The next big Marvel Universe adventure hit the cinemas last week, so let’s dive into everything you need to know about the mysterious Doctor Strange before you check it out on the big screen for yourself…
Doctor Who?
Before taking on the role of the primary protector of Earth against magical and mystical threats, Stephen Strange was a well-renowned and brilliant but incredibly vain and arrogant neurosurgeon. His career abruptly comes to a halt after Strange is badly injured in a car accident, leaving him unable to perform surgery
This leads him in to a pit of despair and looks to desperate means in order to return himself to full health. Putting his ego to one side, he learns the secrets of a hidden world of mysticism and alternative dimensions before returning to New York act as an intermediary between the real world and what lies beyond, utilising a vast array of metaphysical abilities and artifacts to protect the world.
Fan favourite Benedict Cumberbatch was chosen over the likes of Tom Hardy, Jared Leto & Keanu Reeves to play the role. Producer Kevin Feige said…
He was someone that we were very interested in for a very long time
Why Now?
Well, it’s actually taken almost 30 years for Doctor Strange to hit the big screen. Back in 1986, a Doctor Strange film was in pre-production with a script written by Bob Gale, who just one year before this co-wrote ‘Back to the Future’! His script is actually available online for those who fancy delving into what 1980’s Doctor Strange could have been.
In 2009, Marvel hired a team of writers to help come up with creative new ways to launch some of its lesser-known characters, such as Black Panther, Iron First, Vision & of course, Doctor Strange.
Producer Feige said that, in Doctor Strange, we would see a new side of Marvel storytelling – “Strange is very, very important, not just because it’s an amazing character study, and a journey of a man who’s gone from this very arrogant surgeon to somebody who is quite zen and literally keeps all of reality together on a daily basis, but it also is going to open up a whole other side of storytelling for our movies”
Other Characters?
Chiwetel Ejiofor: Karl Mordo
Former student of the Ancient One, Karl Mordo is an excellent martial artist and will be played by the excellent Chiwetel Ejiofor. Although he’s an enemy in the comics, don’t look for him to be necessarily a completely villainous character. Rather, he’s an amalgamation of characters culled from Doctor Strange‘s mythology.
Rachel McAdams: Christine Palmer
Rachel McAdams plays fellow surgeon of Strange, Christine Palmer. Feige described the character as a “lynchpin to his old life, once he steps into the role of a sorcerer. She is someone he connects with at the beginning, and reconnects with, and helps anchor his humanity.
Tilda Swinton: The Ancient One
Never one to be typecast, Tilda Swinton plays the ‘Ancient One’ – A Celtic mystic who becomes Strange’s mentor in the film. Swinton’s casting was slightly controversial due to the fact that the character is generally depicted as a Tibetan man.
Love Doctor Strange? Check out Zavvi’s exclusive SteelBook below…
