Doctor Fate vs. Doctor Strange: Who Would Win in a Fight?

The following contains spoilers for Black Adam, now playing in theaters.

The DC Universe's Black Adam not only introduced the titular anti-hero Teth-Adam but also paved the way for other superheroes to shine. One of the most notable of these new introductions is the Agent of Order himself, Doctor Fate, better known as Kent Nelson. Due to his nature and powers as a sorcerer, many comic book fans have wondered how well the DCU's sorcerer would fare against his Marvel Cinematic Universe counterpart, Doctor Strange, in a hypothetical fight.

Both Kent Nelson and Stephen Strange are normal humans who came across the world of magic. In Kent Nelson's case, he was given the magical Helmet of Fate, created by Nabu, one of the Lords of Order. By wearing this helmet, Nelson is granted supreme power that rivals that of godlike beings. Strange, on the other hand, was taught in the ways of the Mystic Arts at Kamar-Taj by the Ancient One. With similar abilities showcased by both combatants, including but not limited to illusion magic, clone creation and barrier creation, a fight between Doctor Fate and Doctor Strange would be a close call.

Doctor Strange Held His Own Against Thanos and Scarlet Witch

Stephen Strange is a master of conjuring Eldritch magic that could make Thanos sweat in addition to being able to wield a variety of magical artifacts such as the Cloak of Levitation and the Time Stone through the Eye of Agamotto. After losing possession of the Time Stone, Strange was able to store a bit of Dark Dimension Magic within the artifact, using it to unveil creatures made by Chaos Magic. His skill in the Mystic Arts is so vast that he was able to briefly match the Scarlet Witch and even defeat an evil version of himself who possessed the Darkhold.

During his battle with Teth-Adam, Doctor Fate showed advanced reflexes, such as blocking a lighting blast from the latter and subsequently creating an illusion of Kahndaq to distract Teth-Adam. Fate was the only one in the Justice Society of America who held his own against Teth-Adam and even temporarily immobilized him. Later during his fight against the demonic Sabbac, the Agent of Order was able to trap Sabbac in a loop fighting hordes of magical clones while also astral projecting to Teth-Adam from his underwater prison in order to awaken him.

Doctor Fate Took on Black Adam and Sabbac

Due to appearing in more films than his DC counterpart, Doctor Strange is seen utilizing a wider arsenal of spells than Doctor Fate. However, as the famous saying goes, more is not always better. While Strange has a more diverse power set, he is still human. His abilities allow him to go toe-to-toe with godlike beings, but he can still be knocked out, such as seen in his various fights throughout the MCU. Meanwhile, Doctor Fate is shown to be physically superior and faster at casting spells than Strange.

While Strange can try to trap Fate in the Mirror Dimension or use portals, Fate could simply teleport back. Speaking of his teleportation, it seems that Fate's teleportation is faster than Strange's portal magic. While some MCU fans may point to Strange's cloning spell, Fate can also make clones that are strong enough to restrain Black Adam and Sabbac. Strange's best bet is to use the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak to restrain Fate and use the Cloak of Levitation to remove the helmet. However, Doctor Fate has his own magic cloak: the Cloak of Destiny, which has similar properties to Strange's cloak.

While Doctor Strange is a powerful sorcerer, he simply doesn't have anything that can put down Doctor Fate. Despite only appearing in one film, Fate has more experience than Strange due to his lengthened life span. His magic was able to hold beings as strong as Black Adam and Sabbac. During the latter fight, he was able to not only hold off Sabbac but do so while astral projecting himself to awaken Teth-Adam and holding up a force field strong enough to keep out the rest of the JSA. Although one could argue that Strange gave Thanos a good fight, he was completely focused on fighting Thanos, unlike Fate. Furthermore, what truly gives Fate the edge over his Marvel counterpart is his foresight ability, something Strange thus far can't do. With his greater experience, magical prowess and combat feats, Doctor Fate should come out on top over Doctor Strange.

To see Doctor Fate's DCU debut, watch Black Adam, in theaters now.