How Big Is Doctor Strange's Role in 'Thor: Ragnarok'?

Thor: Ragnarok is (rightfully) being billed as a mystical, outer space buddy cop-style adventure starring the God of Thunder and the Hulk, but Thor shares the screen with another Avenger. Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme, appears in Ragnarok, as the post-credits scene to his debut film promised he would. But what else does Strange do in the film?

Major spoilers for the beginning of Thor: Ragnarok to follow.

After Ragnarok’s thrilling opening scene, Thor returns home and exposes Loki, who had been posing as Odin and ruling Asgard ever since the events of Thor: The Dark World. Thor forces his brother to reveal where their father really is, and the pair travel to Earth, where Loki left Odin in a New York City old folks’ home. Except… it’s been demolished, and Odin is nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, a familiar ring of sparks flares up under Loki’s feet, and he falls into a Sling Ring portal, leaving only a business card of sorts for Thor to find.

Thor heads to Doctor Strange’s brownstone at 177a Bleecker Street, and from there the scene plays out pretty much exactly as it does in the Doctor Strange post-credits scene, with some new material before and afterward.

Eventually, Doctor Strange let’s Loki free, and the two Asgardians set off to to find Odin, following Strange’s tip.

He does not appear again in the film.

All things considered, it’s a very, very quick appearance, and it feels just north of a cameo. Thor: Ragnarok moves very quickly, especially at the beginning, and the visit to New York and Doctor Strange’s part would feel rushed if the entire movie wasn’t so fun. Ragnarok is buckwild, and it spends exactly as much time with Benedict Cumberbatch as it needs to, which isn’t a lot.

If you’re hungry for more Doctor Strange, fear not: He’ll be in Avengers: Infinity War, which opens on April 25, 2018.

Thor: Ragnarok hits theaters on November 3.