Strange Has To Pass On That Knowledge Someday

Watching Dr. Strange deal with his would-be blackmailer, Tyson, in Defenders last week reminded me of Dr. Strange's origin.

You have this guy. He's talented, but a little too sure of that, and it makes him a selfish jerk. As such, he doesn't really use his gifts to their fullest extent to benefit others (or at all, in one case).

Still, things don't quite go as the guy would like. He's fallen on hard times, and with his attitude, he thinks the world owes him something. So he seeks out someone, an old mage, reported to have what he thinks he needs, and he demands that person give him what he wants. He is rebuked, and ends up stuck in the mage's home for a time.

It's not quite the same. Strange did use his surgical talents to help others, while Tyson seems to only use magic to further his own goals. Strange didn't threaten to bring law enforcement down on the Ancient One (what are the odds the Ancient One had proper permits to live up on that mountain?) if he didn't do what he said, or actively work to destroy peoples' lives to get what he wanted.

But Stephen Strange prior to learning the mystic arts was hardly an altruist. He liked money, and he had an ego that demanded he help people on his terms or not at all (his origin shows that after the car accident, he refused to work as a consultant or assistant to other doctors). Had the Ancient One granted him his desire*, he'd likely have gone back to being an asshole who happens to also be an incredibly gifted surgeon. I can picture everyone agog at the recovery of his hands, and him just eating it up. Instead, Stephen was stuck on that mountain with nothing to do but gradually realize he kind of liked the Ancient One and didn't want to see him destroyed by Baron Mordo. Which is how he ends up studying magic, so he can keep Mordo from getting out of control.

Tyson getting unsupervised time with Strange's tomes would have been a lot worse for the world than Stephen having the full utility of his hands again. Obviously. But, assuming Stephen is going to keep Tyson's spirit trapped there for awhile, maybe some time should be spent to mentor him. Add some direction to that drive beyond, "Get what I think the world owes me". I know it's been awhile since Strange had a student, and the last one died, and a punker wanna-be is a poor substitute for a green minotaur, but surely it's a more productive way to deal with things than keeping Tyson sealed in a jar forever.

* Or been able to. I have to figure if Strange's hands could have been magically fixed to where he could again perform such surgeries, he'd have done so himself at some point over the years. You never know when that might come in handy.