‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Directors Explain How Doctor Strange Was Used to Show Thanos’ Power

The latest Marvel Studios crossover epic was packed with superhero action, as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes attempted to thwart Thanos from wiping out all life in Avengers: Infinity War. But one of the most impressive fight scenes took place between the Mad Titan and the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange.

Infinity War directors Joe and Anthony Russo spoke about that particular fight with Wired and how they used it to showcase Thanos as an unstoppable foe.

“Doctor Strange is a prescient character and the fact that he was able to view the events unfolding 14 million times and watching them lose 14 million times is weighing heavy on his heart and doesn’t save him at the end of the movie,” said Joe Russo. “So again we wanted to show that no matter what level of power you had Thanos is an unstoppable force and ultimately the victory was going to be his.”

Doctor Strange proved formidable on his own at one point in the fight, taking on Thanos when all of his allies were dispatched. He was able to withstand Thanos’ abilities with multiple Stones using every trick at his disposal.

The film showed Strange utilizing the mirror dimension, which was first shown in the Doctor Strange movie. He also used the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak and the Images of Ikkon. And while he was able to go toe to toe with Thanos for a few moments, he ultimately falls along with everyone else.

The directors previously addressed Strange’s power levels on the commentary track for Avengers: Infinity War, revealing why they advanced his power levels from his first solo film.

“Doctor Strange’s power level, we could talk about,” Russo explained. “And from the books, as a kid, what I loved about Doctor Strange is that he always had a mystical spiritual side to him that seemed to know more than all the other characters. And I found that very entertaining, and we wanted to advance his power levels since the end of Doctor Strange because it has been a few years. And that he’s been doing his work and he’s a diligent study and he is now one of the more powerful characters in the Marvel Universe.”

Avengers: Infinity War is now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital HD.