In making a Doctor Strange movie, Marvel had a particularly difficult minefield to navigate. The source material is among the most problematic of Marvel comic content, in terms of sexism, racism, and the intersection of the two – but it is also among the most beloved, in terms of title character. Doctor Strange was created by Steven Ditko in 1963 – first appearing in Strange Tales #110 – and his story is entirely a product of that era, with all its drug-fuelled experimentation, shifting political landscapes, and prejudiced attitudes toward gender and race.

In the comic books, Stephen Vincent Strange is an arrogant, celebrated neurosurgeon whose entire sens...

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