not always fatal.
Astral Projection One of Strange"s most iconic abilities is his ability to exist in an intangible form on the Astral Plane. While in this form, Strange requires no food, water, or sleep, and typically ignores the constraints of physics in the real world while still allowing him the ability to interact with it. This allows him to travel at the "speed of thought" across the cosmos, turn invisible, or perform other feats his corporeal body is incapable of. It does, however, leave his physical body vulnerable on the material plane.
"Psychic" Abilities Strange is capable of typical psychic abilities, including teleportation, telekinesis, and telepathy. While these abilities are familiar to powerful psychics like Jean Grey, however, Doctor Strange"s psionic powers stem from his magic. He is able to read and overpower minds - even having done so with the Scarlet Witch - and teleport himself and others across immense distances at will. This teleportation is so powerful that Strange has even traveled to other dimensions at will.
Banishment Strange can banish anything or anyone he likes to other planes of existence - within reason. While Strange has proven capable of banishing his adversaries out of the picture on multiple occasions, he can only do so to beings whose powers pale in comparison to his own. This does, at least, place some constraints on an ability that might otherwise be unfathomable - though the number of entities that surpass the power of Doctor Strange is still decidedly small.
How The MCU's Doctor Strange's Powers Compare To The Comics The MCU Makes Some Significant Alterations To Strange's Powers Close The MCU"s Doctor Strange has so far been relatively comic-accurate in his arc. Most recently, he wielded the Darkhold to help combat the threat of the Scarlet Witch, which already seems to have taken a "heavy toll" on his soul in the form of his third eye. Doctor Strange has proven capable of some incredibly mind-bending feats - though whether they measure up to his comic book counterpart is questionable.
Doctor Strange"s Powers In The Comics
Available To MCU Doctor Strange?
MCU Example
Invocations
Yes

Uses the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak on Thanos.
Regularly uses the Shield of the Seraphim.
Uses the Images of Ikonn Against Thanos.
Uses the Winds of Watoomb in New York against the Black Order.
Uses original invocations like the Runes of Kof-Kol.

Eye of Agamotto
Yes (heavily altered)
In the MCU, the Eye of Agamotto is used as a vessel and conduit for the power of the Time Stone.
Chronokinesis
No
Strange is not able to control time without the Time Stone.
Functional Immortality
Unconfirmed
Strange hasn"t yet encountered death nor spoken of whether he is ageless.
Flight
Yes
Strange"s Cloak of Levitation functions almost identically to the one of Marvel Comics.
Energy Manipulation
Yes (altered)
MCU Strange uses offensive magic, though it tends to manifest as magical weapons like saws, whips, and swords rather than beams of energy.
Astral Projection
Yes
Strange has used astral projection to study while his body sleeps and even forced Spider-Man into the Astral Plane.
Psychic Abilities
Partially (altered)
Strange has used telekinesis on multiple occasions. He also teleports with the use of a sling ring. He has yet to demonstrate telepathic abilities, however.
Banishment
No
Doctor Strange has yet to prove that he can banish entities to other dimensions at will.
Both versions of Doctor Strange have also demonstrated the ability to use more mundane forms of magic like transmutation and conjuration, though these are rarely used in high-risk situations. MCU Strange also uses the Mirror Dimension, which is an original feature of the MCU and is not deployed by Doctor Strange in Marvel Comics. The MCU"s Doctor Strange will presumably demonstrate even greater powers in subsequent appearances - but as it stands, the live-action and comic-book counterparts are far from equal.
MCU Doctor Strange vs Comics Doctor Strange Who Is More Powerful? One Version Of Strange Has Demonstrated Greater Mystical Prowess Close Given the MCU"s Doctor Strange still has further to go in his MCU arc, the more linear narrative of the cinematic universe presumably means the full extent of his powers is yet to be showcased. Strange"s greatest feats of strength in the MCU have largely been thanks to external artifacts like the Time Stone and the Darkhold, which allowed him to single-handedly defeat Dormammu and Earth-838"s Thanos, respectively. While his comic book counterpart has struggled against these entities himself, Doctor Strange of Marvel Comics has demonstrated greater power overall.
Doctor Strange"s use of the Runes of Kof-Kol in the MCU is a huge mark in his favor, though the full effects of the spell are yet to be seen.
This is largely thanks to his ability to control time independently of the Time Stone. The abilities granted to him by the Eye of Agamotto, meanwhile, are not currently available to his live-action counterpart. Furthermore, Doctor Strange of Marvel Comics has demonstrated incredible abilities like the destruction of a planet, and outrunning the Big Bang. Still, there is plenty of scope for live-action Doctor Strange to unleash his greatest powers yet in the upcoming Avengers movies and an as-yet-unconfirmed Doctor Strange 3.

Doctor Strange The Doctor Strange franchise is a significant part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), focusing on the journey of Stephen Strange, a former neurosurgeon who becomes the Sorcerer Supreme after a life-changing accident. The franchise explores themes of mysticism, alternate dimensions, and the multiverse, with Doctor Strange playing a crucial role in both standalone films and crossover events within the MCU.
Created by Kevin Feige , Scott Derrickson First Film Doctor Strange Latest Film Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness Cast Benedict Cumberbatch , Chiwetel Ejiofor , Rachel McAdams , Benedict Wong , Elizabeth Olsen , Tilda Swinton Upcoming MCU Movies