Doctor Strange: 11 Giant Questions It Leaves Unanswered
5. How Long Was Dormammu Trapped In The Time Loop?
The Question: Before Dormammu acquiesces to Strange's bargain, it's quite clear from his montage of relentlessly murdering Strange that he's been stuck in the time loop for quite some time. But how long, exactly?
The Likely Answer: We see Strange die on screen a dozen-or-so times, but it's entirely possible that Strange kept the loop going much longer than that, dying much more and possibly even being tortured when Dormammu realised that straight-up killing him wouldn't work.
This gag probably could've been bled out a little longer to indicate that (though would've risked over-extending the joke), yet it's safe to say that Dormammu didn't just give up his plan to engulf Earth after half an hour. It was most probably a day or two rather than mere hours.