It is well-documented that Major Spoilers DM-In-Residence and all-around cool guy Rodrigo is bugged by magic superhero comics. Some of his complaints are unique, but other are more common: Magic as a superpower leads to power creep; there are no real consequences to anything; it’s worse even than Superman’s array of powers in terms of defusing potential drama. For my part, I love a good Doctor Strange, Doctor Fate or Doctor Strangefate story, partly because they almost always come with a truly impressive cape and partly because I’m a fan of powerful characters, leading us to today’s mystical query…
The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) was quite impressed to see Marvel Studios actually take on Stephen Strange’s adventures and feels like they handled it quite well, asking: Does the concept of a Magic Superhero work for you?
3 Comments
Just as well as any other type. None of the superpowers are real and essentially magic, so its up to a writer to define them.
I love it. Especially the early Strange Tales. It’s abstract and trippy. Getting specific with magic and what it can do can work (Harry Potter has rules, a lot of rules to fill lots of books to sell). But i prefer magic as wonderous and inscrutable while leaning into character.
I kinda don’t like how the MCU turned magic combat into martial arts with glowy, conjured weapons. But there were some cool dimensional effects.
Fights in MCU are generally not that great. Pretty run in the mill average action. It lacks creativity and coreography that’s seen, for example in big budget Hong Kong films.