The Eye of Agamotto is a talisman that has been associated with Doctor Strange pretty much since the start of the character’s existence in the pages of Marvel Comics – but when it came to its introduction in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the canon added a new and important detail into its functionality: it was said to be the device that housed and protected the Time Stone.
That decision made plenty of sense in the run up to Avengers: Infinity War and Thanos’ bid to complete the Infinity Gauntlet… but it has raised questions in the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame and the destruction of the Time Stone. Despite seemingly no longer serving its original purpose, the Eye of Agamotto can still be seen around Doctor Strange’s neck in both Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness.
Is a memento from the battle? Is it a nifty fashion accessory? Well, according to director Sam Raimi, the answer is that the Eye of Agamotto isn’t totally powerless without the Infinity Stone, and instead it still possesses other “magical properties.”
I had the great pleasure of interviewing Sam Raimi this weekend during the Los Angeles press day for Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, and I took the opportunity to ask him about the film’s titular hero continuing to wear arguably his most iconic accessory even without the Time Stone. The filmmaker admittedly poked me in the ribs with his answer to my nerdy question, saying,
The Eye of Agamotto still has magical properties even without the Time Stone – as any fan true fan Strange would know. So it's still reveals to him things that are unseen.
In the original Stan Lee and Steve Ditko comics from the early 1960s, the Eye of Agamotto was introduced as a mystical globe in Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum that would let him look in on any location on Earth – in coordination with the magical amulet that the hero wore around his neck. Eventually the Eye and the amulet essentially became one in the same in the comics, and it has been utilized at the heart of a great number of spells in the last half century… though it wasn’t until its appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that it became associated with housing the Time Stone.
So will we see Doctor Strange use the Eye of Agamotto to see through spells and magical deceptions, or peer into places across the world? Sam Raimi didn’t elaborate, but the good news is that we don’t have long to wait before we find out. Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Rachel McAdams, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, arrives in theaters this coming Friday, May 6.
To stay on top of every Marvel Cinematic Universe film set to arrive in 2022 and beyond, head over to our Upcoming Marvel Movies guide, and if you’re planning to do a big MCU rewatch, our Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline is a feature you should read (and if you don’t have time for all of the movies and TV shows, we also have a guide to the seven specific titles you should watch before Doctor Strange 2.
For info about all feature releases (not just Marvel) coming to the big screen and streaming before the end of the year, our 2022 Movie Release Calendar has the content you’re looking for.
