I've always liked Dr Strange but there have only really been three runs that really appealed to me: the Ditko originals, the first Engelhart run (Caterpillars et al), and the Stern period with Tom Sutton and later Paul Smith on art. Everything since then has veered from quite good to not good. The current series is on the quite-good end of the spectrum.

The problem is that the comics medium has moved on since the days of Dr Strange's inception. He was rooted in pulp literature, of the line of occult detectives that extends back to Semi-Dual and Carnacki. Borrowed tropes include the sanctum sanctorum, the wise foreign mentor, the ethnic manservant, the rescued exotic princess, the menacing foreign counterpart enemy etc. These are all classics of their time but in days of more enlightened multiculturalism and sensitivity to appropriation they can be more difficult.

There has also been a lot of development in the fantasy genre since 1963. Leia Organa became the patron saint of rebel princesses from evil bloodlines. Generations of elitist gentlemen occultists were offended and outdated by John Constantine and his copycats. Magic was changed by Hogwarts and The Exorcist. It's no longer enough to wave one's arms around and shout the name of a made-up supernatural entity. In fact, Dr Strange has the same problems that the movie John Carter experienced: many of the innovations from the original have been borrowed and improved upon and run into the ground by later but better-known works.




A little more backstory would have been welcome, though. For example, comics' Baron Karl Amadeus Mordo came from a Transylvanian elitist lineage of sorcerers and once had a family. His study of the mystic arts was informed by a deep knowledge of magical tradition. His clash with Strange was really old-world European noble vs brash new world colonial upstart to shape the world's future; the American War of Independence in miniature.

I don't mind that they changed Mordo's ethnicity, but every change to some of those old Marvel stories weakens some period trope that they drew upon. A younger Aunt May? An AI Jarvis? A "dead" Jan van Dyne? You'd better plan to put something in that's just as good as what you cut out. So far to my view, they haven't.




Agreed. Something that explained why his dialogueless minions were following him would have been nice.




I'd be okay with Clea taking over McAdams' body or appearance. After all, when a half-Faltinean incarnates, why should she look at all human unless she chooses to?




I liked them too, but I spotted one continuity error that bugs me. In a nice throwaway link in the scene leading to Strange's car crash, he turns down operating on "some pilot who crashed his flight suit", a clear nod to Rhodey in Civil War. So that establishes Strange's origin as being post-CW. But in Cap 2: Winter Soldier, Strange is already known and is on SHIELD's watchlist, one of three names reeled off by Sitwell as being on HYDRA's hit list: "Tony Stark, Stephen Strange, Bruce Banner..."

Anyway, a fun film with some remarkable visuals. I look forward to seeing it again on DVD.

Not being aware of them, the loss of some of those original tropes and themes (especially in regards to Mordo) obviously didn't bother me much, but I can see how they added to the concepts as a whole and I can agree that their removal should be offset.

The cultural sensitivity aspect on this film was always going to be a hot-button topic. Personally, I think they handled it decently, but then I was never part of the injured parties in those regards. Still, I like that they maintained the trope of traveling to the Far East for mystical enlightenment even as they made it a global practice (I felt like it was missing a comment about Strange traveling around the world when the same group had an office in Manhattan.). As such, I though making the ancient one a Celtic woman deftly avoided the whole "magical minority helps the white man become the true hero", but I see that many are still writing editorials about "whitewashing" anyway.




It's the one area where I thought that the sole focus on Strange hurt things... that rift between sorcerers who wanted to use magics to make all death needless and a thing of the past and those who had strong beliefs about not interfering with the natural order of things needed some more exploration, especially to really drive home Mordo's feeling of betrayal in regards to the Ancient One.

Hopefully, if a sequel does focus on Mordo, it'll get more showing there.




I hadn't considered that possibility, but that would make for an interesting twist on things.




I had been thinking about that myself. I saw someone claim that the director denied that it was Rhodey they were referencing, which seems downright silly (people speculated it could have been one of Justin Hammer's test pilots), but maybe they did think it boxed them in too much? Either way, Avengers Tower is quite clearly part of the skyline early in the film, so it's not like they could go back much before Cap 2 anyway.

For me, the best solution to this is a bit of time manipulation... say Hydra has pictures of Doctor Strange showing up at some point in the past where Stephen Strange clearly couldn't have been if he was normal. Be it during the Infinity War or some other future adventure, drop Strange back to the past and they've got this covered... and luckily, a certain artifact makes this easily a possibility.

To be fair, Mordo was pretty much a stereotypical heel-turn apostle evil opposite of Dr Strange for the first twenty-fiver years of his literary life. I think it was Roy Thomas in Dr Strange Sorcerer Supreme who filled in details and backstory about the lineage of mystical Mordos, supplying the abusive father that was de rigeur for all 80s and 90s comics characters, an arranged marriage, and a daughter who might later become Baroness Mordo and take on Strange after her father's supposedly-permanent demise.

I'd have to check when Clea morphed from hostage to be rescued (first appearances) through live-in disciple (some excellent Frank Brunner art, I recall) to kickass Dark Dimension rebellion leader (excellent Paul Smith art - Clea attracts some qualisty artists). She was revealed as a dimensional princess pretty early on, daughter of Orini who had ruled his plane before it was conquered by Dormammu and Umar and he was reduced to steward. Later Umar was revealed as her mother, putting her firmly into the "villain's beautiful only daughter and heiress" trope. I don't know whether she or Leia got to do the rebel thing first.

Unfortunately, once you go the rebel-leadership plot and you liberate your homeland and bercome its powerful queen, there are strictly limited number of feasible plots you can be part of. The long-distance relationship never really worked and Clea has not had an original or effective plotline since the late 80s.




As a Briton with Celtic ancestry I am deeply offended at the cultural appropriation of Celtic themes and beliefs (such as baldness and being Tilda Swanson) perpetrated by this American imperialist movie!







It would have been nice to see a more shaded argument before Kaecillius went horribly guylinered.










I like your explanation much better.