WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Eternals, now playing in theaters
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has changed radically over the years, and it’s worth remembering that, for the general public, it’s been a wild fifteen years. Since the debut of Iron Man, the world has seen the casual confirmation of aliens, other dimensions, magic and plenty of other unexpected elements of the universe. But it seems many of them have been adjusting in a quietly hilarious way.
In Eternals, a brief shout-out to Doctor Strange suggests that the general public considers the powerful sorcerer as short-hand for all (real or potential) magic-users. But while it’s a silly throwaway joke, it actually hints at how the public perception has evolved to casually accept the existence of magic in their world.
In the MCU, Doctor Strange and the other practitioners of the mystic arts were powerful figures who largely remained hidden from the world at large for centuries. Although places like Kamar-Taj are hidden in plain sight, it’s not like the Sorceror Supreme and Sanctum Sanctorum were ever publicly displayed. But in a post-Avengers: Endgame world, it seems that humanity is increasingly accepting of the existence of magic as a basic statement of fact. Falcon & Winter Soldier saw Sam Wilson comment on how people like Doctor Strange and his caliber are among “the big three” kinds of threats that exist in their world — androids, aliens and wizards. Falcon even jokes that Doctor Strange, a sorcerer, is just “a wizard without a hat.”
And it seems that Falcon is right when he says such comparisons are definitely a “thing,” as Dane Whitman (Kit Harrington) makes a similar point to Sersi (Gemma Chan) early in Eternals. Dane notes during their date that he has picked up on some of the mysterious little elements of being with someone like Sersi — and he ultimately didn’t believe the full story told to him by Sprite (Lia McHugh) about the Eternals and their place on Earth. Instead, he’s come to the conclusion that Sersi must be a wizard “like Doctor Strange.” Although he’s quietly very accepting of this possibility (and he learns the truth pretty quickly due to a Deviant attack), it’s also a very funny and revealing moment to showcase how the world largely sees Doctor Strange.
The mystic arts have been more pronounced in public in the last few years of the MCU, with the fights in Doctor Strange and Avengers: Infinity War spilling out into public areas like London and New York City. By the time of Avengers: Endgame, Doctor Strange and a host of other sorcerers were quick to rally to stand alongside the rest of Earth’s heroes, fully revealing them to the globe in the process. It makes sense that the rest of the world has taken notice of Doctor Strange in the ensuing years, and it’s incredibly funny that he’s just become shorthand for “magic-users” in a world where there are numerous complicating forces at the heart of the supernatural.
It’s both an underestimation of his sheer potential, as well as a simplification of his place in the world. But in a reality where magic is real, Asgardian warriors are effectively ancient aliens and multiple forms of artificial intelligence have effectively gained sentience, it makes sense that the general public would try to simplify their understanding of the world. It’s unlikely Dane is the only person to simply compare magic to Doctor Strange in the same way that people in the real world associate certain people with the entirety of their profession, but it’s still a clever little piece of world-building that makes the MCU feel more lived-in.
To witness the Doctor Strange reference, Eternals is in theaters now.
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