Benedict Cumberbatch on the cover of Entertainment Weekly. (Image courtesy of Marvel Studios and EW)
Washington:
Not since the first Iron Man, it seems, has Marvel leaned so hard into its star-power.
We are now entering a new phase in the Marvel Cinematic Universe - one in which Disney leaves the more comfortable orbit of household-name characters and looks to build an audience bridge beyond Thor and Captain America and friends.
Enter Doctor Strange. Or as much of the non-fanboy world will remember him for a while yet: that guy Benedict Cumberbatch is dressing up as.
And so Disney/Marvel have smartly begun ramping up the recognition factor Monday by unveiling Doc Cumberbatch on the new cover of . And the first key of the publicity blitz is to get filmgoers to move beyond the question of "Doctor WHO?!"
Filming on Doctor Strange has begun, for a film due out in just under a year. And so to jump-start this awareness campaign, we see Cumberbatch topped by grey-flecked locks, and beneath the Strange's signature whiskers. We see the red cape, which suggests this Doc will often be aloft. We also get a special-effects peek at what Strange's powers will look like in action - though all we have now is an extended hand, which only slightly suggests spell-casting finger motions to come.
It was as recently as 2008, of course, that Hollywood relied on Robert Downey Jr's own star wattage - as well as his Stark-perfect real-life troubled biography - to introduce a Marvel character little known by non-comics fans. After that, such popular characters as Thor and Captain America had high-enough recognition not to require the casting of established A-listers.
This year, after the Age of Ultron phase, Marvel began turning to well-known talents like Paul Rudd to draw general audiences to come befriend characters like Ant-Man. (Also Read: Ant-Man Leads North American Box Office, Pixels Stands Second)
So as Cumberbatch moves front and center as the Sorcerer Supreme, we can expect his "Strange" co-stars - such as Rachel McAdams, Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Mads Mikkelsen - to begin emerging from the publicity shadows.
If the next phase is going to keep Marvel's uncanny streak of hits alive, after all, the general filmgoer must begin putting a familiar, high-flying face to an under-the-radar name.
© 2016 The Washington Post
We are now entering a new phase in the Marvel Cinematic Universe - one in which Disney leaves the more comfortable orbit of household-name characters and looks to build an audience bridge beyond Thor and Captain America and friends.
Enter Doctor Strange. Or as much of the non-fanboy world will remember him for a while yet: that guy Benedict Cumberbatch is dressing up as.
And so Disney/Marvel have smartly begun ramping up the recognition factor Monday by unveiling Doc Cumberbatch on the new cover of . And the first key of the publicity blitz is to get filmgoers to move beyond the question of "Doctor WHO?!"
Filming on Doctor Strange has begun, for a film due out in just under a year. And so to jump-start this awareness campaign, we see Cumberbatch topped by grey-flecked locks, and beneath the Strange's signature whiskers. We see the red cape, which suggests this Doc will often be aloft. We also get a special-effects peek at what Strange's powers will look like in action - though all we have now is an extended hand, which only slightly suggests spell-casting finger motions to come.
It was as recently as 2008, of course, that Hollywood relied on Robert Downey Jr's own star wattage - as well as his Stark-perfect real-life troubled biography - to introduce a Marvel character little known by non-comics fans. After that, such popular characters as Thor and Captain America had high-enough recognition not to require the casting of established A-listers.
This year, after the Age of Ultron phase, Marvel began turning to well-known talents like Paul Rudd to draw general audiences to come befriend characters like Ant-Man. (Also Read: Ant-Man Leads North American Box Office, Pixels Stands Second)
So as Cumberbatch moves front and center as the Sorcerer Supreme, we can expect his "Strange" co-stars - such as Rachel McAdams, Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Mads Mikkelsen - to begin emerging from the publicity shadows.
If the next phase is going to keep Marvel's uncanny streak of hits alive, after all, the general filmgoer must begin putting a familiar, high-flying face to an under-the-radar name.
© 2016 The Washington Post