EDITORIAL: Ant-Man & Dr. Strange Are Not Fit For The Big Screen

With speculations over the mysterious 2014 Marvel movie still going on, I thought I’d put up my opinion as to why two of the most talked about characters wouldn’t fit on the big screen: those two being Ant-Man and Dr. Strange.

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By AgentZero - 6/5/2012
With speculations over the mysterious 2014 Marvel movie still going on, I thought I’d put up my opinion as to why two of the most talked about characters wouldn’t fit on the big screen: those two being Ant-Man and Dr. Strange.

At first I want to point out that story-wise – and with the right writers – every movie can be good. But a story alone doesn’t make a movie. Heck, even Nolan’s Batman movies have good action scenes (e.g. Batman taking out the SWAT team in TDK). If you think about it, good actions scenes involve either «hand-to-hand combat with full body contact» (Hulk vs. The Abomination) or «shooting» (Iron Man and War Machine vs. the Hammer drones). So with that being said, let’s get to our main guys.

How will Ant-Man fight off the villains if he gets his own movie?
- Send ants their way? Boring.
- Use a gun? Might as well don’t have any super power.

Believe it or not Dr. Strange is not any better. Who would want to see a guy reciting spells to defeat his enemies. It’s like the Green Lantern saying his oath to fend off a villain: it translates to «epiclessness» on the big screen.

Have an opinion? Feel free to share it with the world.
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Georgep66 - 6/5/2012, 1:44 PM
Dr strange could work in exactly the same way as both Harry potter and iron man, with magic being shot from his hands in a fast paced style. Harry potter managed to create pretty awesome action out of something pretty lame. Ant man doesn't just use ants, he could have a battle fighting someone else at a small size or perhaps beating people up while small, the ants could also work like the bats in batman begins mixed with the locusts in the mummy which would be pretty awesome. Your article is a bit ignorant, you probably should have given a second thought to it
Devilhunter318 - 6/5/2012, 2:03 PM
The potential for Dr Strange's fight scenes is amazing, I'm not sure about you but the first thing I think of when a Dr Strange film is brought up is a scene involving Strange and a villain (Chthon or Baron Mordo are my choices) slowly walking towards eachother while reciting spells under their breath and having all of this badass mystical action going on around them and they aren't even fazed by it, they just keep looking and muttering; and imagine Antman shrinking, growing big, but hitting an enemy mid-growth to have them receive even more impact
JokerFanHAhaHA - 6/5/2012, 2:06 PM
This article kind of implies you know very little about either character.
In essence what I had to say is almost everything Georgep66 had to say, Strange could be exciting and actiony the same that Harry Potter was.
And Ant Man? He doesn't JUST controll ants. He can shrink and go inside machines, fixing it or destroying it from the inside out. Think the battle of the Death Star if the Death Star was the size of a baseball and the ships were the size of gnats.
He can also grow into "Giant-Man" And that could easily be taken advantage of in a fight. Think Hulk but inteligent and can talk. And not green.
2Challa - 6/5/2012, 2:08 PM
No Antman w/o Giantman
Dr Strange has great potential for action given the range for his powers.

Not looking forward to either of these in 2014 bring on Black Panther.
ThunderKat - 6/5/2012, 2:22 PM
Looks like a long comment instead of an op-ed.
Crossbones - 6/5/2012, 3:00 PM
I'm sorry but Antman/Giantman which ever name you prefer, the character if brought into The Avengers universe is gonna be pointless as a superhero. He's about as pointless as Aquaman. Which means they both suck and should stay out of movies.
Curmudgeon - 6/5/2012, 3:50 PM
Can you imagine... Ant-Man's in a fist fight with someone. Bad guy throws a punch, except Pym shrinks down, putting the guy off-balance. Pym re-grows, uppercutting the now-overextended bad guy in the process.

Boom, bad guy goes down.
JokerFanHAhaHA - 6/5/2012, 4:34 PM
@TheLizard1- That pretty much proves you know almost nothing about the character.
Aquaman is bad ass when written right, As in when you look at him BESIDES Super-Friends.
Same for Ant-Man. Just watch EMH. He's a worth while character when given the chance to be one.
golden123 - 6/5/2012, 5:04 PM
I believe you placed your comment in the wrong section, sir.
95 - 6/5/2012, 5:32 PM
I get what you're saying, but... Marvel will make it work.
CorndogBurglar - 6/5/2012, 5:36 PM
I've been a comic reader since I was able to read and I just cant see Ant-Man being successful, especially with fhe general audience. Hell, im not sure even I want to see it, and im as big a comic fan as they come.

I think you are sorely mistaken about Dr Strange though. Could yoh agine the special effecta in that shit? That alone would bring in the general audience. And seriously, Dr Strange my not be a hand to hand figbter, or use guns, but he doesnt need guns because he can cast spells that are far more powerful than a bullet. And if Dormammu were the villain then the theatre would need a new ceiling because my boner would punch a hole straight through the roof.
Ghostt - 6/5/2012, 5:50 PM
what a profound, in-depth article with clear and concise opinions, reasons, and explanations...

...no, wait..i will not fly into a crazed nerdrage....only because I am sure that's exactly what you want me to do, you masochistic sonomabitch.

..just please check out some Dr. Strange comics/animated movies before Pym shrinks down, crawls into your skull through your ear, and then grows and busts open your skull. he can do that. that's his weapon.



Viltrumite - 6/5/2012, 6:37 PM
Part of Ant-Man's power is he has the same strength when he shrinks as he has when he's normal size.
If you seriously don't think it would be cool to see him surrounded by thugs, punch one in the face, shrink and punch another in the shins, revert to normal size, jump, shrink in midair to deliver a kick to another's face, then make himself slightly larger than normal to pick up and throw the last one, edited Zach Snyder style (the one time I'd like to see his editing style used in an action sequence), you have no imagination.
Thanos005 - 6/5/2012, 6:51 PM
Before the Iron Man movie came out Iron Man was not the icon he is now. He was pretty unknown by the general public, and now he is Marvels Mascot. Same with Thor. Many saw him as flat and uninteresting, but now he is huge. I have faith in Marvel.
Tainted87 - 6/5/2012, 8:31 PM

Go to 1:32

Now listen, I understand that opinions are always in the varying category - not everyone is going to share the same viewpoints, but I do have a threshold that seems like it's about to break here.

The video I posted is from Ghostbusters, as you should know. I don't know anyone who hasn't seen that movie - it is IN FACT my favorite movie of all time. It is also the example that I use for a lot of statements I make, such as how a Fantastic Four movie should be, or in this particular case: how you can make a movie with zero fights, no death, no guns blazing (apart from the nuclear accelerators) and still end up awesome.

But before I go on about Ghostbusters, here's the quick scoop - a quick summary of where I am about to go here. You see Ant-man uses his own innovations to shrink down to size, or grow in size, or change the size of other people, or communicate with bugs... just like Tony Stark uses his seemingly unlimited wealth to build armored suits that shoot lasers and rockets and repulsor beams. Guess what? Iron Man is the reason why the Avengers has paid the bills on future films.

Now if your article idea was based on Hank Pym and Stephen Strange not being interesting characters OUTSIDE of their superpowers (and you would probably have a point there), I would feel differently. Alas, it seems as though you know little about them, even about their powers and technology.

So let's think outside of the box - outside of the superpowers, which is probably 35-40% of what the movies are about. Hulk fans swear by The Incredible Hulk, claiming it is their favorite Marvel film (not counting the Avengers). In that movie which runs 112 minutes, you actually see the Hulk for less than 15 minutes. Edward Norton and the supporting cast had to make things interesting enough for the rest of that run time.

Ant-Man has a great deal of overlooked potential. It actually DOES make a lot of sense to present him AFTER the Avengers have already debuted in the MCU, because he will have more to prove to both the MCU and the audience. I particularly enjoy what Earth's Mightiest Heroes did with him. In that incarnation, he is more of a pacifist and a scientist than some crime-fighter. He has a prison for supervillains called "the Big House", where all of the prisoners are the size of ants.

Many share the idea that Ant-man would make for a great SHIELD agent, considering his powers enable him to infiltrate the highest security levels. I say use that aspect later down the road.

Doctor Strange's biggest obstacle in the MCU is his origin story - it runs the risk of being way too similar to Iron Man. This is an egotistical surgeon who has everything taken away from him when he suffers a car wreck. I think his origin should be told in flashback mode throughout the movie, which would be set while he is already an established Sorcerer.
Tainted87 - 6/5/2012, 8:40 PM
Also, on the subject of Ant-man - it would be a mistake to have his technology streamlined enough for someone to just grab and use it (even though yes, that is what happens with Scott Lang). It needs to be impractical. He needs to start out having a crap-load of different instruments to alter his size. Stark and SHIELD can help him with the conventional updates.
TheMyth - 6/5/2012, 9:06 PM
Doctor Strange could be Harry Potter for adults, it could be [frick]ing awesome! You clearly have never even picked up a Strange book. A battle between him and just about anyone in his pantheon would be [frick]ing epic, especially Mordo or Dormamu. Not to mention he ties easily with Thor. And in the books when Mjolnir was cracked, who fixed it? There is your intro to tie him to the rest of the Avengers.

Ant-Man is a tougher sell, but still, your analysis suggests you know very little of the character. Personally, I think if they completely avoid the ant thing and play up the Pym particles and his ability to shrink and grow, it could be awesome. It could be outstanding to see him use both in one scene during combat and imagine how cool the giant Pym would have been during the Chitauri invasion, slapping down the charriots and wrestling leviathans... he would've been right next to Hulk in stealing the show. I guarantee that Thanos is bringing an army with whatever he'll bring in the future. And if none of that is enough, Pym has my vote for most effective Avenger to kill off. For some reason, I like seeing him die in the comics. Might be because he's a smug asshole but whatevs.

The one I worry about most of the future prospects isn't Pym though, or even selling the GotG... it's Namor. I love the character and cannot wait to see him in the MCU, but he will be the hardest to establish, utilize, and appeal to outsiders.

And I strongly doubt BP will feature in a solo film. I've said it a thousand times now, my bet is that he'll pop up in Cap2 and that Wakanda will be a big part of that sequel. I think they're saving Winter Soldier for Cap 3 and I don't think we'll get Zemo in the MCU.
Minotauro - 6/5/2012, 10:14 PM
Meh, Doctor Fate sounds like a cooler movie than Stranges.
marknjoanna - 6/5/2012, 10:44 PM
dr strange would rock.

plus lots pf people want to see ultron and vison so we need antman/wasp.
WesleyGibson - 6/6/2012, 12:35 AM
If Harry Potter pulled it off with EIGHT films, than Dr. Strange would work easily, so I don't see your point.
6of13 - 6/6/2012, 2:54 AM
When I think of Doc Strange I think of something that has a lot more energy than the Harry Potter films. I enjoyed The Sorcerers Apprentice and so I think a Doc Strange film could work. Maybe it could borrow a little inspiration from Batman Begins or at least in its tone.
DrDoom - 6/24/2012, 5:50 PM
Doctor Strange would work wonders.

Ant-Man sucks.

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