Dr. Stephen Strange, a world-renowned but arrogant neurosurgeon, sees his life crumble after a horrific car accident robs him of the use of his hands. When traditional medicine fails him, he searches for healing in a mysterious enclave known as Kamar-Taj. He quickly learns that this is not just a center for recovery but also the front line of a battle against unseen dark forces bent on destroying reality. Armed with newly acquired magical powers, Strange must choose between returning to his life of fortune or leaving it all behind to defend the world as the most powerful sorcerer in existence.
Information |
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Language |
English |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
November 4, 2016 |
Running time |
115 minutes |
Genre |
Action Adventure Fantasy Sci-Fi |
Budget |
$165,000,000 |
Box Office |
$677,796,076 |
Crew |
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Directed by |
Scott Derrickson |
Produced by |
Kevin Feige |
Written by |
Jon Spaihts Scott Derrickson C. Robert Cargill |
Music by |
Michael Giacchino |
Cinematography |
Ben Davis |
Edited by |
Wyatt Smith Sabrina Plisco |
Production Co. |
Marvel Studios |
Distributed by |
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
Top Cast |
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Official Trailer |
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Movie Collection |
Movie Order: #01 in Doctor Strange Collection
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The Plot
The Theft at Kamar-Taj
In the bustling streets of Kathmandu, Nepal, a group of rogue sorcerers launches a violent infiltration of Kamar-Taj, a secret enclave known only to the Masters of the Mystic Arts. The intruders, led by the zealot Kaecilius, brutally behead the librarian to gain access to the restricted section. Kaecilius locates a specific ancient tome belonging to his former mentor, the Ancient One, and rips out pages containing a forbidden ritual. As the Zealots attempt to flee with the stolen knowledge, the Ancient One intercepts them.
The chase spills out into the city, where the Sorcerer Supreme traps the group in the Mirror Dimension, a parallel reality where magic can be practiced without affecting the real world, remaining invisible to the public. She displays immense power, incapacitating several Zealots, but Kaecilius and his surviving followers manage to escape through a portal, taking the ritual pages with them to London.
The Fall of Doctor Strange
In New York City, Dr. Stephen Strange reigns as an acclaimed neurosurgeon at Metro-General Hospital. While his talent is undeniable, he is consumed by arrogance, caring only for the wealth, fame, and success his surgical skills provide. His life changes irrevocably one night while driving to a guest speaking engagement. Distracted by potential medical cases on his phone, he veers off the road, resulting in a catastrophic car crash.
Strange survives, but his hands are shattered. He undergoes extensive surgeries, resulting in the insertion of metal pins, but the nerve damage is permanent. His hands tremble uncontrollably, rendering him unable to hold a scalpel or even write his name legibly. Desperate to reclaim his former life, he exhausts his fortune on experimental procedures that yield no results. His bitterness drives away Christine Palmer, his former lover and colleague, as he harshly rejects her attempts to help him move on, refusing to accept a life without surgery.
The Journey to the East
With his resources depleted and options gone, Strange hears of Jonathan Pangborn, a paraplegic who miraculously regained the ability to walk. Confronting him, Strange learns of a secret compound called Kamar-Taj in Kathmandu. Spending his last dollars on a one-way ticket, Strange wanders the streets of Nepal until he is rescued from muggers by Karl Mordo, a sorcerer who leads him to the enclave.
At Kamar-Taj, Strange meets the Ancient One. Initially skeptical of her talk of spirits and energy, Strange dismisses her teachings as fraud. In response, the Ancient One forcibly pushes his astral form out of his body and sends him hurtling through the Multiverse, revealing the existence of the Astral Plane and the Mirror Dimension. Terrified and humbled, Strange begs to be taught. Although she initially refuses due to his arrogance—which reminds her of Kaecilius—she eventually agrees to train him at Mordo’s urging.
Mastering the Mystic Arts
Strange begins his tutelage under the Ancient One and Mordo, immersing himself in the study of magic. He learns from the ancient books in the library, now strictly guarded by the master Wong. Strange learns that Earth is protected from extra-dimensional threats by a mystical shield generated from three Sanctums located in New York City, London, and Hong Kong. The sorcerers' primary duty is to protect these Sanctums. Strange realizes that Pangborn used this magic only to heal his spine, forgoing the greater responsibility. Strange now faces a choice: channel magic to fix his hands and return to his old life, or accept the burden of defending the world.
Driven by his intellect, Strange advances rapidly over several months. He secretly studies forbidden texts and learns to manipulate time using the mystical Eye of Agamotto. Mordo and Wong catch him in the act and strictly warn him against breaking the laws of nature. They explain that Kaecilius was corrupted by a similar yearning for power; grieving the loss of his loved ones, Kaecilius believes that the Ancient One is hoarding the secret to eternal life and that everyone deserves the immortality she possesses.
Assault on the Sanctums
Using the stolen pages, Kaecilius and his Zealots begin a ritual to summon Dormammu, the ruler of the Dark Dimension, a realm where time does not exist and all can live forever. To clear the path for Dormammu’s arrival on Earth, they attack the Sanctums. An explosion destroys the London Sanctum, the shockwave of which accidentally blasts Strange from Kamar-Taj directly into the New York Sanctum.
Kaecilius and his zealots arrive in New York to destroy the second hub. Strange holds them off in a chaotic battle, aided significantly by the Cloak of Levitation, a mystical relic that chooses him as its master. During the fight, Strange manages to subdue the attackers briefly until Mordo and the Ancient One arrive to turn the tide.
The Ancient One's Secret
The conflict takes a psychological turn when Kaecilius reveals a devastating truth to Strange and Mordo: the Ancient One has sustained her own immortality for centuries by drawing power from the Dark Dimension, the very forbidden practice she forbids her students from using. This revelation deeply shakes Mordo’s faith.
Kaecilius engages the Ancient One in combat and mortally wounds her, escaping to Hong Kong to target the final Sanctum. Strange rushes the Ancient One to Metro-General Hospital, entrusting her care to a bewildered Christine Palmer. Despite their best efforts, her physical form fails. In her astral form, she has a final conversation with Strange, telling him that he, too, will eventually have to break the rules to balance out Mordo’s rigid adherence to the law. She accepts her death, leaving Strange with the weight of the coming battle.
The Time Loop
Strange and Mordo arrive in Hong Kong to find a scene of total devastation: Wong is dead, the Sanctum has fallen, and the Dark Dimension is already consuming Earth. Realizing brute force will fail, Strange uses the Eye of Agamotto to manipulate time on a massive scale. He reverses the destruction, pulling the city back together and resurrecting Wong.
Before the restoration is complete, Strange flies into the heart of the Dark Dimension to confront the entity directly. He creates an infinite time loop, trapping himself and Dormammu in the same moment. Strange approaches the entity, stating, "Dormammu, I've come to bargain." Dormammu kills Strange repeatedly—obliterating, crushing, and vaporizing him—but the time loop resets every time, bringing Strange back to life to repeat the line. Realizing he is a prisoner in his own dimension, Dormammu begs for release. Strange agrees to break the loop only if Dormammu banishes himself from Earth and takes Kaecilius and the Zealots with him. Dormammu agrees, dragging the screaming zealots into the Dark Dimension, granting them their wish for immortality at a horrific, nightmarish cost.
A New Sorcerer Supreme
With the threat neutralized, the natural order is restored, but the victory comes with consequences. Disgusted by both the Ancient One’s hypocrisy and Strange’s reckless manipulation of time, Mordo declares that the bill comes due for violating natural laws. He severs his ties with Kamar-Taj and departs, disillusioned.
Strange returns the Eye of Agamotto to its pedestal in Kamar-Taj, where Wong reveals that the artifact is actually an Infinity Stone. Strange abandons his hopes of returning to surgery and takes up residence in the New York Sanctum, accepting his role as the new guardian of Earth against mystical threats.
The Prophecy of Mordo
Months later, Strange sits in the New York Sanctum with Thor, who reveals that he has brought his brother Loki to Earth to search for their missing father, Odin. Strange agrees to assist the Asgardians in locating Odin on the strict condition that they return to Asgard immediately afterward.
Elsewhere, a hooded Mordo visits Jonathan Pangborn in his workshop. Mordo attacks him, stealing the mystical energy that allows Pangborn to walk, causing him to collapse back into paralysis. As he leaves the terrified man, Mordo states his new grim purpose: he intends to stop the misuse of power, believing the world's true problem is that there are "too many sorcerers."
