Before the MCU became the giant it is today, a secret Doctor Strange In 1992, a movie was made that you’ve probably never heard of. Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange is the definitive live-action adaptation of the Marvel Comics classic, with Strange’s MCU story now one of the most central in the current Multiverse Saga. The character has now been privy to the MCU’s most dazzling narratives and imagery befitting his entire approach. However, previous live-action versions of Doctor Strange haven’t been quite as spectacular.

The first attempt to adapt Doctor Strange into a live-action film was a television movie in 1978. Dr. Strangelove with Peter Hooten and Jessica Walter. Although Stan Lee, who was a consultant on the film, The Incredible Hulk Critics were divided on the quality, and Doctor Strange remained seemingly unadapted until Cumberbatch debuted in the title role in 2016 – but that almost didn’t happen.

Related

The 8 biggest mistakes the MCU has made with Doctor Strange so far

Although Dr. Stange is an integral part of the MCU’s cast of heroes, he has clearly wasted his potential in many of his appearances.

The 1992 film “Doctor Mordrid” was actually supposed to be about “Doctor Strange”

Doctor Mordrid is a superhero B-movie from Full Moon Features, a studio once known for producing similar low-budget productions such as Puppeteer And Demonic Toys. Although unknown, the eponymous character will be familiar to Marvel fans. Doctor Mordrid is a sorcerer whose job it is to fend off interdimensional threats using spells and sorcery at his disposal.

Although some changes, such as Mordrid’s personality, origin and appearance, help to distinguish the character from Strange, The film was originally supposed to be another Doctor Strange adaptation, 14 years after the first and 24 years before the most recent.

This is from the perspective of screenwriter Alex Cox, who detailed in a now archived blog that he had worked with Stan Lee on a script for Doctor Strange in 1989. In Cox’s own words:

“It was almost produced by an LA company called Regency. But they distributed it through Warner Bros, who were arguing with Marvel Comics about merchandising, and Warner turned it down.”

The distribution rights for Marvel’s superheroes were at their most chaotic in the ’80s and ’90s, eventually leading to the complicated situation that still prevents Marvel Studios from distributing Spider-Man films. Doctor Mordrid was therefore the result of rewriting a Doctor Strange story to get around copyright issues when the rights were not approved. Nevertheless, many similarities remain.

“Doctor Mordrid” is in many ways still a “Doctor Strange” film

Doctor Mordrid is an elegant but reserved character, quite different from the typically egotistical and cocky Doctor Strange of Marvel Comics. Furthermore, Mordrid is portrayed as a being from another dimension who is over 150 years old, rather than a gifted human surgeon from Earth who stumbled upon magic while trying to heal his broken hands. Mordrid and Strange are also superficially differentwhile Mordrid swaps the bright purple cloak with the high collar for a much more muted blue robe.

Nevertheless, there are strong similarities where they count. Mordrid is a sorcerer – a designation that Strange quickly makes up for in the MCU, but which is colloquially synonymous with “wizard” anyway. Besides, Doctor Mordrid embarks on a journey through the dimensions as the title hero tries to fend off an invasion of interdimensional beings – which also applies to 2016 Doctor Strange. At the centre of both stories is a mystical stone with Doctor Mordridis the philosopher’s stone, while Doctor Strange depends largely on the Time Stone.

How a 1992 Doctor Strange movie could have changed the Marvel film landscape

Marvel had not yet established itself in live-action cinema in 1992, the same year that Tim Burton’s iconic Batman Returns has been released. Consequently, if Doctor Mordrid had stuck to the original script, It could have been Marvel’s breakthrough film of the 1990san award that would rather go to Wesley Snipes’ Blade trilogy. A 1992 Doctor Strange would have been the launch pad for films like Spider Man And X-Men could have followed. However, the fact that this was not the case was probably for the better.

blade remains one of Marvel’s most popular live-action adaptations, even if the sequels did not have the same success. The same goes for the 2000s X-Men and 2002 Spider Manboth of which have recently been honored in modern MCU films. Was poorly received in 1992 Doctor Mordrid was instead Marvel’s breakthrough attempt, The future of Marvel cinema might never have flourished as it did then, as filmmakers may have viewed the genre as anything but lucrativeUltimately, it was best to put Marvel’s cinematic foray into the occult in the hands of Blade and have him pick up after the turn of the millennium in Cumberbatch’s Strange.

Doctor Strange

4.0

Enter the world of Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), a world-renowned neurosurgeon who is left without the use of his hands after a car accident. While desperately trying to find a cure that will make his hands usable for surgery again, he stumbles upon a world that leads to another dimension. After being taught about the different dimensions and learning of the constant threat that lurks on Earth, he began to embrace his role as a humble protector. Taking on the responsibilities of the Elder who trained him before her death, Strange becomes the Sorcerer Supreme himself.

director

Scott Derrickson

Release date

25 October 2016

Studio(s)

Marvel Studios

Duration

126 minutes

Upcoming MCU Movies