The first Doctor Strange falls right into the middle of the MCU, both in terms of timeline and quality.
Its no Infinity War or No Way Home, but nor is Doctor Strange anywhere close to the MCU’s lowest-rated films, like The Eternals. It finds itself snugly nestled in the midst of other unremarkable, but thoroughly watchable, Marvel flicks like Captain America: The First Avenger and Iron Man 3.
Despite its lack of any major hype, Doctor Strange continues to crop up in conversations just under seven years following its release. The topic of these chats has little to do with the Doctor himself, however, with one passionate debate instead centering around an easily forgettable side character.
Back in 2016, when Doctor Strange first arrived, fans were introduced to a range of new MCU addition. Mixed in with the Ancient One, Mordo, Wong, and Christine was an easily forgettable side character, but one that’s recently reemerged in conversations, as fans re-litigate just how dirty the MCU did Jonathan Pangborn.
The plot of Doctor Strange largely sees Strange working to master the Mystic Arts and use them to protect the world from machinations to bring Dormammu to Earth. In the midst of all that magic and mayhem, Pangborn largely serves as an example of non-commitment to the Mystic Arts, and a plug to showcase Mordo’s cruel nature.
If you find yourself searching through memories to summon some recollection of Pangborn, you’re not alone. The character is a side-note, at best, in the Doctor Strange story, but he’s been sticking with Reddit user youneedtobestopped_ for awhile now. They made a post to the site’s Marvel Studios sub, and expressed their fury at what was done to the ill-fated side character.
See, in the Doctor Strange plot, Pangborn is a former trainee under the Ancient One, and a one-time Master of the Mystic Arts. Once he’d learned all he could from Kamar-Taj, however, Pangborn left the ancient base to return to his life. His aims in mastering the Mystic Arts were no more selfish than Stephen’s — both wanted to heal their bodies of serious injuries — but he certainly got the short end of the stick. After dedicating himself to his studies, mastering the Mystic Arts, and healing his paralysis, Pangborn decided to leave Kamar-Taj and return to the life he had before. He didn’t want power, or influence, or a place among the Mystic Masters — he just wanted a normal, happy life.
But that life, at least the one in which his paralysis was cured, was short-lived, after Mordo sought Pangborn out and robbed him of the mobility his hard work earned him. Mordo attacked the former Kamar-Taj pupil and accused him of magic robbery, before stripping him of his powers and his ability to walk.
With that, Pangborn became a footnote in the Doctor Strange story. He’s never mentioned again in the MCU, and his time in its story is apparently over. This, in particular, rubbed youneedtobestopped_ the wrong way, as they feel the man deserves some much-needed closure.
As commenters were quick to point out, however, Pangborn’s story was never intended to have a happy ending. It may feel unfair, what was done to him, but it served a storytelling purpose. His entrance gave Strange the knowledge he needed to track down Kamar-Taj, and begin his journey to becoming the MCU’s Doctor Strange. It also exposed how heartless Mordo — a clearly defined bad guy — can be, and detailed the ease with which magical talent can be stripped away. It may serve as some kind of foreshadowing for a future Doctor Strange release, but it was more likely simply intended to illustrate the character’s heartless nature for audiences.
Despite this, calls to “LET PANGBORN HOOP” quickly appeared in the comments below youneedtobestopped_’s post, even as people broke down why Pangborn’s arc was so dissatisfying. The consensus seems to be that, had Mordo become the villain the first film seemed to be setting up, Pangborn’s story would have landed far better. He would have served as a warning, and a harkening of what was to come.
Instead, the MCU ditched Mordo as a villain, and left Pangborn’s story feeling empty and unfinished. Few people even remember the character at all, but those who do can’t help but pity him. With the MCU seemingly headed in a very different direction than was planned back in 2016, its unlikely he’ll ever rear his head in the franchise again, but he’ll be remembered — and missed — by at least a few of the cinematic universe’s most attentive fans.