It’s Marvel time again and, while not quite as problematic as Civil War, we are once again dealing with a rather tricky bit of comic book adaptation history. We’re furthering
our way into Phase 3 of the Cinematic Universe with an origin for yet another
superhero who doesn’t exactly have the best on-screen history. Way back during
the days of the Bill Bixby Incredible Hulk TV show, Stan Lee and CBS attempted
to kick-start a Doctor Strange series to run alongside Hulk and The Amazing
Spider-Man. Needless to say, it didn’t end well and the series wasn’t picked up
for glaringly obvious reasons. However, unlike Spidey and the Hulk, this was
the first and, up until now, only
live-action appearance; there isn’t any form of reputable precedent for this
one. Say what you will about Guardians Of The Galaxy, at least that film was
able to completely blindside audiences thanks to a complete lack of mainstream
recognition. Strange, on the other hand? Not so much. This may be one of the
bigger tests of Marvel’s uncanny ability for consistent quality standards, even
more so than the talking raccoon who is best friends with a talking tree.
