We've watched a ton of great Marvel movies over the years, and at least some of that credit should go to Stan Lee for thinking up these characters in the first place. He's the co-creator of big time hitters like Spider-Man, the Avengers, and the X-Men; and though plenty of other writers have evolved the characters over the years, Stan Lee is still an authority on them. Even though Doctor Strange is not credited as being Lee's creation, he did write several of the sorcerer's early stories and his opinion shouldn't be ignored. Apparently, Lee has seen the upcoming film and someone has now shared his thoughts on Twitter.
This tweet comes from the account of Moisés Chiullan, who reported from Fan Expo Canada that Stan Lee thought director Scott Derrickson got Doctor Strange right. He then went on to humorously say his only gripe was that he was not cast as Stephen Strange himself (he's played by Benedict Cumberbatch in the film). Then Lee tried to recite some of the Sorcerer Supreme's incantations, but could only remember two. Marvel Studios will no doubt be happy to have Stan Lee's endorsement in the film, given how loved he is in the community. While it's not totally clear if Lee means they nailed the character or the movie in general, either one is basically a victory when adapting a character as wild and difficult as Doctor Strange.
While it's always good to hear from Stan Lee, the credit for creating Doctor Strange goes to his frequent collaborator, Steve Ditko. Created in 1963, Doctor Strange survived through the ages largely because of Ditko's wild and often psychedelic visuals of Strange's powers. The comic was entirely bizarre, with alternate realities and magical realms becoming a mainstay in the series. Scott Derrickson and Kevin Feige have often promised that the film would mimic that surreal aesthetic, which can be seen in the film's trailers. Using modern visual technologies, the film hopes to bring the classic Marvel character's world from page to screen.
It's important to remember that, though Stan Lee receives a producer credit in every MCU film, he doesn't actually have much to do with the making of these movies. Aside from his standard tradition of a cameo, he can just sit back, relax, and watch the movies like the rest of us. Lee sold his rights to the characters before the MCU officially began.
Even though he won't get to be the doctor himself, Stan Lee will have a cameo appearance in Doctor Strange which is scheduled to hit theaters on November 4, 2016. The film is directed by Scott Derrickson and stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mads Mikkelsen, Rachel McAdams, and Benedict Wong.
