Stephen Strange: Doctor Strange Appreciation 2021

[Clea]

Have any of you on this thread ever watched the Italian cult horror film, Suspiria? I understand that it's one of Derrickson's favorite horror flicks and has influenced his thinking about the genre a lot:

https://ew.com/movies/2017/10/06/sus...tt-derrickson/

I've heard that the Doctor Strange comics recently have been influenced by Dario Argento's works and their surreal, dreamlike nature:

https://screenrant.com/doctor-strang...logy-suspiria/

Funny how the comic books and creators of the first Strange movie are gravitating to similar horror influences while the MoM is going in a totally different direction! Wish Derrickson stayed on. His sequel would have definitely lined up more with the comic books!

I've seen the original Argento directed Suspira a few times. It's a pretty film, very stylized, so I can understand why Derrickson would admire it from a directorial perspective. It's a bloody horror story. If I were going to align it with a supernaturally oriented comic, I think it aligns much better with DC's Constantine than Marvel's Doctor Strange. Constantine is purely a horror book character. Doctor Strange is not, though he does have horror-themes in some of his stories. Strange's foes are mainly beings that align with dark mystical power in some way.
I suspect that if you had the chance to ask Derrickson who some of his favorite non-horror film directors are, you'd get a completely different list of directors and stories. Good directors study and appreciate the work of other good directors. It's a good way to hone their own craft and skills. He likes the horror genre so he thinks about other horror directors.

So far as MoM is concerned, Marvel wanted a tentpole multiverse event film with Strange carrying the story. Strange is hot right now, Cumberbatch is/was still under contract, and Doctor Strange's powers and history are perfectly aligned to tell crazy multiverse stories. It might not be the Doctor Strange character study story that I would have preferred to see, but it's still a logical use of the character, especially for this current slate of 'phase 4' Marvel products. I just hope it turns out to be good for what it is: a packed Marvel event story. We'll see.

[Albert1981]

I've seen the original Argento directed Suspira a few times. It's a pretty film, very stylized, so I can understand why Derrickson would admire it from a directorial perspective. It's a bloody horror story. If I were going to align it with a supernaturally oriented comic, I think it aligns much better with DC's Constantine than Marvel's Doctor Strange. Constantine is purely a horror book character. Doctor Strange is not, though he does have horror-themes in some of his stories. Strange's foes are mainly beings that align with dark mystical power in some way.
I suspect that if you had the chance to ask Derrickson who some of his favorite non-horror film directors are, you'd get a completely different list of directors and stories. Good directors study and appreciate the work of other good directors. It's a good way to hone their own craft and skills. He likes the horror genre so he thinks about other horror directors.

So far as MoM is concerned, Marvel wanted a tentpole multiverse event film with Strange carrying the story. Strange is hot right now, Cumberbatch is/was still under contract, and Doctor Strange's powers and history are perfectly aligned to tell crazy multiverse stories. It might not be the Doctor Strange character study story that I would have preferred to see, but it's still a logical use of the character, especially for this current slate of 'phase 4' Marvel products. I just hope it turns out to be good for what it is: a packed Marvel event story. We'll see.

You make a good point about directorial influences. I think Derrickson enjoys the horror genre and that's why he's focused on that. I agree that Constantine is more involved in horror than Strange. I never really considered Strange to be a horror character. When folks think of the horror genre, they're more likely to refer to Stephen KING and not Stephen Strange. I'm a little surprised that you are a bit of a horror aficionado! It's very unladylike in my opinion. I don't wanna get too personal here, but you sound more like a person who would enjoy reading magazine pieces by Joan Didion (RIP) rather than be into "scary movies". I mean, it's not like there are large amounts of women involved in making horror movies. To me it's almost like reading about women who enjoy boxing.

A lot of horror fans are paying attention to the MoM. I've read in other places on the Internet that some folks who have dropped out of the superhero genre altogether are keen on seeing Strange 2 PRECISELY because of Raimi's street cred in the horror genre:

https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/...or-mcu-teaser/

https://bloody-disgusting.com/editor...-spider-man-2/

I had totally forgotten about that hospital horror scene in Spider-Man 2. I mean, yeah it had a lot cheesy PG-13 stuff in it, but that scene FELT ripped right out of a horror flick (minus the blood). Even though this Strange sequel is an event multiverse movie, I'm actually starting to think that it might be just a little bit...Scary? It won't be if the women in it scream like they did in those early 2000s films.

I also find it amusing that you're getting weary of the rapid increase in the number of jokes in these MCU movies and shows. Isn't that a HUGE part of the MCU's appeal? It is for me. I don't go to theaters often (even before the pandemic), but I would have liked to gone to a theater and see you and/or GenericUsername react to jokes like these (in real-time):

"If I had a Black Light, this place would look like a Jackson Pollock Painting."

Or

"You and Banner better not be playing hide the zucchini."

I can TOTALLY picture you ladies rolling your eyes HARD at those jokes. LOL!

I acknowledge some Strange fans are actually dreading that Feige and Raimi will force "braindead cringe jokes every 10 seconds like they do in every single MCU movie" in the MoM. But I'm fine with making this movie fun. Bring on the humor I say! I don't know what people have against laughing.

[Clea]

You make a good point about directorial influences. I think Derrickson enjoys the horror genre and that's why he's focused on that. I agree that Constantine is more involved in horror than Strange. I never really considered Strange to be a horror character. When folks think of the horror genre, they're more likely to refer to Stephen KING and not Stephen Strange. I'm a little surprised that you are a bit of a horror aficionado! It's very unladylike in my opinion. I don't wanna get too personal here, but you sound more like a person who would enjoy reading magazine pieces by Joan Didion (RIP) rather than be into "scary movies". I mean, it's not like there are large amounts of women involved in making horror movies. To me it's almost like reading about women who enjoy boxing.

A lot of horror fans are paying attention to the MoM. I've read in other places on the Internet that some folks who have dropped out of the superhero genre altogether are keen on seeing Strange 2 PRECISELY because of Raimi's street cred in the horror genre:

https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/...or-mcu-teaser/

https://bloody-disgusting.com/editor...-spider-man-2/

...

I find that it's always best to never make assumptions about what someone should like or dislike based on their gender, especially in regards to storytelling genres. I also find it best never to make assumptions about who you're speaking to on internet chat sites such as this site, or make judgments about their real-life demeanor when in fact you don't know that person at all.

If horror film fans are interested in MoM because they enjoy Sam Raimi's work, great! I hope they enjoy the film. Maybe they'll become Doctor Strange fans if there weren't already. That would be nice. I've loved this character for years and it makes me very happy to see new fans get into the character, too. Maybe they'll go on to explore the character in the comics and discover decades worth of wonderful stories. If MoM is a successful film then it's a win/win for everybody from Feige and Disney (who will rake in cash) down to all the fans (who will have a cool movie to enjoy and talk about). If it tanks, I don't really care because I view the MCU as an AU to the comics. When it comes to the Marvel characters, I am a comics fan first and always. If people like MCU Strange but never read the comics, that's fine too. There are no rules for how anyone should enjoy a character or a story.

[Clea]

Death of Doctor Strange mini-series fans: Did you all see this mini-preview of the next issue?

https://www.cbr.com/doctor-strange-b...do-didnt-kill/

[Doombot]

Wasn't Mordo dead? The last time I saw him he was a corpse and had the Asgardian battle axe Jarnbjorn stuck in his chest. This was when Thor was in his "Unworthy" phase.

[DigiCom]

Wasn't Mordo dead? The last time I saw him he was a corpse and had the Asgardian battle axe Jarnbjorn stuck in his chest. This was when Thor was in his "Unworthy" phase.

He's died several times. It never sticks.

[Clea]

If would be so amusing if Marvel would publish an official checklist of every time a character dies and then coms back to life. I'm so curious to know which character has died the most. I didn't know that Mordo was recently dead, too. If anyone deserves to be killed with an Asgardian axe though, it certainly is Mordo.

[Spiderfan001]

If would be so amusing if Marvel would publish an official checklist of every time a character dies and then coms back to life. I'm so curious to know which character has died the most. I didn't know that Mordo was recently dead, too. If anyone deserves to be killed with an Asgardian axe though, it certainly is Mordo.

Ben Reilly has died the most followed by Jean grey.Obv not counting whenever Logan and/or deadpool "die"

But yeah need a list

[Frontier]

Death of Doctor Strange mini-series fans: Did you all see this mini-preview of the next issue?

https://www.cbr.com/doctor-strange-b...do-didnt-kill/

Yeah, if anyone wishes he had actually killed Strange, it'd be Mordo .

[Clea]

Yeah, if anyone wishes he had actually killed Strange, it'd be Mordo .

Seriously! LOL. After I read issue #3, I initially thought Mordo was the murderer, but after a couple days I changed my mind because it was really still too early in the story for it to be him, despite the fact that he had Strange's possessions on him. I'm betting on Plotnick now, the guy from issue #1. It could be someone completely new who strolls into the story in issue #4, of course, like Silver Dagger. I don't know if the murderer's identity will be revealed in issue 4 which is out next week, or held to the very end.

[your_name_here]

I’m going to say something weird like…Dr Strange is the murderer. I don’t know how that works, but it’s a hunch.

[Clea]

I’m going to say something weird like…Dr Strange is the murderer. I don’t know how that works, but it’s a hunch.

That would be weird. You think Blue Cloak Strange did it?

[Frontier]

Merry Christmas .

[Albert1981]

I find that it's always best to never make assumptions about what someone should like or dislike based on their gender, especially in regards to storytelling genres. I also find it best never to make assumptions about who you're speaking to on internet chat sites such as this site, or make judgments about their real-life demeanor when in fact you don't know that person at all.

If horror film fans are interested in MoM because they enjoy Sam Raimi's work, great! I hope they enjoy the film. Maybe they'll become Doctor Strange fans if there weren't already. That would be nice. I've loved this character for years and it makes me very happy to see new fans get into the character, too. Maybe they'll go on to explore the character in the comics and discover decades worth of wonderful stories. If MoM is a successful film then it's a win/win for everybody from Feige and Disney (who will rake in cash) down to all the fans (who will have a cool movie to enjoy and talk about). If it tanks, I don't really care because I view the MCU as an AU to the comics. When it comes to the Marvel characters, I am a comics fan first and always. If people like MCU Strange but never read the comics, that's fine too. There are no rules for how anyone should enjoy a character or a story.

Yeah, I was doing a bit of generalizing there. It was all in good fun though. Plenty of women love sports and horror films. Black Christmas scared me. I favor the movies/shows more than the comics. Because I know the MCU is gonna definitely conclude Strange's story on screen. That's a HUGE plus for me. His arc will have a beginning, middle and end. And his ending might be a happy one, or at least a satisfactory one. I just think Stephen needs a new wig. It looks TERRIBLE on him!

My issue with MoM is that Disney is trying to use it as nostalgia bait by bringing Fox Marvel characters into it (if the CBR rumors I've read about on this website are accurate). I don't exactly blame Marvel Studios for doing that because NWH was a massive success, but I wanna know what they have to do with Doctor Strange. I guess Doctor Doom and the Silver Surfer have a history with Stephen in the comic books, but I don't understand the mutant connection. I just wanna say I'm totally NOT against time travel/multiverse stories. Some of my favorite shows have done it brilliantly on NUMEROUS occasions. I feel Marvel's explanations for its multiverses and time travel are just flat out confusing, and I'm not the only one who feels that way:

https://www.thegamer.com/spider-vers...l-multiverses/

https://www.thegamer.com/loki-ending...e-casual-fans/

I would hate for Strange's second movie to suffer because fans were not able to watch the Disney Plus shows that were released this year. Even if you ignore the multiverse/time travel elements the MCU has introduced this year, I still feel there's far too many characters and movies/series to follow at this point. How many new characters joined the MCU in 2021 alone? How many will debut in the MoM? Marvel doesn't have to make Strange 2 a "busy" movie.

[DigiCom]

I never believe rumors, so I end up being happier in the long run.