DOCTOR STRANGE 155
DOCTOR STRANGE. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in 1963, the Master of the
Mystic Arts and Sorcerer Supreme of the Marvel Universe fi rst appeared in Strange
Ta l e s #110. Doctor Strange has appeared in several self-titled series as well as mul-
tiple generations of Marvel’s Strange Tales, sharing its split-book format at diff erent
times with the Human Torch, Nick Fury Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (See Sgt. Fury and
His Howling Commandos), and the teen duo Cloak and Dagger. Although typically a
solo hero, Doctor Strange has joined several organizations: the original Defenders, the
Nightstalkers, the New Avengers, the Ultimate Knights, and the Illuminati. Doctor
Strange’s exploits are characterized by supernatural phenomenon beyond the abilities
of most superheroes and encounters with the most powerful and abstract of entities,
including personifi cations of Eternity, Nightmare, and Death. Often deferring mun-
dane crimes to less cerebral heroes, Strange frequently makes crossover appearances in
other comics as a sort of deus ex machina fi gure who supplies information or assistance
against supernatural threats or overpowering odds.
Th e unique status Doctor Strange enjoys as a superhero who fi ghts at the level of
the supernatural is accentuated by the artistry of his original creators. Ditko’s surreal
artwork is credited with creating the otherworldly feel essential to the title’s adventures
both on Earth and across other dimensions of existence. Lee’s ingenious fabrication of
mystical invocations, with which Strange summons magical power, is the literary inven-
tion that makes Doctor Strange such a memorable and idiosyncratic character. Strange’s
utterance “By the Vishanti” refers to the collective of three god-like beings —Agamotto,
Hoggoth, and Oshtur — imagined by Lee to be the source of Strange’s mystical power.
Strange’s alliterative exclamation “By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth!” is perhaps his most
well-known catch-phrase.
Unlike most superheroes, Strange obtains much of his power by calling upon a
mystical source beyond himself. His abilities are virtually limitless, but some of the
most commonly featured are astral projection, protective shields, eldritch beams, and
mystic bonds. Strange supplements these abilities with his own psychic powers—such
as telepathy—and a few magical devices. Th e Eye of Agamotto, a round disk worn
upon on his chest, supplies him additional mystical energy and, when opened, per-
mits him to see truly beyond illusions and deceptions. His Cape of Levitation, which
is clasped together at his chest by the Eye of Agamotto, moves not by magic, but by
Strange’s own thoughts. Th is ability has been used in several stories as a means of
escape for Strange when he has been unable to use his magic because his mouth and
hands were bound.
Doctor Strange fi rst acquires his magical abilities through tutelage under the original
Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One. Having been a capable, but arrogant neurosur-
geon, Dr. Stephen Strange loses the use of his hands in a car accident and falls into
a state of alcoholism and self-pity. His life is saved when he seeks the Ancient One, a
wise mystic and healer who resides in a hidden enclave in the Himalayan Mountains.
Although reluctant at fi rst to learn from the Ancient One, Strange proves his worthi-
ness by thwarting a plot to murder the Ancient One by Baron Mordo, who becomes
