In 2016, Doctor Stephen Strange came to life as Benedict Cumberbatch, and his solo film contained a wealth of details and references to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The Avengers Tower
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If seen more clearly during the visual manipulation of New York later in the film, Avengers Tower can be spotted from the general shot over the city before Stephen Strange took his car.
Reference to comics n°1
marvel comics
The plot of the film is inspired by The Oath arc of the comics, published from 2006 to 2007.
Reference to comics n°2
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The scene in which Strange witnesses in astral projection his operation by Doctor Christine Palmer directly echoes a scene from the comics The Oath.
Reference to comics n°3
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The scene in which, after his accident, Stephen Strange tries to write with his injured hand, comes from the Strange comics, published in 2005.
Wifi password
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This password, “Shamballa”, is a nod to the comics Doctor Strange – Into Shamballa, published in 1986. Shamballa designating a mystical kingdom.
The Living Tribunal
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During a practice session, Mordo tells Strange that he holds the Staff of the Living Tribunal. This cosmic entity is a supreme judge of the Marvel Universe, attempting to maintain balance between the various forces of the multiverse.
Flying boots
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Mordo wears Valtorr’s flying boots which allow free (but brief) movement through the air and negate the effects of falling.
An embarrassing brazier
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In the comics, Bom’Galiath’s brazier is used to move around without being spotted. More precisely, it is used to enter the domain of the demon Mephisto, in Thor n°443, published in 1992. In the film, Strange, as his adversary points out, does not know how to use it at all.
The unattainable ax
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As his cape pushes him in another direction, Strange tries to grab an axe. A reference to the fact that in some comics, it is the wizard’s weapon of choice when he no longer has his powers.
Tina Minoru
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This very secondary character played by Linda Duan only appears in the film and does not really intervene in the plot. In the Marvel series Runawayshis daughter Nico Minoru is one of the main characters, embodied by Lyrica Okano.
Daniel Drumm
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A little more present thanks to a deleted scene present on the Blu-ray of the film, the master of the New York sanctuary is none other than Daniel Drumm, brother of Jericho Drumm alias Brother Voodoo, another Marvel superhero, master of the magic… voodoo.
Wong’s Stick
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Wong holds the Scepter of Watoomb, created by Watoomb himself, an extremely powerful character whose powers are contained within the scepter.
Is War Machine in the movie?
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Just before his accident, Strange receives a phone call mentioning the arrival at the hospital of a “35-year-old Air Force colonel who blew his lower back with some sort of experimental armor plus a nice fracture. thoracic”. A possible reference to War Machine, injured in the airport fight in Captain America: Civil Waryet denied by the director Scott Derrickson.
Mention of Miss America?
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In that same phone call, Strange hears of a “22-year-old woman with an electronic implant to control her lightning-struck schizophrenia.” A possible reference to the character of Miss America, which has not yet officially appeared on the screen, but which therefore already exists in the MCU.
Healthy readings?
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During his cameo, Stan Lee consults The Gates of Perception, a book by Aldous Huxley published in 1954, which addresses, among other things, the effects of taking mescaline, a psychedelic drug.
an endless day
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Stephen Strange consults the time before his accident and the day indicated is February 2, or Groundhog Day, immortalized by the film an endless day. The concept of time loop is also taken up at the end of the film during the confrontation between Dormammu and the Doctor.
The Pink Floyd
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On several occasions, the film brings in the music of the pink floydwhich is no coincidence since the group had chosen images from the Doctor Strange comics to illustrate their second album, A Saucerful of Secrets, released in 1968.
Dormammu
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In the final fight, Benedict Cumberbatch faces off against himself, as he doubles as the interdimensional entity Dormammu, and performs the capture performance of the supervillain.
Strange is everywhere!
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In the “hand sequence”, Doctor Strange’s face quickly appears all over the walls.
The Quantum Realm
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Even if he won’t reappear before Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), the Quantum Realm already makes an appearance in the film, during the psychedelic scene where Strange becomes aware of the existence of multiple dimensions.
The missing book
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This empty slot in the Ancient’s library has fans speculating that it could be the Darkhold book, seen in the series Agents of SHIELD and allowing its user to craft the things they most desire. In the Marvel show, the book is retrieved by the Ghost Rider, who takes it to Hell. An obviously unverifiable but very tempting theory.
The Crimson Bands of Cyttorak
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The magic item that binds and subdues Kaecilius is an alternate version of Cyttorak’s Crimson Bands. In the comics, they look like pink/purple stripes.
