FEATURE FRIDAY | DOCTOR STRANGE
The latest installment in the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe’s significance doesn’t lie in its plot (his “egotistical genius humbled by near-fatal injury” origin is a little too close to the beginning of the first Iron Man film) or how it fits into the overall scheme of the franchise (one mid-credits cameo is pretty much the only tie you get between the Doctor and the MCU’s “big picture”), but in what it means going forward.
Marvel Comics are a lot of things. First and foremost, they’re a superhero company. The MCU has had more than their fair share of that so far between Captain America, Hulk, Ant-Man, and various team-ups and break-ups along the way. Another major aspect of the comic lore is the depth of its sci-fi, which was absolutely knocked out of the park by the fantastic Guardians Of The Galaxy. But one other thing the comics have always done well with is the supernatural.
There have been hints that there was something beyond our perception, most notably in the Thor films, but The Avengers also made sure to ground Asgard in the world they’d already created, suggesting that these were not actually gods, but aliens from another planet that the Norse people had mistaken as deities.
All that is out the window now. Doctor Strange introduced us to sorcerors, sanctums, a cloak of levitation, a dark dimension where time does not exist and, oh yeah, a boatload of time travel. The climactic showdown between Doc and the demon Dormammu was, surprisingly, handled with more lightness and humor than you would expect, but it was entertaining as heck.
With the Infinity War movies on the horizon (principal photography began in January), you can bet it’s going to take superheros, sci-fi action, and magic to take down Thanos and his Infinity Gauntlet. What role will the good Doctor play alongside the Avengers and the Guardians? We suspect we’ll get an idea of it during Thor: Ragnarok later this year.
Overall, is Doctor Strange one of the better MCU movies? Not really. It’s good, but when you consider this is the same studio that gave us Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians, and the original Avengers (not to mention the spectacular Netflix Daredevil series), that’s a high bar to clear. But Benedict Cumberbatch is great as Strange. The special effects are gorgeous. It adds new layers to the MCU mythology. All that, plus the post-credits scene suggests that future Strange movies will feature more of one of our favorite character actors Chiwetel Ejiofor, so you know we’ll be keeping our eyes (not of Agamotto) open for clues about what’s next.
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