There’s a multiverse of reasons why “Doctor Strange” is magic. From the vibrant colors to the “Inception”-like environment, the movie stands alone in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Perhaps the most magical thing of all is Cumberbatch as the doctor-turned-sorcerer Stephen Strange.
The movie’s writer Jon Spaihts told The Huffington Post that Cumberbatch was “born to play this role,” and Marvel believed in the actor so much that the studio pushed back production for months to work around Cumberbatch’s schedule. Well, it paid off.
Cumberbatch and his non-English accent continue to get solid reviews, and the movie is blowing away box-office projections.
Though it’s similar theme-wise to “Iron Man,” “Strange” is its own beast. Yeah, it’s an origin story, but as Spaihts told us, it’s perhaps the “best origin story” in the MCU. The writer said the production team was originally hesitant to do another tale about a superhero’s origin, but they found the strength of Strange’s beginnings “undeniable.”
The movie also brings Cumberbatch into the MCU with another actor, Robert Downey Jr., who famously portrayed Sherlock Holmes (as well as Iron Man, duh). Spaihts said, “I have no doubt that those two characters will rub elbows in the future.”
One of the appeals of the film is it’s chock-full of Easter eggs. We get a glimpse of the Avengers tower, and a Wi-Fi password even recalls a “Doctor Strange” comic storyline. But with so much going on, including the threat of an otherworldly supervillain, it’s easy to miss some things. Apparently, there’s one Easter egg even the people who made the movie didn’t know about.
A running gag throughout “Doctor Strange” is that warnings come after the instructions. It comes up over and over again (even perhaps after the movie is finished).
That’s right, the distracted driving warning comes after the movie.
At the beginning of the film, Doctor Strange becomes distracted in the car, which leads to the wreck that ruins his hands and sends him on this wild adventure. After the credits rolled, we saw the last lines include a warning against distracted driving.
The subtle lesson fits perfectly with the gag.
We asked Spaihts about a possible connection between the warning and the running joke. The writer said he’s glad we made that connection, but claims it’s just a “happy accident.”
A crazy ton of planning went into “Doctor Strange” (not a ton, a crazy ton). Spaihts recalled how he, along with director Scott Derrickson, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and producer Stephen Broussard, spent day after day in a room finding the right story, considering all the villains and scenarios you can think of.
“We started with really blue skies and contemplated some of the fundamental, long-running villains of the ‘Doctor Strange’ saga,” he said. “That means Dormammu; it means Nightmare; it means Shuma-Gorath and other dark creatures of that space. We contemplated the pros and cons of all of them.”
With all that planning, it’s hard to believe the credits weren’t meticulously laid out, too.
Also, movies put jokes in the credits all the time. Just look at “Frozen.” This isn’t breaking new ground, and, even if it was required for some reason, it’s just too perfect to be an accident. Perhaps someone in production added it later?
Whatever happened, apparently “Doctor Strange” has an Easter egg its creators didn’t even know about. But the good news is, now you know, Sherlocks.
”Doctor Strange” is in theaters now.
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