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Stephen Strange (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

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"Doctor Strange (Marvel Cinematic Universe)" redirects here. For the 2016 film, see Doctor Strange (2016 film).

Stephen Strange
Marvel Cinematic Universe character
Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange in Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
First appearanceDoctor Strange (2016)
Based on
Doctor Strange
by
Adapted by
Portrayed byBenedict Cumberbatch
In-universe information
Full nameStephen Strange
Alias
  • Doctor Strange
Title
Occupation
AffiliationMasters of the Mystic Arts
Weapon
NationalityAmerican

Stephen Strange, often referred to as Doctor Strange, is a fictional character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film franchise, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. He first appeared as the main character in the eponymous film released in 2016, as a brilliant but arrogant surgeon, who, after a career-ending car crash, discovers magic and becomes a Master of the Mystic Arts, using his newfound powers to protect the Earth from magical and extraterrestrial threats. The character also has a minor role in Thor: Ragnarok (2017), and has a main role in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) which is followed by an appearance in Avengers: Endgame (2019). Strange is expected to return in a supporting role in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), and the main role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).

In all of his appearances, he is played by Benedict Cumberbatch, who received critical acclaim for his performance and was nominated for several awards. Doctor Strange's character, while well-received, was more praised for his later appearances, as many felt he works better in a supporting capacity rather than the lead.[3]

History

The character of Doctor Strange was originally created in the 1960s. Artist Steve Ditko and writer Stan Lee have described the character as having been originally the idea of Ditko, who wrote in 2008, "On my own, I brought in to Lee a five-page, penciled story with a page/panel script of my idea of a new, different kind of character for variety in Marvel Comics. My character wound up being named Dr. Strange because he would appear in Strange Tales."[4] In a 1963 letter to Jerry Bails, Lee wrote:

Well, we have a new character in the works for Strange Tales (just a 5-page filler named Dr. Strange) Steve Ditko is gonna draw him. It has sort of a black magic theme. The first story is nothing great, but perhaps we can make something of him-- 'twas Steve's idea and I figured we'd give it a chance, although again, we had to rush the first one too much. Little sidelight: Originally decided to call him Mr. Strange, but thought the "Mr." bit too similar to Mr. Fantastic – now, however, I remember we had a villain called Dr. Strange just recently in one of our mags, hope it won't be too confusing![5]

Following a 1978 film adaptation also titled Dr. Strange,[6] various incarnations of a Doctor Strange film adaptation had been in development since the mid-1980s, until Paramount Pictures acquired the film rights in April 2005 on behalf of Marvel Studios. In the mid-2000s, Kevin Feige had realized that Marvel still owned the rights to the core characters of the Avengers, which included Strange. Feige, a self-professed "fanboy", envisioned creating a shared universe just as creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby had done with their comic books in the early 1960s.[7] In 2004, David Maisel was hired as chief operating officer of Marvel Studios as he had a plan for the studio to self-finance movies.[8] Marvel entered into a non-recourse debt structure with Merrill Lynch, under which Marvel got $525 million to make a maximum of 10 movies based on the company's properties over eight years, collateralized by certain movie rights to a total of 10 characters, including Doctor Strange.[9] Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer were brought on board in June 2010 to write a screenplay. In June 2014, Derrickson was hired to direct and re-write the film with Spaihts. Cumberbatch was chosen for the eponymous role in December 2014, necessitating a schedule change to work around his other commitments. This gave Derrickson time to work on the script himself, for which he brought Cargill on to help. The film began principal photography in November 2015 in Nepal, before moving to the United Kingdom and Hong Kong, and concluding in New York City in April 2016.

Characterization

Benedict Cumberbatch
Cumberbatch at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con

He is first referenced as merely "Stephen Strange" in dialogue by Agent Sitwell in the 2014 film Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and first appears in the 2016 film Doctor Strange, in which he is portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch.[10] Cumberbatch reprises the role in the films Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame.[11][12][13] He will reprise the role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which was originally set to release on May 7, 2021,[14][15] but due to the COVID-19 epidemic the release date was delayed to March 25, 2022.[16]

In his first feature-length appearance in the MCU, Dr. Strange is a neurosurgeon who, after a car crash that led to a journey of healing, discovers the hidden world of magic and alternate dimensions.[10] Cumberbatch described Strange as arrogant, with the film "about him going from a place where he thinks he knows it all to realizing he knows nothing."[17] He compared the character to the version of Sherlock Holmes that he portrays in Sherlock, calling both characters "intelligent" and having "smatterings of the same colors".[18] The film's mysticism resonated with Cumberbatch, for whom spirituality has been important since he spent his gap year teaching English at a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Darjeeling, India.[19][20] Strange's abilities in the film include casting spells with "tongue-twisty fun names", creating mandalas of light for shields and weapons, and creating portals for quick travel around the world. Strange is also aided by a Cloak of Levitation for flight, and the Eye of Agamotto, a relic containing an Infinity Stone that can manipulate time.[21][22] Cumberbatch took great care in defining the physical movements and gestures for the spells, knowing that they would be noted and studied by fans.[23] He described these gestures as "balletic" and "very dynamic",[24] and received help with finger-tutting movements from dancer JayFunk.[25]

Later, Strange has become a Master of the Mystic Arts.[26] Markus and McFeely described Strange in Infinity War as "[ending] up being the reasonable adult in the room" with the "widest perspective available".[27] Aaron Lazar served as Cumberbatch's stand-in until the latter completed filming on The Current War (2017). At that point, Cumberbatch re-shot scenes where his face needed to be seen.[28] Julian "JayFunk" Daniels once again assisted Cumberbatch with his finger-tutting movements.[29]

Appearances

Further information: Doctor Strange (2016 film), Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Fictional character biography

Becoming a Master of the Mystic Arts

Further information: Doctor Strange (2016 film) and Thor: Ragnarok
Benedict Cumberbatch on the set of Doctor Strange in 2015.

In 2016, Stephen Strange is a wealthy, acclaimed but arrogant neurosurgeon, who severely injures his hands in a car crash while en route to a dinner, leaving him unable to operate. Fellow surgeon and former lover Christine Palmer tries to help him move on, but Strange ignores her attempts and vainly pursues experimental surgeries to heal his hands, at the cost of his wealth. Strange learns about Jonathan Pangborn, a paraplegic, who he had refused to treat earlier due to perceiving him having little chance of recovery but had mysteriously regained use of his legs. Pangborn directs Strange to Kamar-Taj, where he is rescued from a band of thieves attempting to steal an expensive watch of his and taken in by Mordo, a sorcerer under the Ancient One. The Ancient One demonstrates her power to Strange, revealing the astral plane and other dimensions such as the Mirror Dimension. She reluctantly agrees to train Strange, whose arrogance and ambition remind her of renegade sorcerer Kaecilius, who had recently stolen pages out of a vital book from the Kamar-Taj library. Strange studies under the Ancient One and Mordo, and from ancient books in the library that is now guarded by Master Wong. Strange learns that Earth is protected from threats from other dimensions by a shield generated from three buildings called Sanctums, in New York City, London, and Hong Kong, which are all connected and accessible from Kamar-Taj. Strange uses his impressive memory and progresses quickly, secretly reading the text from which Kaecilius stole pages, learning to bend time with the mystical Eye of Agamotto. Mordo and Wong catch Strange in the act and warn him against breaking the laws of nature, drawing a comparison to Kaecilius' desire for eternal life. After Kaecilius uses the stolen pages to contact Dormammu of the Dark Dimension and leads an attack on the New York Sanctum, killing its guardian, Strange holds off the attackers with the help of the Cloak of Levitation until Mordo and the Ancient One arrive. Mordo becomes disillusioned with the Ancient One after Strange reveals that the Ancient One has been drawing power from the Dark Dimension to sustain her long life. Kaecilius later mortally wounds the Ancient One and escapes to Hong Kong. Before dying, she tells Strange that he too will have to bend the rules to complement Mordo's steadfast nature to defeat Kaecilius. Strange and Mordo arrive in Hong Kong to find Wong dead, the Sanctum destroyed, and the Dark Dimension engulfing Earth. Strange uses the Eye to reverse time and save Wong, then enters the Dark Dimension and creates a time loop around himself and Dormammu. After repeatedly killing Strange to no avail, Dormammu finally gives in to Strange's demand that he leave Earth and take Kaecilius and his zealots with him in return for Strange breaking the loop. Strange returns the Eye to Kamar-Taj, and takes up residence in the New York Sanctum to continue his studies and keeps a watchlist of various threats to Earth.

In 2017, when Thor and Loki arrive in New York, Strange traps Loki in a portal and invites Thor to the New York Sanctum, where he questions his motives for bringing Loki to Earth. Thor explains they are searching for their father, so Strange locates Odin, releases Loki, and sends the two into a portal to Norway.

Infinity War and resurrection

Further information: Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame

In 2018, Strange and Wong are talking in the New York Sanctum when Bruce Banner crash-lands through the roof. He informs Strange and Wong of the imminent threat of Thanos. In response, Strange recruits Tony Stark to help. Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian, members of the Children of Thanos, arrive to retrieve the Time Stone kept by Strange in the Eye of Agamotto, and end up drawing the attention of Peter Parker, who arrives to help. Maw captures Strange, but fails to take the Time Stone due to an enchantment, so he takes him to his spaceship to be tortured until he breaks the spell. However, Stark and Parker infiltrate the ship, kill Maw, and rescue Strange. Landing on the planet Titan, where Maw is supposed to meet with Thanos, the trio meet Peter Quill, Drax the Destroyer, and Mantis and together form a plan to combat Thanos once he arrives. While waiting for him, Strange uses the Time Stone to view millions of possible futures, seeing only one in which Thanos loses. The heroes along with Nebula fight Thanos, and are nearly successful in removing his Infinity Gauntlet with the Infinity Stones, until an enraged Quill unintentionally breaks their hold on him. After a brief duel with Thanos, Strange is defeated while Stark is mortally wounded, but is spared when Strange surrenders the Time Stone. Once the Blip happens, Strange tells Stark there was no other way and disintegrates.

In 2023, Strange is restored to life and transports Parker and the Guardians via a portal to the destroyed Avengers Compound on Earth to join the final battle against an alternate Thanos and his army. During the battle, he hints at Stark that this is the one future in which they win. After Stark sacrifices himself to win, Strange attends his funeral.

Reception

The Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy called Doctor Strange "smartly cast",[33] while Alonso Duralde, reviewing for TheWrap said that the film was "smart enough to bring in great British actors to make the predictable paces and life lessons feel fresh and fascinating".[34] Mara Reinstein of US Weekly criticized the film but praised Cumberbatch's "alluring powers" in the role,[35] while Adam Graham of The Detroit News said, "Cumberbatch is wildly charismatic in the lead role... But that's the thing: He's a better party guest than he is a host. Doctor Strange is a fine introduction, but by the end, you're not sad to be headed for the door".[3]

For his performance, Cumberbatch was nominated in 2016 for a Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actor in an Action Movie,[36] and in 2017 for a Saturn Award for Best Actor in a Film,[37] and a Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor in a Fantasy Film.[38]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Doctor Strange On Screen". marvel.com. Marvel. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  2. ^ "Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange) On Screen Full Report". marvel.com. Marvel. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Graham, Adam (November 5, 2016). "Review: 'Doctor Strange' a mixed bag". The Detroit News. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  4. ^ Ditko, Steve (w). "Toyland: "Martin Goodman/Stan Lee"" The Avenging Mind (April 2008). Robin Snyder and Steve Ditko.
  5. ^ "The Marvel Age of Comics, A letter written by Stan Lee to super-fan Dr". April 9, 2014. Archived from the original on April 9, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  6. ^ Ryan, Mike (June 4, 2014). "The Bizarre Case of the 1978 Doctor Strange Movie". ScreenCrush. Archived from the original on October 5, 2015.
  7. ^ Russo, Tom (April 25, 2012). "SUPER GROUP". Boston.com. Archived from the original on November 22, 2013.
  8. ^ Leonard, Devin (May 23, 2007). "Marvel goes Hollywood". Fortune. p. 2. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
  9. ^ Vincent, Roger (September 6, 2005). "Marvel to Make Movies Based on Comic Books". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 16, 2014. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
  10. ^ a b Strom, Marc (December 4, 2014). "Benedict Cumberbatch to play Doctor Strange". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on December 4, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  11. ^ Breznican, Anthony (November 5, 2016). "Doctor Strange revelations: Secrets and Easter eggs from the new Marvel movie". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 5, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  12. ^ Simpson, George (September 26, 2016). "Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange CONFIRMED for Avengers: Infinity War". Daily Express. London, United Kingdom. Archived from the original on September 26, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  13. ^ Collis, Clark (October 13, 2016). "Doctor Strange will play a 'very, very important' role in the MCU, Marvel Studios president says". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 14, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  14. ^ It's Official: Benedict Cumberbatch Is Confirmed for Doctor Strange Sequel by Natalie Zamora, 12-12-18. <http://mentalfloss.com/article/567460/benedict-cumberbatch-confirmed-doctor-strange-sequel>
  15. ^ Goslin, Austen (July 20, 2019). "Marvel announces Doctor Strange 2 for 2021 at SDCC". Polygon. Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  16. ^ McClintock, Pamela; Couch, Aaron (April 24, 2020). "'Spider-Man' Sequel Delays Release to November 2021 Amid Sony Date Shuffle". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  17. ^ Rosen, Christopher (July 23, 2016). "Doctor Strange is more important than The Avengers, jokes Benedict Cumberbatch". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 25, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  18. ^ Collis, Clark (July 15, 2016). "Doctor Strange: Benedict Cumberbatch casts a spell in new Comic-Con poster". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 18, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  19. ^ "Benedict Cumberbatch plays Edmund Talbot" (Press release). BBC. May 19, 2005. Archived from the original on January 5, 2015. When I heard about the gap year of teaching English at a Tibetan monastery, I knew I had to do something about it really quickly otherwise it was going to get allocated... I worked for six months to drum up the finance as it was voluntary – there was no income. I worked in Penhaligon's the perfumery for almost five months and I did waiting jobs... The monastery was a fantastic experience; you lived your life by very limited means, although you were given board and lodgings.
  20. ^ Chai, Barbara (January 5, 2015). "Benedict Cumberbatch on the Beauty of Alan Turing, the Bile of Richard III and the Spirituality of Doctor Strange". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on January 5, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  21. ^ Collis, Clark (December 29, 2015). "Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige explains the powers of Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 30, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  22. ^ Krupa, Daniel (October 26, 2016). "13 Coolest Doctor Strange Easter Eggs, References, and Trivia". IGN. Archived from the original on October 28, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  23. ^ Collis, Clark (December 28, 2015). "This Week's Cover: Benedict Cumberbatch casts a spell as Doctor Strange in EW's First Look issue". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 28, 2015. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  24. ^ Collis, Clark (December 28, 2015). "'Doctor Strange': 6 EW Exclusive Photos of Marvel's Most Mystical, Magical Movie Ever – The Doctor Is In". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 28, 2015. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  25. ^ Marvel Entertainment (October 20, 2016). Benedict Cumberbatch on Donning the Red Cloak at Marvel's Doctor Strange Red Carpet Premiere. YouTube. Event occurs at 3:05. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  26. ^ Simpson, George (September 26, 2016). "Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange CONFIRMED for Avengers: Infinity War". Daily Express. Archived from the original on September 26, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  27. ^ Couch, Aaron (April 30, 2018). "How 'Avengers: Infinity War' Writers Crafted Its Ambitious Ending". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 1, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  28. ^ Johnson, Richard (January 12, 2017). "This Cumberbatch body-double is basically a Cumber-twin". Page Six (New York Daily News). Archived from the original on January 16, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  29. ^ Sobon, Nicole (June 15, 2017). "Benedict Cumberbatch Arrives on Avengers: Infinity War Set". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on June 17, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  30. ^ Breznican, Anthony (November 5, 2016). "Doctor Strange revelations: Secrets and Easter eggs from the new Marvel movie". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 5, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  31. ^ Sobon, Nicole (June 15, 2017). "Benedict Cumberbatch Arrives on Avengers: Infinity War Set". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on June 17, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  32. ^ Collis, Clark (October 13, 2016). "Doctor Strange will play a 'very, very important' role in the MCU, Marvel Studios president says". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 15, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  33. ^ McCarthy, Todd (October 23, 2016). "'Doctor Strange': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 23, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  34. ^ Duralde, Alonso (October 23, 2016). "'Doctor Strange' Review: Benedict Cumberbatch Brings a Little Magic to the Marvel Universe". TheWrap. Archived from the original on October 23, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  35. ^ Reinstien, Mara (November 2, 2016). "'Doctor Strange' Review: Benedict Cumberbatch Brings His Magic to a 'Convoluted' Marvel Offering". US Weekly. Archived from the original on November 3, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  36. ^ Coggan, Devan (December 1, 2016). "Critics' Choice Awards 2017: La La Land, Moonlight, Arrival lead movie nominees". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  37. ^ McNary, Dave (March 2, 2017). "'Rogue One,' 'Walking Dead' Lead Saturn Awards Nominations". Variety. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  38. ^ "Teen Choice Awards 2017: 'Riverdale,' Fifth Harmony Shut Out Competition". Variety. August 13, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
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