Marvel Comics has been having fun with multiverses for years, creating strange variations of heroes and villains. Sometimes, they’re odd combinations or characters with different looks or backstories. Other times, they feel like completely new characters, and that makes them new and exciting. Okay, sometimes they can also be funny, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Thanks to Doctor Strange’s heavy connection to the mystical, he’s often directly dealing with the multiverse, giving readers plenty of opportunities to see this hero in a new light. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has only recently begun to play with these variants, the comics have dozens, especially for the Sorcerer Supreme.
Doctor Strange has lived through some strange times and adventures. Even his core story is quite complex and compelling, starting with his path to becoming a surgeon and eventually leading to him becoming one of the most powerful sorcerers on Earth. When looking at the larger scope of Marvel comics, it’s easy to see how his story could be blended or warped. Truthfully, there are far too many versions of Doctor Strange to list in a single article, but the following examples are some of the most powerful, remarkable, and/or entertaining.
Honorable mention goes to Dr. Strangefate, a version of the Doctor hailing from the mashup between Marvel and DC Comics, Amalgam Comics. This 1990s comic series brought many characters together and merged them, including Doctor Strange and Dr. Fate. What a time to be alive!
10) Croctor Strange (Earth-8311)
Steamin Strange, aka Croctor Strange, is the Master of the Misfit Arts, hailing from Earth-8311. In case his unique look didn’t give it away, Croctor Strange originates from the same universe as Spider-Ham. He’s a member of the Scavengers and the Unhimanati, and he has sworn an oath to protect his Earth from all threats. He may be a crocodile in this universe, but Croctor Strange has much in common with the hero we all know and love.
For starters, he still has that iconic white streak in his otherwise black hair. That may seem a bit out of place, given the scales, but he makes it work. Yes, the mustache is also there, though it looks pretty different on that elongated snout. Croctor Strange lives in the Sanctum Sanctorum, which is based within New Yolk City. He is likewise almost always seen with his Cloak of Levitation, which should feel familiar to fans.
9) Ducktor Strange (Earth-791021)
While we’re having a bit of fun, let’s talk about Ducktor Strange, aka Simon Strange. Ducktor Strange is the Mallard of Mystic Arts (try saying that ten times without laughing) and protector of Duckworld. Much like his Earth-616 counterpart, Simon was once famous in his field, but instead of being a doctor, he was, of course, a veterinarian.
At a glance, it would be tempting to underestimate Ducktor Strange. This probably has something to do with how he’s usually seen with a bottle of alcohol in his hands, which he’ll loudly exclaim is for communing with spirits. Interpret that how you will. Despite his appearance, Ducktor Strange is exceptionally powerful. With one spell, he brought all of the Ducks of Duckworld through the Nexus of All Realities and into Earth-616. It was a complicated time, to be sure.
8) Zombie Doctor Strange (Earth-2149)
Truthfully, there’s no shortage of zombie Doctor Stranges in the Marvel Universe. Marvel just loves playing around with zombie themes! Doctor Strange of Earth-2149 was probably a lot like the hero we all know, you know, before the zombie plague. Strange’s world was forever changed when an infected Sentry crashed, creating one of the most iconic Marvel events. To Strange’s credit, he wasn’t one of the first heroes to fall, though some may argue that this is worse.
Here’s the thing: in Marvel canon, zombies get to keep their abilities. So Zombie Doctor Strange is effectively still Doctor Strange, just a dead version of him. That said, something happened to Zombie Doctor Strange to keep him from casting more than a couple of spells. On the bright side, the limiter certainly helped keep the zombie infection from spreading across all the realms, so this is not something readers are complaining about.
7) Ultimate Doctor Strange (Earth-1610)
Stephen Strange Jr. is the son of Clea and Doctor Strange. Unfortunately, Strange Jr. didn’t get to grow up with his father around, as Doctor Strange Sr. disappeared the same day Clea delivered the news of her pregnancy. While Clea rejected all things magical in her grief, Strange Jr. embraced this life when he came of age, led by Wong (at first). He would eventually step into the Doctor Strange mantle, tackling Xandu, Nightmare, and many other classic antagonists on his way.
Here’s where Ultimate Doctor Strange is fascinating, as he doesn’t tap into magic the same way his father did. While Strange Sr. relied on magic and spells to achieve abilities such as astral projections and hypnotism, Strange Jr. doesn’t need to. Instead, he seemingly uses these abilities as an extension of his telepathy. In other words, he hasn’t even begun tapping into his potential, and readers are eager to see how hard that can be pushed.
6) Punisher Strange (Earth-27169)
Have we mentioned how much Marvel loves mashing up different characters? Punisher Strange is one such combination, and this one should be pretty obvious. The story leading to this combination is pretty complex, and it all begins with Secret Wars: Battleworld. This is one of those stories that throws everything it can at heroes, with high stakes and even higher tolls.
Doctor Strange of Earth-27169 was first killed by vampires, but in classic Strange fashion, he wasn’t done. He did the only thing he could, in that position, and joined his mind with Frank Castle. Saying Doctor Strange possessed Punisher wouldn’t be accurate, as he didn’t suppress Frank’s mind or personality. More like he forced co-existence on himself. Together, they carry on with Doctor Strange’s role as Sorcerer Supreme.
Given that this tale is connected to Battleworld, readers would be correct in assuming the story doesn’t have a happy ending. Doom sent dozens of agents after Punisher Strange, with Hulk, Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, and Wolverine eventually catching up with the combined hero. It was a lose-lose, as while Wolverine landed a killing blow on Punisher Strange, the duo took everyone else out, including Wolverine, in the end.
5) Black Priest Leader Doctor Strange
There are many mystical organizations dedicated to the multiverse, including the Black Priests. This particular organization is, in many ways, a magical equivalent of the Time Variance Authority (T.V.A.), as they carefully select which versions of Earth need to be destroyed to maintain a balance. Some would argue that what they do is good and just, but it’s hard to be certain, given the immense power that they wield.
The Black Priests have appeared a few times in Marvel Comics, and they once notably had a very familiar leader. Doctor Strange, aka the Eye of Eyes. To put it another way, Black Priest Leader Doctor Strange is considered to be one of the more powerful variations of this character, full stop. He had access to his typical sorcery skills (which are powerful enough on their own, mind you), plus reality manipulation, interdimensional travel, conjuring, and the works.
4) Strange 2099, aka Jeannie (Earth-928)
Jeannie is the Sorceress Supreme of Earth-928. Commonly referred to as Strange 2099, her story unfolded in the pages of Spider-Man 2099. Unlike Stephen Strange, Jeannie grew up in a world of magic. This early exposure gave her access to immense powers, but as we all know, that also comes with responsibility. This was made clear in her introduction, as she accidentally killed her brother with a creature she summoned (it was tragically meant to defend them).
From there, Strange 2099 continued to do her best as Sorceress Supreme, no matter what the world threw at her. She teamed up with Spider-Man and many other heroes in her journey, including the famous Doctor Strange. Jeannie would become no stranger to loss and betrayal, dealing with monsters, her own (literal) demons, and self-sacrifice. Her entrance into time travel made her adventures even more complicated, and fans enjoyed how her story progressed, especially as it was unafraid to get dark.
3) Advanced Idea Magician (Earth-TRN843)
Those who don’t follow Marvel Action are missing out on some incredible stories. More importantly, they’re missing out on variants such as Advanced Idea Magician. This version of Stephen Strange hails from Earth-TRN843, and it’s safe to say he has a few major differences from the hero most people know so well.
While Stephen Strange may have access to all of his mystical knowledge and power, he isn’t fighting on the side of good. Instead, Advanced Idea Magician has been brainwashed by A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) and thus became an agent of A.I.M. His primary directive was to enforce A.I.M.’s rule over Manhattan, or as they liked to call it, Advanced Idea Manhattan. They really love driving home the point, don’t they?
2) Hammer Supreme (Warp World)
Just looking at him, it’s pretty obvious that a lot is going on with Hammer Supreme. This hero stems from Marvel’s 2018 Infinity Warps series. The series introduces more and more Doctor Strange variants, each combining different heroes until eventually we reach Hammer Supreme. In other words, he is a combination of heroes.
Hammer Supreme is a combination of Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Ghost Rider, Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Thor. Naturally, all of their knowledge and abilities are also along for the ride, creating a cosmic-level hero with spider-sense and a vast wealth of technology knowledge. This assortment of characters was eventually split into its original parts (heroes) once they fixed the imbalance within the Soul Gem.
1) Scarlet Strange (Earth-616)
Believe it or not, Scarlet Strange is a combination that happened right in Earth-616. The whole story takes place in Tarot #3, bringing three unlikely characters together to create a new Marvel mash-up. Yes, we said three! While the hero’s name may imply there are only two characters, Scarlet Witch and Doctor Strange, involved, there’s a third one hidden. Namor the Sub-Mariner also got fused into this creation.
Scarlet Strange brings Wanda’s cosmic and reality-warping powers, Doctor Strange’s magical prowess, and mostly Namor’s strength. The latter didn’t get that much of a showcase for this adventure, but the overall combination was terrifyingly powerful, and there’s no denying the storytelling potential here. It’s almost too bad it resolved so quickly.
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