Warning: Spoilers ahead. If you haven’t seen Doctor Strange, I strongly recommend reading this after you do. 

Doctor Strange hit theaters this weekend and stunned us with its dazzling visuals and remarkable musical score. This is Marvel’s debut into the realm of sorcery and the multiverse, but Doctor Strange could’ve easily been something not related to the Avengers.

The movie gives us several minutes and we already get a slice of the Marvel action pizza; fighting, magic, and weapons. Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen) and his zealots murder the Kamar-Taj librarian, the keeper of spiritual knowledge and texts. They steal a ritual from one of the books but are soon confronted by the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) for a 7 on one showdown. The Ancient one’s efforts are strong, but Kaecilius and the Zealots make off with the text.

Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), a talented brain surgeon whose personality is sure of himself playboy ala Tony Stark, has his world flipped upside down after a tragic car accident. His hands are useless afterward and Strange moves out of his “genius brain surgeon” reality. After becoming disabled, Stephen’s ex-girlfriend turned coworker Christine Palmer helps him out, whom he eventually pushes away.   

Fast forward past Stephen’s mental breakdown and he tracks down Jonathan Pangborn, a paraplegic who mysteriously started walking again. Pangborn leads him to Kamar-Taj, where Strange becomes an apprentce of the Ancient One and, one of the masters of the mystical arts, Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor). They teach him the magic and how to draw  power from the multiverse.

At Kamar-Taj Stephen progresses rapidly, almost to the level of mastery, when Wong, the new protector of the library, catches Steven using one of the relics in the library. The mystical Eye of Agamotto is revealed to bend time and is forbidden in most uses. After learning that he’d do no harm, Wong reveals to Strange that the sorcerers are actually like a ‘spiritual’ Avengers.

And finally, after so much time, we get an official tie into the Avengers timeline.

While the Avengers take care of earthly threats, the sorcerers take on the spiritual ones. Three ‘sanctums’ allow them to stay alerted in the world: London, New York City, and Hong Kong

Throughout training, Stephen learns about relics: magical items that choose their holders and own a variety of magic abilities. He is later confronted by Kaecilius, who is hellbent on destroying the sanctums to summon Dormammu of the Dark dimension, a place where time is nonexistent. Strange puts his selfishness and decides to team up with the sorcerers to take Dormammu and Kaecilius out.

The film received praise by critics, receiving a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 72 out of 100 on Metacritic. The film is aesthetically and musically ravishing with great pacing; it also successfully introduces magic to the Avengers realm. It also introduces some powerfully portrayed characters; The Ancient One possibly being my favorite of the movie.  However, Doctor Strange’s plot was formulaic and problematic in some ways.

The ‘MCU Formula’

Marvel has a  ‘plug and play’ formula in the MCU; a white male lead (which is subject to change in Captain Marvel), a white female love interest, and minority sidekicks.

While we receive a vigorous presence from the Ancient One (and some great acting from Swinton), we get another stale love interest. We have Pepper Potts, and Jane Foster, but now we have Christine Palmer. Her role with Strange makes her a waste of space; she does save Stephen from death at one point, but their back and the forth relationship could’ve been written out of the movie. The Ancient One makes up for the lack of femininity in the film.

The Ancient One, although in my opinion an excellent performance, is a whitewashed character. The original Ancient One is originally Tibetan in ethnicity, but the film replaces his character with a white actress. White actors performing ethnic roles isn’t a first (The Last Airbender, Prince of Persia, and Exodus: Gods and Kings to name a few recent examples), but I wouldn’t have minded the Ancient One not getting retconned. Jackie Chan or James Hong could’ve performed this role excellently. Our actual ethnic characters, Wong and Mordo, get pushed aside.

It can’t be a Marvel movie without a sidekick. James Roads, Sam Smith, and now Mordo and Wong. Mordo is a nuisance since he defects from the sorcerers due to their time bending. The after credits scenes show his true motives once he defected.

Don’t get me wrong, though, Doctor Strange has some amazing moments. It’s packed with humorous one-liners (reminiscent of Guardians of the Galaxy) and some excellent action packed scenes. Blend that with the music and the visually stunning magic and you’ve got another win for the MCU.

Be sure to see Doctor Strange showing in theaters now. Catch it before it’s gone!

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Doctor Strange stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Stephen Strange, the titular hero. Starring alongside Cumberbatch is Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave) as Baron Mordo, Tilda Swinton (Only Lovers Left Alive) as The Ancient One, Benedict Wong (Marco Polo) as Doctor Strange’s humble servant, Wong, Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man) as Nicodemus West, and — in hitherto unknown roles — Rachel McAdams (True Detective), Scott Adkins (Undisputed 3), Amy Landecker (Transparent), and Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal).

Directed by Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Deliver Us From Evil) from a script penned by Jon Spaihts (Prometheus, Passengers) and C. Robert Cargill (Sinister), Doctor Strange tells the story of Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch), an acclaimed, yet exceedingly arrogant, neurosurgeon who uncovers the hidden world of magic and alternate dimensions after a near-fatal car accident, showing audiences yet undiscovered corners of the Marvel Cinematic Universe .

The doctor will be in on Friday, November 4, 2016, following Captain America: Civil War, which opens on May 6.

As always, stay plugged in to SEV for more Comic Nook News as it develops.

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The Martian and streaming Netflix series Marco Polo actor has just been cast to star alongside Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tilda Swinton, Rachel McAdams, Michael Stuhlbarg, Scott Adkins, Amy Landecker and Mads Mikkelsen in the upcoming “Phase Three” superhero film. Word was brought officially from the Hollywood Reporter that Wong will be playing the role of a character also named Wong.

Known in the earliest days of the comics as the ‘faithful manservant’ of Doctor Strange, Wong is — in a perhaps more dignified title — the loyal assistant and adviser to Strange in the mystic arts.

Directed by Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Deliver Us From Evil) and boasting a script by Jon Spaihts (Prometheus, Passengers), Doctor Strange is slated for theater release on November 4, 2016. 

As always, stay plugged in to SE for more Comic Nook News as it develops.

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It has most definitely been a Strange week in Comic Nook News. Details have been steadily pouring in about the upcoming Marvel film, and today’s bit of news is no different. During an interview with EW, Marvel’s Kevin Feige gave some scintillating details on what we can expect from the world of Strange. Tilda Swinton’s (Snowpiercer, Constantine) role as the enigmatic Ancient One, and Chewitel Ejiofor’s (12 Years A Slave) were discussed. On the matter of Swinton playing the role of a character who — in the comics — was an elderly Asian man, Feige had this to say;

“We’re never afraid to change. In the comic books, Jarvis is an elderly butler. In the movies, he’s an A.I. system which becomes Paul Bettany’s Vision. We are always looking for ways to change. I think if you look at some of the early incarnations of the Ancient One in the comics, they are what we would consider today to be quite, sort of, stereotypical. They don’t hold up to what would work today. Also, within the storyline of the comics, and our movie, ‘the Ancient One’ is a title that many people have had. We hit very early on on, What if the Ancient One was a woman? What if the title had been passed and the current Ancient One is a woman? Oh, that’s an interesting idea. [Clicks fingers.] Tilda Swinton! Whoah! And it just hit.”

On the Ancient One’s methods, gender, its importance in the film, as well as her mysterious nature, it makes [her] a bit of a coin toss.

“Look, she’s a chameleon in everything she does,” Feige went on to say. “She has this amazing [ability to] harness of this androgynous sense. So, we use the term ‘her’ and ‘she’ in the film but, other than that, it’s very androgynous. Because it doesn’t matter.”

As for Baron Mordo, actor Chiwetel Ejiofor gave a bit of insight on his relationship with the Ancient One, his feelings towards Stephen Strange and his standing as a ‘sorcerer’;

“In terms of his life with the Ancient One, it’s this long and intense relationship they have that’s just very deep and very connected,” Ejiofor said. “I think they both recognize in Strange this certain quality that they feel is going to be very useful in a situation they’re in — just by the nature of who he is, and the way that he operates, and the way his mind works, and the certain skill set and personality that he has. So, when they all meet, they realize that he’s somebody that can be plugged into this very surreal, interesting, sort of fascinating circumstance that they’re all in, and the dangers that they face. And so it becomes a process of assimilating him into their ways of life.”

And on the matter of Mordo’s descent into villainy?

“Oh, he’s a very complex character that, really, I don’t think can be nailed down either way, you know. I guess it’s something to experience, is what I’d say.”

So yes, of course Ejiofor — rather slyly — manages to dodge the answer. I suppose only time will tell if Baron Mordo will go the way of the dark mage in the upcoming film.

Directed by Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Deliver Us From Evil) and boasting a script by Jon Spaihts (Prometheus, Passengers), Doctor Strange is slated for theater release on November 4, 2016. 

Doctor Strange will be an origin story about the titular neurosurgeon who, after a horrific accident is left without the use of his hands, embarks on a journey into the realm of magic, mysticism and the vastness of alternate dimensions.

As always, stay plugged in to SE for more Comic Nook News as it develops.

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“He can do a whole host of things, eventually,” says Feige. “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.”

Feige also mentioned the famed Eye of Agamatto;“The Cloak of Levitation [and] the Eye of Agamotto are his two signature pieces. 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.”

Following the general schematic of any superhero film, Doctor Strange will be an origin story about the titular neurosurgeon who, after a horrific accident is left without the use of his hands, embarks on a journey into the realm of magic, mysticism and the vastness of alternate dimensions.

Doctor Strange stars Benedict Cumberbatch as our titular surgeon and (eventual) sorcerer supreme along with Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One and(Constantine, Only Lovers Left Alive) Chiwetel Ejiofor (Serenity, 12 Years a Slave) as ‘Karl’ Mordo, Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man, Pawn Sacrifice) Rachel McAdams (The Vow, The Notebook) and Scott Adkins (The Bourne Ultimatum) in yet unknown roles, Amy Landecker (Transparent) and Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal) acting as the film’s villain.

Directed by Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Deliver Us From Evil) and boasting a script by Jon Spaihts (Prometheus, Passengers), Doctor Strange is slated for theater release on November 4, 2016. 

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“When this comic appeared in the early ’60s, it really informed, in a way that is pretty amazing, a lot of the psychedelic ’60s as we know it. I don’t know that they were doing anything weird in the bullpen in Marvel, but certainly the stuff they were doing inspired all those people who were doing mind-expansion experiments at the time. So, that’s inherent to the property. And that’s our mission statement for the visual effects on this movie.”

Benedict Cumberbatch — Doctor Strange himself — added to Feige’s description with; “There’s all sorts of craziness [in Doctor Strange]. Falling, flying, jumping, fighting, punching, getting punched. It’s really rough and tumble.”

A psychedelic, ‘rough and tumble’ superhero movie utilizing magic? Could be interesting. But what of the film’s cast? After all, a film relies heavily on the characters portrayed in it, right?  Particularly when it comes to the film’s villain/s. With Cumberbatch playing the lead role, and being supported by brilliant actors such as Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Mads Mikkelsen, expectations can be pretty high.

“Mads is playing our main villain,” said executive producer Stephen Broussard.

To this reveal, Feige added; “We will take audiences through sort of a guide to the multiverse, other dimensions, and there are amazing things out there — wonders that are going to be hopefully visually extremely interesting and unique to this movie. But there are also very scary things in these other dimensions. Mads’ character is a sorcerer who breaks off into his own sect. [He] believes that the Ancient One is just protecting her own power base and that the world may be better off if we were to allow some of these other things through.”

And as for actor Rachel McAdams ever-elusive role in the upcoming film? “Rachel McAdams plays a fellow surgeon that has a history with Strange and is his sort of lynchpin to his old life, once he steps into he role of a sorcerer,” says Feige. “She is someone he connects with at the beginning, and reconnects with, and helps anchor his humanity.”

Broussard added to the discourse with; “Rachel McAdams is sort of [Doctor Strange’s] contemporary in the modern-day New York world, before and after he goes on this crazy journey. “So, she sees him before, she sees him after. She’s kind of this audience point of view.”

With this new bit of info, my earlier prediction of McAdams playing the role of Clea has been shot full-on in the face. Indeed, McAdams — based on Feige and Broussard’s clues — is in fact NOT Strange’s predestined and highly power mage apprentice, but rather a non-magical character named Gina Atwater.

Atwater, a fellow surgeon and estranged (no pun intended) ex of Strange, appeared in the 2007 animated film Doctor Strange: The Ssorcerer Supreme, in which Atwater served a very similar role as the one Feige and Broussard hint to with McAdams.

Doctor Strange is slated to hit theaters on November 4, 2016. As always, stay plugged in to SE for more Comic Nook News as it develops.

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