The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a phenomenon that has dominated cinema for over a decade. Many companies have attempted to weave interconnected universes on the silver screen in its wake, but none have succeeded to the same degree. This has had interesting ramifications in video games, with oft-derided movie tie-ins being replaced by standalone Marvel-based franchises. Doctor Strange is a property that also deserves some time in the spotlight.
Scott Derrickson's Doctor Strange from 2016 may not have been the most impactful MCU film, but its title character portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch has accompanied Benedict Wong's Wong as glue holding the universe together across multiple movies. A trailer for its sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, officially released today (after being a post-credits inclusion in Spider-Man: No Way Home, which also centers multiversal threats). As the multiverse becomes more integral to the MCU via Disney+ shows like Wandavision, Loki, and What If...?, all seemingly about to tie into Sam Raimi's Multiverse of Madness, Doctor Strange's import has also grown.
In a landscape of Marvel video games, there's enough room to give Stephen Strange a more thorough exploration. A Doctor Strange game would not only fit the current zeitgeist of game development, it's one that could potentially thrive off the strength of its unique gameplay hooks and environments.
The Rise of Marvel Video Games
Marvel crossover titles have been popular for some time in the mobile market thanks to games like Kabam's Marvel Realm of Champions and Contest of Champions, the latter dating back to 2014. However it was Sony's first-party developer Insomniac Games; known for series like Ratchet & Clank, Spyro the Dragon, and Sunset Overdrive; that broke ground in 2018 with Marvel's Spider-Man. Unlike movie tie-ins such as WayForward's Thor: God of Thunder in 2011, Insomniac created its own branch of the multiverse that had no connection to ongoing film series (beyond referential costumes).
The personal story and engaging gameplay in Marvel's Spider-Man afforded it a bevy of award nominations. Among others, it was a Game of the Year contendor at The Game Awards 2018 - even if it was overshadowed by Santa Monica Studio's God of War, another PlayStation exclusive. That success spawned a franchise all its own, with Insomniac releasing Spider-Man: Miles Morales as a PS5 launch title in 2020, and going on to announce Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Marvel's Wolverine at the PlayStation Showcase 2021.
Other developers have also thrown their hats into the ring with big-budget Marvel Comics games clearly riffing off the success of the MCU. Crystal Dynamics' Marvel's Avengers didn't land gracefully in 2020, but has continued to receive support. Meanwhile, Eidos Montreal's Guardians of the Galaxy surprised many in 2021 with a story that earned it widespread acclaim - including Best Narrative at The Game Awards 2021. Many more adventures are in the works, including Firaxis Games' Marvel's Midnight Suns, and that's not to mention crossovers in popular titles like Fortnite.
How a Doctor Strange Game Could Play
Many of the big Marvel games released or in development focus on grounded, Earth-bound stories (like Spider-Man), or lean hard into universe-spanning aliens and technology (like Guardians of the Galaxy). The mystic arts haven't gotten a lot of time to shine, and even the tactical RPG Midnight Suns focuses more on demons of the underworld than the kind of chaotic magic and multiverse-tampering shenanigans present in Doctor Strange.
The Sorcerer Supreme has never had a video game all his own, unlike heroes such as the X-Men regular Wolverine whose seen plenty of action prior to Insomniac Games. Even if a Doctor Strange-focused title is seen as a kind of discount MCU, like many said of Marvel's Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, this would have plenty of interesting ground to cover. Mechanically, magic is open to interpretation, but could scratch an itch many want out of games like Hogwarts Legacy with numerous offensive and defensive spells, as well as some that alter the surrounding world.
Insomniac's Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart also offers a parallel to the Sling Rings and inter-dimensional portals that play a huge part in the skillset of the MCU's Doctor Strange. Characters like Strange and Wong use portals to instantaneously travel, or play with ideas similar to Valve's Portal franchise by having opponents turn attacks against themselves. The latest Ratchet & Clank is a great showcase for the power of next-gen hardware with regards to transportation and combat, and it would make sense for a Doctor Strange game to rework its ideas.
Creating a Surrealist World for Marvel's Doctor Strange
Even more interesting than Doctor Strange's combat abilities is the potential for his preferred settings. Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy makes great use of its vast universe to create environments and characters, so opening this up to an incomprehensible multiverse which Doctor Strange must explore would only further the experience. However, it would take a skilled developer to really capture the simultaneous fear and awe associated with such an unknowable setting.
Among all the Marvel video games in development, one with the least amount revealed thus far is Skydance New Media's upcoming title. Helmed by former Uncharted creative director Amy Hennig, it's possible Skydance could strike a necessary balance in the exploits of a cool-under-pressure Stephen Strange. Yet the studio is unproven as of this writing, with the Marvel game being Skydance New Media's first project.
Perhaps the best example for what a surreal, multiverse-spanning Doctor Strange game could be is Remedy Entertainment's Control. The game's "new weird" genre conventions, SCP inspirations, and beaurocratic lampooning are perhaps closer to the tone of Disney+'s Loki, but certain Control sequences like cleansing the Flamingo Altered Item or the Ashtray Maze prove how easily Remedy could turn the known universe on its head.
Remedy Entertainment is better known for its own franchises, and it recently announced Alan Wake 2; a title that will help tie together its expanding universe. Still, any studio attempting a Doctor Strange game would be wise to pull from Control's surrealist universe while capturing a breadth of magical prowess befitting the Sorcerer Supreme. With Multiverse of Madness coming next year, now seems as good a time as any to give this idea a shot.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness premieres in theatres on May 6, 2022.