Suppose S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury assembled a collection of superheroes from the Marvel Comics universe?
That’s roughly the way this movie rolls.
Samuel L. Jackson summons characters Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) to battle semi-deity Loki (Tom Hiddleston).
Are we all set for large screen fun?
Enter Dr. Strange.
Played with tormented pathos by Hungarian actor Hanno Beresch, this arcane master of magic first appeared in a 1963 Marvel Comic edition of Strange Tales. He was never very popular or accessible unless your brain was bobbing in lysergic acid. The aptly named hero traveled to strange dimensions and fought even stranger villains such as Dormammu who had a head of flames and great difficulty locating a willing barber.
 |
| Beresch is best known for portraying musician Frank Zappa in the VH1 bio-pic, Father of Invention |
Despite surfacing as a New Avenger in the 2000s, Dr. Strange seemed destined for the back pasture of comic book heroes.
Never a player but always in play, he could quietly retire in the glow of a half century filled with allies, enemies, a secret base and identity, a dark costume, more magical artifacts than David Copperfield, and a loyal servant named Wong.
But he never had a film cameo and for some reason, director/writer Joss Whedon gave him one.
Strange is seen early on in the background arguing with Nick Fury.
He loudly declares, “I have a Cloak of Levitation and the Orb of Agamotto. Surely these fantastic mystical items can vanquish Loki.” Fury shakes his head in disapproval, thanks Dr. Strange, and asks him to please call first before dropping by. Irritated, Strange disappears dramatically in a cloud of smoke.
But then he keeps showing up.
Clearly, Whedon was torn over the character and could neither edit out Dr. Strange nor give him something substantial to do. Instead, Dr. Strange will appear out of nowhere in the background of a spectacular set-piece fight. As explosions erupt and vehicles are toppled over, Strange will purchase a cup of coffee or a newspaper, act as if he’s unaware of a city-destroying brawl, flourish his cloak mysteriously, and then disappear.
Poor Dr. Strange. He ended up the fifth man on a double date.
“I think there was a contractual thing with Marvel,” said an anonymous source close to the production. “They had to use the character or pay a fine. Or else it was a message about how tragedy takes place amidst the mundane like in that Auden poem, Musee de Beaux Arts. But what do I know? I just hang out in the parking lot, guarding cars. ”
Three and a half stars for special effects and a convincing eye patch on Nick Fury.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login