The Master tells his best disciple, Doctor Strange, that he will not live much longer and that he is the one who will replace him. He advises him always to trust his amulet. While Strange's astral form is in the world of dreams, the Master uses Strange's amulet to protect his physical body against a criminal.
Poisoned by food that has been tampered with, the Master gets the visit of his evil pupil Mordo who came in his spirit form to force him to reveal his secrets of black magic. Doctor Strange arrives in spirit form as well and uses his amulet to revive him. He tricks Mordo into returning to his physical body. The control Mordo had on the servant is then broken and the Master is safe and cared for.
One night, the Ancient One got the visit of Dr. Stephen Strange who was seeking his help to heal the injuries to his hands that no longer made it possible for him to operate on patients after a car accident. Instead, the master offered him to study magic with him but the skeptical surgeon refused. While his guest was forced to stay by a snow storm, the Ancient One had been submitted to several attacks by black magic which he was able to repel. After a few days, Dr. Strange finally accepted his offer. Then the Ancient One released him from a spell that prevented him from revealing that Mordo was trying to kill his master, which he knew all along. In the years that followed, Dr. Strange studied the mystic arts to prepare the battles that only a Master of Black Magic can win.
Right after Doctor Strange has released him from Mordo, the Ancient One tells his disciple that the evil Dormammu intends to cross into the human world so he sends him to the villain's domain to prevent such an event. When Doctor Strange comes back victorious with Dormammu's promise to stay away from Earth, the Ancient One rewards his disciple with a new levitation cape and a more powerful amulet.
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Baron Mordo makes another attempt on the Ancient One's life but Doctor Strange stops him.
The Ancient One sends Doctor Strange back in time to Ancient Egypt to find why Cleopatra has arrived in the 20th century.
Captured and hidden by Mordo, the Ancient One is rescued by Doctor Strange to whom he teaches that revenge is for the weak.
Asked by Doctor Strange about an evil idol, the Ancient One teaches him about its story and about its link to the despotic Tiboro.
Dr. Strange and the Ancient One are attacked in his mentor's sanctum in Tibet by Baron Mordo and two of his disciples, forcing them to flee. Strange leaves the Ancient One in the care of a Tibetan hermit while he lures his evil pursuers away. While he rests, the weak old master tells the hermit that Strange needs to know of Eternity. Despite the hermit care, the Ancient One falls once more into a coma. When Dr. Strange's ectoplasmic form appears to check on his unconscious master, the hermit tells him about his obsession with Eternity. During his visits, Dr. Strange uses the Eye of Agamotto to replenish his master's strength.
Unable to learn anything about Eternity, Dr. Strange decides seek his secret in the mind of his still comatose master. After having thwarted all his mental traps, Dr. Strange finally connects with the Ancient One who shares his secrets with him. During Strange's absence, Mordo captures the master and takes him to his sanctuary where he hides him in a time trap. When Strange arrives at Mordo's retreat, Dormammu wakes the Ancient One from his coma. Despite Eternity denying more power to his disciple, the master encourages Strange to fight on and use wisdom. Then the fight begins and Mordo's powerful attacks get him ever closer to victory. But Strange's clever tricks anger his opponent and make him reckless, so Dormammu decides to take over. He sends Strange, Mordo and the Ancient One to a neutral dimension for the final combat. As Strange gains the advantage in the physical fight, Mordo decides to act and takes him down with a spell. Angry at Mordo for this unwanted intervention, Dormammu exiles him to the Dimension of Demons. The Ancient One is proud when Dr. Strange convinces Dormammu to resume the fight and defeats him. Back to the Ancient One's sanctuary, Strange and his master tell Hamir the Hermit the good news. When Dormammu exiles the Dark Dimension girl, the Ancient One promises his disciple he will get supporters to help in his quest to save her, but now it is more urgent to destroy the evil enchantments that Mordo has spread all over the world.
Back in his retreat, the Ancient One takes his spirit form to start searching for Dr. Strange's exiled friend.
While searching for Dr. Strange's friend as repayment for his devotion, the Ancient One leads his disciple to another dimension where its ruler points the sorcerer to the outer edge of infinity.
After Dormammu's epic clash with Eternity, the Ancient One pulls Dr. Strange away from the Nether Dimension and back to the Dark Dimension. Although he has no clue on Eternity's fate, he confirms to his disciple that his foe was reduced to nothingness,. Consequently, his spells are lifted and everyone Dormammu banished comes back, including Mordo and the girl from the Dark Dimension. The Ancient One asks the exiles to pledge they will assist in repairing Dormammu's evil and urges them to choose a leader among themselves, except Mordo who will remain his prisoner.
