If you ask most people who the smartest character in the MCU is, they'll usually say Tony Stark or Hank Pym without hesitation. Hey, we're not here to argue that: the original Iron Man and Ant-Man are some of the smartest characters in the history of film! However, we think it's a shame that Stephen Strange's name rarely comes up in that conversation.
The Master of the Mystic arts was a brilliant surgeon long before he cast his first spell. He's also made a habit of defeating incredibly, impossibly powerful foes by outwitting them - to the point where it's essentially become his MO. To celebrate all of this, join us as we delve through the Doc's past, highlight some of Strange's smartest moments in the MCU.
10 Making The Most Of His Photographic Memory
One of Stephen Strange's most understated abilities is also one of his most useful - that being his photographic memory. The good doctor can soak up information like a sponge - regardless of whether it's mystical or mundane in origin. Strange's photographic memory also helped him earn a Ph.D. and M.D. simultaneously - a feat that's far easier said than done.
Some might argue that we shouldn't count Strange's use of his photographic memory as a smart move - after all, you're either born with this trait, or you're not. While that's true, we also feel that Strange is brilliant for using this trait to excel in his academic and professional career. If we're being honest, most of us would probably waste such a potent gift memorizing trivial things - like how many cracks there are on a sidewalk.
9 Mastering Astral Projection
Quick question; if you one day gained access to a mystical library filled with arcane knowledge, what's the first spell you'd try to learn? You'd try to learn how to cast fireballs first, wouldn't you? Of course - it's always a spell that kills things! People never try to learn healing incantations or charms that'll help fix the ozone layer, do they?
Sorry for the rant. It's just that, if our D&D campaigns have taught us anything, it's that utility spells are always under-appreciated. That's why we love the fact that Strange mastered astral projection as soon as he could - primarily to let him continue studying even while his body rested. Now that's some out of the box thinking right there!
8 Becoming Proficient With Portals...
After getting the hang of astral projection, Strange endeavored to master another defensive/utility type spell - portal creation. In fairness, he either had to learn this spell or freeze atop Mount Everest, but the average person might have moved on to more destructive abilities (*cough* fireballs *cough*) after learning the basics of portal creation.
Not Stephen Strange, though. The good doctor spent countless on-screen and off-screen hours mastering this tricky technique. As a result, Strange manages to outmaneuver a sect of deadly cultists in the mirror dimension - as well as bring multiple armies together in Endgame's climactic final battle!
7 ... As Well As The Time Stone
Most of the other characters who've wielded Infinity Stones never bothered to learn much about them - they'd either slap them onto hammers or cram them in androids and call it a day. But when Strange came across the Time Stone, he didn't try to the artifact with reckless abandon.
The Doc spent hours studying the Time Stone - learning how to wield its power, as well as the consequences for doing so. That's why he was so proficient with the Stone during the climax of his self-titled film - and why he chose to relinquish it after besting his arch-enemies.
6 Putting A Shock To Lucian's System
Speaking of beguiling baddies, we'd be remiss not to mention Strange's battle with Lucian. Oh, does that name not ring any bells? Okay, remember when Strange had that awesome astral projection battle in the hospital - and got the tar beat out of him? Lucian was his opponent, and Scott Adkins was his actor.
Adkins is a real-life martial arts master, so Strange had little chance of beating him in combat. Realizing this, Stephen asked Christine to hit his body with a pair of defibrillators - atomizing Lucian in an instant! Strange's devotion to the Hippocratic Oath caused him to languish over Lucian's death, but hey, props to the Doc for thinking on his feet so quickly.
5 Outsmarting Kaecilius
Of course, Lucian's powers paled in comparison to his master - Kaecilius (played by the ever-amazing Mads Mikkelsen). Numerous times throughout Doctor Strange, Kaecilius shows up both Doctor Strange and the Ancient One. By the time Strange clashed with Kaecilius in the finale, we genuinely had no clue how the doc would pull off a win.
After all, Kaecilius had years of arcane experience over Doctor Strange - by all accounts, he would've easily defeated his foe. But rather than continue fighting a losing battle, Strange concocts a plan to turn Kacilius' dark magic against him.
4 "Bargaining" With Dormammu
That plan involving "bargaining" with the interdimensional space demon Dormammu! Far and away, this fallen member of the Faltine easily outclasses Doctor Strange. Dormammu even proves as much by mimicking Strange's appearance and killing him with a thought!
You already know the rest: Strange traps himself and Dormammu in a time loop - willing to die again, and again, and again - until Dormammu accepts his terms. It's a meme now - one of the best out there, in our opinion - but Strange's victory over Dormammu remains as one of the most impressive ways any hero in the MCU has defeated their nemesis.
3 Upstaging Loki
Think about this: Loki is the God of Mischief - suggesting that he invented the very idea of outwitting and mentally outpacing others. But in Thor: Ragnarok, Strange makes Loki look like the sort of magician that works childrens' birthday parties!
Specifically, Strange makes sure to trap Loki in a realm of infinite space - wherein all the God of Mischief can do is plummet downwards in an endless void. Not many other heroes from the MCU can say they've outsmarted a deity - but Stephen Strange is one of them.
2 Quarterbacking The Endgame
Let's lay it all on the table. Strange had to comb through 14,000,605 realities in the span of a few moments to find a way to beat Thanos. When he found the most promising solution, he then had to quickly formulate a plan in the mere moments between Thanos' arrival on Titan!
We'd like to remind everyone that Strange's plan involved dying and remaining dusted for five years! As proven by Strange's conversation with Tony in Avengers: Endgame, he had no way of knowing that his plan was a sure-fire success. He merely made plays based on the most likely outcomes of his allies' actions - potentially even accounting for the rat MVP that brought Scott Lang back to Earth!
1 Bringing In The Cavalry
Between the moment that the Hulk performed the reverse snap and the instant the cavalry arrived to help Cap, Strange had about 15 minutes to get everyone on one page. 15 minutes to quickly brief whole armies from various parts of the galaxy, prep them on the next stage of the game plan, and bring them to one location.
If Strange didn't manage to plan this move to the letter, Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man would've been crushed by Thanos, his Outriders, and the Black Order. If Strange flubbed the coordinates, he could've teleported everyone to Albuquerque instead of the Avengers' compound. The Doc managed to pull all of this off without Siri or Google Maps - the man's a legend!