benedict cumberbatch

Doctor Strange hits theaters next week, introducing Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sorcerer Supreme to the Marvel Cinematic Universe — along with some mysticism and a handful of otherworldly dimensions (and their threats). Ahead of the film’s release date, we learned that Cumberbatch will reprise his role for Avengers: Infinity War, and according to the actor, he might just be the thing that helps get the team back together following the events of Civil War.

The most common knock against Marvel’s cinematic universe: All their movies look the same. In a mega-franchise spanning 14 films and counting, that look can get pretty stale. For the most part, these movies about bravery are pretty timid when it comes to visual storytelling.

The Doctor Strange trailer debuted on Jimmy Kimmel Live! back in April, so it’s only fitting the late-night host would get more exclusive access to the latest Marvel hero. And by “exclusive,” we don’t exactly mean “hire the Sorcerer Supreme for children’s birthday parties,” but well, here we are.

We’re just a couple of weeks away from the release of Doctor Strange, which adds a new, mystical layer to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with all sorts of wild concepts like transcending astral planes and traveling between dimensions. It’s a lot to take in, especially for the titular character, an arrogant surgeon who — as you can see in these new clips — has a tendency to be quite stubborn.

It should go without saying that this post contains major spoilers for Doctor Strange — specifically the mid- and post-credits scenes from the Sorcerer Supreme’s big debut. In addition to introducing new mystical elements (and threats), Doctor Strange establishes some very interesting connections to the MCU and teases events to come. If you’re curious about what the future might hold and can’t wait until November 4, we have the full details on the mid and post-credits scenes from Marvel’s latest.

Our biggest takeaway from Marvel’s special IMAX preview of Doctor Strange was just how impressive and immersive all those world-bending, inter-dimensional sequences are on the big screen. You really only get a small taste of how bold those scenes are in the previews, like the latest international trailer for the new film, but a pair of newly-released blacklight posters are definitely in keeping with that psychedelic, third-eye-opening bent.

Like Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man before it, Doctor Strange is kind of a wild card in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — the titular hero doesn’t have the same name recognition among general audiences as, say, Captain America. But Marvel is using that to their advantage and taking some bolder creative risks with the Sorcerer Supreme’s solo outing. At a special preview event, the studio screened 15 dizzying minutes of IMAX footage from the upcoming film, and it’s far weirder and wilder than those trailers are letting on.

On my Marvel Unlimited app, I’ve been slowly working my way through the very first Doctor Strange comics by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, which originally appeared in the pages of the appropriately named series Strange Tales. At the time, of his introduction Dr. Strange was a backup feature in the book, which was primarily devoted to the solo tales of Fantastic Four member the Human Torch. The stories of these early Strange adventures are pretty hit or miss (one involves a haunted house which is not haunted but is actually - SPOILER ALERT - a house from another dimension. ) but the artwork, even in the earliest issues, is just fantastic. Ditko (who also co-created Spider-Man with Lee) had this amazing conception of alternate dimension and realities that was just incredible.

Doctor Strange may look like any other superhero with a red cape form afar, but his cloak has some very special magical powers.

The onslaught of Doctor Strange promotional materials continued today with more set visit info, more teases, and more character posters like the ones below, which feature Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Mads Mikkelsen careening through a kaleidoscopic multiverse of New York Cities. These are the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj, the remote Tibetan home of the Ancient One (Swinton) and her disciplines in the matters of the macabre and the magical.