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Comic-Con has come and gone, and like always, it came with a plethora of new footage for some upcoming blockbusters. It must be said that I wasn't able to attend Comic-Con this year, so I wasn't able to see any of the extra footage that was shown in person, but as far as I can tell, Marvel Studios' Doctor Strange is going to be something special. Why? I'm glad you asked.
5. Benedict Cumberbatch
Before production began, a few names were thrown around for the role of Stephen Strange, including Joaquin Phoenix and Ethan Hawke. While they would've made solid choices as the Sorcerer Supreme, Benedict Cumberbatch seems to be knocking it out of the park. Recently in an interview with Collider, director Scott Derrickson said that Cumberbatch was "killing" it with audiences. Cumberbatch brings a certain dedication and gravitas to his roles, and seems to have fully committed himself to the role of Strange, and it's good to see that he did. From what we've seen, it looks like he's going to put in a heavyweight performance, which is going to be key in hooking in a larger audience for the mind-bending and fantastical story that's definitely going to be told.
4. Scott Derrickson
With only a few films under his belt, Scott Derrickson joins the ranks of smaller-name directors in Marvel's employ. Most of his experience comes from the horror genre with films like Sinister and Deliver Us From Evil, and if you've seen these films, you'll know that Derrickson isn't a mediocre director that delivers your average horror flick. Deliver Us From Evil is a lot more unique and interesting than it looks, and Sinister was a step in right direction for the new age of horror films currently being fronted by James Wan.
Derrickson is lending a visionary eye to Doctor Strange which will give it the depth and scope it deserves. Granted, Derrickson isn't accustomed to big-budget action-adventure films, but from the footage that's available to the public, he seems to have gotten the most out of his already-talented cast and was able to craft a world that's rich and deep in its mythology.
3. Things Are Strange
Speaking of mythology, the world of Doctor Strange is almost as deep as the Marvel Universe itself. Strange has the ability to call upon a plethora of magical abilities and use a variety of mystical items, and we can thankfully see some of that magic in the trailer! Obviously, we can see Strange wearing his all-important Eye of Agamotto and Cloak of Levitation, but we catch glimpses of him conjuring his Flaming Whip, and kneeling down while using what could be the Shield of the Seraphim. Derrickson and Marvel seem to have pulled no punches in using Strange's large arsenal, and it's good to see that they aren't shying away from what makes Doctor Strange so intriguing in the first place. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige previously said:
"He does cast spells, which in the comics have very sort of tongue-twisty fun names. We don't want to shy away from that because that's what makes Doctor Strange Doctor Strange. He has a Cloak of Levitation that allows him to fly, but he doesn't fly like Superman or like Thor. It's almost got a consciousness of its own, this cloak, which, again, gives us a superhero with a red cape — which we’ve seen a few times — but allows us to do it in a wholly unique and wholly original way. He can create these mandalas of light that he can use as shields and he can use as sort of weapons. He can create portals that will open before your eyes that he can step through and go to other places around the world. And frankly, even in this film, we’ll only touch upon what a lot of his powers are.”
It seems that most of the reality bending and insanity being enacted in the trailers is from the film's villain Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen), but the glimpses we're given of Strange's abilities are juicy enough to make us drool for more. If it's just scratching the surface, we're in for a treat moving forward.
2. How It Will Affect The MCU
Doctor Strange is going to be an important figure as we move forward into the ever-deepening ocean that is the MCU. Potentially, the Eye of Agamotto will contain one of the famed Infinity Stones, which have been popping up as we inch closer to Avengers: Infinity War. Which one? Well, Feige has some insight, of course.
“In this film, the Eye is a very important relic that can be quite dangerous if used in the wrong hands, because it has the ability to do any number of things, the most dangerous of which is, it can sort of manipulate probabilities. Which is also another way of saying, ‘screw around with time’ — which is part of our story.”
Four of six Infinity Stones have been gathered in the MCU thus far: Space, Mind, Reality, and Power. The two that remain in the shadows are Soul and Time, and it looks like Strange's Eye of Agamotto will contain the Time Stone. This is an interesting departure from the existing Strange lore, with the Eye being linked to a mystical being named Agamotto and drawing from his powers upon use.
Sounds like they're getting ready to kill a bunch of important people in the MCU with Infinity War, because the introduction of time/dimensional travel gives them a nice out when they want to resurrect or replace any Avengers that will almost certainly be killed.
1. "Full Weird"
Normal is overrated, isn't it?
With Doctor Strange, Derrickson said that one of the objectives was to pay tribute to Strange's co-creator and long-time artist, Steve Ditko. If you've seen any of Ditko's artwork for the earlier Strange comics, you'll know that it had a very psychedelic quality. The art was breathtaking and unique, with Ditko crafting worlds that could only be seen in dreams. Derrickson has said that Doctor Strange will be the film that puts the MCU into "Full Weird" territory, saying in an interview:
"What the comics did was, they brought with Doctor Strange an extra dimension into psychadelia, mysticism, and spirituality and all these very 60’s things and broke open the Marvel comic book universe into the Marvel multiverse. I think Doctor Strange is going to be the beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse. It’s really serving the same function that the comic did. Even though it was a weird aberration as a comic book, I think it was a real linchpin in the comics. It ended up being decades of new stories and I think this movie will do the same thing".
And full weird isn't a bad thing. Comics are laden with some of the most ridiculous plots and events in the history of plots and events. Why not embrace that as we move forward? It's fun to see some heroes grounded in reality when it works (Batman/Daredevil, for example), but it's nice to see that Marvel — and DC for that matter — are embracing the roots from which these heroes and stories stem.
Doctor Strange is going to bring a wholly new and untapped realm for future directors and writers to play with, giving the MCU a fresh and unique direction to head. It's going to set a new bar for superhero/action-adventure films moving forward, I believe, with its ability to displace the audience and sweep us away into new and strange worlds of wonder. It looks immersive and imaginative, emotional and funny; it looks like everything a movie should be! Technology is moving forward at a rapid pace, and the inevitable sequels to Doctor Strange will just submerge us deeper and deeper into its spiritual and mystical world, which has the potential to rival any superhero film, and maybe any action film, that's been made before it.
Doctor Strange will be released on November 4, 2016.
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