Line #18 YMMV/DoctorStrange2016


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2	* AccidentalAesop:
3	** The moral presented in the first act -- which kicks off Strange's entire journey -- is "don't use your cell phone and drive", even though this has little to do with the movie's overall message. That being said, there ''is'' a message telling audiences not to text and drive in the credits, so perhaps this isn't as incidental as it initially appears.
4	** While Strange has a certain proclivity for it, the way he got his magical power was by studying hard, training harder, and generally maintaining a good work ethic. Though this is something of an {{Accidental\|Aesop}} SpaceWhaleAesop, since none of us are learning magic anytime soon.
5	** Supposedly forbidden magic can be used for benevolent purposes, as The Ancient One demonstrates in defending Earth from the invasion of Dormammu using power from The Dark Dimension. Indeed, Dr. Strange used the [[spoiler:Time Stone]] to prevent a crisis that probably could not be averted otherwise.
6	** Always save before a boss fight. There's no shame in SaveScumming.
7	* {{Anvilicious}}: Near the beginning of the movie, Strange engages in a degree of distracted driving seen in PublicServiceAnnouncement advertisements. There is a warning against distracted driving at the end of the credit roll. The consequences -- primarily the damage to the driver's hands -- drive the plot immediately following the accident in a believable way, and even at the end -- after going up multiple ranks on the Super Weight scale -- the main character has still not recovered full use of his hands.
8	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The first released sample of Giacchino's score, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4uoNAFfvKg "The Master of the Mystic End Credits,"]] has received much praise for its unique blend of instruments and styles, with the end result being just as grandiose, majestic, and trippy as one would expect for a film about the Sorcerer Supreme. It has been compared favorably to Music/PinkFloyd, among other things.
9	** Giacchino's score as a whole is this, deftly combining action bombast with mysticism in a manner appropriate to the character.
10	* 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]].
11	* BrokenBase:
12	** 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 of being 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.
13	** The humorous tone of this movie. Some people enjoyed it, other people would've preferred more seriousness and others like some of the humor but didn't cared much for the other. It shouldn't help that [[NeverTrustATrailer the trailers made the movie looked more serious without hinting at all the humorous moments.]]
14	* CaptainObviousReveal: Especially for comic-book readers, the revelation that the Eye of Agamotto is [[spoiler: one of the Infinity Stones (the Time Stone, specifically)]] is no great surprise.
15	* CargoShip: Dr. Strange/The Cloak of Levitation. It obviously likes Strange and cares about him, and although the film doesn't make it seem truly romantic, there's a not-inconsequential portion of the fanbase who ships them (whether seriously or as a CrackShip).
16	* CompleteMonster:
17	** [[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.
18	** Alexander Irvine's {{novelization}}: [[TheDreaded The Dread Dormammu]] is the [[DimensionLord ruler]] of the Dark [[Characters/MCUDimensions Dimension]] and seeks to bring all of existence into his realm of eternal torment, having already captured countless planets to subject them to endless torture. Reaching out to Kaecilius and [[ManipulativeBastard manipulating him]] into becoming a willing servant, Dormammu has him attack the three Sanctums across the world, weakening the magical barriers around Earth enough for him to invade. Attempting to suck all of Earth into his hell dimension and only being stopped by [[Characters/MCUStephenStrange Dr. Stephen Strange]] trapping him in a time loop, Dormammu repays Kaecilius for his efforts by trapping him and his Zealots in the Dark Dimension, with Strange witnessing countless of Dormammu's previous followers having already been trapped in the same manner.
19	* CrackShip: Dr. Strange/[[Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar Everett Ross]] due to the fact that the latter is played by Creator/MartinFreeman, who costars with Cumberbatch on Series/{{Sherlock}}.
20	* CrossesTheLineTwice: [[spoiler: Strange's first death at the hands of Dormammu is horrifying. Before his second death, you realize [[GroundhogDayLoop what he's doing.]] Then you laugh at Dormammu's plight and the various over-the-top deaths afterwards.]]
21	* EnsembleDarkhorse: Despite the [[BadassCape Cloak of Levitation]] being simply an accessory for Strange, it has gained quite a good amount of popularity for being an EmpathicWeapon who tends to act more competent than Strange himself during the battles. It also has engaged in some SilentSnarker with Strange himself, providing a lot of laughs when it does.
22	* EvilIsCool: Dormammu, who's an EldritchAbomination (or more like an EldritchLocation personified) with an EvilSoundsDeep voice and is [[InvincibleVillain essentially omnipotent]], only losing thanks to a GroundhogDayLoop scheme created by Doctor Strange.
23	* FanPreferredCouple: Going by [[https://i.imgur.com/Tq77KCJ.png AO3]], [[FoeYayShipping Strange]]/[[MentorShip Mordo]] is easily the most popular ship in the fandom.
24	* FanPreferredCutContent: There is a sizeable number of viewers who felt that the death of Strange's sister Donna (played by Creator/LuluWilson) should have remained in the final cut as it gave Strange more depth than the supposedly arrogant and materialistic neurosurgeon that we see at the start of the film. Sentiments only increased following ''Film/DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness'' where Donna gets briefly namedropped without any build-up.
25	* 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 ''ComicBook/DoctorStrangeTheOath'' 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]].
26	* {{Fanon}}:
27	** A common fan-theory is that the man with intense spinal damage that Strange was told about early in the film is the [[Film/IronMan2 very unlucky Hammer Industries pilot]] who had [[BodyHorror his spine twisted 180 degrees]] due to a malfunction while testing out [[ShoddyKnockoffProduct a knockoff of the Iron Man suit]]. Adding further credence to it is that the accident is explicitly mentioned to have been caused while testing a power suit, but it's not entirely clear if it was that specific test or another similar case (multiple attempts have been made to rip off the Iron Man suit, after all). Other fanon assumed that it was referring to [[spoiler:Colonel Rhodes]] injury in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', but Creator/KevinFeige likewise jossed the latter theory, as the film is chronologically set before the events of ''Civil War''.
28	** Thanks to [[https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2014-06/9/21/enhanced/webdr08/anigif_enhanced-buzz-22827-1402365307-4.gif this gif]] of Creator/ChiwetelEjiofor petting a [[EverythingsCuterWithKittens cat]], fandom (or at least the Strordo shippers) depicts Mordo as a KindHeartedCatLover with a fondness for rescuing street cats[[note]]Frequently accompanied by jokes that Stephen is Karl's latest stray he rescued from a back alley, complete with him asking Mom!TAO if he can keep him[[/note]].
29	* HarsherInHindsight:
30	** [[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/WhatIf2021'', 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]].
31	** Strange's frustrations about how warnings tend to come ''after'' the spell become this big time after the events of ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'' [[spoiler: after he fails to properly warn Peter of the consequences of casting the amnesia spell, resulting in Peter's panic derailing the spell, and ultimately causing a considerable amount of pain for poor Peter.]]
32	* HilariousInHindsight:
33	** About a month after the film's release, Creator/HideoKojima released a trailer for his upcoming game ''VideoGame/DeathStranding'', which featured Creator/MadsMikkelsen [[http://www.push-start.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/death-stranding-tga-585x390.jpg with oil in his eyes]] that resembled Kaecilius's scars.
34	** At first sight, the movie retreads a lot of ground we've already seen in the first ''Film/IronMan1'', with the traumatic injury and BreakTheHaughty theme -- then you realise that Marvel has already been establishing its own special connection between their ultimate ScienceHero and the Sorceror Supreme... the [[MemeticMutation Awesome Facial Hair Bros.]]
35	** Doctor Strange was first shouted out in ''Film/SpiderMan2'' when Jameson and Hoffman were discussing what to call Doc Ock. Not only is Sam Raimi now set to direct this film's sequel, but said sequel is also confirmed to connect to ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome''...which features Alfred Molina's incarnation of Doc Ock ''and'' [[spoiler: Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man]]!
36	** This wouldn't be the last time that Creator/MadsMikkelsen would portray an evil sorcerer [[Film/FantasticBeastsTheSecretsOfDumbledore who would want to use dark magic to take destroy the world]].
37	* HoYay: Mordo worries about Stephen's [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything heart]] during the multiverse sequence, and when Strange enters the Dark Dimension in the finale, Kaecilius has an interesting choice of words to taunt Mordo with: "Even Strange has left you".
38	* IKnewIt: A lot of folk had already deduced that the Eye of Agamotto is [[spoiler: an Infinity Stone, and more specifically the Time stone,]] since the first good look at it, based on such things as its color, [[http://www.ew.com/article/2015/12/29/doctor-strange-benedict-cumberbatch-powers comments by Feige on its abilities]], and the fact that [[spoiler: with the ''Infinity War'' film fast approaching, the then-unknown stones would need to be introduced somewhere]].
39	* ItsTheSameNowItSucks:
40	** One of the most common criticisms of this movie is that it's very similar to the past MCU movies in structure, plot, and focus. In particular Stephen Strange's personality and character arc feels like a retread of Tony Stark's in the first ''Film/IronMan1'' [[note]] I.E. "arrogant and brilliant rich guy has an accident, develops new abilities, and becomes a superhero"[[/note]].
41	** The score has received mixed reactions, with some saying that it feels too similar to the work Giacchino did for the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' films.
42	* JustHereForGodzilla:
43	** A large part of the viewing audience is mainly interested in this film to see Creator/BenedictCumberbatch.
44	** Pre-release (a case could be made for post-release as well) the people who wanted to watch the film only did so to see their favorite actor, be it Creator/BenedictCumberbatch, Creator/TildaSwinton, Creator/ChiwetelEjiofor, or Creator/MadsMikkelsen.
45	** Early trailers also made it clear the movie held the promise of mind-blowing visual effects on the level of ''Film/{{Inception}}''.
46	* LauncherOfAThousandShips: Doctor Stephen Strange is shipped with Christine, Mordo, Wong, Tony Stark, the Cloak of Levitation... Needlessly to say, he's become this.
47	* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt: Given that [[spoiler:Wong]] had been confirmed to appear in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' around the time the movie was released internationally, those that paid attention to the announcement knew that [[spoiler:his death would be undone before the end of the movie]]. On a meta level, [[spoiler:given that Wong was only put in the film to offset the criticisms of making the Ancient One white, it's highly unlikely they would then kill him off permanently and make the issue even worse.]]
48	* MemeticMutation:
49	** The set photos of Strange and Mordo battling Kaecilius in the streets of New York (many of which look very {{Narm}}y out of context and without visual effects) have already become fodder for jokes. Some fans have even edited footage of the airport fight from ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' to include shots of Strange awkwardly prancing about while the other heroes rush into battle.
50	** Photos of Benedict Cumberbatch [[http://mashable.com/2016/04/04/benedict-cumberbatch-jhu-comic-books-doctor-strange/#0L_Cta2Kgaqn buying Doctor Strange comics while in full costume]] are making the rounds on message boards, usually captioned along the lines of "You may be cool, but you'll never be Benedict-Cumberbatch-buying-Doctor-Strange-comics-while-dressed-as-Doctor-Strange cool."
51	** Doctor Strange's "Teach me" at the end of the trailer is quite memetic. A pretty popular joke with it is pointing out how the Ancient One is Marvel while Doctor Strange is [[Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse DC]], begging to be taught how to make a good movie.
52	** "[Dormammu], I've come to bargain" has been a pretty popular saying ever since the movie was released, especially in the context of Marvel Studios attempting to reacquire the film rights to the X-Men and Fantastic Four ("Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox, I've come to bargain!").[[labelnote:Explanation (spoilers)]]In order to halt Dormammu's invasion of Earth's dimension, Strange travels to the Dark Dimension and initiates a GroundhogDayLoop. The line stems from Strange's repeated introduction to Dormammu and repeats every time Dormammu kills him until Dormammu relents and lets Strange name his terms for the bargain.[[/labelnote]]
53	*** It's also become quite popular among the PC Gaming community for whenever a [[http://www.memecenter.com/fun/7126677/zelda-breath-of-the-wild-hunt/comments console-exclusive game starts getting amazing reviews]].
54	** Ever since Cumberbatch was cast, the joke that he and Creator/RobertDowneyJr's Tony Stark should have a conversation that results in one saying "No shit, Sherlock." has become rather popular.
55	** It's become commonplace that because of Doctor Strange's brief stint of being a TimeMaster calls forth him setting clocks back an hour for Daylight Savings Time ([[https://twitter.com/Marvel/status/795279583188815872 even Marvel got into it]]) and becoming friends with [[Series/TheFlash2014 Barry Allen.]]
56	** Following the endings of ''Series/WandaVision'' and ''Series/{{Loki\|2021}}'' Season 1, it has become popular to joke about Strange's reaction to the ensuing events (especially the [[spoiler:unraveling of the Multiverse]]). It helps that both shows tie into ''[[Film/DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness Multiverse of Madness]]'', with Creator/ElizabethOlsen and Creator/TomHiddleston slated to appear in it.[[note]]There was a meme that Stephen would be the exhausted OnlySaneMan following Wanda and the Lokis screwing with magic and spacetime respectively, but it became a DiscreditedMeme once ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'' rolled around and Stephen caused a multiversal crisis with a reckless spell casting.[[/note]]
57	* {{Moe}}: Oddly enough, the Cloak of Levitation. Many people who saw the movie found it to be ''adorable''.
58	* MoralEventHorizon: See [[MoralEventHorizon/MarvelCinematicUniverse here]].
59	* {{Narm}}: See [[Narm/MarvelCinematicUniverse here]].
60	* OlderThanTheyThink: This film is usually credited as the point when the MCU embraced magic, as Thor and the Asgardians were treated as SufficientlyAdvancedAliens. However, this is only true for the films. The second season of ''Daredevil'' introduced The Hand, who perform supernatural feats, although keeping the mystery of MaybeMagicMaybeMundane. ''Agents of SHIELD'' then introduced Ghost Rider, who was openly and explicitly supernatural.
61	* PortmanteauCoupleName: Stephenie (Stephen Strange/Christine Palmer) and Strordo (Stephen Strange/Karl Mordo).
62	* QuestionableCasting: 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.
63	* RootingForTheEmpire: At least [[http://www.theverge.com/2016/11/7/13551328/doctor-strange-supervillain-origin-story-marvel-comics-morality one review]] sees Strange as a supervillain while sympathizing with [[spoiler:Mordo]].
64	* SignatureScene:
65	** 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.
66	** Coming in a close second is Doctor Strange and Mordo trying to escape Kaecilius in the Mirror Dimension, showcasing the sheer surrealness the Mirror Dimension is capable of.
67	* SpiritualAdaptation:
68	** As pointed out [[https://youtu.be/y2AEXOlfYnM?t=5m35s here]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sMUVCVbU7s here]] by Creator/JeremyJahns and Couch Tomato respectively, this movie makes a better adaptation of ''Franchise/GreenLantern'' than [[Film/GreenLantern2011 the 2011 movie]].
69	** Creator/LewisLovhaug once described the film as "''Series/{{House}}'' if he were a superhero".
70	* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: Michael Giacchino's main theme bears quite a similarity to his work on ''Film/StarTrek2009''.
71	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The Ancient One's origins being changed from Tibetan to Celtic has caused no small amount of anger on the Internet, with commenters saying that Marvel, in the pursuit of maximum profits, is trying too hard not to offend the Chinese government and cinema censors. Though once the film came out, the reveal that casting the role as Asian would have meant [[spoiler:the film killing off its only Asian character (considering Wong was only put in after this decision was made) in favor of a white guy]] led some to grudgingly accept it as the least bad option.
72	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter:
73	** Kaecilius; [[spoiler: the prequel comic released before the movie revealed exactly why he wanted to gain access to the Dark Dimension and use the power of Dormammu: to save his family. In the film, however, this is not mentioned; he talks about immortality for ''everyone'', and deliverance from the pain of loss, but without his backstory, his emotional rhetoric holds less weight.]]
74	** [[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 ''even more insane'' than the animated movie.]]
75	** Christine Palmer doesn't have much of a role in the movie other than as Strange's temporary love interest. Case in point, she doesn't even get to interact with any other characters other than Strange, even though she is directly involved in a few of the movie's major plot points, such as [[spoiler:helping Strange to defeat one of Kaecilius's followers in the astral realm and trying to save the Ancient One]].
76	** The film's main Aesop is that the passage of time, and with it death, are natural things that must be accepted in order to live a full life. It's pretty glaring that Strange's backstory, wherein his sister Donna drowned when they were children, was relegated to a deleted scene, since this is exactly the sort of thing that would tie the movie's message to Strange's own arc.
77	* ThisIsYourPremiseOnDrugs: The visuals of the other dimensions are extremely trippy, to the point that Dr. Strange first asks the Ancient One what was in the tea she served him. Even once he (and the audience) understands what he's looking at, it's still a bit like being trapped in an Escher painting when the walls start folding around.
78	* UnexpectedCharacter:
79	** Creator/MadsMikkelsen's character was expected to be an iconic Doctor Strange villain, such as Nightmare or Dormammu. Instead, he's Kaecilius, a ''servant'' of Baron Mordo in the comics.
80	** Likewise, it was a shock that Creator/RachelMcAdams would play Christine Palmer. Many assumed that she would be playing Clea, given the MCU's tendency to use the most iconic LoveInterest from the comics.
81	** Even though she only appears unidentified in a brief cameo, ''nobody'' expected Tina Minoru, a ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' character (and mother of Nico Minoru), to show up in this movie. Same goes for Daniel Drumm, who is at least tied to the comic book Strange's supporting character Brother Voodoo.
82	* 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 its 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.
83	* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: Needless to say, the effects work for both the magic and alternate dimensions are ''spectacular''. It quickly joined ''Film/{{Gravity}}'' with numerous people urging that even if you dislike 3D movies, this one should absolutely be seen in the format.
84	* WTHCostumingDepartment: Some people assumed that the Ancient One would be Celtic themed since the character herself is Celtic, but were disappointed that the character still dresses like a Tibetan monk.

Context YMMV / DoctorStrange2016