Yesterday,
Colin Smith posted an interesting essay on Dr. Strange and it sparked a few thoughts (i.e. a rant) in the ol' cerebellum. So,
go read that one, then come read this one.
The gist of Smith's essay was that Strange had, for all intents and purposes, already made his 'Hero's Journey' (to crib a bit from Campbell) unlike the other characters in the MU. While Spider-Man, the Hulk and the rest are all still afflicted with the problems that render them more man than super-man, Strange has already cleansed himself of his limitations. In becoming the Sorcerer Supreme, Strange has reached the point where weaknesses of personality should no longer factor into his character.
So, Stephen Strange is (was), for lack of a better term, the MU's Only Competent Man. The one guy who knows what's going on, why it's going on and who's behind it. Batman, with a fancier cape and stylish facial hair. He's the guardian of our reality, the protector of the entirety of human existence. He fights gods before breakfast and staves off other-dimensional invasions after lunch. In between, he helps out Spider-Man with the odd spectral predator.
Simply put, he is the greatest hero in the MU, and, unfortunately, the least interesting from a practical standpoint. Likely this is why so many writers, especially recently, have undertaken to adding flaws to the diamond. Only by breaking Strange down does he become approachable. Making him short-tempered, absent-minded or arrogant goes a long way towards pulling him back down to a human level. Of course this also misses the point of just who and what Strange is supposed to be.
Case in point: the Illuminati. Everyone remembers that, right? Great concept, so-so execution and Dr. Strange shouldn't have been a member. Why? Too small. Other than the bit with the Infinity Gems (which wasn't well thought out to begin with), Strange had no reason to join the rest of the Illuminati-why should Strange, who fights off almost daily incursions from predatory realities, bother discussing the Skrulls with Iron-Man and Mr. Fantastic? That's a little picture problem, and Strange is, by necessity, concerned with the big picture. The tapestry of existence.
It's one of the reasons I think that a Dr. Strange series is a hard sell. The right stories would have to be BIG ones. Epic. Jim Starlin levels of epic. And that's a tough job for anyone (though
there are some who might be better at it than others-seriously, click that link). Strange is simply too big, too powerful, to tell human-level stories about (unless he's saving Wong from certain death because, y'know,
Wong.). He doesn't HAVE normal problems. And when you reduce him to those levels, you weaken the concept. With a Dr. Strange series, the writer should go big or go home.
Too, all of the recent stories with Dr. Strange? His loss of power, his-well, that was it really, wasn't it? 'The Search for the Sorcerer Supreme?'-all of that could be told with any ONE of the half-dozen occult-orientated characters Marvel has the rights to. Brother Voodoo could have joined the New Avengers instead of becoming the Sorcerer Supreme and getting iced. The Son of Satan. Mordred the Mystic. Hell, bring back Baron Mordo or Dr. Druid! They all fill the 'mystic-with-human-foibles' slot a lot better than Strange.
In a way, Strange was, once upon a time, the universal re-set button for the MU. If things got too bad, too dark, Strange was there. A swirl of red and gold and a 'Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth!' and that demonic invasion was thrown back. He was the cavalry, riding to the rescue when things got really bad. Used sparingly, he let the writers convey just how real sh*t had gotten. But when he spends three issues fighting ninjas (NINJAS!), the Sorcerer Supreme becomes just another costume. And that's not right at all.
There we go. Rant over.
