WhenCommunitycreator and all-around funny guyDan Harmonwasenlistedby Marvel to work on the script forDoctor Strange, the reason seemed obvious at the time: more than likely he was going to infuse the Sorcerer Supreme with a touch of humor. That’s been confirmed this week from the head of Marvel StudiosKevin Feige.
The Marvel mastermind spoke withEWabout Harmon’s involvement, confirming the writer brought a comedic edge to the film.
It is true that he was. He came in, he watched the movie. We are all big fans of his work, clearly. We at Marvel Studios are fans ofCommunity, it’s where we found Joe and Anthony Russo, who came onboard to doWinter Soldier, and of courseCivil War, and the upcoming [Avengers] films. So, we’re big fans of that. We’re also fans of his cartoonRick & Morty, which is about, of course, humor, but I would argue that any given episode of that show has an unbelievably amazing sci-fi concept that could be its own movie. So, really, we just wanted him to watch the movie, and talk to us about it, and give us his opinions on the sci-fi concepts. That was as important to us as any humor that he could add to the movie. And he was very, very gracious in doing that.
The first trailer release forDoctor Strangewas totally devoid of any sort of jokes, focusing instead onBenedict Cumberbatchgetting situated to the world of magic, while offering a taste of the trippy special effects to come. The second trailer notably ended with a gag from Baron Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) about the wifi, while subsequent TV spots have since thrown in anAdelejoke or two.
In the grand scheme of things, comedy has become a crucial element in Disney’s Marvel movie formula. Now everyone expects it, especially since there’s been so much talk about Marvel going light and DC going dark.
Doctor Strangewill hit theaters on November 4.
