MCU: All 11 Marvel Phase 3 movies ranked from worst to best

6. Doctor Strange

I know what you are thinking right now: “How is Doctor Strange ranked higher than Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2?” Well, funny you should ask, I was just about to try and explain why Scott Derrickson’s movie is a hidden gem in the MCU and one of their most underrated projects. Are you ready? Great, because we’ll start by clarifying that up until this point, every movie we’ve talked about is either a sequel or its protagonist was already introduced in another film (with the exception of Captain Marvel). But why is this important? Well, sometimes sequels are easier to craft considering they don’t have to spend a lot of time setting things up, and the director knows what worked and what didn’t in its prequel.

We’ve discussed how Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 used this advantage to its maximum by adding more depth to previously established characters. You could also argue Thor: Ragnarok was a success because Marvel knew it had to make a film that didn’t take itself too seriously after Thor: The Dark World failed to resonate with audiences. Yes, there are some exceptions to this rule, like Iron Man: 2, but for the most part: it’s way harder to start with an empty canvas. That’s one of the reasons that Doctor Strange is so special.

Not only the movie had the duty to introduce a relatively unknown character to audiences, but it had to explain how magic works in the MCU. Additionally, it marked the first time we got to see the time stone in action, so it had to set up rules for time travel. This could all have gone horribly wrong, but instead Doctor Strange managed to make it work in a pretty epic way. Sure, the main antagonist is forgettable, and Stephen Strange’s love interest was a one-dimensional character that didn’t add a lot to the story. However, these all of these complaints fall short of the film’s numerous positives.

Doctor Strange truly shined thanks to its mind-bending action sequences, a great arc for its main character, and an unexpected way for Dormammu to be defeated. While all origin stories in Marvel movies follow pretty much the same path, this one felt really different. By the time it was released, the MCU was already 8 years old. So the fact that it managed to bring new and unexpected things to the table with its amazing use of magic speaks volumes as to its importance. And when you also take into account the movie had likable secondary characters, like Wong, there’s no denying Marvel accomplished a great feat with Doctor Strange.