Doctor Strange (film)

Doctor Strange

Title

Doctor Strange

Aliases

Checkmate (working title)

Release Date(s)

October 26, 2016
November 4, 2016 (USA)

Film Details

Musicians

Michael Giacchino

Cinematographers

Ben Davis

Editors

Wyatt Smith; Sabrina Plisco

Distributors

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Production Companies

Marvel Studios

Running Time

115 minutes

Rating

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action throughout, and an intense crash sequence

Budget

$165 million

Previous and Next Films
Previous	Next
—	Avengers: Infinity War (April 25, 2018) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (May 4, 2022)

The impossibilities are endless.

Appearances

Featured Characters:

Doctor Strange (Dr. Stephen Strange) ⏵ (First appearance) (Joins Masters of the Mystic Arts)

Supporting Characters:

Masters of the Mystic Arts
- Kamar-Taj's Librarian (Death)
- ⏴ Ancient One (Death)
- ⏴ Karl Mordo (Leaves)
- Hamir (First appearance)
- ⏴ Daniel Drumm (Death)
- Sol Rama (First appearance; dies)
- ⏴ Wong ⏵
- ⏴ Tina Minoru (Cameo)
- Unnamed members
Dr. Christine Palmer (First appearance)

Antagonists:

Zealots (Last appearance)
- ⏴ Kaecilius (Last appearance) (Becomes a Mindless One)
- ⏴ Lucian Aster (Death)
- Unnamed members (Last appearance)
Dormammu (First appearance)

Other Characters:

Dr. Patel (First appearance)
Nurse Billy (First appearance)
Dr. Bruner (First appearance)
Dr. Garrison (First appearance)
Dr. Weiss (First appearance)
Dr. Nicodemus West (First appearance)
Jonathan Pangborn (First appearance)
Living Tribunal (Mentioned)
Cyttorak (Mentioned)
Avengers (Mentioned)
Agamotto (Mentioned)
⏴ Stan Lee ⏵
Thor (Cameo)
Loki (Mentioned)
Odin (Mentioned)

Races and Species:

Locations:

Multiverse
- Earth-199999
  - Earth
    - United States of America
      - New York
        New York City
        Manhattan
        Avengers Tower (Cameo)
        
        Metropolitan General Hospital
        
        Greenwich Village
        New York City Sanctum
        Rotunda of Gateways (First appearance)
    - Nepal
      - Kathmandu
        Kamar-Taj
      - Himalayas
        Mount Everest
    - United Kingdom
      - England
        London
        London Sanctum (First appearance)
    - China
      - Hong Kong
        Hong Kong Sanctum (First appearance)
  - Mirror Dimension (First appearance)
  - Astral Plane
  - Quantum Realm (Cameo)
  - Dark Dimension (First appearance)
  - Asgard (Mentioned)

Items:

Crimson Bands of Cyttorak (First appearance)
Shield of the Seraphim
Scythe Daggers
Book of Cagliostro
Book of the Invisible Sun (First appearance)
Codex Imperium (First appearance)
Maxim's Primer (First appearance)
Astronomia Nova
Key of Solomon
Vedic Sanskrit
The Doors of Perception
Sling Ring (First appearance)
Eye of Agamotto (First appearance)
- Time Stone (First full appearance)
Staff of the Living Tribunal (First full appearance)
Vaulting Boots of Valtorr (First full appearance)
Brazier of Bom'Galiath (First appearance)
Cloak of Levitation (First full appearance)
Daggers of Daveroth (First appearance) (Cameo)
Ebony Blade (First appearance) (Cameo)
Wand of Watoomb (First appearance)
Staff of One (First appearance) (Cameo)

Vehicles:

Strange's Lamborghini Huracán Coupé (Only appearance; destruction)

Plot

Plot not yet listed

Cast

Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange / Dr. Stephen Strange^[1]^[2]
- Cumberbatch also provides the facial motion capture for Dormammmu^[3]

Chiwetel Ejiofor as Karl Mordo^[4]

Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer^[5]^[6]
- Kevin Feige describes her character as "a fellow surgeon that has a history with [Doctor] Strange and is sort of his lynchpin to his old life."^[7]

Benedict Wong as Wong^[8]

Michael Stuhlbarg as Dr. Nicodemus West^[9]^[10]

Benjamin Bratt as Jonathan Pangborn^[11]^[12]

Scott Adkins as Lucian Aster^[13]^[14]

Mads Mikkelsen as Kaecilius^[9]^[15]
- Mikkelsen is playing the main antagonist of the film. The character is "a sorcerer who breaks off into his own sect", according to Feige.^[16]

Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One^[17]

Additionally, Zara Phythian, Alaa Safi, and Katrina Durden portray unnamed Zealots. Topo Wresniwiro, Umit Ulgen, Linda Duan, and Mark Anthony Brighton portray Masters Hamir, Sol Rama, Tina Minoru, and Daniel Drumm, respectively. Meera Syal appears as Dr. Patel. Amy Landecker was cast as Dr. Bruner in the film, but the majority of her role was eventually cut from the final version of the film.^[10]^[18] Adam Pelta-Pauls portrays Nurse Billy. Sarah Malin and Eben Young portray Dr. Garrison and Dr. Weiss, respectively. Stan Lee cameos as a bus passenger. Ezra Kahn portrayed the Kamar-Taj librarian. Pat Kiernan appears as himself. Chris Hemsworth reprises his role as Thor Odinson in a mid-credits scene.

Notes

Producer Kevin Feige confirmed the film's title and release date at a press event on October 28, 2014.^[19]
Production on Doctor Strange lasted from late November 2015 to early April 2016.^[20]^[21]
The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 89th Academy Awards.

Trivia

Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn filmed Stan Lee's cameo for this film. Director Scott Derrickson didn't meet Lee in person until the premiere of the film.^[22]
- Lee laughing at a copy of Aldous Huxley's The Doors of Perception was one of the the four cameos shot for the film. The other three were: Stan reading a book and leaning into the person next to him asking if he knew the meaning of "excelsior;" Lee throwing his head back and laughing hysterically while proclaiming to be crazy; and him laughing at a Garfield book hooting, "He hates Mondays but he loves lasagna!" Out of the three, the latter was James Gunn's favorite option, and it even made it to a cut of the movie before being scrapped due to being too long for the scene where it took place.^[23]
Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi wrote and directed the mid-credits scene of the film.^[24]
The psychedelic visuals of the film were inspired by The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Altered States, and Enter the Void.^[25]
Nightmare was considered for the role of main antagonist, but Kevin Feige argued against it.^[26]
The film's third act involving the reconstruction of a city is an intentional inversion of the usual massive property damage featured in superhero films.^[26]
An early version of the film's script had Doctor Strange obtaining the role of Sorcerer Supreme.^[26]