Doctor Strange: Ranking Every Character From Worst To Best

Michael Stuhlbarg is a wonderfully gifted actor: he's expressive and has an intangible quirkiness to him that makes him perfect for the sort of roles Woody Allen and the Coens tend to write. So having him play rival surgeon and potential love rival Dr Nic West wasn't a bad move on paper.

Unfortunately, West is an ornament. The rivalry between him and Strange isn't set up nearly substantially enough to make his wooing of Christine Palmer or the fact that he's charged with trying to help Strange recover matter at all. He's relegated to a sort of tragicomic fool - the stooge to Strange's brilliance and a bit of a stick in the mud.

It's completely wasted casting: Stuhlbarg is far more interesting than being this scapegoat figure standing around in the corners of rooms. He actually feels a little like his role ended up on the editing room floor too, and it's not the best film for him to really show off his skills.