Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange, M.D., also known as Doctor Strange, is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by artist and character conceptualist Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in Strange Tales#110 (cover-dated July 1963).
Let’s find out more facts about him
1. Doctor Strange was a brilliant but egotistical surgeon.After a car accident destroys his hands and hinders his ability to perform surgery, he searches the globe for a way to repair them and encounters the Ancient One.
2. After becoming one of the old Sorcerer Supreme’s students, he becomes a practitioner of both the mystical arts as well as martial arts.
3. Along with knowing many powerful spells, he has a costume with two mystical objects—the Cloak of Levitation and Eye of Agamotto—which give him added powers.
4. Strange is aided along the way by his friend and valet, Wong, and a large assortment of mystical objects. He takes up residence in a mansion called the Sanctum Sanctorum, located in New York City.
5. Later, Strange takes the title of Sorcerer Supreme.
6. In 2012, Doctor Strange was ranked 83rd in Wizard’s “200 Greatest Comic Book Characters of All Time” list, and 33rd inIGN’s list of “The Top 50 Avengers”.
7. The character was first portrayed in live action by Peter Hooten in the 1978 television movie Dr. Strange.
8. A Marvel Studios live-action film adaptation starring Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead role is set for a November 2016 theatrical release.
9. As with many of Marvel Comics’ characters, Doctor Strange calls New York City his home, and has an actual, real-world address. His “Sanctum Sanctorum” (his fancy name for his home) is located at 177A Bleecker Street in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village neighborhood.
10. While not the most recognized or popular Marvel comic book character, Doctor Strange has nevertheless garnered a loyal following among his devoted fan base. So much so that the comic book that features his first appearance – Marvel Strange Tales #110 from July 1963 – has sold for $61,000 at auction.
11. From 1986 to 2005, people within Hollywood, such as Bob Gale, Wes Craven, David S. Goyer, and even Stan Lee himself with co-writer Alex Cox, have all tried to make a film adaptation of “Doctor Strange” but failed.
12. When Cumberbatch was first approached for the film, he originally turned it down due to scheduling complications.
13. However, when the release date for the film was pushed back from July 2016 to November 2016, Cumberbatch was able to sign on to the project.
14. In the comics, Dr. Strange was trained at an Eastern monastery. So to prepare for the role, Cumberbatch volunteered to teach English at a Buddhist monastery in Darjeeling, India for a year.
15. Many different actors were rumored or considered for the role, such as Joaquin Phoenix, Colin Farrell, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tom Hardy, Ethan Hawke Jack Huston, Oscar Isaac, Jared Leto, Matthew McConaughey, Ewan McGregor, Keanu Reeves, Justin Theroux, Jon Hamm, Johnny Depp, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, just to name a few.
16. Dr. Strange co-founded the Defenders. The Defenders are a group of ‘outsiders’ and were effectively Marvel’s first ‘Non-Team’ of heroes who only assemble as needed.
17. They were the original team to handle mystic and supernatural threats before those became a mainstay for the Avengers to handle as well. The founding team (which would go on to rotate extensively) consisted of Doctor Strange, Silver Surfer, Hulk, and Namor.
18. His greatest enemies are Baron Mordo and Dormammu.
19. Baron Mordo is another apprentice of Strange’s mentor the Ancient One, but Mordo grew jealous and went evil, engineering his mentor’s death. Mordo and Strange have been mortal enemies ever since.
20. Dormammu, meanwhile, is the leader of the Dark Dimension who challenged Strange when he took up the mantle of the Sorcerer Supreme. The Ancient One and Dormammu were lifelong enemies and Strange inherited the conflict.
21. Strange hops dimensions and travels the astral Plane. Strange has been tripping the light fantastic since the ’60s, projecting his spirit into surreal alternate dimensions.
22. His mystical powers are basically limitless.
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