An arrogant genius whose confident snark keeps people distant finds themselves humbled after an accident leaves them gravely injured. The event sets the genius on a journey of self-discovery, in which they learn their talent can be used to help save the world. So. Am I describing 2016’s Doctor Strange, or 2008’s Iron Man?
The problem with Doctor Strange, out this week, is that I’m describing both. Marvel’s latest blockbuster epic is the latest in a long line of origin movies from the company—and despite the fact that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is nearly a decade old, Strange is pretty much the same sort of movie we’ve seen from Marvel Studios ever since Robert Downey Jr. snarked his way through the first Iron Man and into our hearts all those years ago, and the same style of origin Marvel has been delivering since. While it’s a fairly solid structure that has served Marvel well so far, it’s gotten to be tiresome to keep seeing it in these movies. The end result is that Benedict Cumberbatch’s Stephen Strange ends up being Tony Stark again, only with a cloak instead of armor.