You've Committed One of the Classic Blunders...

The most famous is "Never Get Involved in a Land War in Asia".

Russell Newquist has a short review up of Marvel's Doctor Strange. It's good, so go check it out. I'll wait.

...

...

...

Back? Okay, we can dive in. Some spoilers ahead.



If you took a look at the comments, you'll know I generally agree with Russell on the film: it's a solid entry, it's humorous, and the finale was clever.

But Strange's strategy wouldn't work.

As Russell points out, it would work on me if one of my kids stuck me in a time loop until I agreed to buy them a pony. The flaw is, I am not an immortal, malevolent alien intelligence that lives outside time and is bent on conquering the universe. (According to the Internet, that's Vox Day.)

Dormammu is portrayed in the film as something that can be negotiated with in good faith. That just ain't happening. What reason would he have to hold up his end of the bargain once Strange sets him free of the time loop? See the third Matrix movie for an egregious example of this.

Worse, the time loop that traps Dormammu also traps Strange. Strange admits as much. And while he is the Sorcerer Supreme with a mammoth degree of willpower and certainty in himself, he's still human. And all humans can be broken. To paraphrase from Babylon 5, it's a simple matter of time, effort, and patience.

What could an immortal, evil, intelligent demi-god get away with in the circumstances set up in the film?

He has unlimited time, effort, and patience. He could turn Strange, subvert him into a weapon and direct him back at the very planet he tried to save. And there's really no way Strange could stop this. At some point, he'd end the loop simply to escape the pain (and deliver the Time Stone to Dormammu) or he'd turn on the planet that was so "weak" he had to be put into this position.

Let me be clear: I am not saying this would be right. I'm not saying it would fit the tone of the film. I'm saying it would happen.

So how to fix this plot hole and save the film? I have two possible solutions.

First, Strange's actions in creating a loop of time to trap Dormammu could create an opening for the rest of the sorcerer's of Earth to defeat Kaecilius. Because Strange is in another dimension (one in which time obviously works differently), the reach of the loop could quite easily be assumed to end at the line between dimensions. Strange can keep track of the minutes with his brilliant intellect, then end the loop and escape at the appointed hour.

This would give us a glimpse of Wong and Mordo fighting, cementing their abilities in the minds of the viewers for the sequel, as well as setting Dormammu as ruthless and obsessed with Strange.

This option requires a lot of rewriting, though.

The second possibility is easier: just give us a line from Kaecilius or the Ancient One about how Dormammu can't lie or would never think to. It could be a throw-away bit of dialogue while Strange is learning about the threat that is the Dark Dimension, but it allows us to now believe that Dormammu can be negotiated with. Everything else in the film could stand as written.

Without that rule or evidence of it, I return to my original premise.

Having now committed another well known classic blunder (Never start an argument with a philosopher on the Internet), I await my thrashing in the comments.

Next time, I'll just challenge Larry Correia to a gunfight. It'd be over quicker.