Doctor Strange (2016 film)
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Doctor Strange is a 2016 film directed by Scott Derrickson and starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the eponymous Doctor. It is the first introduction of Doctor Strange to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Doctor Strange is introduced as a brilliant, rich, and extremely arrogant neurosurgeon. His overconfidence extends to just about everything, leading him to drive his overpowered car off the road, permanently damaging his hands so that he is unable to perform surgery. After trying and failing to find an effective cure, he hears about a paraplegic patient who had been seen walking around. Strange tracks down the patient, who he'd previously refused to treat, and is told about a mysterious Far Eastern group that teaches sorcery, including the power to heal (or work around) severed nerves. Despite sharing a universe with the likes of Thor, Scarlet Witch and possibly even the Ghost Rider, Strange doesn't believe in supernatural power, but he is forced to accept that the patient can now walk, and goes looking for the sorcerers.
After some testing and pleading, Strange is accepted as an apprentice by the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), a Celtic mystic who lives in Kamar-Taj. There he learns about Functional Magic, the use of "relics", and the dangers of channelling energy from other dimensions. He also learns about Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen), a disaffected former student who is trying to invite an Eldritch Abomination from another dimension to destroy the world.
A sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, was released in 2022. The character of Strange also popped up almost every year in between, appearing in Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: No Way Home. He was also supposed to appear in the Disney+ MCU show WandaVision but Cumberbatch was unavailable for shooting due to the COVID-19 pandemic; despite this, he appears by implication as the origin of the "commercials" that appear in the first several episodes.
- Acid Trip Dimension: We see one or two. Our own dimension also looks like this when Strange and Kaecilius are playing with it.
- Amulet of Concentrated Awesome: "Relics" are this, we see several during the film. Strange manages to be reasonably awesome without them, though.
- The Eye of Agamotto, especially.
- The Cloak of Levitation.
- The Staff of the Living Tribunal.
- The Vaulting Boots of Valtorr.
- Badass Longcoat: The Cloak of Levitation
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Kaecilius and his followers want immortality from Dormammu.
- They also want the world to end.
- Empathic Weapon: Relics choose who they will serve.
- The Cloak of Levitation can fight independently and sometimes disagrees with its wearer about where to go.
- Eldritch Abomination: Dormamu.
- Evil Sorcerer: Kaecilius.
- Gender Flip: The Ancient One.
- Hidden in Plain Sight: The Eye of Agamotto seems powerful enough from the start, but it's revealed to contain an Infinity Stone.
- Magical Gesture: A lot of the magic involves hand movements.
- Pride Before a Fall: How it all started.
- Race Lift: The Ancient One was changed from an Asian man to a Celtic woman for this film. The writers said this was done to avoid the Fu Manchu stereotype and related negative tropes, but a lot of fans saw it as a white-wash. The original character was invented by a couple of white American dudes, mind you.
- Save Scumming: Strange shows he can do this using the Eye of Agamotto. He uses it to defeat Dormammu.
- Thinking Up Portals: One of the first things Strange is shown being taught.
- Time Master: The Eye of Agamotto allows Dr Strange to control time.
- Wizards Live Longer: The Ancient One. The way she achieves this is a bit risky, though.