With the upcoming release of The Avengers, Marvel is as popular as ever. They have a large stable of popular characters that are making for hit movie after hit movie. We're also getting a Spider-Man reboot, but I can't help but think of other characters that are getting the shaft in place of more sequels and reboots. These characters have strong stories that would make for a heck of a movie. Some of them have been in other movies, but have either been weakly portrayed or didn't get enough screen time. So here are five Marvel character's that we'd like to see have feature films.
Continuing from yesterday's #5 Gambit, we bring you…
#4 Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange movies could make for a really strong trilogy. He's not like other super heroes, and his story is tragic. While he's been linked to Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and Loki tricking him into attacking Thor, the best story for a Doctor Strange movie wouldn't contain any other big name super heroes or villains. Strange, based in New York, remained distant from most super heroes at first. So the best place for a first movie would be his beginning.
It would start in 1930 in Philadelphia, the year and city he was born in. Right there would make it have that Captain America feel to it, with old fashioned buildings and clothing. At the age of eight, Stephen Strange was threatened by demons, which were controlled by an apprentice sorcerer, Karl Mordo. That's right, a sorcerer. So this movie could start to fill the magic void left by the Harry Potter series.
Strange was rescued by the Ancient One, Mordo's mentor. The Ancient One was a millennia-old sorcerer who protected the Earth dimension. He was Earth's Sorcerer Supreme — a position that Strange was destined to inherit.
Strange had two younger siblings: Donna and Victor. When Strange was 11 years old, he aided an injured Donna, which inspired him to pursue a medical career. After high school, he enrolled at New York college as a pre-med student. Later that year while on vacation, his sister Donna went swimming, suffered a cramp, and drown. This event made Strange feel like a failure, so he worked hard and earned his medical degree in record time, got a residency at New York hospital, and became very successful.
His rapid success made him arrogant. He went into an even darker place when his mother died, but his skills continued to improve. He became a talented, wealthy, and celebrated neurosurgeon before the age of 30. So we already have magic, now we have that Tony Stark swag thrown in. He's egotistical, cold, and only cares about money. His materialistic nature has ruined romantic relationships for him. When Stephen's father fell ill, he didn't want to face another family death, so he didn't visit him on his deathbed. Stephen's younger brother, Victor, was outraged by this behavior and rushed from Strange's residence into the path of an oncoming car.
Strange blamed himself for this, so he placed Victor's body in cold storage, waiting for medicine and science to get to the point where Victor could be revived.
So that's the background, but where's the awesomeness? Well all of the meat of the movie will come from the battle between Doctor Strange and our villain, Mordo.
Mordo, the villain of our Doctor Strange movie.
You see, Strange is involved in a car accident in 1963 that damages the nerves on his hands and ends his surgical career. He's vain and unwilling to accept anything less than the position of surgeon, so he sets out to find a cure or treatment to fix him. He spends his whole fortune, becomes an alcoholic, and performs shady surgeries.
Hearing a rumor of The Ancient One, he sold his last possessions, bought a ticket to the East, and found The Ancient One's Tibetan palace. Sounds a bit like Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins, right? While annoyed that The Ancient One wouldn't cure him, he saw The Ancient One attacked by mystical forces which came from his pupil, Mordo. Strange learned that The Ancient One was Earth's defender, and acting unselfishly for the first time in years, he vowed to learn magic so he could counter Mordo's powers. Strange offered himself up as The Ancient One's disciple. The Ancient One accepted, knowing of Mordo's treachery the entire time.
He spends years training Strange in sorcery and teaches him how to invoke the power of awesome entities known as Principalities. These Principalities reside in their own realms. A few years after Strange's arrival, Mordo leaves to seek greater power, but would clash with Strange in the future. The entire time, Strange's past and personal demons would continue to haunt him.
All of this would lead to a big confrontation at the end of the first movie with Mordo. It could be an epic battle between powerful sorcerers.
Also, throughout his training, he befriends many sorcerers from around the world, which would make for some more really cool, magical sorcerers. In sequels, Strange could face off against Dormammu, ruler of the Dark Dimension and one of The Ancient One's oldest enemies. Strange can also face off against the Undying Ones, a powerful demon race led by the Nameless One, who had once ruled Earth.
Doctor Strange movies would be filled with medical drama, personal demons, dark and gritty storytelling, and sorcery. Over the course of sequels, he would face powerful foes from other realms, battling them as defender of the Earth dimension.
By the way, Liam Neeson would make a perfect Doctor Strange. Get on it.
The story writes itself, people.
You can follow Lance Liebl on Twitter @Lance_GZ, and come back tomorrow when we reveal our #3 choice on this list. If you missed our #5 choice, read about Gambit here.
