In an alternate reality it was Doctor Strange that kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe . The Sorcerer Supreme almost had a live-action film written by Neil Gaiman and directed by Guillermo del Toro but apparently, Marvel Studios didn't think fans would be interested.

Currently, Marvel Studios is preparing to deliver a live-action Doctor Strange movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch. It's directed by Scott Derrickson and written by Jon Spaihts. But a live-action Doctor Strange film could have hit theaters nearly a decade ago. It would have been written by celebrated comic book writer and novelist Neil Gaiman and directed by fan-favorite Guillermo del Toro. Of course, Gaiman and del Toro met with Marvel years ago, likely, well before Iron Man (2008) was ever released in theaters. Had the fledgling studio actually greenlit a Doctor Strange movie back then, it's very plausible that it could have went the Ant-Man route and been perpetually delayed and ultimately re-written. Alas, we'll never know but it is a very entertaining, "what if" scenario.