Doctor Strange’s Magic Is Way Harder To Pull Off Than Fans Realize

Warning: Spoilers for Strange Academy #14!

When it comes to the many heroes of the Marvel Universe, Doctor Strange is the go-to guy for all things magic, and now it’s been revealed just how perfect Stephen Strange has to be when he casts a spell! Conjuring up things that would metaphorically make a normal person’s head spin only to accidentally mess up a spell resulting in said person’s head literally spinning may sound odd, but the fine line between successful and inaccurate magic is all a matter of attention to detail.

As seen in the pages of Strange Academy #14, by Skottie Young and Humberto Ramos, the idea of Strange needing to be exact in his magical form isn’t new to fans but is an idea that’s embellished on in this issue nonetheless. Following the exploits of a handful of magic-users attending Strange Academy — the Hogwarts of Marvel Comics — one student, in particular, Calvin, has recently lost his magical abilities and is looking for a way to still feel relevant and useful in a school full of mystical beings.

Called into a sort of Guidance Office by one of the people running the school, Calvin is told that his productivity in class has taken a nosedive as of late — a fact that he attributes to the loss of his magical jacket — leading him to believe that he isn’t good enough now that he has no magical abilities. Given a book to read in an attempt to learn everything he can about magic since, “…you don’t have to be born with magic to become magical,” Calvin flips to a page that shows fans just how hard it is for Doctor Strange to pull off spells on the regular.

Acting as a sort of guidebook for how Strange uses his hands and fingers to conjure a spell, the page Calvin reads depicts the image of a hand with an eye at the center of it, and a handful of meticulous notes surrounding the drawing undoubtedly written to ensure that this particular spell is cast correctly. Reading, “Hands are both shield and weapon. Mastering the gestures is imperative,” this note hones in on how perfect Strange must be while casting his magic, with the second note going on to say, “Be careful with the pinky finger on this one. If bent too far, will open a portal to the Dark Dimension instead of back to the Sanctum!” succinctly telling fans that if there’s even one tiny change to the way Strange holds his finger, it could spell doom for him and the people he’s trying to protect.

Often seen using his hands, words, and any number of special magical objects to pull off unimaginable feats, finding out that Doctor Strange not only needs to use a specific gesture for each of his different spells but that the right angles and spacing between his fingers are imperative as well, is something that fans might have initially taken for granted. Coupling that with the fact that this is only one spell on one page in one book in the vast collection of magical knowledge Doctor Strange has accumulated over the years, and one can assume that other, more stringent finger configurations are needed for spells that are far more powerful and dangerous, with the act of mucking it up resulting in even more catastrophic consequences. Talk about attention to detail!

So while Strange fans have always known being the Sorcerer Supreme is a tough gig, exactly how tough ends up coming down to the little things more than anything else. Doctor Strange is far more careful when he uses his magic-based powers than originally expected, and for that, the dedication to his magical craft is well noted.

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