As Phase 3 looked to further expand the MCU, the mystic side of the universe was opened up with Doctor Strange. Benedict Cumberbatch took on the titular role of Stephen Strange, a brilliant surgeon whose career ends after a debilitating injury. As he seeks out a way to cure himself, he is introduced to powers beyond what he could imagine.
The film was a visually stunning epic that also did a great job of establishing this new and intriguing character. With a fascinating origin story and a satisfying arc, the movie delivered laughs and mind-blowing concepts. Here are the most memorable quotes from Doctor Strange.
Updated on February 19th, 2022 by Colin McCormick: The latest trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hinted at a massive and ambitious story and quickly made it perhaps the MCU's most anticipated upcoming movie. Before the sequel drops, fans will likely be revisiting Doctor Strange's first solo adventure. From some of the most memorable lines, there could be foreshadowing to Strange's journey going forward and clues that lay the path he will follow in the upcoming movie.
Strange's New Life
Christine: "So You Joined A Cult."
Like many of the MCU heroes, Stephen Strange's journey begins as he is taken out of his element and becomes part of something unexpected for him. In his case, he travels to distant lands and learns about the mystic arts.
Given the person Strange was before all this, it is quite a change when he shows up to see Christine Everhart after so long. As Strange explains his incredible journey, Christine just assumes he joined some weird cult, and it's hard to blame her.
Stephen Gets Reckless
Stephen Strange: "They Really Should Put The Warnings Before This Spell."
Strange proves to be quite a talented sorcerer once he puts his mind and focuses on learning the art. However, similar to his career as a surgeon, his talent comes with a reckless tendency as well.
When Mordo and Wong catch Strange toying around with the Time Stone, they warn him of the risks and Strange wryly comments that the books should make that more explicit. This seems to set up Strange's penchant for going too far with his spells as seen in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Dark Pasts
Ancient One: "We Never Lose Our Demons, Mordo. We Only Learn To Live Above Them."
Much like how Strange was a man who was self-centered and arrogant, the other heroes in the movie are far more flawed than fans might have expected. This is something Ancient One fully acknowledges when speaking with Mordo.
Though he has seemingly gone through his own redeeming path, she reminds Mordo that those flaws still exist and a person can rise above them or be consumed by them. This seems to foreshadow Mordo's turn by the end of the movie.
Mordo's Mission
Mordo: "Because I See, At Long Last, What's Wrong With The World. Too Many Sorcerers."
Mordo is one of the most interesting characters in Doctor Strange given his arc and it will be great to see how that is continued in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. While Mordo was a loyal student of the mystic arts, he eventually realizes they are part of the threat to the universe.
The post-credit scene finds Mordo confronting another former student and ridding him of his magic abilities. He then explains to the man that he is on a mission to rid the world of all sorcerers.
Ancient One Meets Her End
Ancient One: "But Look At Me. Stretching One Moment Out Into A Thousand. Just So That I Can Watch The Snow."
Time is used as a very complex theme in this movie and it is seen most movingly in the death scene of the Ancient One. As her body dies on the operating table, Ancient One's astral projection joins Strange outside and it begins to snow.
She slows down time, savoring the final moments she will be alive. These are some of the most moving dying words in the MCU and it is heartbreaking seeing this powerful figure still wanting to hold on a little longer.
Meeting Kaecilius
Kaecilius: "Mister Doctor?"
The great actor Mads Mikkelsen appears in the film as the villain Kaecilius, a former student of the Ancient One who has defected. Though the character isn't as memorable as some of the MCU's better villains, Mikkelsen brings a certain depth to the role.
When Strange and Kaecilius come face to face, Kaecilius mistakes Strange's name for Doctor. Strange tries to correct him by saying "It's Strange." Kaecilius just shrugs and says, "Maybe. Who am I to judge?"
Introducing Strange To A New Reality
Ancient One: "Have You Ever Seen *That* Before In A Gift Shop?"
After traveling the world in search of a way to heal his hands, Strange finally comes to the Ancient One, a mysterious figure who is said to possess the kind of knowledge he needs. But when the Ancient One begins talking of spirits and energy, Strange dismisses her.
He says this kind of teaching is sold to tourists in gift shops. Ready to prove him wrong, the Ancient One transports Strange's mind through dimensions in a wild, visually insane sequence. As he tries to recover from what he just experienced, she asks Strange "Have you seen *that* before in a gift shop?"
Stephen Loses His Hands
Stephen Strange: "I Could Have Done Better."
Before becoming a superhero, Strange was one of the most talented surgeons in the world. This was enough to give him a giant ego, which also made him pretty hard to get along with. Things only got worse after the accident.
When Strange wakes up from a horrific car accident, he sees that his hands are mangled. His colleagues tell him they did the best they could given the severity of the damage, but in Strange's arrogance, he believes that he would have been able to fix himself.
Part Of A Bigger Picture
Ancient One: "Who Are You In This Vast Multiverse, Mr. Strange?"
This quote comes during Stephen Strange's first meeting with The Ancient One when she opens his eye and sends him hurtling into a mind-bending journey throughout the Multiverse. It's the first time that the MCU featured the idea so prominently in one of its stories, even if it was really only for a moment, and it stood out as a tantalizing tease of the character's future.
With the multiverse now playing a big role in the MCU that tease has been fulfilled. And surely the sequel Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has fans raising even more burning questions about where it will go.
Ready To Learn
Stephen Strange: "Teach Me."
After having his mind quite literally blown, Strange has an immediate change of heart. He now sees that this is the secret he had been searching for all this time and it could be the thing that allows him to heal his hands.
As he is on his knees in front of the Ancient One, he pleads with her to teach him the Mystic Arts. It is the first time Strange is seen as a truly humble person and hints that he may be able to turn himself around after all.
Meeting Wong
Stephen Strange: "Just Wong? Like Adele?"
One of the most memorable characters introduced in this film is Wong, Strange's fellow student of the Mystic Arts and someone who becomes his close companion in the MCU. But even though they will eventually become friends, their friendship starts a bit rocky.
As Strange introduces himself to Wong, he inquires if Wong is his whole name. He begins rattling off celebrities with one name like Eminem and Bono. The very serious Wong just stares back without a hint of a smile on his face.
Managing His Ego
Ancient One: "You Cannot Beat A River Into Submission. You Have To Surrender To Its Current And Use Its Power As Your Own."
During his training with The Ancient One, Stephen Strange finds that he's having trouble with getting spells to form in physical reality. After barely getting some sparks when attempting to form a portal with a Sling Ring, Strange gets some one on one tutelage from The Sorcerer Supreme.
The Ancient One tells Strange that he needs to surrender to the magic in order to become more powerful, which he sees as nothing but a paradox. The Ancient One's analogy here perfectly sums up their Dumbledore-like wisdom, even if her student requires some more drastic measures to get the point across.
Kaecilius Makes His Case
Kaecilius: "People Think In Terms Of Good And Evil When Really Time Is The True Enemy Of Us All."
After just managing to restrain Kaecilius during his fight with the Zealots, Stephen Strange has a chance to really talk to the villain and get to know what they want and why. Naturally, the evil sorcerer twists facts to suit their own agenda and they make quite a compelling argument for why they want to contact the Dark Dimension.
Explaining that joining with Dormammu would remove the world from the ravages of time, Kaecilius drops this thought-provoking into their argument, even if it's mostly being used as a way to stall for time.
Doctor Strange At His Lowest
Stephen Strange: "You're Just Another Tiny, Momentary Speck Within An Indifferent Universe."
This is a line that would be perfect for the supervillain Kaecilius, and he does in fact echo near-identical words later in the movie when he confronts the hero, but this cutting remark comes from Stephen Strange.
He says this to The Ancient One, of all people, when they first meet and refuses to believe that she has any answers. Raging at her, clearly consumed by his pain and desperation, the good doctor is then shown just how small-minded he's being.
Welcome To The Kamar Taj
Mordo: "The Wi-Fi Password."
Though it deals with huge concepts, Doctor Strange also manages to utilize the same great sense of humor that has been a part of all of the MCU films. Even the more serious characters get to make the occasional joke, like Mordo.
When Strange is finally accepted as a student of the Mystic Arts, Mordo shows him to his room and gives him a slip of paper with the word "Shambala" written on it. Strange asks if it is meant to be his mantra. Mordo looks at him like he's an idiot and tells him it's the Wi-Fi password.
Inescapability Of Time
Ancient One: "We Don't Get To Choose Our Time."
Time is an important concept in this film, with the Time Stone prominently featured as part of the plot. One of the most beautiful and compelling scenes comes as the Ancient One is dying and slows down time to make her final moments last a little longer.
As she tells Strange what he needs to hear about the responsibility he now has, he tells her that he is not ready to take it on. Speaking to him and thinking of her own death, she assures him that no one is ever ready but that we cannot choose our time.
Facing The Consequences
Mordo: "The Bill Comes Due. Always."
Fans of the comics will know that Mordo is one of Doctor Strange's oldest foes but in this movie, he is his ally. Though they fight together, this film plants the seeds that seem to suggest Mordo going down a darker path in the films to come.
After learning that the Ancient One was using energy from the Dark Dimension, Mordo breaks faith with their order and parts ways with Strange. His promise that "the bill comes due" suggests he sees Strange as a threat to the universe for his reckless ways, which sets up an interesting showdown for them.
Letting Go
Ancient One: "Forget Everything You Think You Know."
Strange is a man who thinks he knows more than everyone else around him. Though he certainly is brilliant, his journey in this film is all about opening up a new world to him and showing him that he is not the center of everything like he thinks.
When he arrives at the Ancient One's temple, Mordo warns him to forget everything he thinks he knows. This sets up Strange's arc as he needs to look at the universe in a new way rather than his old selfish ways.
Accepting His Place
Ancient One: "It's Not About You."
During his final talk with The Ancient One, Stephen Strange finds the epiphany that he so desperately needs throughout the movie. She makes it plain that the source of Strange's unhappiness is his ego.
It may seem like an obvious thing to say but, for a character who starts out as perhaps even more arrogant than Tony Stark, it's a significant revelation that helps them become the hero the MCU needs.
Making A Deal
Stephen Strange: "Dormammu, I've Come To Bargain."
Some MCU films have been criticized for their lackluster climaxes, but Doctor Strange delivers a truly thrilling sequence in the third act. Along with the very entertaining backward fight sequence, the movie finds a clever way for Strange to battle the final enemy.
Strange goes face to face with the demon Dormammu. Knowing he cannot beat him in a fight, Strange traps them both in a time loop. As Strange is killed, again and again, he keeps coming back until Dormammu finally relents and bargains with him to be released.