Marvel Cinematic Universe: Ranking Every 2016 Project From Worst To Best
2. Doctor Strange
After turning a sentient tree, a talking, gun-toting raccoon, and a superhero named Ant-Man into household names, Marvel's effort to bring their Sorcerer Supreme and his weird, mind-bending world to the big screen seemed like another walk in the park. To no one's real surprise, Doctor Strange released in November to incredible success, proving yet again that audiences have faith now in the MCU to turn out to support films based on characters that only just a decade ago could've been ruined in the wrong hands.
Aside from its appropriately slick visuals, digestible concepts, and clever humor, the film also benefits greatly from its performances, including Chiwetel Ejiofor's Karl Mordo, Tilda Swinton's Ancient One, and Benedict Cumberbatch's Stephen Strange. Even further, the project pushes the expansion of the MCU further in terms of diving into things like the multiverse or building on the relevance of the Infinity Stones, feeling both at home in the MCU and something unlike what we've seen yet, with so much potential to go bigger and crazier now that introductions are out of the way.
The film was essentially one of the MCU's most refreshing pieces this year despite hitting many of the traditional beats of an origin story, particularly for its subversion of the "final battle" trope in which Strange locks himself and Dormammu in a time loop until the latter gives up. It's a fun film, and there's nothing wrong with that, as it introduced a great new hero to the MCU many are already eager to see again as soon as possible.