If nothing else, Doctor Strange is shaping up to be a sumptuous visual treat. Ever since Marvel pulled back the velvet curtain on that first teaser, the sheer spectacle on display has wowed ardent comic book fans and general moviegoers alike, drawing comparisons to the city-folding sequence found in Christopher Nolan’s Inception.
And though we’re inclined to believe that Scott Derrickson’s origin story is much, much more than just a pretty face (have you seen the casting docket?), the film’s first IMAX TV spot has landed online today and unsurprisingly focuses on those reality-defying shots. Littered throughout the minute-long sting are some new sequences of Strange in action, as Benedict Cumberbatch’s lead begins his painstaking journey to become Marvel’s Sorcerer Supreme – cape and all.
There’s an oft-used phrase that claims the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and for Doctor Strange, it’ll be a painful one. Though recent image reveals showcase the pre-accident neurosurgeon we know and love, disaster strikes Cumberbatch’s visionary early on in the movie, leaving his medical career – and, frankly, will to live – in tatters. Dumping his fortune into an ultimately fruitless search to find a means to cure his injuries, our budding hero then begins his pilgrimage east, where he crosses paths with Tilda Swinton’s all-powerful Ancient One.
He’ll need her guidance, too, if Strange really is to fend off Mads Mikkelsen’s big bad, Kaecilius. As the Danish actor revealed recently to Empire, his nemesis is essentially the polar opposite of Cumberbatch’s lead: “[He’s] a man who believes in a better world, a world without human tragedy, but his means are quite different from the ones Doctor Strange is using, therefore conflict.”
Doctor Strange hits on November 4. In case you missed it, Cumberbatch’s Sorcerer Supreme will also be joining the fight against Thanos in time for Joe and Anthony Russo’s two-part Infinity War in 2018.