Is Doctor Strange Gay, Bisexual, or Straight? What Is Marvel Canon?

The Silver Age of Comics brought us new characters; among them was Doctor Strange. The character was supposed to bring change to the Marvel comics, and Stephen Strange’s character truly did – mysticism was the new meta in the comics in the 1960s and 1970s. Doctor Strange always had a mystical aura around him, and his charm always attracted possible love interests. In this article, we will discuss if Doctor Strange is gay, bisexual, or straight and look into the Marvel canon.

Stephen Strange is straight, according to the Marvel canon. Marvel comics and Marvel Cinematic Universe suggest that Strange is a charmer of women, and since his first appearance, Dr. Strange has had more than a dozen relationships. His charm, doctor background, and the fact that he is a handsome magician made Strange a typical Marvel heartthrob. 

We will look into Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel Comics, look through the canon relationship of Stephen Strange and choose the ones that made their mark on Doctor’s character. If you are interested in this topic, stay with us until the end of the article.

Doctor Strange’s relationships in MCU and Marvel comics

Stephen Strange first appeared in 1963, and the comic book Strange Tales. The arrogant but genius neurosurgeon had everything he wanted – an expensive lifestyle, anyone he wanted, and great talent. However, the displayed behavior was not welcomed by the people around him, but that did not bother him. 

When he suffered a career-ending injury to his hands, Strange seemingly lost everything, and because of that, he decided to travel the world to find a cure in alternative medicine. Strange ended up in the Himalayas, and the hidden island of Kamar-Taj, where he learned about mystic and martial arts from The Ancient One. Stephen Strange is suddenly a magic practitioner who uses his skill to protect the world from dark forces. 

The new persona brought him new responsibility and aura, which made some women crazy about him. The feeling was mutual, and Stephen Strange went through many relationships since the 1960s – which is different from his Marvel colleagues in Falcon and Black Panther.

Christine Palmer was involved with Stephen Strange in the Doctor Strange movie

Let’s start this section with Doctor Christine Palmer, the main love interest in Marvel Cinematic Universe. Christine was Strange’s former girlfriend, who broke up with him after his arrogant and foul personality started being overbearing to her. Since the breakup, Christine stayed close to Strange, but only as someone who knows the difference between the man she was with in the past and who he is now. 

She eventually marries Charlie in Doctor Strange 2 movie, and during the wedding reception, Christine tells Strange that he needs to move on and that she is proud of his progress as a man. In the same movie, Rachel McAdams’s character does appear in the movie but from the other universe. Even though the movie teases their relationship and chemistry, Strange and Christine (thankfully) don’t kiss. 

Linda Carter, the Night Nurse was a medical aid for superheroes who wanted to conceal their identity

In the comics, Christine Palmer is not connected to Doctor Strange in any case, but the source material for her character in the MCU was Linda Carter, the Night Nurse. She was an acting medical aid for superheroes during the 2000s and went on a journey with Dr. Strange. After saving his loyal companion Wong, Strange offers his mansion to Linda for her to aid superheroes who want to conceal their identities. She agreed, and the duo started to date. 

Their relationship ended soon, but the character of Linda Carter served as a direct inspiration to Christine Palmer in the MCU.

The next woman Strange was with in the comics is Victoria Bentley, who definitely falls into the “desperately desperate” tier of women in Marvel comics. Victoria Bentley was a daughter of a wealthy professor and a sorcerer, Sir Clive Bentley, and had a great magical ability that Victoria herself could not imagine. 

She was constantly pinning over Strange during their early comic book runs, and she even “lent” him powers despite hurting her greatly. Strange did not love her; thankfully, Victoria distanced herself from Strange and moved on. Frankly, she managed to encounter another man who did not share her feelings, and in the end, she died at the hand of Bloodwraith and his Ebony Blade. Sad story for a potentially powerful character.

Marjorie Brink was a woman Strange helped to accept her immortal self

Marjorie Brink is another woman on this list, and she is one of Doctor Strange’s more interesting love interests. She first appeared in 1990, and her relationship with Strange was short but exciting. Brink was a librarian, which is strange (pun is absolutely intended) because the superheroes’ partners were much more interesting. However, Marjorie realized she was immortal because of her never changing appearance.

She and Dr. Strange dated while he was in medical school, and they met again many years later when Brink asked Strange to help her realize her immortality. The duo accidentally ended up 500 years in the future, where Marjorie met her future self and realized she was helping save people. 

Their relationship was brief but impactful on Marjorie’s life and the fact that she finally accepted herself.

Let’s move on to one of the oddest and borderline controversial women Doctor Strange was involved with – a graduate student named Molly. Yes, the woman was Doctor Strange’s student. Strange helped Molly with her thesis and seduced her. After the one-night stand, Strange dismissed Molly, regretting his actions, which reminded him of his past as an “unhinged bachelor.” 

However, after the chain of events that saw Earth being destroyed, Dr. Strange comes back in time, does not dismiss Molly, and after the one-night-stand, actually helps her with her thesis. A brief but good story of Strange, who showed once again his progression throughout the years.

Clea is Doctor Strange’s love of life

Even though Dr. Strange was involved with many more women, we will end this unusual list with Clea, Strange’s biggest love and partner in the Marvel comics. 

Dr. Strange met Clea on his first trip to Dark Dimension, and the two hit it off immediately. Clea was impressed by the strange (again, pun definitely intended) human, and Strange was charmed by the mysterious woman. Eventually, Clea came with him to learn about magic under his guidance. Of course, they were lovers, and their relationship was on and off over many years.

Their relationship reminds us of Daredevil and Elektra; however, the sorcerers are not together at this time, but they still share a lot of love for each other. Doctor Strange 2 introduced us to Clea, portrayed by Charlize Theron, and knowing that Christine Palmer moved on from Strange, we can definitely expect a new romance in the MCU.

Is Doctor Strange gay, bisexual or straight?

Doctor Strange is, without a doubt, straight. He was involved with many women in the Marvel comics, and the ones we mentioned are only a “portion” of partners Strange was with. He is a ladies’ man, and with his skill in magic, mystical arts, and cool look with white sideburns, Stephen Strange will always be a magnet for women.

Of course, he is not the innocent one here, and from the article, you can see that our beloved Doctor pursued many women himself, even though he changed massively since becoming a skilled magician.

As we already mentioned, Clea is the love of his life, and their relationship now has a chance to blossom in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Both actors are great, Cumberbatch and Theron, and we don’t doubt they will have the chemistry their characters had for decades in the Marvel comics.