10 things you didn’t know about Marvel’s Doctor Strange

To celebrate the upcoming, highly anticipated release of the next in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and Doctor Strange franchise, we’re exploring ten facts your probably didn’t know about the series!

1. A secret graphic novel.

Primary illustrator for Doctor Strange, Steve Ditko wrote and illustrated a graphic Doctor Strange graphic novel which was never published or viewed by the public – assumed to be part of his personal collection ever since.

2. Doctor Strange’s first comic book sold for $61,000

While not the most recognized or popular Marvel comic book character, Doctor Strange has nevertheless garnered a loyal following among his devoted fan base. So much so that the comic book that features his first appearance – Marvel Strange Tales #110 from July 1963 – has sold for $61,000 at auction.

3. Giving Doctor Strange a chance.

Replying back to a huge fan at the time, Stan Lee wasn’t convinced that the Doctor Strange character would stick around, writing in a personalised letter:

"Well, we have a new character in the works for STRANGE TALES (just a 5-page filler named DR. STRANGE--) Steve Ditko is gonna draw him. Sort of a black magic theme. The first story is nothing great, but perhaps we can make something of him-- 'twas Steve's idea, and I figgered we'd give it a chance, although again, we had to rush the first one too much.

4. That 70’s film

Before we saw Benedict Cumberbatch playing Doctor Strange, there was in fact, another film. All the way back in 1978, there was a television film version of Doctor Strange, designed to set the stage to a TV series which never came to fruition.

Unpopular as it was, few recognise this as part of the series, mostly due to the fact that the story mostly revolves around his occupation as a doctor and his quest to gain his powers, rather than utilising them.

5. Carlo Strange

There are actually two different Doctor Strange characters in the Marvel Universe.

Firstly, there is the one we all know - Stephen Vincent Strange, and the other, lesser know character is Carlo Strange. This was actually the first incarnation of Doctor  Strange; they would recycle this name after the first and last appearance of Carlo.

Playing the role of a villain, Carlo appeared once in 1963 with a similar cape and hair design to Stephen, with his main target - Iron Man and, in this version, he was more of a mad scientist than an actual doctor.

Carlo would never again and two months later, Stephen would walk onto the comic book scene as a master of the mystic arts.

6. Joaquin Phoenix almost played Doctor Strange.

Benedict Cumberbatch almost didn't get the role of Doctor Strange. Despite the fierce A-list competition from the likes of Justin Theroux, Jon Hamm, Ewan McGregor, Johnny Depp, Jake Gyllenhaal and Jared Leto showing interest in the role, ultimately it was Joaquin Phoenix turning down the role that opened the door for Marvel Studios to officially announce Benedict Cumberbatch as the best character fit for the role of Doctor Strange.

7. Doctor Strange is not as strong as he used to be.

Back in the day, Doctor Strange was one of the most powerful beings in all of Marvel comics. In classic iterations of Doctor Strange, he could easily defeat Infinity Gauntlet wielding Adam Warlock, and he even regularly faced off against the Living Tribunal. The most recent version of Doctor Strange has become much less powerful as he has been defeated recently by a band of Hand Ninjas.

8. The Character Was Originally Called Mr. Strange

Stan Lee revealed in several interviews that the Sorcerer Supreme was originally called Mr. Strange. However, with concerns that the name was too similar to Mr. Fantastic of the Fantastic Four Stan Lee and Steve Ditko decided to call him Doctor Strange. Slightly complicating matters was the fact that there had previously been a villain called Dr. Strange who had appeared in an issue of The Amazing Spider-Man. To appease Marvel, Lee and Ditko decided to spell out “Doctor” rather than abbreviate it so as to differentiate him from the villain.

9. Doctor Strange wasn’t always an Avenger

While it is true that Strange joined the team known as the “New Avengers” back in 2008, he was never a core member of the Avengers team. He has fought alongside them on occasion, and he sided with them in the Avengers Vs. X-Men comic book storyline, but Doctor Strange has mostly worked alone in the Marvel universe. The exceptions being that the character was part of the “Illuminati,” a group of elite minds that included Mister Fantastic, Professor Xavier, and Iron Man, who work behind the scenes to protect humanity from major threats.

10. Cinematography inspired by Fantasia

In 2016’s Doctor Strange film, director of photography Ben Davis claimed that one of the biggest influences on the cinematography of Doctor Strange was Disney’s animated film Fantasia. Davis explained how Fantasia inspired the visual style of Doctor Strange: “It has a very psychedelic grounding...and I described it, I think, when I was talking to Marvel as Marvel’s Fantasia.”

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be released in cinemas 5th May 2022. Check out the latest trailer below or click here to find out more about the film.