Doctor Strange: Responsibility And Freedom

Marvel

Jan 30

While the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Doctor Strange, played by Benedict Cumberbatch no longer has the responsibilities of the Sorcerer Supreme, his great power must be tempered by great responsibility. Stephen Strange started his arc as an expert surgeon until a car accident caused him to lose movement in his hands. The increasingly desperate doctor found his way to Kamar-Taj and studied magic, eventually rising to great power. He was a key player in the Avengers’ war against Thanos and found a way to defeat him by offering him the Time Stone.

More recently, he found himself at the heart of some multiverse shenanigans to aid Peter Parker after the world discovered his secret identity. Doctor Strange’s spell brought enemies and other Spider-Man from the multiverse culminating in a rift that could have broken the world. The sorcerer cast a spell to make everyone forget Peter and send everyone back to their own universes. Shortly after, Doctor Strange met America Chavez who sent him on a journey through the multiverse, leading to a fight with Wanda who had embraced the powers of the Darkhold. At the very end of the film, a mysterious stranger shows up and warns him of incursions.

RELATED:

Featured

Doctor Strange: Responsibility And Freedom

With the knowledge of the multiverse, Doctor Strange must be careful about not messing with the continuities of his current timeline. However, there’s a balance to be struck here. Doctor Strange erred toward freedom when he helped the world forget Peter’s Spider-Man persona and nearly destroyed the world. In his multiverse adventures, he found a way to balance freedom and responsibility by breaking the laws of magic to save the multiverse and accepting consequences for his actions. One consequence was a third eye. The other consequence was an incursion that threatened the very fabric of all realities.

Cumberbatch has revealed that his character will have a lot to do in Avengers: Secret Wars. The master of the mystic arts will likely be challenged again to balance the responsibility to his comrades, to his magic, and the stability of the multiverse. The hero must be free to choose the best path forward to deal with threats but has to make sure the path is the best for everyone. Unlike the other heroes whose knowledge is limited to their experience, Doctor Strange has the privilege to view and visit other worlds and other universes. This has the unfortunate effect of reducing how he regards the value of life. As he tells Peter in No Way Home, in the grand calculations of the multiverse their lives mean very little.” Yet, he can still recognize the value as he chooses to save America Chavez, even when it means going against an old friend. This will likely cause consternation between the sorcerer and the other heroes as it already did with Peter.

Another source of consternation is the sorcerer’s arrogance. He is almost always the smartest person in the room and wields his intelligence like a weapon. His arrogance was an obstacle to learning the mystic arts and nearly led to disaster when he challenged Dormammu. He was only able to win when he let go of his pride and embraced defeat. His intelligence and Peter’s earlier heroism blinded him to see Peter as an inexperienced kid prone to making mistakes. It also led to him breaking a cardinal rule of magic and causing rifts in the multiverse. However, his intelligence is also a strength as it leads others to turn to him, and he can guide them to make responsible choices.

The heroes value and fight for freedom. Doctor Strange fights to make sure there still is a world to exercise freedom. He must use his extensive insight to guide the heroes as he once guided Tony Stark through an unwinnable battle with Thanos. With the inclusion of the multiverse in the MCU, the threats are more serious than any the heroes have faced, and the consequences are more dire and far-reaching. Thanos wiped out half of all life on one version of Earth. If Doctor Strange can’t balance freedom with responsibility, new threats may wipe out much more than that. With his magic and his knowledge, Strange will likely be the key that brings the hero to a swift victory or a crushing defeat.

READ NEXT:

Featured