The Single Biggest Mistake Each MCU Film And TV Show Has Made
27. Doctor Strange - Doctor Strange Is Too Unlikable
In superhero films, where the hero is the absolute backbone of the movie, having a hero that's impossible to root for can easily kill the entire film.
To be fair, that isn't what happened with Doctor Strange, as the trippy visuals, strong cast and awesome final act just about kept it afloat, but the film was heavily damaged by its lead character (Benedict Cumberbatch), a detestable jerk who's pretty much impossible to root for.
Despite Cumberbatch's solid performance, Stephen Strange is so unlikable that it's hard to understand what any of the other characters see in him, and unlike with certain previous MCU heroes, namely Iron Man and Thor, the film fails to humanize Strange.
After the release of Doctor Strange 2, this all seems even worse because, as that film revealed, there was an ideal opportunity to make us understand Strange better. It's revealed that he failed to save his young sister from drowning as a child, and this scene was apparently filmed but cut because... who even bloody knows? This would've been a great way to ground his arc and make us understand his obsession with saving everyone. Seriously, what the hell?
Honestly, Doctor Strange has always been one of the worst-written heroes in the franchise. He was never this unlikable again, but No Way Home, Doctor Strange 2 and What If? all did a terrible job with him, so sadly this was a sign of things to come.