The Amazing Whitewashing Adventures of Doctor Strange

In the immortal words of Mr. Poopybutthole, OOOOOO, WHEEEEEE: Being allowed to attend a press screening earlier this month for the upcoming Marvel film Doctor Strange, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular character, was an interesting experience. Me and a fellow BNP staff writer had great seats to watch a 20-minute extended trailer, essentially hyping us up for when the film drops later this Fall. It was also pretty cool that Sebastian Stan, AKA Winter Soldier, dropped by the theater, IN THE FLESH, with a weird-ass anecdote about Cumberbatch and a million-dollar smile.

I’ll admit, I am not a fan of the film. Understanding that comic books, and specifically the background of Doctor Strange, has a history of racism, didn’t help with my opinion overall with the premise of this movie. Quick background: Stephen Strange, a famous yet arrogant doctor, becomes a victim of a horrible car accident which destroys his career as a surgeon. Overhearing a tale of someone known as The Ancient One, Strange travels to the Himalayas to learn from the Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme. Eventually, this mystic introduces Strange to this new world of magic and mystery, and of a reality beyond what we know. Now, we’ve heard this story before: Drop a white person in a “exotic, mystical land,” have them trained by an all-knowing, usually person of color, and have this magical being’s only role to enhance the characterization of the white main character. What this does is erase and decentralize a narr…