50 Greatest Super Heroes In Comic Book History

20. Doctor Strange

(Write-up by Nick Tylwalk, Bam Smack Pow Editor)

It’s a testament to the strength of this character concept that the good Doctor ranks this high without nearly as bright a spotlight on him as so many others on this list. Maybe it’s because themes of magic and grappling with unseen forces are as old as human civilization itself, but there are plenty of other magic-using heroes, so a lot of the credit has to fall to Stephen Strange himself.

His appeal begins with one of the best origin stories in all of comics. A cocky, prideful surgeon, Strange was a broken man after an accident left him no longer able to practice medicine. He needed to hit rock bottom before building himself back up and learning the mystic arts from the Ancient One, lending an unusually human touch to a person who would otherwise be the most unrelatable of characters.

Few Marvel heroes have as well defined a niche as Doctor Strange either. If there’s a world or universe-threatening menace, you call Avengers Tower first … unless that menace is fueled by magic, in which case your first stop needs to be the Sanctum Sanctorum, and quickly.

Strange’s enemies are as varied and compelling a bunch as there are, even if they might not be as well known as the rogues’ galleries of other heroes. Hopefully Marvel can bring the proper tone and sense of wonder to his upcoming movie, because if he can make this much of an impression operating from the relative shadows, just think how big Doctor Strange can become with more of a push behind him. The pitch-perfect casting of Benedict Cumberbatch certainly shouldn’t hurt.

Read more on this year’s developments in the Doctor Strange movie.

Next: No. 19: Flame on!