How Doctor Strange’s Personal Journey Is Like Iron Man’s

While fans of Marvel Comics will recognize Doctor Strange as a key character in the books, casual movie-goers may not know much about him. Outside of his use of magic, his story is a mystery to most fans.

One character who isn’t a stranger to movie fans is Iron Man, or Tony Stark. Having starred in six different Marvel films, the character is one of the biggest money-makers in cinematic history, and everyone knows who iron-clad Avenger is.

If you’ve been a fan of the Iron Man films, you’ll definitely enjoy Doctor Strange. Their powers may be on opposite ends of the spectrum, but the personal journeys they take as characters in their films run extremely parallel.

For those who don’t know, Doctor Strange starts out as an arrogant surgeon, the best in the world, and lives a selfish lifestyle. After suffering a deadly accident, Strange has a different take on life. He searches for answers in the mountains, and ends up training in the art of magic. By the end of the film, Stephen Strange will be more powerful than he ever was, but his humility will shine past his attitude.

Sound a bit familiar?

According to Marvel President Kevin Feige, the parallel storylines only add to the appeal of the character. The story of redemption is relatable to most people, and it helps provide an easy introduction into the world of magic.

At a Q&A on the set of Doctor Strange, Feige was asked about how Stephen’s journey from arrogance to heroics would play out on film. Kevin had this to say regarding his redemptive storyline:

“No, we’ve talked a lot about that in comparison to Tony Stark who his arrogance sort of witty fellow at the beginning of the movie who sells weapons. Then, there’s an arrogant, witty fellow at the end of the movie who doesn’t sell weapons and who channels his wits and his intelligence into something else. It’s kind of the same guy. Strange’s transformation is much more complete than that. He really does begin to recognize the way he was acting earlier and the reasons that he was acting that way earlier are things that he identifies and attempts to correct over the course of the movie. He is very much a different guy at the end of the film than he is in the beginning. Not just because he wears a cool outfit instead of scrubs.”

There will definitely be similarities between Stephen Strange and Tony Stark, but Doctor Strange will be a far cry from the Iron Man films. It will look to set itself apart as a bold blend of magic and superheroes, and it can’t seem to come soon enough.

Doctor Strange will hit US theaters on November 4, 2016.

For more news on Doctor Strange, as well as the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, check out the Marvel Homepage at ComicBook.com!