Keep in mind that the general public in the MCU, of which Dr. Strange was a member before meeting the Ancient One, is not privy to all the backstory and knowledge that we, the audience, are. Strange likely knows that billionaire industrialist Tony Stark is Iron Man, and uses a sophisticated suit of armor that is fully grounded in science. He knows that Captain America became what he is through science, as he knows that science led to Bruce Banner becoming the Hulk. He knows the extraterrestrial life exists, as the invasion proved. He knows nothing about Thor other than that he's another member of the Avengers, and almost certainly assumes his powers are science-based. At most, he might know Thor is a member of an alien race whose biology gives him power beyond that of a human, but it's doubtful he even knows that.
Nothing that he's seen, heard, or read suggests that magical realms exist, or that physical ailments incurable by any known science can be healed by magic. That would be like you or me believing in magic. Think about it-- nothing that Strange knows to have happened is outside the possibilities of the world you and I live in, at least in theoretical form.
A suit of super armor, a steroid that gives someone great strength, another that gives someone great strength but reduces their mind to simple rage-- while we know that the outcomes wouldn't be as outlandish or far-reaching as what we see in the MCU, those are all grounded in real science. Magic is something else entirely. If I read of an athlete able to leap 20 feet in the air after radical surgery and injections, I'd be shocked but believe it once I saw it. If I read of a magician able to levitate using magic, I know that's fake even if I see it.
reply
share