1) Stephen Strange
A lot was resting on Doctor Strange. Would introducing magic into the Marvel movie universe be too much? Would viewers accept this hero as much as the previous Avengers? Would he be good enough to play a larger role in the franchise later on, as he so surely will?
Thankfully, the answers to these questions are: no, yes and definitely. On the page, Stephen Strange is very Tony Stark-like. He’s an arrogant rich man who is brilliant at his job and knows it. Yet through a harrowing experience, he learns to use his great mind to help others and become a hero. It could have been irritating to have such a similar character, but Benedict Cumberbatch dispels any notion that Strange is just an Iron Man copy.
Somewhat channeling his most famous role as Sherlock, Cumberbatch is naturally superb at playing a rude genius. Yet, it’s more fascinating to see him in Strange’s darker moments. For a sizeable portion of the film, he’s a lost man, driven to obsession over finding a way to regain the loss of his hands – their nerves irrevocably shattered in a car crash.
Given his amazing skillset, Doctor Strange will no doubt go on to be a prominent member of the Avengers in future. And, given the evidence here, the MCU is in very safe hands.
