4. Chandu The Magician Was The Inspiration For The Character
Doctor Strange was created by artist and writer Steve Ditko and Marvel legend Stan Lee. Lee has claimed that Strange was Ditko's idea, but has also had a lot of creative input and responsibility with regards to the character's conception. In a 1963 letter to "Father of Comic Book Fandom" Jerry Bails, Lee said:
Well, we have a new character in the works for Strange Tales (just a 5-page filler named Dr. Strange) Steve Ditko is gonna draw him. It has sort of a black magic theme. The first story is nothing great, but perhaps we can make something of him
Lee has gone on to say that his take on the character was heavily based on Chandu the Magician - a radio program that aired on the Mutual Broadcasting System in the 1930s and went on to become a film in 1932 about a man who was both a magician and a secret agent.
