Sam Raimi Talks About How DOCTOR STRANGE's Flawed Nature Makes Him Interesting and Relatable

Doctor Strange is a complex superhero and man. He has a painful past, and a tormented storyline, which gives nuance to all of his decisions and feelings. In an excerpt from the 2022 book, The Art of Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (via The Direct/SuperHeroHype), the film’s director, Sam Raimi opened up about Dr. Stephen Strange’s character flaws. Raimi noted that he’s “a good person, but he’s got his own psychological problems.”

“He sometimes can be a little selfish, a little arrogant, proud. And this prevents him from being some flawless good guy. He wrestles with his dark side, and he delves into the supernatural in a way that some other magicians who are fighting for good think is immoral.”

Raimi, who first broke into the comic book film universe when directing Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man trilogy, defined the flawed nature of Doctor Strange. He argues that’s what makes the character not only interesting, but relatable to audiences.

“I find him to be a character at war with himself, which we all are. And so he’s very relatable in that way, even though he’s a superhero. We find Doctor Strange at the beginning of our film as someone who has not only passed through the mastery of magic, but who’s now dealing with the results of a life spent devoted to one’s craft at the extreme of his personal life.”

Doctor Strange is a fascinating character, and I look forward to seeing him again in the MCU. What would you like to see happen for the sorcerer supreme?