Doctor Strange introduced many fan-favorite characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the best of them comes from an unlikely place.
Upon its release in 2016, Doctor Strange introduced fans to a truly magical corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And even though the sequel took six years to come to fruition, Doctor Strange had major roles in Avengers: Infinity War, Endgame and Spider-Man: No Way Home. However, while Stephen Strange might be one of the most important characters in the MCU, he is not the best character introduced in his first solo movie.
During the film’s second act fight in the New York Sanctum Sanctorum, Strange comes across many mysterious magical artifacts, including a red cloak kept in a glass display case. During the conflict, the glass gets broken, and Strange gets thrown over a banister. And it’s at this point it’s revealed that the cloak is, in fact, sentient and has taken a liking to Strange, swooping to his rescue and carrying him to safety. That’s right — the Cloak of Levitation is genuinely the best character in Doctor Strange.
Film is a visual medium, and there’s an innate appeal to a character who emotes without a single piece of dialogue. There’s a reason why silent films were a success back in the day. Even now, people adore characters like Gromit from Wallace and Gromit or Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon. Characters that don’t need dialogue to appeal to audiences transcend barriers such as language — they are truly universal. And the Cloak of Levitation is one of the strongest examples of that.
There’s a lot of heart to the relationship between the Cloak and Strange. It frequently looks out for Strange’s wellbeing, defending him from attacks and in a recently released clip from Multiverse of Madness, is seen patting an unconscious Strange to try and wake him. Plus, there are numerous excellent comedic beats with the cloak. From the moment he gets the garment, Strange tries to grab a weapon to defend himself, but it immediately tries to drag him the other way to the much more useful Crimson Bands of Cyttorak. It even tries to wipe Strange’s tears after he shares a tender moment with Christine.
And to say that the Cloak of Levitation isn’t a character in the MCU ignores the hard work visual effects artists have put in bringing it to life. It is a character because it has a distinct personality, and audiences have grown attached to it as a presence. Just think back to the packed theaters watching Avengers: Infinity War for the first time and remember the gasp of horror that swept through the crowd as Thanos yanked the cloak off his gloved hand and an audible rip occurred. An audience doesn’t react like that to a character they’re not attached to.
Fortunately, the Cloak of Levitation survived its encounter with the Mad Titan and lived to, if not tell the story, at least attempt to articulate it through a game of charades. Animation is a skill, especially when it comes to animating an expressive character who literally lacks an expression. The Cloak of Levitation doesn’t have much to say on the matter, but that doesn’t stop it from being the best character to come from Doctor Strange.
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