Master of the Mystic Arts: Doctor Strange Appreciation

[Clea]

Oh, wow. I can totally see Jon Hamm in this role. That would be great!


Also, I got around to reading the first issue of The Oath yesterday. (I know, it took me a while.) Has there ever been another instance of Strange talking to someone while in astral form?

Yes, he does this a lot.
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[Lady Warp Spasm]

LOL... ^ Oh, Peter. I've always enjoyed Stephen's use of Astral Projection.

[Strangefan]

It's even funnier when he meets you in your dreams. He spoke to Carol Danvers through her cat in a dream, and he's also spoken with Peter Parker. I liked when Strange mentioned something about a draft and Peter realized he was naked. That is the kind of understated humor I REALLY hope they have in his movie. I hate it when writers make it like he is totally dour. Strange just sees the world differently, and different things amuse him.

[JaggedFel]

Maybe. How many people had ever heard of Tom Hiddleston before the Thor movie? Now Hiddleston is fandom's darling and Loki is a hot property in both the movies and comics. Marvel could strike gold again if they cast Strange correctly (and write him well, needless to say).

People need to remember RDJ career was basically dead before he got Iron Man. Sure now he is a major box office draw but before Iron Man, I remember plenty of posters wondering why a washed up actor was getting the job.

[Clea]

It's even funnier when he meets you in your dreams. He spoke to Carol Danvers through her cat in a dream, and he's also spoken with Peter Parker. I liked when Strange mentioned something about a draft and Peter realized he was naked. That is the kind of understated humor I REALLY hope they have in his movie. I hate it when writers make it like he is totally dour. Strange just sees the world differently, and different things amuse him.

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He was a rat once, too.

Strange has a marvelously obscure, dorky sense of humor.

[Strangefan]

msmarvelcatchewie5.jpg

He was a rat once, too.

Strange has a marvelously obscure, dorky sense of humor.

Oh yeah, I remember the rat, and I remember the surprise when he found out it was a girl rat he had been possessing. Hee. I like that Strange treats everyone and everything with the same level of respect regardless of their power levels. He's there to do his job, and doesn't see a different in others doing theirs, and he is happy helping out. He didn't get all grossed out being in the body of a rat, he just went about doing the best he could.

[Joe Acro]

Yes, he does this a lot.

What's that from?


I ask, because I remember the old Gillis story where he was critically injured by Urthona and the only way someone could see his astral form was if he shined the light of the Eye on them first.

[John Venus]

Well, I know who would be perfect for Strange but will never get cast as the character: Dominic Cooper.

I think Gary Oldman and David Thewlis (Remus Lupin from the Harry Potter movies) could work as well. Though they are bit too old now. I know Marvel doesn't mind casting older actors but both of them are in their 50's now. I hope they get someone who is at least in their early 40's to play the character.

Jon Hamm and Richard Armitage work for me from your 'age appropriate' list. Definitely NO to Dempsey, though. And I think they are going to have to get an experienced actor. I think Chris Hemsworth is the only 'unknown' Marvel has cast and he came with Joss Whedon's approval.

I'd say ScarJo and Samuel L Jackson were the only real big names attached to the franchises. The rest were moderately successful but not household name actors until the Avengers came out. RD Jr's was critically acclaimed actor but it was the MCU that made him as famous as he is right now.
I know folks who are huge movie fans but didn't know who Renner and Ruffallo were until the Avengers came out.

If we've gotten Marvel's pattern with casting, they will search for someone who is moderately successful, acted in something similar and then they will attach some big name star in key roles like they did with Jeff Bridge, Anthony Hopkins, Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Redford, Michael Douglas and others to draw in viewers.

[Clea]

What's that from?


I ask, because I remember the old Gillis story where he was critically injured by Urthona and the only way someone could see his astral form was if he shined the light of the Eye on them first.

Marvel Team Up Vol. 3 #11. Strange recruits a bunch of heroes to fight a Skrull super soldier named Titannus.

I think that by default, Strange is invisible in his astral form but he can make himself seen and heard if he wants to. Used to be that if Strange didn't return to his body after 24 hours, his physical body would die and he'd be trapped in his astral form. I don't know if the current writers still go by this rule or not.

[Strangefan]

Read New Avengers 19. Yep, again, Strange is standing around for 3 panels, says not a word. Every single other character said multiple lines. Strange stands there. I know the Annual comes out next week, but Hickman doesn't write that. I don't know why he doesn't give a flying crap about this character that for over a year and a half we have to wait for him to do more than sell his soul. If they write Strange out in the fall with the changes I am dropping this mag.

Big, deep breath.

In 6 weeks we have ComicCon, and I hope the direction Marvel has given the good Doctor makes the turn we hope it does.

[Lady Warp Spasm]

Read New Avengers 19. Yep, again, Strange is standing around for 3 panels, says not a word. Every single other character said multiple lines. Strange stands there. I know the Annual comes out next week, but Hickman doesn't write that. I don't know why he doesn't give a flying crap about this character that for over a year and a half we have to wait for him to do more than sell his soul. If they write Strange out in the fall with the changes I am dropping this mag.

Big, deep breath.

In 6 weeks we have ComicCon, and I hope the direction Marvel has given the good Doctor makes the turn we hope it does.

NA annual is the 25th... but at least we have some moments between Strange and Punisher in Original Sin 4 next week: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?p...ticle&id=53349

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*sigh* Hickman...

[stingnewell]

So I was reading Fearless Defenders and I'm not to familiar with many of Strange's stories but apparently he was married to Clea is that true? Also for personality was Strange always written as a Tony Stark in mysticism Fearless Defenders seems to show off Strange with his own harem. Again haven't read enough of Doctor Strange.

[Clea]

Read New Avengers 19. Yep, again, Strange is standing around for 3 panels, says not a word. Every single other character said multiple lines. Strange stands there. I know the Annual comes out next week, but Hickman doesn't write that. I don't know why he doesn't give a flying crap about this character that for over a year and a half we have to wait for him to do more than sell his soul. If they write Strange out in the fall with the changes I am dropping this mag.

Big, deep breath.

In 6 weeks we have ComicCon, and I hope the direction Marvel has given the good Doctor makes the turn we hope it does.

Strange really hasn't had much to do in this series so far. He wiped Captain America's memory and he got tired of standing around doing nothing so he sold his soul for more power. I don't know if this is proof that Hickman doesn't care about the character though. Possibly his hands were tied while the Marvel PTB were figuring out what to do with the character long term. It's been a long, long time since Marvel really focused on the magical side of the MU. Strange has spent many of the last several years being poorly written or outright de-powered so that they could stick him on an Avengers team. Marvel has freely admitted that they haven't known how to write Strange or deal with magic. Maybe Hickman has just been keeping Strange in a prominent role but not really doing much with him while behind the scenes Marvel was reaching some sort of decision on what being Sorcerer Supreme even means these days. IMO, Strange doesn't really belong in a typical superhero book dealing with aliens anyway. That's not what the Sorcerer Supreme is (or at least was) meant to be dealing with - IMO.

I'm looking forward to the annual, regardless of who wrote it, simply because it looks like it's going to be centered on Strange. It might provide some clues about how Marvel will position the character for the movie and for his eventual solo book.

I plan to read New Avengers through the end of Hickman's run on the book. Afterwards, I don't know. A lot will depend on how the story looks once Marvel completes the jump forward in time. I don't know if Strange will remain on one of the main Avengers teams at that point or if he'll be off in his own book focused back on magic/supernatural threats (which is what I'm hoping).

[Clea]

So I was reading Fearless Defenders and I'm not to familiar with many of Strange's stories but apparently he was married to Clea is that true? Also for personality was Strange always written as a Tony Stark in mysticism Fearless Defenders seems to show off Strange with his own harem. Again haven't read enough of Doctor Strange.

Yes, Strange was/is married to Clea. That scene in Fearless Defenders showing Clea returning to earth only to find Strange sleezing around with a group of young women absolutely baffles me because it was utterly out of character for Strange, IMO. Regardless, in Fearless Defenders Clea was so put off by discovering that Strange was cheating on her like this that she told him that she wants a divorce. We haven't seen Clea since to the best of my knowledge, and I don't believe that she has even been mentioned in the current run of New Avengers, so the whole 'I want a divorce' thing is up in the air. I love Clea and hope that she doesn't just vanish back into character limbo. She does have a fiery temper so it's possible that she misinterpreted something that she saw. Maybe they could eventually reconcile, maybe not. Marvel doesn't seem to like married characters for some reason.

As for Strange acting like Tony Stark... no. Not in character for him at all. He was a playboy in his young, pre-Sorcercer Supreme days but since becoming Sorcerer Supreme he has pretty much only dated one woman at a time or else been involved with/eventually married to Clea.

I hope that once Strange gets his own solo book again that this situation will be addressed. Even if Marvel does decide to officially split them up, I hope they keep Clea around because she's integral to the Dark Dimension storyline.

[stingnewell]

Yes, Strange was/is married to Clea. That scene in Fearless Defenders showing Clea returning to earth only to find Strange sleezing around with a group of young women absolutely baffles me because it was utterly out of character for Strange, IMO. Regardless, in Fearless Defenders Clea was so put off by discovering that Strange was cheating on her like this that she told him that she wants a divorce. We haven't seen Clea since to the best of my knowledge, and I don't believe that she has even been mentioned in the current run of New Avengers, so the whole 'I want a divorce' thing is up in the air. I love Clea and hope that she doesn't just vanish back into character limbo. She does have a fiery temper so it's possible that she misinterpreted something that she saw. Maybe they could eventually reconcile, maybe not. Marvel doesn't seem to like married characters for some reason.

As for Strange acting like Tony Stark... no. Not in character for him at all. He was a playboy in his young, pre-Sorcercer Supreme days but since becoming Sorcerer Supreme he has pretty much only dated one woman at a time or else been involved with/eventually married to Clea.

I hope that once Strange gets his own solo book again that this situation will be addressed. Even if Marvel does decide to officially split them up, I hope they keep Clea around because she's integral to the Dark Dimension storyline.

Thanks good to know, rather disappointed about Fearless Defenders doing the cliche making the all men are pigs.
If the two are separated yet are still allies I would be okay with that, Clea is is important to the Strange mythos
plus if Strange did have to move on I did like the Night Nurse relationship he had going on. As to Strange's character
well all I can say is heres hoping Strange is written into a RDJ character in his movie given how Marvel takes all
their ques from the movies (Hulk and Iron Man anyone).