Disney at it again! A new movie based on an iconic hero in the Marvel Universe is set to hit the theaters this coming November 4, 2016! This announcement was made at a special presentation at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood when Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige announced the hero’s big screen debut. This will be a full feature film and not an animated movie as seen in the past.
Based on a Marvel character created in 1963 by Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, the movie is directed by Scott Derrickson and stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange. This will be the second attempt to make a story about the iconic hero. The first movie was produced in 1978 and was considered a disaster at the time.
Per the information available on the net, it appears the movie will be based on his origin story that appeared in Strange Tales #115. For those of you not familiar with the character Dr. Strange, here is a quick recap for you…..Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange was a brilliant, famous and self-centered New York surgeon that was seriously injured in a terrible car accident. The accident shattered the bones in both his hands and the damage ends his ability to conduct surgery. Dr. Strange then spends his fortune to wander the globe seeking a cure for his condition. This search leads him into the Himalayas where he meets the Ancient one and interns in the use of magic to not only heal himself but help the world.
*SPECIAL NOTE: The Ancient one is the Sorcerer Supreme of the universe. He is portrayed in the comics as an elderly man. In the upcoming movie, the ancient one is a female and is portrayed by actress Tilda Swinton.
Not much else is known about the movie, however fans of Doctor Strange eagerly await the movie’s release. Will he battle his arch nemesis Baron Mordo (former colleague and pupil of the Ancient one turned evil) or will he battle the mystical entity Dormammu? What role will the Sorceror Supreme have in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? All these questions have yet to be answered.
One thing we do know is that Dr. Strange will have his iconic “Eye of Agamotto.” This is a powerful amulet (one of his trademarks in the comics) that calls upon the mystical powers of Agamotto. It is but one of the many powers that our sorcerer utilizes in his magical arsenal. However, unlike the comics – it has been hinted that the eye might contain one of the six infinity stones. According to Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige he says “In this film, the Eye [of Agamotto] is a very important relic that can be quite dangerous if used in the wrong hands, because it has the ability to do any number of things, the most dangerous of which is, it can sort of manipulate probabilities. Which is also another way of saying, ‘screw around with time’ — which is part of our story.” Screw around with time? Is it possible that it could be the Time Stone – one of the two remaining Infinity Stones yet to make an appearance in any of the Marvel movies?
The superhero Dr. Strange first appeared in Marvel Comics in Strange Tales #110. This was a split book comic that shared his story with the feature hero “the Human Torch.” His first story was a five page filler in the comic and introduced the character as the “Master of Black Magic.” Over time Doctor Stephen Strange eventually replaces the ancient one as the Sorcerer Supreme and is hailed as the Master of the Mystic Arts.
Doctor Strange opens in Theaters November 4, 2016. We will update this blog as more information becomes available.