What would you change?

[NHawk19]

Ok so the movie has been out for a few weeks now. At this point we've all had time to vent and digest the events shown.

While this was another solid film from Marvel we all have 1 or 2 things we'd like to change to make it something more. What are yours?

For me it was the timeline. Jan 2016 to Nov 2017 they have way to much crammed in. I think they could keep the plot and just setup the movie to begin around the end of Avengers 1 say fall 2012. This would allow for the site of Avengers Tower and the new sign and a timeline like this:

Nov '12 - Nov '13 accident & recovery, Dec '13 - March '14 petition the board, look for alternatives, and find out about Kamar-Taj. April '14 find Kamar Taj. May '14 to May '17 study at Kamar Taj. Then May '17 to Nov 17 to develop before Ragnarok.

That gives him a year of recovery from surgeries, 3 months of attempts to return to work, a month of searching for Kamar-Taj, then 3 years of study before taking on Kaecilius at the end.

The only other thing I would change and this one is a pretty major departure I wouldn't have killed off The Ancient One. Of the remaining Masters we've seen none seem prepared to take her place. It also gives Dr Strange a mentor because at the end of the movie he is not at Sorcerer Supreme Level yet.

What do you guys think?

 

[NotNickFury]

Dial back some of the humor, especially in moments where it didn't land, of which there are quite a few. It's fine that these films have a sense of humor, but some feel like comedy being put in for comedy's sake, not that a scene needs it.

 

[Boom]

Dormammu kind of pissed me off. This is one of the big bads of the MCU, and yet he gets bamboozled by Dr. Strange almost immediately. It was kind of annoying to see the dreaded Dormammu crying for mercy five minutes into his big debut.

Honestly, I'd have preferred it if they simply didn't feature him in this film, if that's all they were going to do with him.

 

[cleverusername8]

Dormammu kind of pissed me off. This is one of the big bads of the MCU, and yet he gets bamboozled by Dr. Strange almost immediately. It was kind of annoying to see the dreaded Dormammu crying for mercy five minutes into his big debut.

Honestly, I'd have preferred it if they simply didn't feature him in this film, if that's all they were going to do with him.

THIS. Oh my god that bothered me too. You're telling me that Strange - in his first few months of being a sorceror - outwitted and power played Dormammu IN HIS OWN REALM?

I wasn't so much bothered by him appearing in the movie. Honestly, I'd be disappointed if he didn't. But he most certainly shouldn't have been beaten like that so easily while IN the Dark Dimension.

Now I won't be able to take him seriously if they try to make him the new big bad of the MCU after Thanos. Maybe they'll do better with Mephisto.

 

[metaphysician]

I would remove the award with the year "2016" on it, thus allowing the timeline to make vastly more sense.

That's about it.

 

[Boom]

Actually, I have a question.

When Strange is driving prior to his accident, he's talking to someone on the phone about potential patients he could take on. I can't remember what they said specifically, but they mentioned someone getting injured while wearing a powered suit, or something along those lines. Was that in reference to War Machine from Civil War?

The reason I ask this is because if they were in fact referencing War Machine there, then the movie takes place after the events of Civil War. However, Strange gets name-dropped in Winter Soldier as one of Hydra's "potential threats."

 

[BatsDC]

It wasn't in reference to Rhodey, but the movie is still set in 2016. The reference didn't mean Strange was already established, Zola's algorithm predicted him as a potential future threat

 

[Boom]

Thank you.

 

[AlluAllu]

And adding to BatsDC's explanation, the algorithm tagged him because he was a rich and famous surgeon, who could be a key figure in the resistance against Hydra. It couldn't predict him becoming a sorcerer.

 

[BoredGuy]

The Dormammu thing didn't bother me
Came off as Dormammu just getting caught off guard, which is understandable
He has no idea who Strange is or that he is potentially the next sorcerer supreme, or that he was able to control the eye to create these time loops when that had clearly not been done before, at least not for many millenia

The whole point of the ending was that Dormammu could easily squash Strange, but Strange's intelligence paid off

I expect when he returns, he'll be much more prepared and won't fall for something like that again

that said, him practically whimpering to Strange to let him go was probably a tad unnecessary

 

[Chris B]

- I would've had some clarification in regards to the timeline of the film as well. Probably just some dialogue establishing that a little over a year had passed between Strange's accident and him leaving for Kamar Taj. Then a mention of him having spent six months in training there before the Zealots' attack.

- I would've showed more of his initial training. I felt that they relied too much on saying that we was learning quickly but not enough time showing it.

- More time devoted to Kaicellius. I would've included the backstory from the prequel comics of him losing his wife and son and failing to find meaning in that as the reason for him turning to Dormammu.

- Explore the Strange and Mordo dynamic more. I would've like to seen more hints of a rivalry brewing between them early on.

 

[NotNickFury]

Something I heard off of a review, but makes sense while I think about it: I do wish the first time we as an audience saw the way magic works was also the first time Strange himself witnessed it as opposed to in the opening sequence. That way we're blown away with him.

 

[Boom]

I would've held off on [blackout]The Ancient One's death and Mordo's defection[/blackout] until the second film.

Honestly, I feel like Nightmare would have been the perfect antagonist for the first film. Then have Dormammu and his zealots in the second film, and then Mordo for the third.

 

[Mitrailleuse]

Actually, I have a question.

When Strange is driving prior to his accident, he's talking to someone on the phone about potential patients he could take on. I can't remember what they said specifically, but they mentioned someone getting injured while wearing a powered suit, or something along those lines. Was that in reference to War Machine from Civil War?

The reason I ask this is because if they were in fact referencing War Machine there, then the movie takes place after the events of Civil War. However, Strange gets name-dropped in Winter Soldier as one of Hydra's "potential threats."

It's been confirmed that it is not Rhodes.
It seems the film starts autumn 2016 and ends autumn 2017.

 

[NHawk19]

Dormammu kind of pissed me off. This is one of the big bads of the MCU, and yet he gets bamboozled by Dr. Strange almost immediately. It was kind of annoying to see the dreaded Dormammu crying for mercy five minutes into his big debut.

Honestly, I'd have preferred it if they simply didn't feature him in this film, if that's all they were going to do with him.

At least they didn't kill him like so many of the others.