Who is Doctor Strange?

Doctor Strange is the mightiest magician who ever lived

Dr. Stephen Strange was once a gifted but egotistical surgeon who sought out the Ancient One to heal his hands after they were wounded in a car accident. Instead, the Ancient One trained him to become Master of the Mystic Arts and the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth

The first and foremost thing to know about Doctor Strange is that he is one of the most powerful superheroes in the Marvel Universe, cinematic or otherwise.

But more on those powers in a second. First some fun facts to know the man behind magic…

He Lives in New York City’s Greenwich Village

That’s right, you can go and visit Doctor Strange’s house (known as the Sanctum Sanctorum) right now, and while you’re there get some kick-ass pizza.

He is a Member of the Illuminati

No, not the one that Beyonce’s a member of or the one that tried to kill Tom Hanks. This is Marvel’s version formed by Tony Stark.

His Girlfriend Once Banged Benjamin Franklin

Strange had a sorceress girlfriend named Clea (who would eventually become his wife and then ex-wife) and one time she cheated on him with one of America’s greatest founding fathers.

His Greatest Desire is to Have a Three Way with Clea and the Scarlet Witch

(As we found out in New Avengers: Illuminati #3) So if you’ve ever wondered what’s on the mind of one of the most powerful beings in the universe, it’s this.

But enough about Doctor Strange’s incredible sex life.

With regards to the second part of the question, the Sorcerer Supreme has one of the most varied and eclectic set of super skills out of any superhero.

Much of his super abilities come from the many mystical artifacts he has at his disposal. Such as…

The Eye of Agamotto

This is the end all be all of mystical artifacts. The Eye does so many awesome things there isn’t enough room to recount them here. To name a few it allows Doctor Strange to see into people’s soul, view other dimensions and play back the past.

It’s related to the Orb of Agamotto, which lets him quickly teleport to cool places like the opposite ends of the universe or In-N-Out Burger.

The Cloak of Levitation

Allows Doctor Strange to fly like a boss.

The Book of Vishanti

An amazing book that holds the most powerful white magic spells ever incanted. Not only does it supposedly contain a counter spell for every form of black magic, but it’s said to have infinite pages.

There are plenty of other artifacts housed in the Sanctum Sanctorum, but these are the most important. Combined with his impressive martial arts skills and knowledge of the inner workings of the entire multiverse, they allow the Sorcerer Supreme to conjure some pretty awesome powers.

Astral Projection

Alright, everyone knows about this one but it can get kind of confusing what exactly Marvel means by “astral.”

Basically, Doctor Strange can leave his physical body as a ghostly form and enter a nonphysical realm of existence. Imagine Casper, only with a goatee. While in this state, Strange doesn’t need to breathe, eat, drink or sleep, can phase through anything, is invisible and is unrestricted by the physical laws of the universe.

While in this astral state, Doctor Strange can do a number of radical things, like…

Time Travel

Manipulate Time - he can freeze, stop and rewind time as he sees fit

Super speed - he can travel at any speed desired through any dimension

Spirit Possession - he can posses another entity’s body or use his own body as a divine conduit for otherworld beings

Dream Walk - he can enter your dreams and punch your nightmares right in the face

Energy Blasts

Any superhero worth their weight in cape can shoot energy beams out of their body. Doctor Strange has a massive arsenal of deadly energy blasts that he usually preempts by saying something ridiculous like, “By the Bolts of Balthakk!”

Infinite Longevity from Fearlessness

Because Doctor Strange once kicked the crap out of Death, he is no longer afraid of dying. Which means he can technically live forever and will never age. He does however need to still sleep, eat and breath and can be killed by physical violence on his body.

Telepathy

Doctor Strange can do pretty much whatever he wants with your mind whenever he wants. Don’t believe me? He once entered the head of Galactus and made the Devourer of Worlds confront all the people he’s ever killed which left the big guy screaming like a little girl.

Transmutation

Doctor Strange can turn physical objects into something else (so long as their not on a cosmic scale like planets.) For instance, he has turned a butter knife into a sword and Hitler’s handgun into a bunch of delightful fireflies.

Destroying Vampires

He doesn't really use this one often, but it’s a good example of just how varied Doctor Strange’s abilities are. By using his expert knowledge of black magic, the Sorcerer Supreme was able to create a counter spell that destroyed all of Earth’s vampires.

Unfortunately they eventually returned, but for awhile there Doctor Strange was considered the man by anyone who hated Twilight.

Looking Devilishly Handsome

I mean seriously, look at that facial hair. How could Clea ever cheat on a face like that with a pudgy guy who wears bifocals?

So to summarize, given all that we've just seen, from the man behind the goatee to the superpowers at his fingertips, the answer to who Doctor Strange is can be simply stated as - the supremest of all sorcerers.