What happened in the post-credit scene of "Doctor Strange" (2016)?

Question

Needless to say, spoilers follow.

In the second post-credits scene,

Mordo confronts Pangborn.

The two fight, and

Mordo overpowers his opponent, also extracting some sort of magical essence from Pangborn.

Like this:

After this 'procedure'

Pangborn is left paralysed - like he was before he started learning magic. Mordo says the problem with this world is that there are "too many sorcerers".

How did he do that? Or rather, what did he do? I thought the magic was learned, and not intrinsic in everyone.

Does this have any precedent in related comics? Is this a power the comic Mordo is particularly known for?

Answer 1

Note that these are just speculations, we don't really know what is happening - we will find out later.

As we learn in the movie, Pangborn

channels dimensional energy directly into his own body.

to bypass the paralysis.

We know for sure:

1. There is some kind of magic energy stolen from Pangborn.
2. Pangborn is left paralyzed, shaking on the floor.
3. Pangborn is a very weak sorcerer and disinterested in broadening his knowledge.

We can speculate that:

• Channeling the energy to compensate whole body paralysis is very hard - Stephen couldn't do it.
• Spells are very hard to cast but are easy to support - see the characters struggle when they begin to cast the spell and how easy they wield magical weapons when fighting.

So, the scene goes as following:

1. Pangborn tries to hit Mordo.
2. Mordo counters and draws the energy that is channeled through him.
3. Pangborn's spell fades away, we can see the progress of his paralysis.
4. Pangborn cannot re-cast this spell since he is too occupied with Mordo (on the basis of previous speculations.)
5. Mordo now has enough time to talk with him.
6. If Mordo won't kill Pangborn we can see his basketball career develop in next movies.