Doctor Stephen Strange is one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) most iconic superheroes, but he also has a tragic backstory. A renowned neurosurgeon, Strange had everything, but a car crash rendered his hands useless.
To heal his hands, he sought mastery of the Mystic Arts, and he accomplished his goal quickly. However, since Strange learned there was more to the Mystic Arts than fixing his damaged hands, you may wonder whether he healed them in the MCU or in the comics.
In the MCU, Doctor Strange never healed his hands. Since it would require using magic for his hands to work properly, it would have limited his power in the Mystic Arts. Doctor Strange’s hands are healed, however, in the comic Doctor Strange #19 by Mark Plaid and Jesus Saiz.
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Did Doctor Strange Heal His Hands in the MCU?
While he was an accomplished neurosurgeon, Doctor Strange was also arrogant when we first met him in the movie of the same name.
While driving to a speaking conference in Upstate New York, he crashed, which resulted in serious hand injuries.
Unable to operate thanks to the extent of those injuries, Strange underwent several experimental surgeries to fix his hands.
Left with little hope, Strange encountered Jonathan Pangborn, who regained the ability to walk despite being paraplegic. When Pangborn pointed Strange toward Kamar-Taj, the latter believed he finally had the answer to heal his destroyed hands.
However, he instead met the Ancient One and went on a journey to learn the Mystic Arts. During his studies, Strange learned that enemies from the Multiverse routinely threatened Earth.
While Pangborn only wanted to use magic so he could walk again, Strange instead opted to take his studies further. He learned to use the Eye of Agamotto to manipulate time, levitate via the Cloak of Levitation, and even teleport in and out of other dimensions.
Despite becoming an enlightened master of the Mystic Arts, Strange never got around to healing his hands.
Why Didn’t Doctor Strange Heal His Hands in the MCU?
There are a few reasons why he never healed his hands. One reason that a fan outlined stated he could use magic regardless of the state of his hands.
Since Strange was becoming a master in the Mystic Arts, he could have theoretically used magic to use his hands again in the same way Pangborn was able to walk again. However, this would also limit what he could have done in the Mystic Arts.
The Ancient One warned Strange that while he could heal his hands and return to his old life, “the world would be lesser for it.”
It’s also important to remember that Pangborn never actually healed himself. Instead, he consistently used magic so he could walk.
Did Doctor Strange Heal His Hands in the Comics?
The MCU and the comics have a lot in common, but there are many times when the storylines deviate from one another.
Introduced in the July 1963 comic Strange Tales #110, Doctor Strange’s hands had always been damaged to the point he could not pick up a scalpel to perform surgery.
However, Doctor Strange’s hands are healed in the 2019 comic series entitled Doctor Strange: Surgeon Supreme.
Since Strange’s hands have been healed, he once again makes use of his surgical skills along with his duties as a master in the Mystic Arts.
The reason for this? Demons had been infecting the human population, and it was up to Stephen Strange to remedy the issue with his skills as a surgeon.
So how did Strange heal his hands?
We need to flash back to Doctor Strange #19 by Mark Waid and Jesus Saiz. In the plot, he requested a spell from the demon Lord Channok to help save the life of a boy who sustained serious head injuries in a car accident.
The spell destroyed, then regrew Strange’s hands, and he managed to perform the necessary operation to save the boy. However, this was one of those “deal with the devil” moments, given the events that came later on in Surgeon Supreme.
What If…? #52
We also see Strange’s hands healed in an alternate timeline entitled What If…? #52. In this timeline, Stephen Strange never becomes Sorcerer Supreme; instead, Victor Von Doom becomes the Ancient One’s student.
Much like Strange, Von Doom is arrogant, yet he also displays dignified traits. Also like Strange, Von Doom is a fast learner in the Mystic Arts.
As in the MCU and the comics, Strange approaches the Ancient One for help in healing his hands. The Ancient One annoys Von Doom when he tasks him with healing Strange’s hands.
He “heals” Strange by cutting off the surgeon’s hands and replacing them with Doombot hands. This allows Strange to return to his profession.
This occurs to the Ancient One’s dismay, as he realizes Strange had mystic potential and was in need of more emotional balance instead of a physical remedy.
The Ancient One still helps free Von Doom’s mother from Mephisto’s netherworld, but dies in the attempt. This causes Von Doom to become Sorcerer Supreme, but Dormammu invades the Earth shortly thereafter.
Von Doom is injured during his fight with Dormammu, and Strange is chosen to operate on him. However, Von Doom senses Strange’s mystic potential, and he orders his Doombots to kidnap the surgeon.
This allows Von Doom to transfer his consciousness into Strange and continue as Sorcerer Supreme.
Conclusion
Although he sought to heal his hands in the MCU, Doctor Strange never got around to doing this. He learned that, while he could get his hands to work properly again, it would limit his abilities in the Mystic Arts.
Doctor Strange’s damaged hands remained an ongoing theme in the comics. As in the MCU, he became a master in the Mystic Arts without healing his hands until Doctor Strange #19 and Surgeon Supreme. Strange’s hands are also healed in an alternate timeline What If…? #52.
Sion Fawkes has been covering Star Wars since January 2022, expanding his expertise in Star Wars Canon, Legends, and MCU. When not writing, you can find Sion in the gym or running trails. He also likes watching sports and listening to audiobooks.