Doctor Strange is set to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in just a couple of weeks, and if that isn’t enough to have you riding high with anticipation, the fact that the good doctor is being played by Benedict Cumberbatch will definitely get you out of your Sanctum Santorum and into the local megaplex.
What a time we live in, right? I mean, we are seeing multiple Marvel movies each year now, and just when you think the saturation point has been reached, or that the shark has been jumped, another bonafide mega hit and instant comic book movie classic is born. If you are a Marvel fan and are not loving every minute of it, I am not sure what to say. After James Gunn turned the freakin’ Guardians of the Galaxy into one of the best popcorn movies ever made, I knew that nothing was off the table. Even with the success of the Avengers franchise, it almost seemed impossible that some of the upcoming films would ever be a realistic possibility, but now, here we are: staring Doctor Strange right in the face.
Strange has the chance and ability to turn the entire MCU on its head with what the magical implications could mean to the universe. Sure, there have been tastes of this via the Thor characters, but you cannot have a Doctor Strange movie without the main theme being magic, so while this movie will introduce us to the doc, I have a feeling he is going to mean something really big to Marvel Studios slate in general. Plus, he is being played by Benedict Cumberbatch — how do you get any better than that? I am so stoked for what he is likely to bring to the character that it is going to be a long wait over the next two weeks.
As usual, Hasbro has a full offering of a Marvel Legends Infinite series lined up to support the film. While I don’t consider this Dormammu wave to be the strongest overall wave of the year, there are some great figures from both the film and the comics, and Matthew K has already been treating you to the latter. Thus, I wanted to talk about Strange and, admittedly, our new little Benedict figure, because while I am more of a fan of the comic-based Legends, I think the movie figures are the best in the assortment.
Legends is riding a pretty strong “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” wave, and the combination of solid base bodies with new pieces, all sculpted by Gentle Giant, continues to work very well, to the benefit of us all. Sure, there are a few things here and there I would improve (more consistent costume choices and more paint applications), but overall Marvel Legends is by far the most satisfying mass-market line I am currently collecting. With this system though, it is rare to get figures that are constructed of all-new parts (no reuse from previous figures), but when it happens, Hasbro does well to keep the movie costumes screen-accurate, and Doctor Strange, as well as Karl Mordo, benefit from this formula.
Much like Scarlet Witch from the previous Captain America wave, I find Doctor Strange to be the best figure in this wave, even though I am more of a comic figure guy. Now, I have not been spending a lot of time dissecting the trailers at this point because I want to go into the movie fairly fresh, but the plastic representation of the Strange costume is really nice and assuredly accurate to the screen. One thing I already dig about this movie is that Doctor Strange really looks like Doctor Strange, in that the cinematic interpretation of his sorcerer’s togs are about as close to the comic as just about anything we have seen thus far in the MCU. Doctor Strange wears mostly blue and has an impressive red cape, and that is what you get with this figure.
Now, that is selling it all a bit short, though, because there are a TON of details worked into the costume. The tunic and cape have a lot of subtle etchings and patterns layered within the sculpt (even on the back of the shirt that is covered by the cape). While I see these as added details to the basic costume when it is brought into “real life,” Strange also has a lot of new straps and leather bits worked into his cinematic duds. All of this comes together to make an interesting and eye-catching costume that would normally just be a lot of red and blue, and the mystical patters in the cape are my favorite. All of this detail is worked into a pretty standard ML articulation scheme, and while the long tunic does hang down over the hips, most of the movement is preserved throughout the figure. You can see the full range of movement in Robo’s video review:
The head sculpt is also really on-point, and if you have no interest whatsoever in the Strange movie, at least you get to bring home your own little Cumberbatch now. To me, the profile is even better than the portrait in terms of likeness, but there is really no mistaking Benedict here. I find the haircut and facial hair to be a nice update on classic Strange, and he and Tony Stark can compare their Van Dykes (that is, goatees) when they inevitably meet up in a future movie.
Now, as always, I am willing to bet that the likeness in the sculpt is even better that it looks on this figure, and that is, of course, due to the minimal paint applications on the face. Granted, ML is MILES beyond Star Wars Black with this, but I really wish more of the figures had Scarlet Witch-level applications, rather than just leaving the shiny plastic all on its own. At any rate, I am excited to see what all of the talented customizers will bring out in this figure once he starts showing up in more stores.
Finally, Strange includes his hunk of Dormammu (a repaint of the SDCC Book of Vishanti figure released last year), as well as a pendant, swappable hands, and a magic effect. I like all of these, but while I am always a proponent for swappable hands, the right swaps are pretty minimal, so my figure donated one for a Count Dooku custom. The magic effect is cool, though and all-new, so it is not just a repaint of the standard magic effect that began with the comic Scarlet Witch figure.
Overall, this is a great ML figure, and just having it gets me even more amped for the movie. Doctor Strange is going to be a game changer in the MCU (I think), and this figure works great already hanging out with the rest of your ML movie collection. If you build up this entire wave, you get the aforementioned Dormammu, which you will certainly want if you missed out on last year’s release. Go out and find this figure so you can take him to the cinema on November 4th!
