After myriad spy photographs from the set all the way in Nepal and nearly a decade in development, we have our first official look at Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, in full costume – and it looks tremendous.
The thing that will always impress me, as a petty comic nerd, about the Marvel Cinematic Universe is just how dead on almost every single costume has been.
Over the course of the last eight years and 13 movies, Marvel has only botched one outfit – the boring black jumpsuit dawned by Hawkeye in The Avengers. From the cartoonish nature of literally dressing a man up as the United States flag to a shrinking suit to a Norse god to an African prince, Marvel has made the outlandish comic book hero costume designs of old come to life in ways that a decade ago seemed unfeasible – to the point that, realistically, it shouldn’t be a surprise that they’ve gone and nailed Doctor Strange, the sorcerer surgeon from New York City.
And yet, looking at this first official image from the cover of the next issue of Entertainment Weekly, it still sort of boggles my mind how right it looks.
The high, red collar. The floating red cape. The silver-lined, impossibly coiffed hair. Yes, Cumberbatch is still a middling casting choice – to the contrast of Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa or Chris Evans as Captain America, who both feel right, Cumberbatch merely feels correct. Such an obvious pick that a groundswell of excitement at the idea is impossible. Which isn’t a slight on Cumberbatch, who is a fantastic actor and one who hasn’t gotten to stretch his weird muscles in a while, an avenue that the psychedelic roots of Stephen Strange absolutely encourage traveling down. But this costume grants me the first real wave of big excitement for Doctor Strange – it looks like director Scott Derrickson has the right eye for color and style, for merging Eastern influences without feeling too odd in the cultural appropriation department (though that will always be an element of this character, one I’m not sure Marvel can properly fix). This feels right.
Doctor Strange, for the uninitiated, is the story of Stephen Strange, a conceited New York City brain surgeon who loses his hand skills in a car accident. To regain his abilities, Strange is led down a path to a world the Marvel Cinematic Universe has yet to explore – the world of the supernatural – and in time becomes the Sorcerer Supreme.
Also, check out that Eye of Agamotto he’s wearing – last we saw that, it was in an Asgardian vault. And a green gem inside? One more stone for the gauntlet, currently in the hands of Marvel’s biggest bad guy out in the far reaches of space? We’ll have to wait and see.
Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange will be joined by Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo, and Micheal Stuhlbarg as Nicodemus West, alongside Rachel McAdams, Mads Mikkelson, and Scott Adkins in roles to be named. Doctor Strange is currently slated for release November 4, 2016.
