Every Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero, ranked

12. Doctor Strange

For a while, their Stephen Strange, M.D., Ph.D., was the most arrogant sleazeball in the entire MCU, and in a franchise with both Star-Lord and Tony Stark, that’s really saying something. His pompous attitude may have been why HYDRA deemed him a threat years before the good doctor went full wizard.

Either way, the nefarious organization was right about Doctor Strange becoming a worthy adversary for villains. The Sorcerer Supreme went from groundbreaking neurosurgeon too dimension-hopping master of the mystic arts in the time it usually takes a regular human being to recover from a career-ending car crash caused by not keeping one’s eyes on the road.

Strange is one of the more powerful entities in this shared universe, and maybe a handful of individuals, good or bad in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, could probably take him. He quickly mastered time travel and the Eye of Agamotto, which holds The Time Stone. Besides spells and Sling Rings, the guy has a sentient flying cape that is well-versed in the art of subduing opponents. His Groundhog Day approach to defeating Dormammu was Hall of Fame caliber. The way he set up Thano’s defeat indicates that the protector of the New York Santorum is going to be rising up the ranks as the MCU moves into its later phases.