Stephen Strange

**Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange, M.D.,**(*Doctor Strange*) is a sorcerer.

## Relationships

* Eugene Strange (father, deceased)
* Beverly Strange (mother, deceased)
* Victor Strange (brother, apparently deceased)
* Donna Strange (sister, deceased)
* Clea (wife, estranged)
* Sofia Strange (daughter)

## Powers and Abilities

### Powers

**Sorcerer Supreme:** Stephen is the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth; he possesses vast mastery of the mystic arts, which he uses to defend his reality from otherworldly threats. His primary magical patrons are a group of entities known as "the Vishanti." The Vishanti are a trinity of godly beings comprised of Agamotto, Hoggoth, and Oshtur, although he has, on rare occasion, called upon the power of demons such as Dormammu. Stephen more frequently did so before he realized Dormammu's true dark nature.

* ***Infinite longevity/fearlessness:*** Stephen's lifespan has been extended and his fear of dying subsided in a manner similar to that of his mentor the Ancient One, due to a successful contest against Death. Though he can still be killed and even physically wounded, he cannot succumb to any medical diseases, nor does he age. However, he still requires food, water, oxygen, and sleep. Stephen passed a test by the Ancient One and defeated Death or, more accurately, accepted Death. As a result, Stephen stopped aging from that moment forward. The Ancient One passed the same test himself and lived six hundred years.

**The Words:** Stephen has become an expert in the Black Priests' ability to use language to distort reality, becoming even more capable than the Black Priests themselves in a short amount of time. Each word is a symbol which means something. The addition of another symbol can change the meaning of that something. Stephen stated this method to be like a replacement cipher. This way, he can distort reality in different ways depending on how many symbols are said and in which order.

**Divine sources:** Stephen can channel the extra-dimensional energy of mystical and non-mystical beings in multiple dimensions to empower his spells. This can take the form of standard spells or just stated what he wants to occur and channeling some being to make it happen. It is unknown at this time what debt, if any, he incurs by invoking the powers that be. There is no strict quid pro quo, though some entities will feel he is obliged to heed their call when they need help in their conflicts as did the Vishanti.

**Darkness of the Divine Conduit:** By sheer force of will, Stephen can take the power of another entity. This does not require the use of a spell. He used this ability against Arioch and Shuma-Gorath. The fact that Stephen can do this is a testament to his incredible willpower and strength of mind. This is considered black magic and, as such, he rarely employs this. Also, when taking the powers of celestial entities, he absorbs the mind and assumes their duties and roles in the dimension in which they exist. If his will falters, he can lose all sense of self.

### Abilities

**Former expert surgeon/surgical consultant:** Stephen holds an M.D. in neurosurgery and was once considered one of the foremost experts in the field. However, the nerve damage he suffered in his car crash severely compromised the manual dexterity in his hands, preventing him from performing surgery except when temporarily supplemented by magic. Even without magic, Stephen retains his medical knowledge. He has shown himself capable of providing reasonable guidance to other, less skilled, yet un-maimed surgeons through intense effort and is still capable of serving as a consultant.

**Expert occultist and magical knowledge:** During his studied which continued until recently, Stephen has gained expert awareness on cults and the extra-dimensional entities they worship. This knowledge, as of yet, far exceeds any on Earth.

**Expert strategist:** Though Stephen seems to suffer from an impulsive nature, it is apparent that he works best this way, possessing considerable strategic skills.

**Skilled martial artist:** Stephen is a skilled athlete and was trained in the martial arts used by Tibetan monks in Kamar Taj, proving sufficiently talented to pass down such training to others. These talents have assisted him from time-to-time when incapable of using his sorcery. Stephen is a formidable opponent to any skilled attacker and continues to train regularly with Wong.

### Weaknesses

**Science-based weakness:** It has been said that Stephen's power is weaker against strictly science-based opponents.

**Incantations and gestures dependency:** Stephen depends on spoken incantations, mystical gesturings, and his arcane artifacts in his duties. He has been incapacitated various times by being gagged and bound, preventing him from uttering arcane invocations or performing mystic gestures.

**Human factor:** Another weakness is that Stephen, despite all his spells and magical training, is only human physically. Hence, if not taking proper care of his defenses, he can be overpowered by mere blows, energy attacks, or gas attacks. While technically immortal, he still must eat, sleep, and breathe in order to survive.

**Magic-induced physical changes:** A fact not known by many people is that the use of magic takes a physical toll on its user. During his first lessons, Stephen vomited for three days straight because of this. As years went by, Stephen's body changed so much that his stomach cannot even accept human food and can only ingest that which would kill a normal human.