After years of trying to get into the Marvel fandom, it has been made apparent that I cannot get myself to sit through almost two decades of superhero movies. However, I can appreciate the complex stories that the writers have so meticulously put together (although from what I’ve heard, they’ve recently been running out of ideas). From playboy geniuses to mini trees, there are a plethora of heroes to obsess over. My personal favorite is Doctor Strange, and below are some reasons why!
1. Doctor Palmer/Sorcerer Supreme
I feel like it would’ve been pretty predictable if Strange and Palmer became romantically involved, but I like that Palmer ended up marrying someone else. Furthermore, Strange doesn’t seem all that uncomfortable at her wedding, exemplifying his journey toward humility after he begins as an egotistical genius surgeon. The writers also show his acceptance of not being the best through making Wong Sorcerer Supreme instead. To be transparent, I didn’t watch any of the films between the first and second movies, so maybe those would contextualize the writers’ choice more.
2. Faith
Aside from Strange’s humility, he also has to step away from his very empirical perspective of the world in order to regain control of his hands. However, his scientific point of view also slows his progress toward mastering sorcery, further augmenting the emotional growth he undergoes in order to fulfill his later goals.
3. Visual Effects
Obviously, with the sorcerers’ ability to manipulate different dimensions, the producers had to show their immense power visually. The VFX team did a great job at making the effects both mindbending yet comprehensible at the same time, and they were shockingly realistic. While I was watching, I felt disoriented enough to understand what the initial experience was like for Strange, but I never felt like an outsider from the movie’s universe itself.
4. Character Design
While this is less about the movie and more about the Doctor Strange franchise as a whole, the overall design was so engaging. Every single actor, from the main characters to all the sorcerers training at Kamar-Taj, had such detailed costumes. It even looked like the background characters’ costumes were made with thick, high quality fabric, making it drape across their bodies beautifully. I also love Strange’s little stripe of white hair!