New-Release Movies - Spoilers Within (Currently: Doctor Strange)

[TheGlyphstone]

People who see new movies want to be able to chat about them with other people who've seen them. But doing it in Shoutbox or other public places means spoilers will ruin the movies for people who have let to see them, and sometimes the [Spoiler} tags aren't enough.

So here's a thread to solve that problem. We can chat about favorite scenes and lines and plot points from whatever movie is new and shiny. This is your final warning, Spoilers Abound in this thread.

[Ravenhawk]

ok... first up, since this was the movie being very obliquely referred to in the chat, is Captain  America: Civil War

and the most memorable thing for me that was not hinted at in any trailer I saw was how they chose to show how young Spidey was to the rest of team IronMan when he called The Empire Strikes back as an old movie before he started wrapping AntMan's legs up. (Which was also a blatant tell that Marvel is now linked to LucasArts through Disney)

[Far eyes]

So near the end of the movie in the final battle between Iron Man and Cap i found it interesting that Iron Man pulled up his hands afraid that Cap would run the shield trough his head, and cap slams it into the power source. But Cap looked like he was in shock, like maybe for half a second there it was close

[TheGlyphstone]

I loved the bit when Spidey calls out Cap's shield in the airport as 'not obeying any of the laws of physics'. Nice little lampshade there.

[TheGlyphstone]

Possible wild-ass theory to chew over:

Did Vision throw the fight at the airport? He's nominally on the Team Tony, but he's also got that weird crush on Scarlet Witch it seems, putting his emotional half in conflict with his logical half. And in the hospital, when Tony says 'i didn't think your laser beam could miss', and Vision answers 'I didn't think so either' - was he saying that because he didn't miss? Did he deliberately shoot Warmachine down, knowing Falcon and Iron Man would both break off pursuit to save their friend only to miscalculate the relative falling speeds and cause 'catastrophe' by crippling Rhodes?

[Ravenhawk]

remember that that diamond in his forehead is one of those infinity stones, and also some sort of quantum super computer with it's own, possibly sentient, programming.... who knows what it's goal is.

[Far eyes]

I do not think he threw the fight but at the same time i think he would be extremely unwilling to harm one of them, and he ended up accidentally doing that  witch he was taking obviously hard.

[Ravenhawk]

I like how it ends with essentially two teams, both with high tech and wealthy backing


Which reminds me... since Capt left his shield behind, what will be his signature weapon in the future?

[Far eyes]

Well considering who Black Panther is i do not think a shield will be a problem

[Ravenhawk]

true... but will it still be a star and stripes?

[Far eyes]

Hmm i never considered that, i mean it might be. Maybe somebody knows if it ever came up in a story line in the comics who is more of a comic reader then me.

[Ravenhawk]

history of the shield

http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Captain_America's_Shield

[Mathim]

I gotta say, I really didn't like Spidey in this. So happy Tony called one of his guesses as what Peter called himself "Spider-Boy". I'm like, "Okay, so I'm not the only one." But the very idea that he'd recruit someone so young for this is unconscionable (not the only thing I hated Tony for in this) and Peter acting so awkward and uncomfortable even after becoming his alter ego just really cemented (I know, just for me, I don't expect anyone to agree) that their decision to make him a teenager was the worst one they could have possibly made.

I really, really liked the whole Zemo angle. It really kept you guessing all the way up to the end what exactly was going on with him, and then it just suddenly made total sense. I can't even hate him for it, that took some serious brains (we're talking Joker from the Dark Knight level scheming) to pull the wool over everyone's eyes. But the plan obviously didn't just fail, everyone is all the stronger for it (except, regrettably, Rhodey). Black Panther learned a serious lesson about anger and vengeance, and became a stronger ally of the Avengers than he probably otherwise would have. Vision is learning his own limitations and how his feelings for Wanda are affecting him. I think breaking them down to allow themselves to build back up is a good thing for them ultimately, but man, what a ride.

Really could have socked Tony in the jaw for being so stupid about what happened with his parents. I mean, how can he not be aware that Bucky was kidnapped, mutilated, tortured both physically and psychologically (and you'd think with what happened to Tony in Afghanistan would make him understand this!) and being forced to carry out these crimes against his will, even if that didn't diminish his anger, he at least could focus it on where it belonged, i.e. HYDRA. For it to completely go over his head that Bucky is a victim, arguably far more a victim than Tony's parents, and if not feel that sympathy for him, then at least be willing to overlook those crimes, and instead attack him with intent to kill, and going as far as maiming Cap in the process...I never thought I'd say this, but FUCK YOU, TONY STARK. Maybe Pepper wasn't wrong to sideline him, and he doesn't deserve to get her back without a serious redemption arc.

The best part was Giant Man. So awesomeness. I didn't get the thing about orange slices, though, did anyone else? Also kinda wish the end credits wasn't about Spidey, would rather have seen a glimpse of Wanda approaching the Doctor's Sanctum Sanctorum and being offered a beckoning hand inviting her in as his apprentice.

[Far eyes]

Honestly i kind of understand Tony there, sure on reflection and with time i think he would and will see all the things you are saying. But he has been fucked in the head for like the last 3 big events and maybe just at that moment he just wanted to crush the head of the guy who took away his parents.

Honestly i kind of see both sides arguments as having legitimate angles both have flaws.

I have a feeling they are going to be hanging out with black panther possibly.

Also a little side note, did anybody ask Thro? Because i am prty sure nobody did. I also find it funny the guy who is suppose to have oversite of them is the one who shot up half a city trying to get Hulk, i think there is a subtle jab at the who is watching the watchers there because it seems to be somebody shit at his job :p
I also really do like Cap doping the shield at the end

[Mathim]

Honestly i kind of understand Tony there, sure on reflection and with time i think he would and will see all the things you are saying. But he has been fucked in the head for like the last 3 big events and maybe just at that moment he just wanted to crush the head of the guy who took away his parents.

Honestly i kind of see both sides arguments as having legitimate angles both have flaws.

I have a feeling they are going to be hanging out with black panther possibly.

Also a little side note, did anybody ask Thro? Because i am prty sure nobody did. I also find it funny the guy who is suppose to have oversite of them is the one who shot up half a city trying to get Hulk, i think there is a subtle jab at the who is watching the watchers there because it seems to be somebody shit at his job :p
I also really do like Cap doping the shield at the end

If I was Cap, here's what I would say:

"I'm not signing these accords unless I agree with all of them. If you can provide a satisfactory answer or contingency for every concern I can name, I'll sign it. For example, if our team gets a vote whenever a situation might need us, that's something I would like to be able to have if the U.N. doesn't agree. Also, about recruitment. There are a lot of new superhumans coming out of the woodwork and I've seen on the news, you're rounding them up and imprisoning them, which I feel is both unfair and frankly tyrannical. I want our team to have a say in how that is handled. Etc. Etc. Etc.

"And another thing. Think about this: What if, in their higher wisdom than ours, Asgard decided that we as a society beneath theirs, aren't conducting ourselves in a manner which will be able to sustain us. If they began to send down soldiers to supervise and govern us, that wouldn't exactly be a comfortable situation, would it? So given that this situation is almost exactly how we view these accords, can you really expect us to just cooperate without a single caveat?"

I just feel like they were ignoring way too much and jumping far too quickly into a situation that needed violence. Surely simply inserting Bucky's alleged terrorist attack in the midst of them at least ATTEMPTING to start positive negotiations would have satisfied this lapse in good judgment on both sides. "Well, we were trying to get along, and you had to go and fuck it up, Steve!"

[Far eyes]

So an interesting little bit of tit bit i herd, apparently the director of the movie was aided in the combat scenes by the director of John Wick (Chad Stahelski) he has a secondary director or what ever they actually call it mark on the film. Apparently he was mostly responsible for the action scenes

[Mathim]

So an interesting little bit of tit bit i herd, apparently the director of the movie was aided in the combat scenes by the director of John Wick (Chad Stahelski) he has a secondary director or what ever they actually call it mark on the film. Apparently he was mostly responsible for the action scenes

Cool. I never saw John Wick, but it seems logical to get help with choreography and the like from others who are experienced in certain aspects, like action. Their strength seems to be more towards storytelling and character development; the Russos really managed to pace the story competently and give everyone decent screen time despite the cast being so bloated (a much better job than Whedon did for Age of Ultron, which had a similarly bloated cast list), so I'm looking forward now to them being the directors for the Infinity War films. I think the key there is going to be balancing all the characters properly and they're doing a great job of it so far, in my opinion topping their first effort with Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

[Far eyes]

I never saw John Wick

If you like action movies, i would really recommend it. I dont want to over hype it but its maybe one of the better action movies since i have seen something like Transporter and the good Die hard movies.

Not to spoiler anything but one of the amazing things the movie dos it build up this character you know practically noting about so by the time he shows up in an action sense you know he is feared, a badass and some shit is going to go down. In some ways it reminds me a lot of the messy action movies like Die Hard, its a different movie but its the one it reminds me the most of in some way   

[Mathim]

If you like action movies, i would really recommend it. I dont want to over hype it but its maybe one of the better action movies since i have seen something like Transporter and the good Die hard movies.

Not to spoiler anything but one of the amazing things the movie dos it build up this character you know practically noting about so by the time he shows up in an action sense you know he is feared, a badass and some shit is going to go down. In some ways it reminds me a lot of the messy action movies like Die Hard, its a different movie but its the one it reminds me the most of in some way

The way you describe it makes it actually sound like Antonio Banderas' character in Desperado.

[Far eyes]

Less over the top, desperado is a bit more comic book this is more like a paperback novel character if that makes any sense

[Ravenhawk]

Which is ironic considering the action scenes in John Wick were partially inspired by anime

[Far eyes]

Which is ironic considering the action scenes in John Wick were partially inspired by anime

I actually rarely on purpose look at the source material for any movie unless i already know it, and in a lot of those cases i wish i could separate the two more. I somehow find it a lot more easier to enjoy a movie not knowing to much about the book or what ever other media its based off of.

[Ravenhawk]

I think you misunderstood. John Wick is an original story, but for the action sequences, the directors were inspired by anime and martial arts films. They used fight choreographers from Hong Kong.

[Far eyes]

Oh well i am not sure thats really fair to just simplify down to that both Chad Stahelski and David Leitch have extensive caries in stunt work as stunt and action/martial arts choreographers both of them very much know there stuff.

[Mathim]

I think you misunderstood. John Wick is an original story, but for the action sequences, the directors were inspired by anime and martial arts films. They used fight choreographers from Hong Kong.

That's why I love Stephen Chow films, he is a Hong Kong director and has very entertaining fight choreography, so he's got good people working with him there. They should borrow that kind of thing for other Marvel movies, too (or the Netflix stuff).

[TheGlyphstone]

Updating the thread title.

[Ravenhawk]

and with a new page, a new topic ;)

[Mathim]

Saw it, really enjoyed it. Nowhere near as bad as reviews seemed to indicate, though that meant I went in with lowered expectations, so that may have helped. Kind of made me roll my eyes that not a single cast member looked 10 years older than DOFP. Also at the end I thought they could have devoted another 30 seconds of screen time to explaining that the Sentinels were just projections in the newly completed Danger Room, and that it used Cerebro-style technology to create realistic simulations so that they would be able to feel everything happening as if it were real. Because I took my older friend with me who never read comic books, I had to explain that to him myself and I still don't think he quite understood it. And also I was disappointed that despite Jubilee's appearance and her getting a few lines, she ended up never once showing her abilities or getting to participate in the finale. And I suppose an argument could be made that Angel becoming Archangel and being suddenly loyal to Apocalypse for no good reason should have been done better, since it seemed so forced on him, not unlike what his human captors were doing to him forcing him to cage fight (and to be fair, it looked to me like he was enjoying being the king of the cage, keeping score). But when a certain character started tearing shit up and blood started flying everywhere, you would have needed a meter stick to measure the smile on my face! We all owe Deadpool a tremendous debt of gratitude for enabling them to grow a pair and not tiptoe around a hardcore stab-happy badass' rampage and show zero blood, even in a PG-13 movie where you can apparently get away with a surprising amount of it. Actually, now that I think about it they probably could have done two more things: Apocalypse's pyramid technology ought to have been explained as being alien in origin, thus hinting at the Shii'ar Empire so they could use that in future movies and have it already established as existing (these timelines are so confusing!). And Jean's suddenly unleashing her internal Phoenix Force without any hint of buildup and with complete control was too Deus Ex Machina-y. If they had gone with the alien tech pyramid stuff like I suggested, she could have found something resembling the M'Kraan crystal and maybe gotten the Phoenix powers from that instead of manifesting them from herself which is not how it's supposed to be.

[Beorning]

If I may conduct some thread necromancy here... ;)

I finally managed to see X-Men: Apocalypse and... I didn't like it very much. There were some good moments there, but overall, the movie just felt... off. Too much obvious CGI, for once  ::) Also, I really feel that Apocalypse was way overpowered in that movie. If this guy could decapitate people with dust without raising an eyebrow or disintigrate cities and build high-tech pyramids with just some concentration, then... how the heck did he manage to lose? He should've been able to kill the X-Men on sight...

My other gripe is with how Magneto and Storm were forgiven after Apocalypse's defeat. Sorry, but these two were complicit to killing millions of people! And the X-Men just pat them on the back and invite them in???

I'm also not happy with the treatment of Angel, who was completely wasted by this movie... Finally, I must admit that the Magneto scenes taking place in Poland were... awful. Some historical nonsense and very bad acting there. And don't get me started on the idea of the Polish cops being armed with bows and arrows...  ::)

On another note: I also saw Civil War recently and I loved it! :) BTW. I see the question was raised of what would Cap do, now that he gave up his shield. Well, I'm certain that T'Challa can supply him with a new one... It actually did happen in the comics once. Back when Steve was fired from being Captain America and replaced with John Walker (that later became USAgent), he had to give up his shield and uniform. So, he continued adventuring as The Captain and did indeed receive a new shield from Wakanda!

[Mathim]

If I may conduct some thread necromancy here... ;)

I finally managed to see X-Men: Apocalypse and... I didn't like it very much. There were some good moments there, but overall, the movie just felt... off. Too much obvious CGI, for once  ::) Also, I really feel that Apocalypse was way overpowered in that movie. If this guy could decapitate people with dust without raising an eyebrow or disintigrate cities and build high-tech pyramids with just some concentration, then... how the heck did he manage to lose? He should've been able to kill the X-Men on sight...

My other gripe is with how Magneto and Storm were forgiven after Apocalypse's defeat. Sorry, but these two were complicit to killing millions of people! And the X-Men just pat them on the back and invite them in???

I'm also not happy with the treatment of Angel, who was completely wasted by this movie... Finally, I must admit that the Magneto scenes taking place in Poland were... awful. Some historical nonsense and very bad acting there. And don't get me started on the idea of the Polish cops being armed with bows and arrows...  ::)

On another note: I also saw Civil War recently and I loved it! :) BTW. I see the question was raised of what would Cap do, now that he gave up his shield. Well, I'm certain that T'Challa can supply him with a new one... It actually did happen in the comics once. Back when Steve was fired from being Captain America and replaced with John Walker (that later became USAgent), he had to give up his shield and uniform. So, he continued adventuring as The Captain and did indeed receive a new shield from Wakanda!

I don't disagree with you on anything about X-Men Apocalypse, and I would add that Jubilee's presence was wasted as well as she didn't do a single thing with her powers. Hopefully the next movie gives her some more to do. Also they neglected to treat the Phoenix force with the dignity it deserves and turned it into a Deus Ex Machina. But on the plus side, Quicksilver was fucking awesome, and got TWO scenes to really shine in, and we finally, at long last, got to see the REAL Wolverine cutting loose and getting down with his bad self. I really want that to happen in his next (and final? As Hugh Jackman, at least) solo movie.

As for Civil War, yeah, I believe T'Challa will kindly supply the team with any and all upgrades they need, like maybe a vibranium arm for Bucky, a vibranium Ant-Man helmet for Scott, and perhaps a new shield for Cap with multiple layers so that in a pinch Cap can split it into two shields at once, and be able to throw one while still being able to defend while holding the other.

And I just got back from Star Trek Beyond. I usually wait a week before seeing new release movies but since it was the middle of the week and the first showing of the day, I rolled the dice and luckily the theater was mostly empty. Also I bought a Fandango ticket online and for some reason, the ticket taker at the counter didn't need me to pay for an extra ticket for my friend, so I saved about 12 bucks not having to pay for him to get in too (I spent a little over half of that savings on a soda, though.)
Anyway, about the movie. I liked it a lot. I would go as far as to say I liked it more than Into Darkness but not quite as much as the first one. I think what would have made me enjoy it more than the first film would have been if the villain (played by Idris Elba) had gotten to show his origin and motivations earlier on, because they didn't actually show it til the very end which left me feeling confused and unsatisfied by his inexplicable dislike of trusting and relying on others, and vendetta against Star Fleet. It made sense in the end, to be sure, but they waited too long for it to have the impact it should have. I feel like if they'd figured it out in the middle that would have made the difference.
The new character, Jaylah-holy shit, I have a new favorite character. Badass, exotic, sexy as hell, kick-ass fighter, smart as a whip and she can actually tolerate Scotty enough to possibly be a romantic interest for him. While I will miss Anton Yelchin as Chekov, I am so on board with having her be a replacement, she would fit far, far better than Alice Eve (who was not missed at all; I didn't even think of her til just now). Besides, then it would be a less unbalanced mix of male-to-female main characters. The action is pulse-pounding, the visuals are some of the best I've ever seen (and this is extremely high praise), the acting remains top-notch, the characters' chemistry is universally excellent, and the choreography of the action scenes is clever and dazzling. I give it an 8/10, would have given it a 9/10 if it had revealed the villain's whole backstory and motivation at the halfway point instead of near the end (that kind of made it feel like The Dark Knight where after the hospital blew up, you were ready for the movie to be over), and if they had done something about Chekov since he won't be able to appear in the rest of the series. It almost felt like the early scene with Kirk and Bones toasting over a scotch they stole out of Chekov's locker was meant to be a memorial, but then Chekov remained prominent throughout the film. They could have easily put in a scene showing him dying heroically and had Kirk's birthday party in the end be also a memorial for their fallen comrade and put a neat and tidy lid on that tragedy.

[Ravenhawk]

Ok, I know we have not officially changed topic.... but Suicide Squad... Yay or Nay?

[Soumis]

I saw Suicide Squad today, and I have to say I was disappointed. I felt like a majority of the dialog was incredibly forced, and the whole movie felt very rushed. I also feel like the plot wasn't very well developed. Enchantress was creating a 'weapon', which had a lot of flashing lights and special effects but it was never clarified what the weapon was... All of a sudden her brother was in the picture, I just feel like it was very confusing.

The back stories weren't well done. I was most looking forward to Harley Quinn, and both her, Enchantress, and Deadshot were the only three who were really given any sort of 'coherent' back story. Harley was the Joker's doctor, then in love with him and he asks for a machine gun. The next scene is his cohorts breaking into Arkham with machine guns... It just didn't make a lot of sense to me.

Enchantress was briefly explained. The fact she had a brother wasn't even touched on until she found him in Waller's closet. Then it was a big deal that Waller had her heart, but in the end it didn't really matter because she could draw from her brother's power... But in the end it was her heart that killed her? Just... Not well done at all. Very confusing and hard to follow, I thought.

Deadshot was shown to be this incredible assassin, and for some reason his story just didn't resonate with me. Then, when Waller is ready to test him she sets up four targets in front of him, and he spends more time hitting the same four targets then he does developing his back story.

Captain Boomerang, Katana, Diablo, and Killer Croc, were not afforded any of the same luxury of a real backstory.

I thought the Joker was present the perfect amount, but I'm not a fan of Jared Leto anyways. At one point he tells Harley to jump into a vat of 'acid', then jumps in after her and they kiss in a swirl of color... like, wtf?

Overall, very disappointed. I compare DC to Marvel, and it just isn't even much of a competition. With Marvel movies I always feel like I've been plopped down into a different world where superheros exist, and the banter between them feels natural. Sure, it has it's faults, but nothing near DC. It's a shame, I feel like they could have done so much with this story and they absolutely failed.

[Ravenhawk]

My feeling is that DC has great actors, great characters, great action directors, poor writers. They need to pull over their animated movie's script writers and have them do the live action scripts.

[Markus]

IMO, Cap America: Civil War > Superman vs Batman > Suicide Squad. On a side note, doubt anyone will be able to top Heath Ledger's Joker.

[mia h]

markus, you forgot a couple of comic book movies
Deadpool---------------->Civil War> Suicide Squad > BvS v X Men > Turtles  ;)

There is obviously a big difference at the box office between Marvel & DC films, which highlights an underlying issue. Films don't make big money because people pay to see them, they make big money when people want to see them again. The market is there for both Marvel & DC films, it's just that when people get off Marvel's roller-coasters they want to join the queue and ride again.

[Markus]

mia, I think Marvel's hit upon a formula which has worked, at least so far. Most of their films since Avengers, have been a happy combo of funny, witty dialogue, a few well defined action set pieces (the opening car chase for Deadpool, the climactic new york battle in Avengers etc.), reasonably bad baddies (Loki, Ultron, Mandarin etc.) who get beat in the end by the good guy(s). Each film serves its own plot, while also advancing the overall story arc and setting things up for a sequel. I think DC is moving in this direction as well, (Suicide Squad appears to be set directly after Superman vs Batman) albeit with less success.

[Mathim]

mia, I think Marvel's hit upon a formula which has worked, at least so far. Most of their films since Avengers, have been a happy combo of funny, witty dialogue, a few well defined action set pieces (the opening car chase for Deadpool, the climactic new york battle in Avengers etc.), reasonably bad baddies (Loki, Ultron, Mandarin etc.) who get beat in the end by the good guy(s). Each film serves its own plot, while also advancing the overall story arc and setting things up for a sequel. I think DC is moving in this direction as well, (Suicide Squad appears to be set directly after Superman vs Batman) albeit with less success.

Absolutely right, and Doctor Strange takes this formula to the next level. Better than average writing, a complete evolution of visual effects action scenes, and tremendous caliber acting made it probably the best one so far, and I do not say that lightly. It's most certainly in the top 3, without exaggeration. The way he tangled with Dormammu in the end, tricking him like that, staring him down like a boss no matter how many times Dormammu tried to kill him, that was absolutely brilliant. "You are MY prisoner!" So awesome. I seriously want a gif with him flinging the cap on himself with a caption at the bottom that says "Like a boss".

[Ravenhawk]

Absolutely right, and Doctor Strange takes this formula to the next level. Better than average writing, a complete evolution of visual effects action scenes, and tremendous caliber acting made it probably the best one so far, and I do not say that lightly. It's most certainly in the top 3, without exaggeration. The way he tangled with Dormammu in the end, tricking him like that, staring him down like a boss no matter how many times Dormammu tried to kill him, that was absolutely brilliant. "You are MY prisoner!" So awesome. I seriously want a gif with him flinging the cap on himself with a caption at the bottom that says "Like a boss".

Dormammu was't trying to kill him, he was killing him, but Strange had set up a temporal loop, and like the movie Groundhog Day, that just reset the loop. My question is, did Strange remember all those deaths? My guess is that he did, but both of them were forced by the loop to repeat the first few seconds all the time.

I like how they managed to set a time-frame for the beginning of the movie by referencing Rhodie's injury without actually saying his name. That's a sublty I haven't noticed too often in the series, and just goes to show how each movie can reinforce the story lines in another, without being needed for the story. Well, except when the previous movie is used to boost a storyline, like Stark's evolved case of PTSD in 3 after Avengers.

[mia h]

I like how they managed to set a time-frame for the beginning of the movie by referencing Rhodie's injury without actually saying his name. That's a sublty I haven't noticed too often in the series, and just goes to show how each movie can reinforce the story lines in another, without being needed for the story. Well, except when the previous movie is used to boost a storyline, like Stark's evolved case of PTSD in 3 after Avengers.

I thought that as well, except it isn't Rhodie. The patient was 35 year old wearing experimental armour, Rhodie looks a little bit more than 35 and the film makers said it wasn't Rhodie. Also near the start there was a shot of Stark Tower in New York, but it only had the A of Stark on the building, like it was right after the Battle of New York which you'd have thought that would have been fixed soon after, meaning that Strange's car accident happened somewhere between Avengers and Iron Man 3, so way before Civil War and Rhodie's injury.

[Mathim]

Dormammu was't trying to kill him, he was killing him, but Strange had set up a temporal loop, and like the movie Groundhog Day, that just reset the loop. My question is, did Strange remember all those deaths? My guess is that he did, but both of them were forced by the loop to repeat the first few seconds all the time.

I like how they managed to set a time-frame for the beginning of the movie by referencing Rhodie's injury without actually saying his name. That's a sublty I haven't noticed too often in the series, and just goes to show how each movie can reinforce the story lines in another, without being needed for the story. Well, except when the previous movie is used to boost a storyline, like Stark's evolved case of PTSD in 3 after Avengers.

He never succeeded in killing him for real, so it was all just attempts. He set it up in advance to make it impossible, which I didn't see coming, though it's awesome to see that if you get it right, you can set up an infinite loop with it; we never had precedent to believe it could do that, or at least not without learning more about it first. Strange clearly did remember all of them since every time he said he wanted to bargain with Dormammu, his voice was getting more and more tired of saying it. So awesome, and to think most everybody believed the Eye of Agamotto was the Soul Gem instead of the Time Gem. At least the given constraints on when this took place has it making sense why he'd be on HYDRA's radar in The Winter Soldier, since when he was still a neurosurgeon, he probably would have sided with them, being all arrogant and liking power and status. They could even set him up with some unethical medical experiments that would fascinate him. So it's for the best he lost that talent. And you gotta love that little thing at the end of the credits that said "Please drive responsibly". LOL. Although, he never should have survived that crash. Someone on youtube also compared Dormammu's portrayal with Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer having Galactus as a cloud. What a load of crap! Dormammu had a face, and actually DID stuff, unlike the Galactus cloud. Although I was kind of expecting him to have a flaming head like in the Spider-Man cartoon. But maybe with Ghost Rider around, they didn't want something like that.