To this day, there have been two movies of Doctor Strange, the titular first one having come out in 2016, the 2nd one is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and it was in 2022 that it came out. However, keep it in mind that the character has appeared in six other MCU movies.
Doctor Strange is an Avenger and the Earth’s protector from any mystic or magical threats. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he is one of the characters with the most value. His sorcery as well as how he has mastered the mystic arts has written his name into people’s hearts throughout the world. Given how much importance he has in the MCU, it is surprising that only two movies for now focus entirely on Doctor Strange.
In order to understand his journey and all that he did, it would be worth having a peep into certain key movies that Stephen Strange has appeared in. All together, the films tell the story of how Dr. Stephen Strange went from a brilliant surgeon to the guardian of the mystic realm as well as his crusade to stop Thanos from acquiring the Time Stone. There is also his return from the blip to contribute in the final battle against the Mad Titan over the Infinity Stones, and how he played a part, without knowing it, in the division of the multiverse while trying to help Peter Parker.
List of All Doctor Strange Movies
1. Doctor Strange (2016)
2. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
3. Avengers: Infinity War (2019)
4. Avengers: Endgame (2020)
5. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
6. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
The Doctor Strange movie series is all about the hard-to-peg Dr. Stephen Strange played by Benedict Cumberbatch. In the beginning, we get to meet Dr. Strange as a brilliant surgeon but his career is turned on its head after he suffered a very serious accident.
The brilliant surgeon wants healing from his injuries at all cost and soon starts going all over the whole world to search for where he will find this healing. That desire to get healing will eventually take him to the mystical enclave of Kamar-Taj. It is there that he will unlock power as well as knowledge that go far above anything that his mind could have thought of. In doing so he now morphs into Doctor Strange, the formidable Master of the Mystic Arts.
How to Watch Doctor Strange Movies
If you want to truly understand and follow everything about Doctor Strange, then you will have to watch all the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies that he has appeared in one by one and according to their release date. So, start with the one that was released first and then proceed in that sequence. This will help you to deeply inhale and savor everything there is to know about the Doc.
Here’s the recommended order for watching Doctor Strange movies, along with key appearances:
1. Doctor Strange (2016)
The movie follows Dr. Stephen Strange, a neurosurgeon who is simply just two good at his work. However, he is later involved in a car accident that cripples his hands and this is just horrible because it is his hands he uses for surgery. He cannot therefore do these surgeries anymore and his career if not his entire life is now over. Desperate to return himself to former abilities, Strange begins searching for cures all over the world.
During that long search, he finds himself in a mysterious haven called Kamar-Taj. There, he finds his fate interwoven with mystic arts and is fully remade as the most powerful sorcerer-Doctor Strange.
2. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
As you can already tell from the name, Thor: Ragnarok, is not about Doctor Strange and he only shows up for just a short time. During that short time, he joined hands with other MCU characters and helped to get two brothers, Loki and Thor, who were quarreling with each other to solve their issues. When these two brothers reconcile, they also move to regain a relationship with their ailing father, Odin, and this sets off the major sequence of events in Ragnarok. What does this show you? That Doctor Strange’s short appearance really had impact.
3. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
The major stuff going on in Infinity War is bone chilling. Thanos seeks to collect all six Infinity Stones and eliminate half of all life on earth. Doctor Strange purposes that Thanos will never succeed and goes to work with the Avengers to thwart Thanos’ plans. Everybody has their own part to do and what is Doctor Strange’s own? Well, he is the person that has to keep safe the Time Stone which is hanging around his neck.
However, instead of keeping the Time Stone safe, Doctor Strange decides to hand it to Thanos and this shocks many to the core. It was really a big gamble as things could have gone horribly wrong but what Doctor Strange did was a smart move that helped to save all life on earth though he himself suffered.
4. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
After the earth-shaking events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is left in ruin, badly marked by the assault of the vicious Thanos that seemed like it would never stop. The situation being so worse, the Avengers, along with their trusted allies, set out to turn around the destruction.
Doctor Strange only returns right at the very end of the movie, helping the Avengers in the final fight against Thanos. He shows great insight into his understanding that past events could never have turned out any other way, given how such series of events was the only way to get the better of Thanos.
5. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Spider-Man aka Peter Parker finds his identity exposed. He therefore goes to Doctor Strange to assist him in cleaning it from the world’s memory.
However, the spell that Doctor Strange comes up with does not go according to how the two planned that it would go. It rather causes a tear in the fabric of multiverse and as such, from other dimensions, bad-hearted villains start to come out. This is a major threat and Peter Parker and Doctor Strange now have to run around to try and clean up the mess they made.
6. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
America Chavez is a teenager with the ability to cross the multiverse and Doctor Strange meets her. Meanwhile, her supernatural powers catch the attention of Wanda Maximoff who wants such powers like crazy for her own bad purposes.
Chavez and Doctor Strange naturally join hands to deal with many issues. They have to stop the evil things that Wanda is planning. They also have to deal with versions of Doctor Strange from other dimensions that do not have good plans in their heart for any part of the multiverse.
Must You Watch Doctor Strange Movies in Order?
We encounter, in the first Doctor Strange movie, Stephen Strange, a previously successful and arrogant surgeon who, in turn, becomes a sorcerer. By the time of Thor: Ragnarok, he has settled into his new identity, and that film in his series is less vital in terms of character development. Things pick up in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, in which Doctor Strange becomes a real major figure in the fight against Thanos. What he contributes is not just brute strength but also smarts.
How the MCU is closely intertwined continues to play out in Spider-Man: No Way Home, whereby Doctor Strange tries to help Peter Parker when his secret identity becomes public but unknowingly brings about the opening of the multiverse.
The Multiverse of Madness finds our hero face to face with struggles and forces never seen before and his capabilities are made to reach their very end. To really understand what is going on, it is better to watch the Doctor Strange movies in order of release and to continue in that pattern when other movies are released. However, if you decide not to watch the doctor strange movies in order, you will still have fun.
Will There Be a New Doctor Strange Movie?
Doctor Strange will be appearing in Marvel movies that will come out in the future and we can say this for sure because of how things turned out in the Multiverse of Madness. There was the cliffhanger introducing Clea and their mysterious journey into the Dark Dimension. However, the exact timeline for their return remains uncertain.
It is expected that by 2027 people will be going to the theaters to watch Doctor Strange 3. However, before this, the Avengers will have to face the problems that are brought by Kang the Conqueror and his Secret War storyline. Also, there are hints that Doctor Strange is in Marvel Phase 5 films. Even Benedict Cumberbatch has said that he is involved in MCU projects that are planned to be released in 2024. The actor himself is also all pumped up to play Strange. Why is this? His character is not a shallow one but rather deep with many angles. There is also the fact that there are many areas relating to him that have not been touched.
Should Doctor Strange 3 receive the green light, the story will likely continue from where Multiverse of Madness stopped. There is a good chance that Stephen Strange will have to face the consequences of his use of dark magic during his clash with Wanda. He will also have to deal with the arrival of Clea, a character closely connected to the Marvel villain Dread Dormammu.
So, who is likely to be in the cast for Doctor Strange 3? Well, Benedict Cumberbatch will be there for sure while Benedict Wong will play Wong again. Charlize Theron will bring Clea to life once more, showing that the film will have so many star names. We could also see Rachel McAdams and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Christine Palmer and Baron Mordo respectively but this is not a sure one yet.
As the days roll into weeks, weeks into months, the excitement about the forthcoming Doctor Strange 3 continues to increase, and it is slated for a prospective release in 2027. Enthusiasts eagerly await the return of director Scott Derrickson, while Benedict Cumberbatch’s unwavering dedication to both the character and the expansive Marvel Cinematic Universe intensifies the anticipation even further.
FAQs
When Did Dr. Strange First Appear in Marvel Movies?
It was in 2016 that the character Stephen Strange aka Doctor Strange first appeared in the movie Doctor Strange.
