Comic Con 2016 has brought Marvel and DC fans plenty of new trailers, clips and news. One of the most exciting ones that came from Marvel came in the form of a brand new “Doctor Strange” trailer. And like any new trailer, there was plenty to dissect.
Like the first trailer, there is plenty of trippy and mind bending visual effects. It is a guarantee this is going to be Marvel’s biggest risk to date, as both trailers are extremely strange, pardon the pun, and difficult to pick up on major plot points.
So without any further ado, let us delve into the second trailer, and figure out a few things that we can take away from it in regards to Marvel’s next adventure.
Baron Mordo will be working with Doctor Strange
Throughout the entire trailer, Baron Mordo appears to be working alongside Doctor Strange and the fellow good guys (the Ancient One and Wong). Up until this point this was expected, but never really confirmed. This trailer appears to give us that confirmation.
This will mean Doctor Strange will not have to fight his first fight alone. Having Mordo by his side should certainly help in his fight against Mads Mikkelsen’s villain. Mordo and Strange have a long history in the comics. And Mordo has had his fair share of time as a baddie.
So it is nice to see he will at least start on the good side. My guess is he will see his working alongside Strange as a form of competition, which will ultimately lead him to turning to the dark side. Whether that happens at the end of this film or not is yet to be seen, but at least now we know he will have a run on the good side to start.
It will contain the classic Marvel humor
The trailer ends with a scene between Doctor Strange and Baron Mordo. Mordo hands Strange a piece of paper with some writing on it, to which Strange asks, “What’s this, my mantra?”. Mordo, in classic Marvel fashion responds, “The wifi password. We’re not savages”, as he closes the doors to leave the room. I know I chuckled when Mordo said his line, and I know I can’t be the only one.
Humor is a stable in all Marvel films. And up to this point, everything related to Doctro Strange has had a weird, and serious kind of tone to it. Even the majority of this trailer is filled with that same type of tone. But they end things off with this clip, which helps reassure fans that the humor will still be there.
Benedict Cumberbatch, who is playing Stephen Strange, is very good at including dry humor into his performances. I would expect nothing less from him here, and the film should feature plenty of laughs. It is good to know this trailer helps to confirm that.
Mads Mikkelsen’s villain has history with the Ancient One and Wong
“Be careful which path you travel down Strange. Stronger men than you have lost their way”. This is a quote from Wong, right before the screen cuts to Mads Mikkelsen’s character, who is reportedly known as Kaecilius, who will be the main baddie in the film. It is clear he is the man Wong is referring to.
And given the tone in Wong’s voice, it appears there is some personal history there. So it seems very possible Mikkelsen’s character was once in Strange’s shoes, as an apprentice of sorts to the Ancient One. But that obviously went south, and the character took his powers down a dark path.
So the battle is likely to be a personal one. And the Ancient One is likely to be at the very center of it. Kaecilius will likely want to take her down, likely causing some serious damage along the way, and Strange is going to be standing in his way. This will lead to the two clashing, while the Ancient One sits back and watches her new protege take on her former one.
Doctor Strange could become one of the MCU’s most powerful heroes
The powers all of the characters display in this trailer are pretty mind blowing. The ability to open up a hole and walk to another part of the world at your will?! Seriously? That is going to come in handy. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.
While a portion of Doctor Strange’s powers may come from his necklace, which may or may not be an infinity stone (ok we all know it is going to be), but I would venture to guess not all of them. Both the Ancient One and Kaecilius display similar and different abilities, and they do not posses the necklace. And Strange needed to learn from someone. So not all of it can come from the necklace right?
And assuming that is the case, his array of powers are going to be pretty insane. He is going to make Scarlet Witch’s powers look like childs’ play at times. And one would imagine this trailer was only the tip of the iceberg in regards of what he will be able to do. So look out MCU, Doctor Strange is going to be a force to reckon with.
It is going to have an “Inception” like feel
Get ready for your brain to hurt. The visual effects of this film are going to have your head spinning for sure. Buildings are going to be turning every which way and you are not going to know what is what or what is real. The way buildings were spinning and turning in this trailer very much reminded me of “Inception”, the 2010 film that starred Leonardo DiCaprio.
If you have seen that film, you know it was not the easiest to follow. And “Doctor Strange” appears like it will follow suit. From this trailer, it is hard to tell what exactly is happening in most clips. The powers and magic have a lot to do with that. Most trailers I walk away with some concrete information, but not this one.
There is so much going on and it is not easy to identify how or where multiplying buildings will find their way in. So when you sit down to watch this movie, just know you are likely not going to understand every little detail. Multiple viewings will certainly be required to grasp everything, just like “Inception”. And that is a pretty safe assumption given what we saw in this trailer.
Conclusion
“Doctor Strange” is set to be Marvel’s most different film. People thought “Antman” was a risk, but that is before they saw this trailer for “Doctor Strange”. This trailer certainly has me more interested than the first. But it does have me scratching my head just as much, if not more. And that is not a bad thing.
I want to go into a film with a ton of questions. And this film is set to deliver just that. The trailer had its fair share of mind bending illusions, and that is just the start for Stephen Strange. Be ready for a whole lot of strange happenings when the film hits theaters November 4th.