"These dudes," indeed! With Scott Derrickson’s Doctor Strange setting up shop in New York City to film some very public scenes, photos of Benedict Cumberbatch and Chiwetel Ejiofor in full costume as Stephen Strange and Baron Karl Amadeus Mordo started to surface. Rather than run from them, Derrickson embraced the frenzy with this amazing tweet:
Previously, Marvel had shared official photos of Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange, a brilliant surgeon whose hands are irreparably damaged in a devastating car accident. Instead of accepting the loss of his greatest assets, Strange embarks on a journey in search of a healing factor, opening his mind to the mystic arts. While we previously understood that Strange was going to look like this:
But this new image, shared by Scott Derrickson, gives Marvel fans the first real look at Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Baron Mordo, another sorcerer whose role in the Doctor Strange film remains mysterious. This photo (and a few others that are floating around online) suggests that Strange and Mordo are working together in these New York City scenes. Marvel Comics readers might wonder about that, as Mordo has often been a villain on the pages of the Doctor Strange stories. Now we have to wonder if that dynamic might shift for Derrickson’s movie.
The costumes, however, are spectacular. Just incredible. Benedict Cumberbatch was a spot-on choice for Strange, and the touches of white in his hair are beautiful accents that ALMOST distract from the cape that he’s rocking in the photo. Simply put, that IS Stephen Strange. Baron Mordo also looks in line with his comic counterpart, and adding Chiwetel Ejiofor to any ensemble makes it that much better.
Doctor Strange is the first solo Marvel Phase Three movie to introduce a new character, after Captain America: Civil War adds Black Panther and Spider-Man to the MCU. And now we’re wondering if there will be some form of Strange footage tied to Civil War - be it a post-credit sequence, or an official trailer attached to the Marvel movie in May. Scott Derrickson has time, and he’s still filming (as you can tell). In the meantime, Marvel is getting fans ready for Doctor Strange as it opens in theaters on November 4.
