Doctor Strange: 9 Reasons It's The Weirdest Marvel Movie Ever
5. Spirituality
Doctor Strange may be a Western superhero movie largely set in New York, but it still contains lots of Eastern influences.
Hong Kong is another key setting for the film, being one of the sanctums protected by the masters, and that mythology bleeds through into other areas of the film.
While magic and alt-dimensions were ideas played up prior to release, what was perhaps even stranger to see was the spirituality of the film.
It's not something we've seen explored in the MCU, so it was very interesting to see the introduction the the Ancient One, and talk of Strange needing to have faith and belief, and healing his body through opening his mind. In a world where technology can create super-soldiers and keep Tony Stark alive, it was an interesting approach to take. The Ancient One may have been Tilda Swinton rather than a wizened old man from the Himalays, but that sense of faith and ideology remains.