‘Doctor Strange 2’ Fans Debate Whether This Major, Pivotal CGI Moment Looks Cringey

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness premiered on May 6th, 2022, and has proved to be a pretty debatable film. Directed by Sam Raimi, it follows Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) on a journey through the multiverse as they contend with a powerful foe. Marvel really explored some new territory in Doctor Strange 2, even incorporating some horror elements.

As a result, Doctor Strange 2 has received some very mixed reviews. Some viewers loved it, while others found it be lacking in some aspects. Alongside the mixed reviews was a debate about whether Doctor Strange 2 should have been rated R, due to the horror elements in it. Meanwhile, viewers have also debated pretty much everything else, from whether the Illuminati scene was a mistake or if Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) should’ve had a different story arc. With its unique nature and differentiation from other Marvel films, Doctor Strange 2 has sparked a lot of passion and debate.

Now, another debate has arisen over the use of CGI for Strange’s third eye. In the film, one of Strange’s variants, Sinister Strange, has a third eye in the middle of his forehead. At the end of the film, our Strange from the main timeline also has a third eye open ip. This third eye is the Eye of Agamotto, which sometimes manifests itself on Strange’s forehead and gives him special abilities. The reveal of the third eye was a pretty monumental moment, but fans are beginning to point out what we’ve kind of been ignoring: the CGI quality of the eye.

Fans debate Doctor Strange’s third eye CGI

Twitter user @flackoohh, re-shared a Tweet from MCU Report showing a snapshot of Strange’s third eye, along with a caption pointing out how bad the CGI is. His post has quickly racked up hundreds of comments and reposts as users gave their own opinion on the eye. The majority seem to be in agreement with the stance that the CGI is some of the worst CGI they’ve seen. Some even commented that the eye reminded them of the Annoying Orange, or that someone gluing a fake eye to their forehead was more convincing.

Several individuals did point out that Marvel likely did the best they could, though. There really is no frame of reference for what a third eye on one’s forehead is supposed to look like. This likely resulted in a lot of variation and an inability to make it look perfectly realistic. Check out some of the debate below:

Is the third eye really that bad?

As the debate goes on, it seems to be leaning towards the opinion that, yes, the CGI is that bad. For me, I thought the biggest problem was the inconsistency of the CGI quality. It looked better at some points and significantly worse at others. With Sinister Strange, there were moments when the eye looked a little more realistic. However, in the post-credits scene, as seen in the snapshot from the original user, it is much worse. Then again, CGI quality is always a topic of debate.

Fans had a real blast slamming Henry Cavill’s CGI chin in Justice League, which was a poor attempt to edit out his beard. One fan even did better that Disney, when he recreated their de-aged CGI Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in The Mandalorian. Sometimes, it’s not that CGI is bad; it is just that our eyes can’t help but detect something is off or unusual. As for Strange’s eye, it could’ve been better in some scenes. At the same time, how exactly do you put a third on someone’s forehead and not have it look photoshopped?

(featured image: Marvel Entertainment)