The Doctor (Strange) Is In

A reference in Captain America: The Winter Soldier hints at the big bad sorcerer Stephen Strange, but who is he and will he really make an appearance in the Marvel universe?

Recently, Kevin Feige confirmed that a Doctor Strange film is in the works for their Phase 3 agenda of films and this comes after the bombshell easter egg that was dropped in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. During a scene with Captain America, Agent Sitwell mentions significant threats to HYDRA, and one of them is Stephen Strange.

So, who is this mysterious Doctor Strange, and how is he going to fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Doctor Strange was created the year after Marvel introduced us all to Spider-Man. In 1963, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko debuted Doctor Strange in Strange Tales #110, which he shared with the Human Torch. The Doctor carried on in Strange Tales until branching out into his own solo comic in 1968.

Before being granted great powers of illusion and magic, Strange was a brilliant neurosurgeon in New York City; however he was incredibly egotistical and focused his time on his wealth and not his patients. However, he was in a serious car accident that damaged his hands; it ruined his ability to do surgery as he was left with uncontrollable tremors. Instead of falling back on the possibility of teaching, Strange looked for ways to restore his hands, looking to every corner of the Earth for any cure possible.

In his journey’s for a cure, Strange comes across an odd hermit in the Himalayas named the Ancient One, who was the previous Sorcerer Supreme on Earth. Unfortunately, because Strange is so egotistical and selfish he is refused help for his ailments.

Strange manages to redeem himself when he saves the Ancient One from Baron Mordo and the Ancient One teaches Strange the mystic arts and black magic. One of the major parts of the characters mythos is his Sanctum Sanctorum, and his personal servant Wong who maintains the Sanctum when Strange is out.

Strange gets his powers from several mystical entities, such as the Vishanit (Hoggoth, Oshtur, and Agamotto), the Octessence, the Faltine, the Seraphim and Balthakk. Essentially, they all lend their power to a certain effect that Strange can create, like the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, the Winds of Watoomb, Flames of the Faltine, and Shield of Seraphim. Strange also has several artifacts that he can wield; the Cloak of Levitation allows him to fly, the Eye of Agamotto allows him to negate evil magic, his book of Vishanti contains his knowledge of white magic, and the Orb of Agamotto is used similar to a crystal ball. With all of this, he is the Sorcerer Supreme for Earth, and the mightiest magician in the cosmos. Eternity (who is basically the sentience of the Marvel Universe) describes him as “more powerful that any of your fellow humanoids”. On top of all his magic abilities he is also trained in several martial arts, has a genius level intellect and has nearly mastered immortality.

Strange is one of the founding members of one of the strongest comic book teams ever in the Defenders, which was originally comprised of Strange, Hulk, Namor, and Silver Surfer. Strange also has been a part of the New Avengers, Avengers, the Illuminati, The Order, and The Midnight Sons. He has also stepped in to help out everyone along the line from Spider-Man to The Fantastic Four. The Sanctum Sanctorum over the years has also been a safe haven in New York for heroes looking for sanctuary.

So after knowing how and where Strange has come from, (though it’s likly his backstory will be changed quite a bit) and what he is capable of, how is he going to fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

On Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Coulson said that psychics do not exist. In the films, most “magic” has been changed to be representative of alien technology. This is not to say that the writers have decided magic doesn’t exist in the universe, but that it will be just something new they haven’t yet encountered.

One other thing that is directly related to Strange that has appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the Orb of Agamotto, which was in Odin’s vault with other significant weapons from other major characters.

The best way to introduce Strange into what is already a crowded Universe could be a cameo in Avengers: Age of Ultron as an adviser to the team as they battle enemies on all fronts. Other options would be that the Avengers are looking for a safe haven as S.H.I.E.L.D. has been labeled a terrorist organization and most of their agents are on the run, including Nick Fury.

Having Doctor Strange as a credible voice of reason when things are going straight to Hell for our heroes would certainly establish him as what he is in the comics as a mentor to everyone. From that mentor role, they could easily spin out his own film that explores his journey to becoming Sorcerer Supreme, showing his journey from egotistical surgeon to selfless defender of Earth.

With those ideas aside who could really pull off the wisdom and power that Doctor Strange would need to command on screen?

In my mind, there’s only one actor who would be able to bring justice to Strange and that’s Jeffrey Dean Morgan. When he is on screen he conveys a general air of experience and wisdom. As John Winchester in the show Supernatural, he always seemed to have the right advice for his sons, was incredibly protective to them and loyal to the hunting lifestyle. He also played the Comedian in Watchmen so he has no problem playing dark characters.

The fact that this will be a Marvel Studios film bodes well for Morgan as he is a well known actor in geek circles and is not such a huge star that he would overshadow anyone else on the team. All the key components for a great Doctor Strange is there, but we will just have to wait and see who gets to wear the mantle of the Master of Black Magic.

One thing is clear, the future of Doctor Strange appearing in theatres is bright with Marvel putting him in the third phase of their films, as well as the prospect of a cameo in the Avengers films.

Who do you think should play Doctor Strange? Let us know in the comments!