The Marvel Cinematic Universe grows exponentially every time a new movie hits theaters. Whenever a new hero debuts, he or she brings an entire supporting cast of characters with them. But despite their supporting status, many of these side characters are definitely worthy of their own stories. With the release of Doctor Strange finally upon us, it seems that even Tilda Swinton wants to get in on the action with an Ancient One solo movie of her very own. The actress explained:
I'm pretty confidently dropping hints in Kevin Feige's ear about a prequel, I'm constantly harassing him about that. I don't know if it'll get anywhere.
Tilda Swinton recently spoke to Screen Crush and admitted that she's definitely interested in doing a Doctor Strange prequel. She has apparently brought the issue up to Kevin Feige numerous times, and remained consistently vocal in her desire to give The Ancient One more of the spotlight. Doctor Strange will introduce the character as an already fully formed master of the mystic arts, but we've been dying to know how she got there in the first place. We're huge Tilda Swinton fans here at CinemaBlend, so we're totally on board with that idea.
That being said, Tilda Swinton still has to prove herself as The Ancient One before she can even think about a solo movie of her very own. Despite her obvious pedigree as an actress, many fans of the Doctor Strange source material felt taken aback by her casting. In the comics, The Ancient One is an Asian man, but the film has serious alterations to the character by turning Stephen Strange's chrome-domed mentor into a woman with Celtic origins. It's a move that hasn't gone unnoticed, and Swinton still needs to win over fans who lashed out against the changes.
Although it's not the most likely project, a Doctor Strange prequel centering on the life of The Ancient One would certainly represent a step in a new direction for Marvel. Despite the fact that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is incredibly complex and interwoven, it has not really delved into the realm of prequels yet. Sure, there have been films like Captain America: The First Avenger, and Ant-Man, which took the action back in time, but there has yet to be a Marvel film that fleshes out the backstory of an established character in true prequel fashion. For the sake of mixing things up, it definitely seems like an interesting potential move for the studio.
While there's no guarantee that The Ancient One will ever receive a prequel film, we look forward to seeing what Tilda Swinton does with the character in the Doctor Strange franchise. The character will make her debut when Doctor Strange hits theaters on November 4. Stay tuned for more details!
