With the rousing success of MCU fans' minds.
2016's Sinister and Deliver Us From Evil), the first Doctor Strange standalone uses its screen time to place its characters in the trippiest and most imaginative MCU scenes to date.
Jonathan Pangborn (~2:09)
The streetball legend himself, Jonathan Pangborn is a miracle worker both on and off the court. Once confined to a wheelchair, desperately seeking a cure for his paralyzed limbs (even reaching out to Strange at one point), Stephen stumbles upon him on the basketball court, seemingly without any pain and driving to the hoop like a pro.
After hearing Strange's plea, Pangborn reveals his harrowing journey for answers, being carried all over the world before stumbling onto Kamar-Taj and gaining the power to move his limbs once again. However, his post-credits encounter with Mordo would result in the loss of that very power.
Dr. Nicodemus West (~3:38)
Dr. Nicodemus West has a tough go of it in Doctor Strange. Most of his very short screen time is spent being completely emasculated by the titular doctor, beginning with his misdiagnosis of a patient, before subsequently having to look on as Strange completes a flawless operation to save that same patient's life.
When a post-Kamar-Taj Strange returns to the hospital with a dying Ancient One, Strange entrusts West to lead the operation, his once gifted hands still not fully healed. Unfortunately for West, the Ancient One had already decided that her time had come, leaving him with yet another blemish on his record.
Dormammu (~3:51)
Despite his small amount of screen time, the master of the Dark Dimension ominously looms over the entire movie, his threat to the world ever-present. Voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch himself in an uncredited performance, Dormammu comes face to face with Cumberbatch's Strange at the climax of the film.
Ignoring Strange's offer to bargain, Dormammu quickly obliterates him without a second thought. But to his surprise, Strange reappears, making the same offer to bargain again and again. To rid himself of Strange's infinite time loop, he agrees to leave Earth alone and take his zealots with him, including Kaecilius.
Lucian (~11:06)
The only featured zealot among Kaecilius's followers (and the only one credited with an actual name) Lucian (AKA Strong Zealot) gives Stephen Strange a real run for his money. Appearing at Kaecilius's side throughout the film, Lucian takes center stage in the battle in the New York Sanctum.
After being thrown into a tropical part of the world (thanks to an aesthetically pleasing, magical teleporting door), Lucian returns to the Sanctum, mortally wounding Strange and chasing him to the hospital. Their astral bodies duke it out in the operating room before Strange emerges victorious (with a little help from Dr. Palmer).
Wong (~13:02)
The ever stoic librarian, Strange's eventual right-hand man didn't get off to the smoothest of starts with the doctor. First meeting him in the Kamar-Taj's library, Wong doesn't bat an eye as Strange's jokes fall flat nor hesitates to threaten Strange's life when his wandering eyes land on the book of Cagliostro.
When Kaecilius sets his sights on the Hong Kong Sanctum, Wong springs into action, organizing the sorcerers and leading the defense, ultimately sacrificing his life. But when Strange uses the time stone to wind back the clock, he undoes Wong's death in the process. In the end, Wong is the only ally left at Strange's side.
Dr. Christine Palmer (~16:49)
If how she is viewed by Strange is any indication (especially in comparison to poor Dr. West), Christine Palmer is one of the most brilliant doctors in the world. She is in the operating room for the procedure that saves Strange's life and continues to him until she can no longer stand his abusive behavior.
Despite all the pain he's caused her, Palmer doesn't hesitate when a mortally wounded Strange mysteriously reappears in the hospital. She not only aids in his battle against the astral body of Lucian the zealot but mourns with him over the death of the Ancient One, easily using her screen time to cement Palmer as the most reliable character in the film.
The Ancient One (~23:45)
An ageless, omnipotent, character doesn't need a lot of screen time to leave an impression. The Ancient One first appears in opposition to Kaecilius, pulling him and his zealots into the mirror dimension, warping gravity, and flexing her immense power right off the bat.
She reenters the film to introduce Strange to the reality of magic, sending him through the multiverse and almost literally blowing his mind. When her dark secret is exposed, she owns up to the consequences, a decision that ultimately costs her her life at the hands of Kaecilius. However, this wouldn't be the last MCU fans saw of the Ancient One.
Kaecilius (~24:09)
The dark sorcerer and big bad of the first Doctor Strange standalone, Kaecilius is a prime example of the timeless lesson "be careful what you wish for". Opening the film, Kaecilius introduces himself to MCU audiences by decapitating the guardian of the Kamar-Taj library (Wong's predecessor) and stealing key pages from the book of Cagliostro.
Kaecilius spends the rest of his screen time accessing the power of the dark dimension and crippling the three Sanctums positioned in Hong Kong, London, and New York. In the end, he gets the eternal (yet agonizing) existence that he asked for.
Mordo (~32:27)
There are few bigger sticklers for following the rules than the devout sorcerer Mordo. Overhearing Stephen Strange's mention of Kamar-Taj to anyone who will listen, he eventually helps Strange find what he's looking for. Mordo advocates for the former doctor and convinces the Ancient One to accept him as a student.
But after watching both Strange and the Ancient One break the laws he learned to abide by, Mordo becomes disillusioned with sorcery altogether and leaves to find his own way. Mordo's blind worship of his master is definitely why the revelation of her hypocrisy hit him the hardest, and why he will certainly make a formidable foe to Strange in the future.
Dr. Stephen Strange (~1:36:36)
There isn't much praise due to Dr. Stephen Strange that he hasn't already heaped upon himself. Starting off as a brilliant but arrogant surgeon (who could name any song, along with the year it was released), his hubris wastes little time coming into play, taking away the use of his prized hands and his only purpose in life.
On his desperate journey to restore what he lost, he finds himself in Kamar-Taj under the guidance of the Ancient One, and on a path to his true destiny as Master of the Mystic Arts. In the end, he has a newfound purpose and mentality prioritizing the world before himself, a philosophy that could place him in the driver's seat for the Phase 4.
