MCU: 10 Hidden Details About Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange Costume
Aside from the occasional star-spangled horror, the Marvel Cinematic Universe regularly knocks its costume designs out of the park. From the hot rod red of the Iron Man suit to the purple glow of the Black Panther costume, the MCU is consistently impeccable when it comes to translating comic book creations in a realistic, smooth fashion to the big screen.
One great example comes in the form of Doctor Strange's costume. It seems like a cumbersome assault of layers, but it actually results in fluid movement on the part of Benedict Cumberbatch and his stunt double's performances in the outfit. What's more, the Doctor Strange costume for the MCU contains fun allusions to greater Marvel lore.
10 Boot And Belt Angles
There are so many details about Doctor Strange's costume that it can be easy to overlook those that reside in the lower half of his body. However, there are plenty of details in every inch.
For one, Doctor Strange's costume is loaded up with straps. The straps on his boots are parallel to the straps of his belts that criss-cross his torso. A potential hint towards Doctor Strange's proclivity for keeping time running parallel? Perhaps.
9 A Ragnarok Easter Egg
In the post-credits scene of Doctor Strange when Thor, the God of Thunder, met with the Sorcerer Supreme, the costume seemed to be perfectly in line with the one evident from the rest of the Doctor Strange film. However, there is a more pronounced resemblance to an iconic costume design from the comics.
Earlier in his lore, the cloak covers up the sorcerer emblems and logos embedded into his costume. However, the original comic logo for Strange is clearly visible in this scene and an allusion to some of Marvel's trippiest comic installments.
8 Those Gloves
Speaking of that post credits scene, there's another comic-accurate addition to Doctor Strange's costume that is incredibly easy to miss unless one quickly got over the shock of seeing Strange turn up to tease the end of the Thor trilogy.
That's because the post-credits scene was actually taken directly from Thor: Ragnarok itself. Hence why Strange's costume is slightly altered and hence why he has those sleek golden gloves that he doesn't sport in the majority of his other appearances. After all, he had to show one finger to Tony Stark.
7 Hand Embroidery
Alexandra Byrne, the costume designer of Doctor Strange, once spent some time with the L.A. Times discussing the details that went into Doctor Strange's costume. In that interview, she was sure to heavily praise the myriad workers who helped bring her designs to life.
And it shows in the film, too. Looking closely at Doctor Strange's costume in the MCU, it's easy to see that hand embroidery was key for stitching together even the tiniest patterns of fabric. That level of detail is why the MCU always stands out from the franchise crowd.
6 Different Costumes
In another interview with /Film, Byrne also admitted that the costumes worn by Doctor Strange are not always the same one. Granted, someone would need a microscope to parse the difference between his costumes from scene to scene.
Still, though, it's a neat hidden detail that some costumes are designed practically identical, but for different purposes. For example, some of Strange's more soaring scenes require the costume to accommodate a harness. But even that detail is tucked away through movie magic.
5 Brass Knuckles?
One reason why the golden gloves from the comic book are only present in the post-credits scene of Doctor Strange and in Thor: Ragnarok is because Stephen Strange frequently needs access to his hands to be able to use the Sling Ring.
While the Sling Ring plays a prominent role in his origin story, they're present early on in his costume design. However, Byrne cleverly disguised them as brass knuckles, so as to keep the secret. She told /Film that it was a "wait and see" part of her design.
4 Cloak Came Last
According to Cumberbatch and an article from Flickering Myth, the cloak was always the last part of the costume he would put on when dressing up for his scenes in the Marvel films. The cloak even came after the Eye of Agamotto!
Apparently the cloak was "very heavy" and required its own crew of twenty people to handle it, while the rest of the costume department dealt with every other element of the film's costumes. It's a cumbersome cloak for the Cumberbatch, yet even this is hidden, as the cloak moves about freely.
3 Magic Carpet
Part of that fluid movement evident from the cloak was inspired by the design of the Magic Carpet in the 1992 animated Disney film, Aladdin. This piece of fabric was also given human characteristics.
While the physical cloak may have been heavy on set, it was light in the magical world of the film. When it taps on Tony's shoulder in Infinity War, just know that Aladdin helped provide this detail.
2 Asymmetrical
Additionally, the cloak is intentionally designed to be asymmetrical. As Byrne described, she wanted the cloak to feel different than just an average cape for a superhero.
To achieve this, Byrne burned through myriad prototypes for her costume designs before eventually settling on a cloak that had a "semi-tailored shoulder on one side," per her /Film interview. It may be hard to notice, but it helps give unforeseen character to the cloak and to Strange himself.
1 Smaller Collar
Lastly, there is a hidden detail within the collar on Doctor Strange's costume. It seems obvious that it could be an impractical source of apparel when dueling with evil villains.
However, the wrap-around nature of the cloak did help maintain the Eye of Agamotto's and the cloak's positions around Strange's body in the costume. Not to mention, a collar as big as the one from the comics would have been obscenely impractical. The smaller collar is a clever, secret way to keep it all together.
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