Doctor Strange Is More Powerful Than Odin

Warning! Spoilers for Thor #14 ahead!

Doctor Strange is officially more powerful than Odin. In the comics, the line of Sorcerers Supreme began 1,000,000 years ago with a mystical being named Agamotto. He served alongside a group of proto-Avengers, driving back demonic threats and helping ensure the human race had a future. Since those distant days, Earth has always been protected by a Sorcerer Supreme, who wields extradimensional power in order to defend this plane of reality.

Stephen Strange is Earth’s current Sorcerer Supreme, and he principally draws power from the Vishanti. But in addition to these cosmic beings, Strange has also mastered a number of spells that allow him to use the power of other entities such as Valtorr, Watomb, and even Cyttorak, the being who also empowers Juggernaut. The Crimson Bands of Cyttorak are one of Strange’s favorite tools in his mystic arsenal, capable of restraining all but the most powerful threats. In Thor #14, by Donny Cates and Nic Klein, Strange reveals just how strong the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak really are.

Thor’s traditional host Donald Blake has returned to Earth, and he has gone renegade, his mind broken as a result of the existence he was forced to endure by Odin. He has claimed the might of the Odin-Force, and added the power of several versions of Thor to himself as well. And then, to his surprise, he finds himself restrained by the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak—and they hold against him easily. This is the ultimate demonstration of Doctor Strange’s power, for it reveals the spells he weaves have the potential to hold Odin himself.

Odin is generally considered one of the most powerful beings in the universe, yet here is the remarkable thing: Doctor Strange was called in precisely because the Asgardians were confident he could restrain one who possessed the power of the Odin-Force. Thor #14 turns everything we thought we know about the hierarchy of power in the Marvel Universe on its head, for suddenly the Sorcerer Supreme stands head-and-shoulders above even Odin the All-Father and the Odin-Force. This further suggests other forces that have matched Odin—say, the God-Tempest that dwells within enchanted Mjolnir, or even the Phoenix Force—may well be less significant than the Sorcerer Supreme.

Interestingly, though, when the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak have been broken it has frequently been by entities from other dimensions (including an alternate reality version of the Hulk). It is possible, therefore, that Doctor Strange‘s powers are at their greatest when dealing with threats from Earth; and Donald Blake may have wielded the Odin-Force, but he came from Earth all the same.

About The Author

Thomas Bacon
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Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers, as well as a Peer Mentor for new writers and a member of the Care Team, offering support and a listening ear to members of the Comics group. A lifelong fan of major franchises including Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Marvel, Tom is delighted his childhood is back – and this time it’s cool. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon.

A graduate of Edge Hill University, Tom remains strongly connected with his alma mater as a volunteer chaplain. He’s heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he’s into British politics too.

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