Abstract

In 1963, comics legends Stan Lee and Steve Ditko added a unique figure to the expanding Marvel Universe: Doctor Stephen Strange, a brilliant neurosurgeon turned Sorcerer Supreme, who stood as the Earth's sole defender against mystical threats from strange dimensions. Since then, Doctor Strange has been a mainstay of the Marvel Universe, if not often a featured player, an appropriate position for a loner who prefers to serve his role in thankless solitude. In 2016, audiences outside the strange realm of comic book conventions and Wednesday pull‐lists were exposed to a cinematic vision of Doctor Strange, deftly portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch alongside Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, and the enigmatic Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One. Fifty‐plus years of comics adventures and a brilliant feature film provide us not only with tales of mind‐bending mysticism and self sacrificing heroics, but also a wealth of philosophical inspiration.