Which film introduced Doctor Strange to the MCU?

Which film introduced Doctor Strange to the MCU? Doctor Strange (2016). The film introduces Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange, a brilliant but arrogant neurosurgeon whose life changes after a devastating car accident.

The crash severely damages Strange’s hands, threatening the career that defines his identity. After conventional medicine fails, he travels to Kamar-Taj, where the Ancient One teaches him that reality includes mystical dimensions and forces beyond ordinary science. Strange gradually becomes a Master of the Mystic Arts.

The film establishes key elements of his MCU mythology, including the Eye of Agamotto, the New York Sanctum, magical portals, and the dark dimension ruled by Dormammu. Strange defeats Dormammu through a time-loop bargain, showing that intelligence and persistence are as important to him as magical ability.

Although Doctor Strange was released in 2016, the character later became central to major crossover stories. He appears in Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.