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6 Doctor Strange Moments We’d Love to See in the Film

After such an abysmal summer blockbuster movie season, Captain America: Civil War feels like it came out 5 years ago rather than 5 months ago. With such a dry spell, Doctor Strange (out Nov. 4th) couldn’t come out any sooner.

With Strange, Marvel and Kevin Feige are entering new territory as Phase 3 of the MCU begins. Despite being a fan favorite amongst those who read comics, Doctor Strange is probably the least known superhero that has been put on the big screen thus far, and with that, Marvel must tread lightly. The film is tasked with being a balance of the classic MCU humor and action, but also the mysticism and spirituality that Doctor Strange encompasses. To pull this off will be no small feat. Hopefully, Marvel has chosen the right moments that show off the character without alienating a new fan base.

With that, here are the top moments that we’d love to see in Doctor Strange.

6. The Origin of Dr. Strange

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Well, this one is pretty much a gimme that it will be the film, and I like to be right at least once in an article. From the film’s trailer, we already know that this will be the primary resource for the film’s story. Written all the way back in 1963, Strange Tales #115 “The Origin of Dr. Strange” was Steve Ditko and Stan Lee’s foray into the weird side of comic books.

Telling the story of how Doctor Stephen Strange goes from self-centered, surgeon to magic sorcerer is only the tip of the iceberg of the Doctor Strange stories. Though it is yet another origin story, Doctor Strange’s beginnings differ from others in that he actively searches out for the change in his life rather than it being put upon him. Rest assured, this is one origin story unlike any other.

5. Becoming Sorcerer Supreme

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Another probable choice for the film to pull from. 1973’s Marvel Premiere’s “Creatures from the Crypt” was a story arc that told about (spoiler) the death of Doctor Strange’s mentor, the Ancient One, and how in turn, Doctor Strange took his place as The Sorcerer Supreme, the most powerful mystic in the universe.

This story seems like a logical place for the film to emulate. It fits the usual movie plot of the mentor dying and the protagonist avenging their death by becoming more powerful than they ever believed they could be to defeat the bad guy. Though it is somewhat cliché storytelling, it still gives me chills thinking of those final frames of the film (or even an mid-credit sequence) as Strange finally realizes his true power.

4. Dread Dormammu!

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The Big Bad of Doctor Strange. The demon with the fire head who isn’t Ghost Rider. Dread Dormammu is a demon from the Dark Dimension whose main goal generally encompasses entering our dimension and taking over/destroying it.

Dormammu has immense power, and often brings Doctor Strange to the brink of death (even gruesomely exploding his head in an alternate dimension). Though I suspect the film will focus more on how the Ancient One’s second in command Karl Mordo becomes Doctor Strange’s archnemesis Baron Mordo, one can dream that this fire-headed fiend will make an appearance or possibly a post-credit appearance in the film.

3. Eternity

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One of the more revered stories of Doctor Strange (and technically the world’s first graphic novel) is 1965’s Strange Tales #130-146 “The End at Last” tells the story of how Doctor Strange’s biggest foes, Baron Mordo and Dormammu, team up to finally take down Strange.

Feeling not powerful enough to defeat the duo, Strange scours all the universes for any way in which he could achieve victory. His journey leads him to the ends of the universe where he meets Eternity, the embodiment of universe. In an inspiring “go get ’em” speech, Eternity tells Strange that the power he needs has been inside him the whole time. Adhering to the adage “when the universe tells you something, you listen” (your moms said that to you, right?), Doctor Strange returns to his foes and royally kicks their butts.

This tale is a little two big for this first outing with Doctor Strange, but with any hope, we may see this story play out sometime in the future.

2. Doctor Strange Meets Death

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In the 1974, Doctor Strange met death. This ties into the aforementioned “Creatures from the Crypt” story line, and was Strange’s final task before he could truly become the Sorcerer Supreme.

This, above all, is just a cool thing that Doctor Strange endures. I have no real placement in the MCU for it, or reasoning why it would add on to the greater story of all the superheroes. Doctor Strange vs. Death is just something I would love to see because it would be cement to all viewers that Strange is the BAMF they had never knew they’d been waiting for.

Comparatively…

1. Doctor Strange vs. The New Avengers

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The only modern Doctor Strange story I have one the list, “Strange vs. the New Avengers” (2012) was Brian Michael Bendis’ showcase of how powerful the Sorcerer Supreme really is. Under mind control, The New Avengers (made up of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Vision, Red Hulk, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Spider-Woman, Captain Marvel, Spider-Man, Daredevil, Iron Fist, Thing, and Mockingbird) all try and take down Doctor Strange, and to make a long fight short, Doctor Strange handily takes them down and dispels the mystic spell that had been controlling them. Bendis has always been great about bringing together multitudes of characters and having them fight in spectacular ways, and this situation was no different. It cemented the awesome power that Doctor Strange has, and taught the Avengers some reverence for the mystic.

Though this can’t be expected from upcoming film, it can be expected from future MCU films when Strange joins the big fight against Thanos in future films.

What else would you like to see in Dr. Strange? Did I miss any of your favorite moments of the Sorcerer Supreme?Sound off in the comments or send us your thoughts on Twitter!

About the author

Dustin Molina