8 Reasons Dr. Strange Is The Most Revolutionary Marvel Movie Ever

On the surface, Doctor Strange is just another generic superhero origin story: an arrogant genius learns humility on his path to realizing his innate potential and thereby saving the world. When taken as a whole it's apparent that Strange smuggled in a megaton payload of subversion inside the body of formulaic blockbuster.

Strange took the time to ponder weighty themes, introduce worldwide audiences to trippy visuals, show women in positions of power, and make reading books look cool. Scott Derrickson cleverly delivered these subversive elements in a way that was easy for general audiences to digest without forgetting to entertain.

Some critics have dismissed Strange as nothing more than a rote superhero origin story gussied up with spectacular visuals. These criticisms completely miss the point of what Strange was trying to accomplish: reinvigorate the superhero formula by giving audiences something both familiar and wholly unique simultaneously.

Now that Strange has broken major ground in the genre, other superhero filmmakers can build upon its innovation. The genre is on the verge of being more exciting and intelligent than ever before and Strange could well come to be regarded as a major breakthrough for superhero movies and for blockbuster filmmaking in general.