Doctor Strange has one of the least straightforward names in the Marvel Universe. Yes, even though his movie is called Doctor Strange. Captain America, for example, was, well, Captain of American army forces. Iron Man is a man in an iron suit. But Doctor Strange is not a doctor for the strange, nor is he a strange doctor (although that last point is debatable). The superhero Doctor Strange uses magical powers to manipulate energy and cross into other dimensions — he's not operating on weird creatures. So, Doctor Strange's name doesn't really have all that much to do with his superhero alter-ego, but what about his secret identity? What is Doctor Strange's real name, actually?
Before Doctor Strange became the mystical superhero known as Doctor Strange, he was...Doctor Strange. That's right: Doctor Strange's real name is Doctor Strange. More precisely, it's Stephen Vincent Strange. As Stephen Strange, Doctor Strange actually became a real Doctor, so, technically, his real name is the same as his superhero name. Now, you might be asking yourself, doesn't Doctor Strange need a secret identity to protect his human loved ones and cause all sorts of romantic will-they-won't-they problems? It turns out, things are a bit different in the world of the mystical. In the comics, Doctor Strange becomes the Sorcerer Supreme, destined to protect Earth from magical threats. In other words, he's not fighting criminals on the streets of New York and putting bad guys behind bars to hold a grudge.
Doctor Strange doesn't traditionally have a secret identity, but throughout the character's history, he has had some aliases. On the more human side of things, he's been known as Stephen Sanders and Vincent Stevens. On the rare occasions that Doctor Strange has the freedom and the ability to lead a private, non-superhero life, he takes on one of those aliases. (Obviously, keeping his "Strange" name is out of the question.)
OK, so Doctor Strange's real name is pretty predictable, but it's also the most fun real name since The Winter Soldier. Would I say that the name Stephen Strange is better than Bucky Barnes? Probably not, but, hey, I'll give Doctor Strange a chance.
Images: Walt Disney Studios; wonderlandinmymind/tumblr
