Spoiler Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
With Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man gone, someone must take up the mantle as the MCU's star hero. There are several candidates but after Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, Doctor Strange definitely earns the right to be a top contender as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's biggest hero.
Since his debut in 2016, Doctor Strange has made several appearances from his own films to Avengers films to even What If...? in some of the best episodes. Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange also has many parallels to Iron Man when it comes to what made Tony Stark the face of this universe.
Similar Character Arc As Iron Man
Both heroes began as less than desirable individuals. Tony Stark was a genius but also a cocky playboy billionaire who only cared about his wealth and vices. That all changed when shrapnel entered his heart and he became the captive of terrorists, leading him on the path to becoming Iron Man.
Stephen Strange was an arrogant surgeon who viewed himself above everyone until he got into a car accident that left his hands permanently damaged, ending his medical career. From there, he found Kamar-Taj, became a sorcerer, and learned to put others before himself, evolving into a Master of the Mystic Arts worthy of an Avenger title.
Doctor Strange's Complicated Love Life
If there is one thing that Tony and Stephen have in common, it's their tendency to have a rocky relationship with their significant other. MCU and comic book fans know Tony and Pepper managed to blossom into a loving married couple with a kid but even then, his Iron Man duties made that complicated. Before that, they were constantly breaking up, fighting, and getting back together.
Stephen Strange's relationship with Christine Palmer crashed and burned because of his arrogance. They might have reconciled as friends but Stephen still has feelings for her. As shown in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, he loves Christine in every universe but fate always makes them drift apart.
Doctor Strange Has An Iconic Superhero Lair
Most of Marvel's superheroes don't have their own fancy lair to hang up their cape at the end of the day. Meanwhile, Doctor Strange has the Sanctum Sanctorum which is not only a powerful stronghold against mystical threats but also a luxurious mansion filled with magical items. From the windows adorned with the Sanctum symbol to the elegant architecture, the Sanctum is as iconic as his cloak of levitation.
Tony Stark had his own lair that lasted several movies until being destroyed in Iron Man 3. Tony built his suits and operated out of a private lab in his Malibu mansion. The Iron Man Lab which housed more suits over time was to Tony Stark what the Batcave is to DC's Batman.
Doctor Strange Is A Genius And A Superhero
Tony Stark was a technological prodigy from a young age. With each film, Tony's Iron Man suits got more and more advanced until he was not only able to make nanotech but perfect time travel. Doctor Strange, on the other hand, became a powerful sorcerer thanks to his photographic memory.
He was able to learn incantations, mystic arts, and the lore of this world faster than most. He is a master surgeon and knows how to perform under stress to save the day. It's because of his cunning mind that he was able to save the universe by essentially tricking it into following the right events that led to Thanos' defeat. He also used his mind (with some magic) to defeat both Dormammu and the Scarlet Witch.
Doctor Strange Made More MCU Appearances Than His Own Movies
From Phase 1 to Phase 3, Robert Downey Jr.'s iconic Tony Stark was the face of the MCU and provided connective tissue by cameoing or starring in other Marvel franchises. He was in the Avengers films, Captain America: Civil War, and even appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Stephen Strange is no different, considering he currently has had only two of his own movies. Outside of those, he has been a big part of the MCU with appearances in Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. He's brought just as, if not more, connective tissue to the MCU and even other universes than Iron Man.
Doctor Strange Befriended Spider-Man
Both Tony and Stephen have had the privilege to not only mentor but befriend Spider-Man in the MCU. Tony mentored him the most in Civil War, Homecoming, and Infinity War, but Strange was more of a friend and ally to Peter in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Despite the massive multiversal headache that Peter created, Strange still cared for the boy. Strange's friendship with Peter led to him being one of the best performances in Spider-Man: No Way Home. He did his best to clean up the mess and even mourned the fact that he would have to forget Peter Parker as a whole.
Doctor Strange Saved The Universe
Iron Man had been involved with multiple events that would have brought destruction to the universe. Loki's attack on New York turned out to be just the beginning that would have led to Thanos destroying the universe. The same can be said for Ultron and the Mind Stone, which he had been birthed from.
However, Stephen Strange has been saving the universe since his origin story; he stopped Dormammu from devouring the universe, manipulated the timeline to stop Thanos, and prevented an army of Spider-Man villains from entering their world. With Multiverse of Madness, he literally saved the multiverse from Scarlet Witch's twisted plot.
Doctor Strange Fought Another Avenger
These are completely different circumstances. In Captain America: Civil War, Tony's guilt drove him over the edge and made him into Captain America's villain. The two fought basically to the death but Captain America came out on top which slowly led to Iron Man redeeming himself.
Doctor Strange had the unfortunate task of fighting Wanda Maximoff, aka the Scarlet Witch, in Multiverse of Madness. Both are very powerful magic users but the fight to keep Wanda from destroying the multiverse put Stephen through an arduous journey of magic, horror, and madness.
Doctor Strange Is A Leader Figure For Avengers
Both Tony and Stephen are people who know how to form a plan and execute it with a group. This is why the two heroes did not get along; they are opposite sides of the same coin. Two wise-cracking leaders who are just slightly egotistical but manage to be effective, making for one of Strange's signature traits in the MCU.
Tony was a leader for the Avengers as much as Captain America was. Now with both of them gone, Doctor Strange has had enough experience after leading the Avengers in Infinity War and Endgame that he could be an official leader for the team in any future crossover events.
Benedict Cumberbatch Is Doctor Strange
There have been multiple actors to play Spider-Man, Hulk, War Machine, and now even Blade. However, there has only been one Iron Man so far and even if the MCU introduces some variant, Robert Downey Jr. will always be synonymous with Tony Stark, aka Iron Man.
Benedict Cumberbatch has received a similar love from fans from the moment he was cast as the good doctor. Since his debut in the Doctor Strange movie, most fans couldn't picture any other actor playing Stephen Strange, and view Cumberbatch like Robert to Iron Man or Hugh Jackman to Wolverine.