New MCU Theory Says Doctor Strange May Become The Most Powerful Hero

The argument over which superhero is the most powerful is one you’re just as likely to find on internet forums as you are on playgrounds, and even the brains behind the blockbuster movies can’t seem to make their minds up.

Kevin Feige once touted Captain Marvel as the most powerful member of his cinematic universe, but he’s recently changed his tune and now claims that Scarlet Witch might hold the honor, and the signs are certainly pointing in that direction given her increased involvement in Phase Four.

However, a new theory claims that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness could establish the title character himself as the MCU’s most capable hero, even if the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame robbed him of his Infinity Stone, along with Stephen Strange still being a relative rookie in the grand scheme of things when it comes to the mystical arts.

As per the theory, despite his inexperience compared to his mentor the Ancient One, who clearly had plenty of time to hone her abilities based on the name alone, the upcoming sequel could open the door to Doctor Strange wielding his powers to a previously unseen degree. After all, there are Sanctums around the world, but nobody else fought so closely beside Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in the battle against Thanos.

Even then, it was revealed in the first movie that the Ancient One had been drawing power from the Dark Dimension, and Doctor Strange is hardly likely to make the same mistake. That being said, with Multiverse of Madness set to feature numerous branching timelines and alternate realities, Sam Raimi’s follow-up has almost limitless scope to show the development of his powers, and we could even see him trapped in another infinite loop, which would certainly give him plenty of time to iron out the kinks.

As ScreenRant explains:

While the Ancient One didn’t wield the Time Stone as heavily, she was drawing power from the Dark Dimension – something she acknowledged was misguided. This sets up a unique problem for Strange in Multiverse of Madness: how can he overtake his teacher without using an Infinity Stone or drawing sketchy power from the Dark Dimension?

The obvious solution is to have Doctor Strange master the mystic arts so completely he transcends the need to power himself up artificially. By delving deep into his own abilities and only relying on innate strength, Strange can surpass the Ancient One and all previous generations of the Sorcerer Supreme by conjuring magic in previously unseen ways. This might include immortality, energy blasts, dimensional banishment and a wider array of spell-casting than the MCU character has demonstrated thus far. Strange might also use the Multiverse to summon the Vishanti, god-like beings from the comics.

In theory, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness could see the former surgeon spend millennia battling against inter-dimensional threats and becoming more powerful after each encounter, giving him thousands of years of experience without aging him at all in the main timeline. And he’ll certainly need all the training he can get with Nightmare, Baron Mordo and even Scarlet Witch poised to throw plenty of obstacles in his way.