Doctor Strange Proves Marvel’s Magic Has No Rules (And The MCU Hasn’t Done It Any Favors)

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When it comes to magical characters in comics, Marvel is at the top, with Doctor Strange leading the way. Magic is one of the most captivating aspects of the Marvel Universe. Originally, Marvel focused on science fiction inspired by the Atomic Age, making Doctor Strange something of an oddity. Over time, he became central to the most unusual elements of Marvel, and fans have seen him evolve significantly over the years, both in the comics and in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, one constant with Doctor Strange is a problem that has spread to all of Marvel’s magical characters – the magic system lacks consistent rules, and his popularity has actually worsened this issue.

Marvel features many awesome characters with magical abilities, but the company and its writers haven’t often developed a consistent and logical system of magic. Experienced Marvel fans won’t find this surprising. Consider Marvel’s strongest characters – the established limits of their powers have frequently been ignored to make them even more powerful. Doctor Strange, for example, has evolved from a character with vulnerabilities to someone who seems to control reality itself, and this has created issues for both the characters and the overall Marvel Universe.

Is There Anything Doctor Strange Can’t Do?

Doctor Strange became less popular in the ’90s, which is interesting considering DC Comics was very successful with magical characters at the same time. He didn’t return to prominence in the Marvel Universe until the mid ’00s. This coincided with the start of Joe Quesada’s leadership at Marvel, and the rise of Brian Michael Bendis as a top comic book writer. Bendis introduced Strange into New Avengers following the Civil War event. Bendis approached Strange in a unique way. He didn’t portray Strange as overwhelmingly powerful – characters like the Hand ninjas could nearly defeat him, and the Skrulls could deceive him – and he began to develop a more defined magical system. Strange’s spells were given names, and Bendis would indicate their source in captions. Bendis understood something about magic in superhero stories that many others didn’t – magic can be too easy a solution unless it has boundaries. Different spells had varying levels of power, and weren’t always effective. By giving magic limits, Bendis made Strange less of an all-powerful figure and allowed him to fit in with the more grounded Avengers team. Eventually, Strange would lose his title of Sorcerer Supreme to Brother Voodoo, and the spell captions continued, with Voodoo also not being invincible. Although not a fully developed magic system like those found in fantasy novels, it was a step in the right direction. Magic finally had rules.

Over time, something strange occurred: Doctor Strange unexpectedly became incredibly powerful, almost like a god. If you revisit Brian Michael Bendis’s New Avengers, either Volume 1 or Volume 2, you’ll notice that magic had established limitations. However, when you read Jonathan Hickman’s New Avengers, Strange’s power level drastically increases. While it’s attributed to further study, he’s suddenly capable of wielding far more power than before, and that’s the version of Doctor Strange we’ve seen ever since. Instead of specific spells being effective against certain threats, everything became about the sheer amount of power Strange could channel into his magic-a trend that’s become common throughout Marvel’s magic system. Consider One World Under Doom; Doctor Doom can accomplish feats that even gods like Loki can’t, simply by accessing a greater power source. Characters like Loki and Scarlet Witch are also incredibly overpowered, with abilities that allow them to do virtually anything imaginable. They’re as powerful and knowledgeable as the story requires, which can feel a bit underwhelming. For example, New Avengers (Vol. 1) #30 featured Hand ninjas successfully stabbing Doctor Strange, and it felt significant. Now, that scenario is almost impossible because Marvel’s magic is so inconsistent. They wouldn’t even be able to approach Strange close enough to harm him.

Marvel Needs to Nerf Magic

Something we often overlook with Doctor Strange, especially with the focus on the MCU, is that relatively few comic book readers actually remember the character from his earlier appearances. The MCU’s portrayal of Doctor Strange leans heavily into the idea of limitless magical power, and this isn’t necessarily a good thing. There aren’t many truly classic Doctor Strange stories, and the most well-regarded one – Triumph and Torment – features a Strange who isn’t nearly as powerful. Readers have become accustomed to seeing Doctor Strange as an incredibly powerful magic user, and this has undermined the foundation that Brian Bendis tried to establish when he reintroduced the character.

It’s become challenging to enjoy stories about Strange these days (evidenced by the fact that so many of his comic series have been cancelled recently) because magic in the Marvel Universe has become overwhelmingly powerful. We frequently see Strange triumph over gods and powerful creatures, and his abilities continue to escalate. Unless there are some established boundaries for magic within the Marvel Universe, Strange won’t reach his full potential in terms of popularity.

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2025-10-04 01:11