8 Problems With The MCU That Doctor Strange Doesn't Fix
6. Explaining Where The Other Characters Are
Any studio that attempts to build a cohesive cinematic universe is effectively writing themselves into a corner, trapped by real-world logistics like contract agreements and salaries. Because, even though all their heroes are meant to exist in the same on-screen universe, there's no way they can constantly be united behind the camera, and it's becoming a noticeable issue, especially as the threats become bigger and bigger.
During Doctor Strange's third act, this problem reared its head, again. With Hong Kong coming under fire and a trippy, ominous, multi-coloured portal in the sky, there's simply no way that not one Avenger took a passing interest. Not one SHIELD agent. Not one of 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' was present when the Earth was in very real danger.
Yes, Strange was able to rewind time and reverse the damage, but when that damage was initially being caused - and who knows how long it was going on for before Strange and Mordo arrived on the scene - not one single person came to help? It's quite hard to believe.
We've seen this many times before, too. Where was everybody when two giant helicarriers were shot from the sky in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, or when there was an enormous spaceship crashing through London in Thor: The Dark World?
Unfortunately, it's not a problem that's easily cured; those contract agreements and salaries, as well as scheduling conflicts, will get in the way of that. But perhaps a change to smaller-scale threats for solo movies - like Ant-Man - and saving the bigger threats for team-up movies would make it easier to accept the lack of heroes, and it would make those bigger threats feel all the more dangerous when they do appear.