Why Stan Lee Loved the ’70s Marvel Flop ‘Dr. Strange’ Despite Its Epic Fail

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As a die-hard movie buff, I must say that the 21st century has been nothing short of magical for Marvel live-action enthusiasts like me. From Sam Raimi’s iconic Spider-Man trilogy to the Fox X-Men series and the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s been a rollercoaster ride of epic proportions. Looking back, things were quite different before this era. While DC was thriving, Marvel was grappling to create something truly remarkable. In the ’70s, they decided to shift their focus towards television, resulting in shows such as The Incredible Hulk and The Amazing Spider-Man. However, these didn’t quite leave the same lasting impact as their comic counterparts. The third production was even less successful.

There was great anticipation surrounding the CBS movie release of “Dr. Strange” on September 6, 1978. This project originated from the creative minds of writer, director, and producer Philip DeGuere, who later became famous for his work in shows like “Magnum P.I.”, “JAG”, and “NCIS”. As shared by actress Jessica Walter, who portrayed the villain Morgan Le Fay, DeGuere aimed for perfection with this film. However, it didn’t meet expectations and ultimately failed to gain popularity. Despite its poor performance, Marvel co-creator Stan Lee was a fan of the movie.

‘Dr. Strange’ Is a Standard Origin Story

In a departure from the original storyline, Dr. Strange portrays Dr. Stephen Strange (Peter Hooten) as a psychiatrist residing in New York City instead of a surgeon. To begin with, he’s skilled at his profession and appears to be enjoying a peaceful life. However, as the saying goes, all is calm before the storm…

Immediately following, Morgan Le Fay (Jessica Walter) makes an appearance, a character familiar to fans from the pre-Disney+ series “Runaways.” She is a malevolent sorceress who inflicts pain and misery through her ruthless interactions with both ordinary people and those gifted individuals. Due to her proficiency, she frequently takes on the role of apprehending dissenters.

This time, her objective is to travel to Earth with the intention of eliminating both the present and the upcoming Sorcerer Supreme. The idea being that we’ll finally be rid of these bothersome heroes forever. As she can’t reveal herself in her dreadful form, she instead takes over Clea Lake, a young woman capable of navigating psychic dimensions. Under Morgan’s control, Clea attempts to take out the current Sorcerer Supreme, Thomas Lindmer (John Mills).

Fortunately, Lindmer escapes unscathed and gradually recovers, only to find out that a psychiatrist (Stephen Strange) has been selected to take over from him. As time goes by, Strange begins to develop powers, which he finds perplexing as he is a science advocate. In quick succession, Lindmer and Wong pay him a visit and share his newfound destiny with him. It’s no surprise that Strange dismisses the revelation, cautioning the two visitors to beat it before they cause any more disturbances. However, after experiencing a series of unusual events, he accepts his fate, setting him on a path towards confronting Morgan le Fay.

Why ‘Dr. Strange’ Flopped

In the production of Dr. Strange, the budget was not substantial enough for DeGuere to attract all the top-tier talent he desired, but he made an effort. His principal casting decision was John Mills, a well-known British actor from the 1970s who had been knighted by the queen during the decade and won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in the romantic drama, “Ryan’s Daughter.” The actor delivered a commendable performance as the original Sorcerer Supreme, but unfortunately, many people were unaware of his work due to low viewership of the Marvel film. The ratings for the movie were disappointingly poor, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

A significant factor was that the film aired against a repeat of ABC’s Roots miniseries, which was a strong contender with 37 Emmy nominations. Choosing between a critically acclaimed series and a movie about a psychiatrist delving into the magical realm was never going to be difficult. The low viewership figures can’t be attributed to the character’s current popularity, as Doctor Strange was actually more popular in the ’70s than he is today. This is evident from the fact that most Defenders comic issues featuring the future Avenger as the lead character sold well during the ’70s.

Kusatsu, who played Wong, recalls how ruthless CBS executives were when the results came.

In those days, being part of CBS family was a warm welcome, but once your show was aired and lacked fighter support from Berlin, it would plummet, ending in failure. Back then, there were only three networks, and ratings during overnight hours were crucial. If a show didn’t make the overnight ratings, it was as good as gone.

However, the actor raises an important point.

It’s likely that if I checked the figures from 1978, they were the type of results that could potentially be sustained today, perhaps even on a network like The CW.

In my humble opinion, had a more recognized star graced our screens, this television production might have soared higher. Yet, in those days, it was seldom to see big-name actors cast in TV shows. Hooten, however, admirably filled the void, and as composer Chihara reminisces, the actor “floated on a cloud for a while” following his casting. Regrettably, this role didn’t catapult him into stardom within this project, but he certainly carved out an illustrious career elsewhere.

In the realm of magic depicted by Dr. Strange, stunning visuals were essential, yet during a time when CGI wasn’t as advanced, it was challenging to accurately portray the comics. The production team should be commended for their attempts. By skillfully combining seemingly random and damaged film stock, they crafted an engaging mosaic of visual artistry. However, the final product didn’t reach great heights or leave audiences breathless, as evident in the CBS trailers.

Failure Aside, ‘Dr. Strange’ Made Stan Lee Proud

In a 1985 interview with Comics Feature, if anyone were to guess which old Marvel live-action project Stan Lee held dear despite having one of the worst experiences associated with it, they’d likely point to either The Amazing Spider-Man or The Incredible Hulk. However, surprisingly, that particular project was canceled after airing just 13 episodes.

Lee found himself drawn to Doctor Strange, as it seemed to align with his creative ideas. Having a significant role in shaping the film’s overall aesthetic made him feel valued, going beyond merely appearing for a brief moment or serving as an executive producer.

I played a significant role in that project, as I’ve built a close relationship with producer Phil DeGuere. I enjoyed both Dr. Strange and The Incredible Hulk, though I believe Dr. Strange could have performed better in ratings if not airing against Roots. My experience with live-action television is limited to these shows, and while Dr. Strange and The Incredible Hulk were decent, Captain America fell short of expectations, and Spider-Man was a real headache.

In this movie, Lee’s influence is clearly evident and it becomes clear why he took pride in his work. Dr. Strange skillfully breathes life into many lesser-known characters from the comics, while perfectly capturing the distinctive rhythm of Steve Ditko’s writing as he brought the sorcerer to life on the pages.

The outcome is a vibrant, moderately-paced adventure that takes on certain aspects of our society and pokes fun at them, much like previous Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) productions. In this case, Doctor Strange serves as an embodiment of the ordinary individual grappling with a new life phase, while Wong acts as a conduit for some divine interaction.

It’s possible that Lee adored the film, but he may have felt let down by the way several early Marvel projects unfolded, given how successfully their competition was faring. A mere few months passed before the debut of Dr. Strange. Meanwhile, Superman hit theaters and raked in over $300 million at the box office. One might wonder what DC was doing differently than Marvel. Fast forward to decades later, and answers would emerge from Columbia Pictures, Fox, Sony, and Disney.

In a different phrasing: Instead of Dr. Strange winning with a grand explosion, it’s still worth watching if possible, just to witness the impressive progress made by Marvel. And keep an eye out for Sarah Rush, who was once a bright child star from Battlestar Galactica, appearing in a minor part.

Dr. Strange is available to buy on Amazon.

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2025-01-20 03:32