Power and strength are not universal traits among Marvel characters. It’s not always crystal clear who would come out on top in hypothetical combat in terms of strength. Both Doctor Strange and Thor wield tremendous power, but which one is more potent overall?
If Thor and Doctor Strange were to unexpectedly engage in hand-to-hand combat, Thor would easily defeat Doctor Strange. Even in his most powerful form, Thor has a hard time competing with Doctor Strange since Strange has so many magic tricks up his sleeve.
Without learning more about their backstories, abilities, and character arcs, it’s difficult to pick a side and predict who will prevail. Let’s dissect this question and arrive at a well-informed response.
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Doctor Strange and His Powers
Knowing Doctor Strange’s backstory and the origin story is essential to grasping the full extent of his abilities. Stephen Strange was a talented, world-class surgeon before he became known as the Sorcerer Supreme.
After suffering permanent damage to his hands in a vehicle crash, he turned to the mystical arts for answers. His mentor, the Ancient One, told him that he was destined to meet her and study the mystical arts because he would one day become the greatest Sorcerer Supreme and defender of reality.
So that he might defend Earth from the most dangerous extraterrestrial threats, he trained in dozens of different forms of martial arts and mastered the use of magic, mystic items, spells, and trickery. So, what are his abilities, and where does he get his strength?
Me vs. wondering is doctor strange saw every outcome then why didn’t he just reverse Time, go to wakanda and tell Thor to aim for the head pic.twitter.com/ZZNFDqEFCe
— chaelisa’s pr manager (@MARVELOLOGY) September 15, 2018
Magic, Spells & Tricks
Doctor Strange receives his abilities from the Vishanti gods so that he may defend Earth and all of reality. Except for the abilities granted to him by his magical artifacts—the Cloak of Levitation, the Sling Ring, and so on—all of his magical abilities originate there.
The scope of his magic is infinite. He can bind even the strongest adversaries in place, travel to other universes, and generate magical discs to use as weapons, shields, energy beams, etc.
Also, via meditation alone, he can pinpoint the exact location of any sentient being in the cosmos. Besides these abilities, Strange has the ability to teleport, use astral projection to dissociate his mind and consciousness from his body (which he can use against his opponents), and cast an almost infinite number of spells with infinite effects.
Physical & Mental Abilities
Strange is only human in terms of his physical talents, hence he does not have superhuman strength. He may be a master of the mystical arts, but he also has extensive training in more than a hundred forms of martial arts, making him more than proficient in hand-to-hand fighting even if he can’t cast spells.
His cerebral fortitude and brilliance, rather than his physical prowess, are what set him apart from other superheroes. Even before he began studying the occult, he was a prodigy. Training has no negative effect on his intelligence.
Strange is invincible because of his lightning-fast reflexes and ability to plan in advance. He defeated powerful extraterrestrial foes such as Dormammu, Galactus, and others.
Time Manipulation
I know this skill belongs in the “magic and spells” section, but I treated it as its own because of how much of a difference it could make in the game. The Eye of Agamotto, which protects the Time Stone, is in Doctor Strange’s possession.
By using it, Strange can perform time-related manipulations such as rewinding, resuming, stopping, etc. Because of this, defeating him is nearly impossible. Even against the strongest foes, his power to see into the future, freeze them in place, or turn back the hands of time makes him a formidable opponent.
Thor and His Powers
It’s well knowledge that Thor is the strongest of the Avengers. He can wield Mjolnir like a hammer, summon lightning bolts at will, and resist the effects of nearly every illness and weapon known to man, giving him godlike abilities. He braved the star’s full might when it was hovering over his head.
In 1962, Thor made his debut in Marvel Comics. Asgard’s prince and God of Thunder, Thor Odinson, was conceived of and brought to life by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Larry Lieber. What, then, is it about him that makes him such a formidable figure in the Marvel canon?
Wielding Mjolnir
Thor’s hammer has magical properties and goes by the moniker Mjolnir. In addition to being crafted by the dwarves of Nidavellir using Uru metal, Thor’s father Odin enchanted the hammer so that only the worthy wielder can access Thor’s might.
That’s why, after he’s earned it, Thor can do pretty much whatever he wants with his hammer Mjolnir: fly (by spinning it), throw it, call it back to him like a boomerang, control the weather, etc.
Because there were times when he was no longer fit to wield Mjolnir, his abilities were temporarily drained. After his sister Hela destroyed Mjolnir, Thor resorted to a new, even more, deadly weapon known as the Stormbreaker.
Thor’s combat axe, Stormbreaker, could open the Bifrost, a wormhole through spacetime that made interstellar travel a snap.
Brutal Strength & Resilience
Thor is an Asgardian rather than a human creature, which explains why he can wield Mjolnir and all of its associated powers. He is formidable not only because of his great physical strength (he has battled Hulk, Thanos, and other powerful entities) but also because of his resilience.
Even after being knocked down, Thor will jump back up and continue the fight. Most diseases that affect humans have no effect on them. By recharging his life power with Mjolnir, he is able to recover from wounds to some extent.
He has superhuman strength, speed, stamina, and combat skills. His low IQ is probably his only real flaw in terms of his physical attributes. Watch Thor: Ragnarok, where Thor battles the Hulk without Mjolnir and yet manages to hold his own and knock the Hulk unconscious.
Doctor Strange vs. Thor: Who Wins?
When Doctor Strange has ample time to prepare, he is nearly impossible to defeat. He has too many spells and tricks; for example, he can freeze Thor in time before harming him, and he can transport Thor to an entirely new dimension. His ability to do magic has no bounds.
But he is still merely human; a powerful sorcerer, indeed, but still merely human. The fact that he needs time to perform his spells makes him vulnerable, just as Ebony Maw’s exposure to Thanos’s weakness in Avengers: Infinity War showed.
It is not far-fetched to assume that Thor, taking advantage of this vulnerability, may defeat him with a single strike, as his speed and power would render him incapable of ever casting a spell.
It’s worth noting that Thor stood his ground against the mightiest entities in the universe, including the supposedly unstoppable Hulk and even Thanos, whom he would have slain if he hadn’t been out for Loki’s blood and aiming for his head (Avengers: Infinity War).
So, if Doctor Strange had time to prepare, I think he’d win, but he still wouldn’t be able to kill Thor. Instead, he’d probably just banish Thor to another dimension or cage him in the Mirror Universe (a Doctor Strange skill I believe is highly underrated).
With no time to plan, Thor might simply take advantage of Strange’s weaknesses and vanquish him, much as he did with Thanos and other extraterrestrials.
Can Doctor Strange Lift Thor’s Hammer?
A deserving person may raise Mjolnir, the hammer of Thor, and so gain access to his mighty abilities. A man unworthy of the hammer’s might would struggle to lift it, let alone use it. Certain heroes, like as Vision, Magneto, Captain America, and Storm, have proven capable of wielding the hammer.
A lot of people have tried to lift Thor’s hammer, but only the truly deserving have been able to tap into Thor’s mighty hammer-based abilities.
Even if Doctor Strange had the power of Thor, he still wouldn’t be able to physically raise Mjolnir. However, he could employ magic to achieve so, such as by creating a gateway under the hammer with his Sling Ring.
Magneto was able to hoist Mjolnir once thanks to his mutation and metal manipulation, but he was not fit to wield its power. If Strange used his magic to raise it, the same thing would occur.