Doctor Noto (surgeon; Doctor Stephen Strange character)

noto-dr-drstr-st115 DOCTOR NOTO

Real Name: Noto (first name unrevealed)

Identity/Class: Human
possibly of Italian ethnicity

Occupation: Surgeon

Group Membership: Likely numerous medical organizations, such as the American Medical Association and the American College of Surgeons

Affiliations: Dr. Stephen Strange

Enemies: Stephen Strange likely hated him for telling him that he would never perform surgery again

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
presumably the United States of America

First Appearance: (Unidentified) Strange Tales I#115/2 (December, 1963);
(identified) Doctor Strange: Nightmare novel (June, 1979)

Powers/Abilities: Doctor Noto was a highly-skilled and respected orthopedic surgeon.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'7" (difficult to estimate, as Dr. Strange is sitting down)
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 180 lbs.)
Eyes: Unrevealed (barely seen as he is looking down at a radiograph)
Hair: Black (male pattern baldness)

History:

(Strange Tales I#115/2 (fb)) - Prominent neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange suffered severe orthopedic and neurological injury to his hands in a car crash.

(Doctor Strange: Nightmare (fb) - BTS) - It took thousands upon thousands of his dollars to bring in the best surgeons to repair the bones; cosmetic surgeons to repair the skin; therapists to aid him in regaining his skill.

(Strange Tales I#115/2 (fb) / Doctor Strange: Nightmare (fb)) - Stephen Strange visited the eminent orthopedic surgeon Dr. Noto. Although he had already reviewed the radiographs, Dr. Noto studied them silently for some time in front of Stephen before finally speaking, “I don’t know how to tell you this . . .”

Strange snapped, “Speak up, man! I can take it. What do the X-rays show?”

The Dr. Noto spoke slowly, reluctantly. “Stephen, you’ve had a very bad accident. Although your hands seem to be all right, the nerves have been severely damaged.”

Strange stared at his hands. Nerve tissue did not repair itself very well; once severed, nerves did little to rebuild their electrical connections. Only very minor repairs were ever done and there were no sufficiently good surgical techniques developed to assist in the healing.

“You . . . you mean . . . ?” Stephen Strange’s carefully controlled exterior was marred by an expression of stunned amazement and horrified realization. He had been having a little trouble, but he accounted for that by assuming he was not yet fully healed.

“Yes,” Dr. Noto said. “You’ll never be able to perform an operation again.” They both knew the tremendous skill required to be a surgeon, and to be a great surgeon required even more. Men who considered themselves skilled with their hands -- carpenters, pilots, dentists -- were clumsy compared to the subtle and almost microscopic motions of a skilled surgeon.

Stephen Strange refused to believe. “No!” he said. He backed away. “No! I don’t believe you! You’re lying! You must be lying!”

(Doctor Strange: Nightmare (fb)) - Strange held out his hands. “They’re well, I tell you.” But Noto had just shaken his head sadly.

(Strange Tales I#115/2 (fb) / Doctor Strange: Nightmare (fb) - BTS) - Others tried to help Strange, but he was still too arrogant, too vain, and too bitter to take help of any kind. His self-pity threatened to swallow him whole.

(Strange Tales I#115/2 (fb)) - Hearing of the legendary mystic Ancient One from some sailors, Strange traveled to Tibet and sought him out...

Comments: Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

    There's a slightly similar looking doctor who first informs Stephen of his injuries when Strange wakes up after his accident in Doctor Strange I#169, p7, but that's not the same guy, because Noto gets his name from his actual other appearance in the aforementioned novel, which also confirms Noto was someone he visited later, after undergoing multiple surgeries to repair his injuries.
    --Loki
    The initial story was more abbreviated, and Strange still had a bandage on his head when talking to Dr. Noto in Strange Tales I#115, but it's quite likely he had a deep laceration that hadn't healed yet or that he had more recently hurt himself out of frustration...or something.--Snood

    This novel also provided names for Drs. Christensen, Mayer, Patten, Siegel and Ziegler, who were unidentified in their original appearance in Strange Tales I#115

Noto name origins (courtesy of the AI that will eventually take over and get rid of humanity as the weakest link...)

The surname Noto is of Italian origin, specifically from the Sicilian city of Noto in the province of Siracusa, Sicily. It is a habitational surname, meaning it was adopted by people who came from or were associated with that place.

Linguistic and Etymological Roots

Place name: The name comes directly from the city of Noto, a historic Sicilian town with ancient roots dating back to Phoenician, Carthaginian, and Norman periods .
Possible Greek origin: Some sources link the name to the Greek word notos, meaning “south wind”, which may have been used in ancient times to describe the city’s location or climate .
Italian meaning: In Italian, noto can also mean “known” or “notable”, which may have been applied to the city or its inhabitants

Historical Context

The Noto surname first appears in historical records in the 13th–14th centuries in Sicily
The city of Noto was a noble seat in medieval Sicily, and several families of that name appear in Sicilian noble registers
Migration from Sicily to other parts of Europe and the Americas brought the surname to countries like the UK, USA, and beyond

Variations

Common spelling variations include Notto, Notoo, Notow, and Notoe.

This profile was completed 06/24/2026, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25^th anniversary 's celebratory event.
Thanks to Loki for suggesting Dr. Noto to represent Doctor Strange's 1960's stories and characters.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Doctor Noto should be distinguished from:

HASHI NOTO - see ANTRO--Avengers West Coast#82
NOTOI - chief of the Asteroidians--Marvel Mystery Comics#42/5
other "Noto" characters, groups, items, events, races or places...

images: (without ads)
Strange Tales I#115/2, story pg. 2 (or 3, including the intro), panel 3 (reviewing rads with Stephen Strange)

Appearances:
Strange Tales I#115/2 "The Origin of Dr. Strange" (December, 1963) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Steve Ditko (artist)
Doctor Strange: Nightmare novel (June, 1979) - William Rotsler (writer), Bob Larkin (cover artist), published by Pocket Books.

First posted: 09/27/2026
Last updated: 06/24/2026

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
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