Marvel’s Doctor Strange Problem Will Only Get Worse

The MCU has a Doctor Strange problem, and it will only get worse during the Multiverse Saga. Perhaps the best example of an incredibly important Marvel comic book character that had little to no pop culture impact before the MCU, Doctor Strange made his big screen debut in 2016. Although it took six years before Doctor Strange (2016) got a sequel, Benedict Cumberbatch reprised his role as Doctor Strange in multiple movies, with the character even being referred to by many as the MCU’s next Iron Man. However, despite Doctor Strange’s importance to the MCU, the character is being mishandled.

Doctor Strange had a huge presence in Marvel’s Phase 4. What If…? saw Benedict Cumberbatch voice two versions of Doctor Strange, neither of which were the version from the MCU movies. Strange then returned for Spider-Man: No Way Home, with the now former Sorcerer Supreme playing a key role in the multiversal Spider-Man crossover featuring Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and previous Spider-Man villains. After sealing the fate of Peter Parker, Doctor Strange returned for his first solo adventure in six years, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. However, Strange was reduced to a plot device in both of those movies, a problem that will only get worse.

Doctor Strange (2016) Is Still The MCU’s Best Strange Story

Six years after Doctor Strange’s MCU debut, the first Doctor Strange movie is still the best Strange story, which is a problem. Doctor Strange came in relatively late in the MCU compared to other Marvel heroes, but the addition of Stephen Strange right at the beginning of Phase 3 made sense. Unlike the comics, the MCU could only introduce and deal with so many Marvel characters at a time, especially in a pre-Disney+ MCU era. With Avengers: Age of Ultron splitting the original Avengers and introduction of new characters, the MCU was ready for characters like Scott Lang and Stephen Strange.

At the same time, the MCU was still a couple of years away from Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. As such, unlike Ant-Man and the Wasp or Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange didn’t have to worry too much about the events of previous or upcoming Avengers movies. Compared to other MCU solo adventures, Doctor Strange is relatively self-contained. Similar to Iron Man and other MCU Phase 1 movies, Doctor Strange focused on its titular character first rather than on the larger universe. That is something recent MCU movies and shows have struggled with, even origin stories, as the Marvel universe has now become bigger than ever.

Many MCU movies and shows have tried to replicate the Iron Man formula when it comes to origin stories, and it was Doctor Strange that came the closest to it. Despite introducing concepts like magic and the multiverse, Doctor Strange is an overall simple origin story that puts Stephen Strange at the heart of the movie. Audiences get to follow Doctor Strange from his days as a famous surgeon who puts his career and ego in front of everything to the formation of the future Avenger Doctor Strange, all without losing what makes MCU movies engaging. Doctor Strange has a character arc in the movie, which Stephen is now lacking.

MCU’s Infinity Saga Made Doctor Strange Into A Plot Device

After a strong MCU debut, Doctor Strange ended up becoming a plot device during the rest of the Infinity Saga. To be fair, Doctor Strange has been used as a plot device in the comics for decades, with many stories focusing on Doctor Stranger’s powers rather than on the character himself. That happens especially in Avengers or other crossover stories, as they do not have enough room for all the heroes to be developed as a solo title does. Something similar has happened in the MCU, which is a problem for Doctor Strange as the character would only get another solo movie close to the end of the MCU’s Phase 4.

Despite stealing the show in Avengers: Infinity War, Doctor Strange didn’t really have a character arc in Marvel’s most ambitious crossover event. That was not something exclusive to Doctor Strange as Infinity War featured almost 80 MCU characters in two and a half hours. Still, given that Doctor Strange would only get another solo movie in 2022, Infinity War could have explored Doctor Strange as a character more. Instead, Doctor Strange’s role in Infinity War was limited to protecting the Time Stone and setting up a plan to defeat Thanos. In fact, Infinity War’s story only works because Doctor Strange as the sorcerer could look into the future and “allow” the Avengers to lose.

Between Doctor Strange and Infinity War, Strange briefly appeared in Thor: Ragnarok, with Strange’s role in the story limited to helping Thor and Loki find Odin. With Doctor Strange gone at the end of Infinity War and everything pointing to Avengers: Endgame being an “original Avengers” story, the prospect for Doctor Strange in Endgame was not very exciting. As it had been theorized, Doctor Strange and the other erased Avengers returned only at the end of Avengers: Endgame ahead of the final battle. Once again used as a plot device, Doctor Strange guided Iron Man to victory against Thanos after helping the iconic Endgame portal scene happen.

Multiverse Of Madness Continued The MCU’s Doctor Strange Problem

The end of the Infinity Saga could have been a fresh start for Doctor Strange in the MCU. However, the MCU quickly began to set up its next major arc with Loki and What If…? introducing the concept of the multiverse. Even before the announcement of the Multiverse Saga, it seemed clear that the multiverse would be a central element in the MCU’s next saga. With Marvel Studios now allowed to use the X-Men and The Fantastic Four, plus the continuation of the Marvel and Sony deal, the MCU had all the tools to create crossover events even more ambitious than Infinity War and Endgame.

In that scenario, Doctor Strange became a multiverse plot device. While What If…?’s Doctor Strange episode was one of the best Doctor Strange moments in the entire MCU, Spider-Man: No Way Home made Doctor Strange a plot device once again. Strange’s only purpose in No Way Home is to make the multiverse Spider-Man crossover possible as well as perform the “Spider-Man reboot” with the memory spell. Doctor Strange was barely a character in No Way Home, which even led to theories that No Way Home’s Doctor Strange could have been an evil Doctor Strange variant. Not even Doctor Strange 2 could give Doctor Strange a satisfying arc amidst so many plotlines.

Though Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is technically a solo movie, it played out more like a crossover event than an actual Doctor Strange film. Sam Raimi was able to add heart into an epic story featuring dozens of Marvel characters, yet most of the character moments in Doctor Strange 2 are reserved for Scarlet Witch’s journey. Having Wanda as the villain in Doctor Strange 2 was tricky, and it could only work if the Doctor Strange sequel dedicated a lot of screen time to its antagonist. As such, Multiverse of Madness’ Scarlet Witch was a co-lead as much as she was the villain.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness also had to introduce and establish America Chavez, who might be a key character for the MCU’s Multiverse Saga given her unique multiverse powers. Not only that, but Doctor Strange 2 dealt with the Darkhold, Incursions, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and the Illuminati all in one movie. Strange was close to a supporting character in Multiverse of Madness, something that perfectly summarizes the MCU’s Doctor Strange problem.

Doctor Strange Has To Be More Than A Plot Device In Secret Wars

Whether Doctor Strange will be in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is difficult to say, but the comics suggest that Doctor Strange will be involved in the MCU’s version of Secret Wars. In fact, Doctor Strange is already helping the MCU set up Avengers: Secret Wars. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness introduced the concept of Incursions, a world-ending event heavily featured in the 2015 Secret Wars comic book arc. Incursions were the multiversal threat that led to Secret Wars and that would later lead to the merging of Marvel’s Earth-616 and the Ultimate Universe, something that the MCU could replicate.

Doctor Strange now knows about Incursions and the powers that can cause them, meaning that Strange can be a key character for Avengers: Secret Wars when it comes to the multiverse plot. In Doctor Strange 2’s post-credits scene, Strange was warned by Clea that an Incursion was happening, which can lead right into Secret Wars. The problem, however, is that Doctor Strange 3 will most likely happen after Avengers: Secret Wars. Therefore, Strange will once again have his character arc spread across crossover movies. That can lead to another Infinity War/Endgame scenario, in which Doctor Strange was nothing but a plot device.