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Stephen Strange (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

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Stephen Strange
Marvel Cinematic Universe character
Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange in Doctor Strange (2016)
First appearanceDoctor Strange (2016)
Based on
Doctor Strange
by
Adapted by
Portrayed byBenedict Cumberbatch
In-universe information
Full nameStephen Strange
Alias
Title
Occupation
Affiliation
Weapon
Significant othersChristine Palmer (formerly)
OriginNew York City
NationalityAmerican

Stephen Strange is a fictional character portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise—based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name—commonly known by his academic title of Doctor Strange. He first appeared as the main character in the eponymous film (2016), as a brilliant but arrogant neurosurgeon, 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. He later becomes the new Sorcerer Supreme following the Ancient One's death, and allies with the Avengers.

As of 2021, Strange has appeared in four films and will appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) and in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).[3] Alternate versions of Strange also appear in the animated series What If...? (2021), most notably a version called Doctor Strange Supreme.

Cumberbatch has received critical acclaim for his performance as Strange and was nominated for several awards.

Concept and creation

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.

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 group, 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 severely wounded, but is spared when Strange surrenders the Time Stone. Once the Blip occurs, Strange tells Stark there was no other way and disintegrates.

In 2023, Strange is restored to life by the Avengers and he along with Wong and the other Masters of the Mystic Arts transport Peter Parker, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Wakandans, the Asgardians, and the Ravagers via a portal to Earth to join the final battle against an alternate Thanos and his army. During the battle, Strange keeps the battlefield from being flooded by the sea and he hints at Stark that this is the one future in which they win. After Stark sacrifices himself to defeat Thanos, Strange attends his funeral.

Alternate versions

See also: What If...? (TV series)

Several alternate variants of Strange appear in the animated series What If...?, with Cumberbatch reprising the role.

Doctor Strange Supreme

Further information: What If... Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?, What If... Ultron Won?, and What If... the Watcher Broke His Oath?

In an alternate 2016, Strange seeks out Kamar-Taj and becomes a Master of the Mystic Arts after Palmer dies in a car crash while he was left uninjured. He then makes countless attempts to reverse Palmer's death using the Eye of Agamotto, but fails no matter what he tries and is informed by the Ancient One that the event was an irreversible "absolute point" in time, as the resulting paradox would damage the fabric of reality. Strange refuses to listen and flees to the Library of Cagliostro, where he spends centuries absorbing magical beings and becoming a monstrous version of his former self, now called Doctor Strange Supreme. Learning that the Ancient One used a spell from the Dark Dimension to splinter him into two beings to divide his power, with the other half having come to terms with Palmer's death, Strange Supreme confronts his other half and eventually absorbs him before resurrecting Palmer, who is repulsed by his appearance while their universe unravels. Strange Supreme begs aid from the Watcher, an omniscient observer of the Multiverse, only to be refused as the Watcher condemns him for not heeding the Ancient One's warning and that he vowed not to interfere in the Multiverse's events while quoting that his kind aren't gods. As his universe collapses, Strange Supreme helplessly watches as Palmer fades away from existence and he grieves alone in a pocket dimension.

Sometime later, Strange is visited by the Watcher, who seeks his help in defeating another universe's Ultron.

Strange materializes a bar and meets Captain Carter, Star-Lord T'Challa, Thor, Gamora, and Erik "Killmonger" Stevens, who had been chosen by the Watcher as the Guardians of the Multiverse to combat Ultron. While in another universe, Thor prematurely alerts Ultron to their location, prompting Strange to transport a horde of zombies from another universe to distract Ultron as they escaped. On Ultron's home universe, they meet Natasha Romanoff, and the team battle Ultron. After Romanoff and Carter succesffully upload Arnim Zola's analog consciousness into Ultron's body, Killmonger betrays them and is trapped by Strange in a pocket dimension with Zola, and is tasked by the Watcher to watch them for eternity. Strange then quotes "What are friends for"!

Zombie outbreak

Further information: What If... Zombies?!

In an alternate 2018, Strange becomes infected with a quantum virus and is transformed into a zombie. After attacking Bruce Banner outside of the New York Sanctum, he is killed by Hope van Dyne. The Cloak of Levitation rejected him when he became a zombie, attaching itself to Peter Parker and later to the jar holding Scott Lang's head.

Appearances

Benedict Cumberbatch
Cumberbatch at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con

Benedict Cumberbatch portrays Stephen Strange in the MCU films Doctor Strange (2016), Thor: Ragnarok (2017),[10] Avengers: Infinity War (2018),[11] Avengers: Endgame (2019),[12] Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). Cumberbatch also a variant of Stephen Strange dubbed "Strange Supreme" in three episodes of What If...? (2021): "What If... Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?", "What If... Ultron Won?", and "What If... the Watcher Broke His Oath?".[13][14][15]

References in other media

Characterization

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. 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]

Reception

The Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy called Doctor Strange "smartly cast",[30] 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".[31] Mara Reinstein of US Weekly criticized the film but praised Cumberbatch's "alluring powers" in the role,[32] 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".[33]

For his performance, Cumberbatch was nominated in 2016 for a Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actor in an Action Movie,[34] and in 2017 for a Saturn Award for Best Actor in a Film,[35] and a Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor in a Fantasy Film.[36]

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. ^ 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.
  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. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ Grauso, Alisha (September 1, 2021). "What If...? Episode 4 Cast Guide: Every New & Returning MCU Character". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on September 1, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  14. ^ What If...? [@WhatIfOfficial] (August 30, 2021). "Doctor Strange Supreme arrives in the fourth episode of Marvel Studios' #WhatIf, streaming Wednesday on @DisneyPlus" (Tweet). Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021 – via Twitter.
  15. ^ Bradley, A.C. (September 1, 2021). "What If... Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?". What If...?. Season 1. Episode 4. Disney+. Opening credits occur from 0:42–1:43, with the end credits beginning at 32:40.
  16. ^ Anderton, Joe (March 12, 2021). "New Falcon and the Winter Soldier clip from Disney+ features big Doctor Strange debate". digitalspy.com. Digital Spy. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  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. ^ McCarthy, Todd (October 23, 2016). "'Doctor Strange': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 23, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  31. ^ 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.
  32. ^ 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.
  33. ^ Graham, Adam (November 5, 2016). "Review: 'Doctor Strange' a mixed bag". The Detroit News. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  34. ^ Coggan, Devan (December 1, 2016). "Critics' Choice Awards 2017: La La Land, Moonlight, Arrival lead movie nominees". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  35. ^ McNary, Dave (March 2, 2017). "'Rogue One,' 'Walking Dead' Lead Saturn Awards Nominations". Variety. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  36. ^ "Teen Choice Awards 2017: 'Riverdale,' Fifth Harmony Shut Out Competition". Variety. August 13, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
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