Home Comics & Toys The many spells and powers of Doctor Strange

The many spells and powers of Doctor Strange

4 min read
4

Doctor Strange (3)

You don’t earn the title of Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme just by being able to convincingly trick someone into believing that you really do have their nose. As Earth’s foremost master of the Mystic Arts, Doctor Stranger is one of the most powerful beings not only on his home planet, but possibly in several dimensions and realities as well.

A seasoned defender, Doctor Strange wields the power of ancient gods and can cast a spell with the mere twitch of a finger. After several decades in publication, Stephen Strange has accrued an arsenal of magical powers and paraphenalia, although this level of power took a heavy knock recently following the events of the Empirikul invasion that sought to destroy magic permanently.

Still, even without a book of spells nearby, Doctor Strange isn’t an opponent who should be taken lightly. Here’s a breakdown of just what makes the good doctor such a threat to any dimensional danger that comes knocking on the doors of his sanctum sanctorum.

The Vishanti

Doctor Strange (1)

One of the many sources of Doctor Strange’s powers come from the Vishanti: Mythical gods who formed a trinity of figures that include Oshtur, Hoggoth and Agamotto. By invoking their names, or even the names of older and more demonic beings, Strange can cast any spell he needs for any situation. In addition to these deities, Doctor Strange can also channel the power of entire dimensions and their gods to devastating effect. Essentially, Doctor Strange is as powerful as the god that he invokes for his spells. Spells such as:

  • Mystic bolts
  • Protective shields
  • Astral projection
  • Hypnotism
  • Intangibility
  • Banishment spells
  • Elemental manipulation
  • Flight
  • Telepathy
  • Telekinesis
  • Teleportation
  • Dimensional travel
  • Time manipulation
  • Item conjuring
  • Immortality

These feats have been performed with a wide variety of potency over the years, based on the sources of the power. Over time, Strange has invoked the power of Cyttorak (The god who gave the Juggernaut his power), the Octessence (Eight deities who include Balthakk, Cyttorak, Farallah, Ikonn, Krakkan, Raggadorr, Valtorr, and Watoomb) and even dark dimension gods such as Dormammu and more obscure sources such as the Faltine, the Seraphim, Cinnibus, Sheol, Ikthalon, Denak, Cyndriarr, Munnopor, Morpheus, Dyzakk and the Olympian deities.

While the cost for using the power of these deities may vary between being honour-bound to heed their call or actual blood, one thing is certain: Every punch comes with a price. During more desperate times however, Strange has proven to be capable of actually taking the power needed from entities such as Shuma-Gorath and Arioch, using black magic and pure willpower to overpower them.

Doctor Strange (5)

Prior to the last days that came before the Secret Wars that saw Doctor Doom save shreds of reality and reform it into Battleworld, Strange also had the power of the Words. A magic developed by the Black priests, the Words allow the user to alter reality itself.

Strange is more than a mage however, as over the years he has complemented his sorcery with other abilities:

Former Expert Surgeon

Doctor Strange (1)

Before the accident that ruined his hands and set him on his quest to discover the Ancient One, Strange was one of the most gifted neurosurgeons alive. Able to perform delicate surgery with uncanny accuracy, Strange lost this skill due to arrogance and tragedy. Even without those fine levels of control however, Strange is still capable of guiding other surgeons to perform surgery. As of now, Strange is at the very least still a sought-after consultant in these fields.

Expert Strategist

Doctor Strange (6)

Despite his daredevil approach to protecting the Earth, Doctor Strange is still a keen tactician and leader who can form strategies on the fly for various dangers that threaten him and his allies.

Martial Arts mastery

Doctor Strange (1)

Having been trained in the monastery of Kamar Taj and seasoned in battle, Doctor Strange is a deadly hand to hand combatant who regularly trains with other heavyweight hitters in the Marvel universe, as well as his faithful assistant Wong.

Magical equipment

Doctor Strange (2)

To augment his power, Strange began using magical paraphernalia and artifacts. Earned and discovered over many years, this items include

  • The Eye of Agamotto – A mystical eye which can dispel illusions, see beyond the veils of reality and various other abilities that open the mind’s eye
  • The Cloak of Levitation – A third set of hands for the Doctor, the cloak of levitation allows Doctor Strange to fly and appears to have a mind of its own
  • The Sash of Doctor Strange – An enchanted sash which can be extended magically
  • The Orb of Agamotto – A crystal ball used to monitor Earth and the surrounding dimensions for signs of trouble
  • The Wand of Watoomb – A wand which amplifies power, absorbs energy can be used for various magical purposes
  • The Book of the Vishanti – The white magic counterpart to the black magic tome of of the Darkhold, keeper of powerful spells and incantations

And that’s just a taste of the power of Doctor Strange. How much of it will be present in the big screen debut of the Sorcerer Supreme, should be interesting.

Last Updated: January 4, 2017

4 Comments

  1. I dunno, he doesn’t seem that interesting to me

    Reply

    • Original Heretic

      October 13, 2016 at 15:57

      Yeah, way too peculiar.

      Reply

  2. Original Heretic

    October 13, 2016 at 15:56

  3. CodeDisQus

    October 16, 2016 at 23:28

    So keen for this movie! Visually this might be the craziest movie with over an hour shot in IMAX and they said that they are actually using 3D in a way to enhance the experience!! The whole cast of characters is SO strong too.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also

Action-packed new Shang-Chi trailer shows off the Ten Rings in battle

A brand new trailer for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings shows us the revamped or…