Dr. Strange Rankings
Dr. Strange appears to be the lynchpin for the next few phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He seems to be filling the void left after Iron Man was killed off in “Avengers: Endgame,” especially as the MCU delves deeper into the multiverse. He stars in two films from his own series, appears in two “Avengers” films and a “Thor” film and also makes appearances in the “What If…?” series. I’m going to rank the six projects Dr. Strange appears in.
6. WHAT IF…?
The “What If…?” series is an animated series that looks at what could’ve happened in the MCU if a different scenario had played out. It ends with the new versions of heroes and villains working together to help save The Watcher from Ultron. It’s a good animated show that was a lot of fun to watch. The Dr. Strange episode was one of the most poignant because he was always going to lose Christine and it would drive him mad to stop it. He wound up being a vital part of stopping Ultron but his solo episode was far more intriguing. It’s arguably the best episode of the series, so far. It’s a good series, but I think the movies are better.
5. DR. STRANGE
I’ve said before that “Dr. Strange” is my least favorite superhero origin film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That was until “Eternals,” but still it’s low ranking for me. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad film. It’s more a celebration of how good the MCU has been overall. I enjoy learning about his transition from Dr. Steven Strange to the superhero “Dr. Strange.” The ending is kind of a letdown for me, but it sets up some of the best things about the MCU, so it still works. It’s good, but he’s been in better films.
4. DR. STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS
It’s the better “Dr. Strange” film, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. It introduces some fun characters and tells a better story than the first film, but it still feels disjointed. Some of that may be due to covid restrictions, but a lot of that is trying to live up to an “Avengers” level threat in a film that didn’t need one. Yes, Wanda is the best villain of Phase 4 and the most justified but she would’ve been better used against a team of Avengers instead of just him. Still, it was better than the first film.
3. THOR: RAGNAROK
It’s the best of the “Thor” movies, the best “Hulk” movie we are going to get and it may be the best “Dr. Strange” film we’ll ever get too. Benedict Cumberbatch was in it for about 10 minutes and it was his best performance as Dr. Strange to date.
2. AVENGERS: ENDGAME
The epic ending to the Infinity saga doesn’t have much Dr. Strange but he comes through in the end as everyone who was snapped at the end of “Infinity War” returns to help the Avengers take down Thanos. He lets Iron Man know it’s the one scenario where the Avengers win allowing for the ultimate victory. It’s the second best Avengers movie.
1. AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR
The third “Avengers” film is the best film featuring Dr. Strange, in my opinion. It’s the best of the “Avengers” films. It’s the second best film of the MCU. It delivers stakes on par with the hype and ends in the best way possible since we knew it wasn’t the end of the saga. Dr. Strange steps up big here to stand toe to toe with Iron Man which isn’t easy to do given Tony Stark’s standing in the MCU at the time. This is the best film in the Dr. Strange Collection.
That’s my ranking of the films and series featuring Dr. Strange. I hope to revisit it later with more additions and hopefully a number one that is actually a Dr. Strange film instead of an Avengers film. But I want to know, how would you rank the films and series in the Dr. Strange collection?