In a few short months we will be seeing the latest installment from the MCU in theaters: Doctor Strange. But before the film hits the big screen, it had to come to San Diego Comic Con’s legendary Hall H.
The Sorcerer Supreme made his presence known in a big way; the presentation started with the Hall becoming dark and full of smoke. The screens along the wall were slowly revealed from behind their curtains and symbols flashed from one screen to the next around the room. Blue lights created an eerie glow. The anticipation was palpable, everyone knew what was coming, but when the Eye of Agmotto appeared silhouetting the Doctor himself, Benedict Cumberbatch, the crowd went wild. Cumberbatch looked, as always, surprised and humbled by the fans’ response to his presence. He spoke about how Strange is very different from any character he has played before and what a joy filming had been.
Also making an appearance were stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mads Mikkelsen, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, and director Scott Derrickson who expressed his good fortune for getting such a wonderful cast. “I don’t know what I did in my previous life to deserve this,” he said as the actors came out onstage.
Never did I think I would see a day with Tilda Swinton attending Comic Con, but there she was as well, speaking about her role as the Ancient One. “Any of us can be the Ancient One…who knows who will end up being the next Ancient One, it’s a title,” she said. She also spoke of her character’s ability to see what is inside a person and bring it out, something the Ancient One tries to do for Steven Strange.
Since Doctor Strange is Marvel’s next film we were treated to a second trailer, which was also released online for the fans at home.
However, those of us in Hall H also were shown a completed scene from the film itself. It showed Strange’s first meeting with the Ancient One after the devastating injury to his hands. The visuals of the scene were amazing,a mix of Inception style reality bending and open rooms with sweeping landscapes. Strange is a skeptic, the Ancient One is patient and willing to teach. They are seen at odds, but the scene is much lighter and funnier than expected. There was also a hilarious clip of Wong as the character Wong meeting Strange. “Just Wong?” says Strange, “Like Adele?” He then goes on to list many other one named famous people while Wong stands there stoically shaking his head. It is also worth noting that Cumberbatch’s American accent is very good and not distracting the way it can sometimes be when seeing your favorite Brit minus their accent.
The cast departed the stage with humble thank yous and excitement at being able to share the footage with the audience. The audience was left buzzing in excitement hoping that November would come sooner.
Marvel also released a gorgeous new poster for the film.
Eagle eyed reporters over at Slashfilm have noted that Benejam Bratt’s name appears at the bottom of the poster, but there has been no word about his involvement or what character he might be playing in the film. It will be interesting to see what this secret casting means and if or when more information will be revealed.
Doctor Strange hits theaters November 4th, 2016 and I for one cannot wait. You can watch the whole Hall H panel below via ScreenSlam.