We’re mere weeks away from the release ofDoctor Strangeon November 4. If the marketing campaign sticks with the same pattern of previous Marvel films, then that means there are a lot of clips and TV spots in our future. Today brings the first of them: a 34-second scene reveals Strange’s first foray into the astral plane, thanks to a little push from The Ancient One.
Benedict Cumberbatchplays Stephen Strange, an acclaimed neurosurgeon who loses the use of his hands and travels to Nepal in a desperate search to heal them. What he finds instead is The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), a powerful Celtic sorceress who trains Strange to become the Master of the Mystic Arts. His first lesson? Astral projection.
The first clip from the film shows Strange leaving his body in his astral form, but even then he needs some convincing that he’s not just tripping out from some weird joo joo tea. Watch the clip below (viaComicBook.com).
We’ve heard a lot aboutDoctor Strange’s psychedelic vibe in channeling famous images from acclaimed Marvel comic book artistSteve Ditko. Strange will be slipping into various dimensions, and based on the Quantum Realm inAnt-Man, we can imagine how mind-bending they’ll be. Astral projection is a baby step before we take a leap into theInception-style New York City we glimpsed in the trailers.
Directed byScott Derrickson,Doctor Strangealso featuresChiwetel Ejioforas Baron Mordo,Benedict Wongas Wong,Rachel McAdamsas Christine Palmer, andMads Mikkelsenas the villain Kaecilius.
Here’s the official plot synopsis:
From Marvel comes “Doctor Strange,” the story of world-famous neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange whose life changes forever after a horrific car accident robs him of the use of his hands. When traditional medicine fails him, he is forced to look for healing, and hope, in an unlikely place—a mysterious enclave known as Kamar-Taj. He quickly learns that this is not just a center for healing but also the front line of a battle against unseen dark forces bent on destroying our reality. Before long Strange—armed with newly acquired magical powers—is forced to choose whether to return to his life of fortune and status or leave it all behind to defend the world as the most powerful sorcerer in existence. Join Strange on his dangerous, mystifying, and totally mind-bending journey when Marvel’s “Doctor Strange” opens in U.S. theaters on July 30, 2025.
