Marvel's Dr Strange is not a stranger to those who love comics. But those who have migrated directly to the movie experience bypassing the comic book are also raving about this film. Dr Strange had its initial release on October 13, 2016, in Hong Kong, and to date it has made nearly US $345 million at the box office.
British actor Benedict Cumberbatch has taken on the mantle of Dr Stephen Strange and he made the character so believable that one can't see any other actor in that role. Dr Strange, a good-looking neurosurgeon, is intelligent and witty but very egoistic and arrogant at the same time. And, oh yes, let's not forget his sexy charm! For Cumberbatch, having played Sherlock Holmes, who was also intelligent but quirky, the role of Dr Strange would not have been too much of a challenge.
So why do we love Dr Strange? For one, unlike the other superheroes, he is actually quite human. He is a regular (albeit handsome) doctor working in a hospital and he goes in search of a cure for a condition he gets after an accident. He is a little off and can be a pain in the neck, like Iron Man. But unlike Iron Man, Strange is much smarter -- he didn't get his love life tangled up with his work and make a mess of it. No siree!
This Marvel superhero is also cute (we can hear men groaning, but he seriously is). Look at his sense of humour and how he wants to make Wong smile with his jokes. It's OK that Wong hasn't heard of Beyonce, but we know Beyonce has heard of Dr Strange.
How Dr Strange develops his powers is quite interesting. He goes to Nepal in search of the Karma-Taj and the Supreme Sorcerer. He learns to manipulate time, to move from his physical to astral body and even how to achieve immortality. This could totally be possible in real life, right? We just need to ask the thousands of tourists who flock to Nepal and India in search of inner peace, meditation, gurus and ashrams.
The Eye of Agamotto and the Cloak of Levitation are the two signature pieces for this Marvel superhero. The Eye of Agamotto actually reminds one of the third eye of Shiva, the Hindu God. (The eye was created by artist Steve Ditko who drew inspiration from The All Seeing Eye of the Buddha.) This a is a very cool signature piece for a superhero. Thor, for instance, has a hammer (how blah), and Superman has super strength (so passé). But they couldn't see the future or screw around with time, could they?
As for the Cloak of Levitation, it allows Dr Strange to fly, but it's not like Superman or Superwoman flying. Strange is far classier when he's up in the air spinning at manic speed or even just simply levitating in his beautiful red cloak. (Take that Batman!)
