History YMMV / DoctorStrange2016

** Strange's line "Pain and I are old friends" becomes a lot more poignant after you see Benedict Cumberbatch in Series/PatrickMelrose.

* FandomRivalry: Even before she was named, Palmer received heat from [[EnsembleDarkhorse Claire Temple]]'s fans from the Netflix shows for being rumored to be the Night Nurse. Reasons are ranging from being a ReplacementScrappy (especially after Claire was actually called the Night Nurse in ''Series/LukeCage2016''), the racial diversity problem in the film that was already fired up over the casting of the Ancient One, to the casting of Rachel [=McAdams=] in the part, who is much more known for being in romantic films rather than action films (which also drew bad comparisons to fan-favorite Rosario Dawson). In the comics, Palmer is indeed an incarnation of the Night Nurse in the comics, although beyond an homage to the ''The Oath'' miniseries, she does not assume the identity, leaving it open for Claire Temple and thus appeasing fans[[note]] A number of fans [[TakeAThirdOption take a third option]] by having them both share the title of Night Nurse, working together to take care of the wounded heroes of NYC[[/note]].

* WTHCastingAgency: The casting of Creator/TildaSwinton as the Ancient One, who is Tibetan in the comics, is hugely divisive. Some people like it for being an interesting new take on the character while others hate it [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks for the same reason]]. Then you've got people applauding it for using AbilityOverAppearance[=/=]GenderFlip to increase female representation in the MCU, or a good way to avoid the baggage of [[MagicalAsian the original character]], while others hate it for considering it a gratuitous RaceLift that whitewashes a member of a heavily underrepresented minority group. The first trailer, which indicated that the MagicalAsian traits would remain after all, led to an increase in the latter group.

** The casting of Creator/TildaSwinton as the Ancient One has been divisive since it was first announced. While many are glad to have a powerful character be portrayed by a female actor, especially one as accomplished as Swinton, others are upset that the original Tibetan version isn't being used, mostly because at the time it was released, the MCU had yet to feature a heroic Asian person in the films.[[note]]The first Asian-descended performer to get BilledAboveTheTitle as an MCU protagonist, half-Filipino [[Wrestling/{{Batista}} Dave Bautista]], did so for playing an alien, ComicBook/DraxTheDestroyer, in ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014''.[[/note]] It hurts that at the same time, the delay in a casting announcement for ''Series/{{Iron Fist|2017}}'' prompted a discussion of whether he should be Asian in contrast to the white comics character, accused by some to be a MightyWhitey (only getting worse when Creator/FinnJones was confirmed to play the titular Iron Fist). Then the teaser came out and revealed Swinton was still dressed in a distinctly Asian style, prompting yet more questions of why they didn't just cast an Asian actor. Co-writer C. Robert Cargill's comments on it being done to prevent the movie from being BannedInChina due to a potential positive portrayal of a Tibetan character (which the studio itself later denied) added more controversy. He also didn't help things by accusing all the people upset over it of being "Social Justice Warriors", though he later backpedaled on it and said everyone absolutely has the right to have issues with it.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Shares a [[BaseBreakingCharacter/MarvelCinematicUniverse page with the rest of the franchise]].

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Some have argued Kaecilius is a decent antagonist due to an understandable/well-defined motivation and a menacing performance by Creator/MadsMikkelsen, while many others have contested that he and his backstory simply aren't given enough screen-time for him to fully make an impact, and that [[spoiler: he's further marginalized when it turns out he's merely a pawn of Dormammu]].

** [[spoiler:After Strange traps Dormammu in a GroundhogDayLoop via the Eye of Agamotto, Dormammu reminds Strange that he cannot win this way. Strange counters that he can still lose time after time, meaning that Dormammu will be a prisoner in this loop. Cue episode 4 of ''WesternAnimation/WhatIf'', where Strange tries to [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong save Christine from a fatal car crash]] by using that device. [[YouCantFightFate Unfortunately, she still dies with every attempt]], eventually leading to Strange ''destroying the entire universe'' in one last attempt, trapping himself in a tiny crystal dimension. In other words, Strange did lose again and again, and thus became a prisoner to time, both metaphorically and literally]].

* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: Quite a few of the film's visuals are trippy, but the dimension-hopping montage when Strange meets the Ancient One stands out. It's a flurry of warped, colorful universes, featuring images like Strange falling into his own pupil or having hands growing on the ends of his fingers (and the fingers on those hands grow hands, and the fingers on ''those'' hands...) and kaleidoscoping from one world to the next so quickly it's nearly impossible to take in what you're seeing. Of course, the original comic itself could get rather trippy as well.

* CompleteMonster: [[EldritchAbomination Dormammu]], [[DimensionLord lord]] of the Dark [[Characters/MCUDimensions Dimension]], is an "ego run amok" who seeks to [[AssimilationPlot assimilate all life in the multiverse]] and make them an eternally tortured extension of himself. Dormammu is the one who manipulated Kaecilius and his Zealots into evil, preying on Kaecilius's desire for eternal life so Kaecilius will destroy the Sanctums keeping him at bay from Earth. Dormammu only relents from torturing Dr. Strange to death for all of eternity at the realization Strange would trap him in an endless time loop, and leaves after dragging his Zealot followers into the "[[ExactWords eternal life]]" he had promised them.

* MoralEventHorizon:
** Kaecilius crosses it when he is fully willing to [[spoiler:[[BadBoss stab one of his followers]] just to murder the Ancient One]].
** Mordo stops being able to claim the moral high ground in the second [[TheStinger stinger]], as soon as he [[spoiler: takes Pangborn's magic away.]] Bear in mind, [[spoiler: Pangborn]] was an innocent person who wasn't doing any harm, simply [[spoiler: using his magic and the teachings of the Ancient One to live a normal life despite crippling injuries.]] And Mordo [[spoiler: took all of that away because he feels there are "too many sorcerers."]] He took a man's life because of his personal views on magic.

* EvilIsCool: Dormammu, who's an EldritchAbomination (or more like an EldritchLocation personified) with a BadassBaritone and is [[InvincibleVillain essentially omnipotent]], only losing thanks to a GroundhogDayLoop scheme created by Doctor Strange.

* WTHCastingAgency: The casting of Creator/TildaSwinton as the Ancient One, who is Tibetan in the comics, is hugely divisive. Some people like it for being an interesting new take on the character while others hate it [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks for the same reason]]. Then you've got people applauding it for using AbilityOverAppearance[=/=]GenderFlip to increase female representation in the MCU, or a good way to avoid the UnfortunateImplications of [[MagicalAsian the original character]], while others hate it for considering it a gratuitous RaceLift that whitewashes a member of a heavily underrepresented minority group. The first trailer, which indicated that the MagicalAsian traits would remain after all, led to an increase in the latter group.

** The casting of Creator/TildaSwinton as the Ancient One has been divisive since it was first announced. While many are glad to have a powerful character be portrayed by a female actor, especially one as accomplished as Swinton, others are upset that the original Tibetan version isn't being used, mostly because at the time it was released, the MCU had yet to feature a heroic Asian person in the films.[[note]]The first Asian-descended performer to get BilledAboveTheTitle as an MCU protagonist, half-Filipino [[Wrestling/{{Batista}} Dave Bautista]], did so for playing an alien, ComicBook/DraxTheDestroyer, in ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy''.[[/note]] It hurts that at the same time, the delay in a casting announcement for ''Series/{{Iron Fist|2017}}'' prompted a discussion of whether he should be Asian in contrast to the white comics character, accused by some to be a MightyWhitey (only getting worse when Creator/FinnJones was confirmed to play the titular Iron Fist). Then the teaser came out and revealed Swinton was still dressed in a distinctly Asian style, prompting yet more questions of why they didn't just cast an Asian actor. Co-writer C. Robert Cargill's comments on it being done to prevent the movie from being BannedInChina due to a potential positive portrayal of a Tibetan character (which the studio itself later denied) added more controversy. He also didn't help things by accusing all the people upset over it of being "Social Justice Warriors", though he later backpedaled on it and said everyone absolutely has the right to have issues with it.

** This wouldn't be the first time that Creator/MadsMikkelsen would portray an evil sorcerer [[Film/FantasticBeastsTheSecretsOfDumbledore who would want to use dark magic to take destroy the world]].

* VindicatedByHistory: The film wasn't considered bad by any means during it's initial release, but the general consensus was that while it did include some breathtaking special effects, it was mediocre story with a forgettable villain. After the extremely divisive reception of [[Film/DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness film's sequel]] however, many have looked back on this film in a much more favorable light. With a lot viewers appreciating this film's more quiet and introspective tone, especially in the first half and the script being a lot tighter and more focused. Some now even consider it to be one of the best MCU origin stories.

* WhatAnIdiot: Stephen Strange is currently driving in the middle of a roadway while it is dark and rainy, and has received a phone call from his colleague regarding three potential patients that he can operate on.\\
'''You'd Expect:''' Being the genius surgeon he is, that Strange realize that texting in the middle of driving is a really, ''really'', ''really'' bad idea and just tell the caller he is currently driving and could not respond at the moment. Or if he really want to respond, he find some place to park so he can reply safely with little risks of an accident.\\
'''Instead:''' Strange - something of an adrenaline junkie -decides to text ''while'' driving in the middle of a tight road and in a bad weather condition.\\
'''The Result:''' Strange gets into a ''bad'' accident, severely damaging his hands, and begins the TraumaCongaLine that is to follow.

* AuthorsSavingThrow:%%DO NOT DELETE the following; TRS is discussing whether the definition of AuthorsSavingThrow definition should be expanded to encompass entries such as these.
** After the controversial casting of the Ancient One as a white woman, producer Kevin Feige stated that her title is one that many have held throughout history, implying that a more traditional interpretation of the character existed at some point in the MCU's past. While this didn't stop the controversy, it did at least throw fans a bone. Although that's murkier in the film itself, where it's stated that the current holder of the Sorcerer Supreme title is known as the Ancient One because she's held it so long her name has been forgotten and, counterwise, Agamotto was stated to be the first Sorcerer Supreme.
** Wong has been rewritten to have considerably fewer EthnicMenialLabor aspects with the goal of making him a less racially stereotypical character as mentioned below; while his earliest appearances were along the lines of "Asian manservant," in media preceding the movie he's more of a BadassNormal DeadpanSnarker. While the controversy on other decisions remains, this was enough to appease some fans.
** Related, but in a preemptive example of this trope, the main reason Wong was included ''at all'' is because they knew there would be some backlash against the movie over giving the Ancient One role to a white actress instead of an Asian one. Originally, Derrickson wanted to avoid using Wong altogether.
** When Marvel first announced they were preparing for a Doctor Strange film "at some point," Kevin Feige made a few comments about quantum mechanics and laws of probability, and how that weirdness is ground Doctor Strange could explore, leading many fans to be displeased with the idea that Strange's mystic arts would be given a quantum-mechanical-related TechnoBabble HandWave. In response to fears that the MCU was too reliant on ClarkesThirdLaw and ScienceFantasy, especially with the ''Thor'' movies, WordOfGod [[http://www.gamesradar.com/doctor-strange-director-says-the-magic-in-the-movie-will-never-be-explained-scientifically/?utm_content=buffercdf97&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer_tftw stated]] that the magic in ''Doctor Strange'' would be exactly what it looks like and that there would not be any DoingInTheWizard. Come the trailers, it's clear that this magic is ''magic''.
---> '''Scott Derrickson:''' Magic is magic in this movie. It's not something that's explained away scientifically.
** In a franchise-wide example, the reason for Mordo's AdaptationalHeroism. Creator/KevinFeige said that Mordo is kind of a FlatCharacter and CardCarryingVillain in the comics, and since one of the most frequent criticisms of the MCU is that the bad guys tend to be shallow and bland, they felt it'd be better to introduce Mordo as a hero and then have him become an antagonist in future installments, which everyone felt would make for a more interesting and sympathetic villain.
** Although is symptomatic less of Marvel in particular than the entire superhero genre, Scott Derrickson deliberately chose to avoid the cliche "brawl between superpowered beings" climax by having the hero ''[[TheChessmaster outsmart]]'' his enemies, rather than outfight them, specifically by [[spoiler: having Strange trap Dormammu in a StableTimeLoop and only releasing him when Dormammu [[DidYouJustScamCthulhu agrees to leave Earth for good.]]]]

* VindicatedByHistory: The film wasn't considered bad by any means during it's initial release, but the general consensus was that while it did include some breathtaking special effects, it was mediocre story with a forgettable villain. After the extremely divisive reception of [[Film/DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness film's sequel]] however, many have looked back on this film in a much more favorable light. With a lot viewers appreciating this film's more quiet and introspective tone, especially in the first half; the script being a lot tighter and more focused. Some now even consider it to be one of the best MCU origin stories.

** [[spoiler: The Dread Dormammu is also another case of this. He is constantly hinted at throughout the movie, especially when they mention how corruptive the Dark Dimension is, but he only appears when Strange confronts him through the wormhole in the Hong Kong sanctum. On top of that, Dormammu is made so huge that all we see of him is his head (which unlike the comics is ''not'' on fire) and one of his arms (which may or may not be his actual arm, given its size compared to his head). Dormammu also never talks with any of his followers, unlike in the [[WesternAnimation/DoctorStrangeTheSorcererSupreme animated movie that predates this one]], and he actually did manage to reach our realm in that one as well. However, it is fair to say that the Dormammu of that movie was also a GreaterScopeVillain as well as a FinalBoss, similar to the one in this film, but the psychedelic route they went for the effects could have made their conflict ''[[UpToEleven even more insane]]'' than the animated movie.]]

* UnfortunateImplications: The dispute over Creator/TildaSwinton's casting as the Ancient One drew a lot of [[http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-racial-erasure-essay-20160418-story.html criticism]] after the trailer showed that the character, originally thought to be {{Race Lift}}ed in order to remove the MagicalAsian traits, would still retain them, in effect being similar to {{Yellowface}}. It got to the point that co-writer C. Robert Cargill [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEpbUf8dGq0 weighed in]] on this with his personal opinion, saying the Ancient One's casting was "unwinnable" from the beginning, admitting that the whole thing was a Catch22Dilemma: keeping him Tibetan was off the table because ongoing political conflict between Tibet and China could have seen the movie BannedInChina, while casting an actor or actress from any other Asian ethnic group (specifically citing Creator/MichelleYeoh) opens up a whole other [[InterchangeableAsianCultures minefield]] of Unfortunate Implications. Unfortunately this just made things ''worse'' in the eyes of many fans including Creator/GeorgeTakei, who [[https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/may/03/george-takei-whitewashing-doctor-strange-marvel-superhero-movie now accuse Marvel of poorly deflecting the criticism]] rather than owning up and [[MoneyDearBoy sacrificing values for profits]] by bowing to such potential pressure from China. As an additional crinkle, the director [[http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/11/02/doctor-strange-director-owns-up-to-whitewashing-controversy.html considered a middle ground]] changing the character to an Asian woman, but was concerned that would play into another [[DragonLady unfortunate trope.]]

* SignatureScene: Strange's confrontation with Dormammu is easily the most memorable part of the film, due to the sheer creativity put into their "[[GroundhogDayLoop fight]]" in comparison to other MCU climaxes.