In the comics, Doctor Strange's outfit has famously always been very colorful. The Master of Magic has always been identifiable by his light blue tunic, sharp golden sash, and flowing ruby red cape. If new reports are to be believed, however, that palette will be undergoing a significant change when the character arrives on the big screen next year played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Apparently, all of those bright colors in the garb are going to be much more muted in the feature adaptation.
According to the website htxt.africa, Doctor Strange was one of the titles covered during a recently held DisneyAfrica Presentation down in South Africa, and it was during this event that the audience was shown concept art of Benedict Cumberbatch as the Sorcerer Supreme. Unfortunately, the site's write-up doesn't include many details about exactly what the costume looked liked, but the author of the piece had this to offer on his personal Twitter page:
I'm not entirely sure what the reporter means by a "cap," but anyone who has been paying attention to the last decade or so of comic book movies probably won't be too surprised by this direction for Doctor Strange's duds. For starters, it was just last night that Doctor Strange cinematographer was quoted saying how the new Marvel Studios film will be much darker aesthetically than anything we've seen from the company. Even beyond that, though, it's worth pointing out that comic book movies have a long history of toning down comic book costumes. Hell, just look at the translation of Falcon in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (his Avengers: Age of Ultron upgrade is only slightly better):
Surely there will be some fans who complain about this, as there is a vocal demand for superheroes to look more like their on-page counterparts, but I do honestly get why these changes are being made. Scott Derrickson, who has a strong history in the horror genre, is clearly making Doctor Strange as a darker, more moody movie, and having the bright colors in the costume might just clash and work against the aesthetic. Of course, at this point it's also worth mentioning that what was shown was concept art, so the finished product could actually be brighter anyway.
With production on Doctor Strange set to start in the fall, it's entirely possible that our first look at Benedict Cumberbatch will arrive online in the next couple weeks. I say this because the big Disney D23 Expo is being held in Anaheim next weekend, and Marvel Studios has been confirmed to have a presence. Stay tuned for more details!
