The Marvel Cinematic Universe is gearing up to introduce its next roster of headlining members, and one of the more intriguing prospects on the horizon is the upcoming Doctor Strange. Production of the film has only just begun, and as such we have had very little glimpses of the film’s headlining cast such as Benedict Cumberbatch and Chiwetel Ejiofor – until now that is.
According to Comic Book Movie, new photos have leaked from the production of Doctor Strange. They show a very much bearded Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch) walking through the streets of Nepal with Ejiofor’s Baron Mordo. Check one of the images below, and see for yourself:
Just off of this picture it is difficult to extrapolate much about the relationship between these two. As these images are unofficial, and not directly released from the production, their quality leaves much to be desired. Still, that does not mean we are unable to glean anything from them, as you'll see in the following image of Chiwetel Ejifor on his own.
From what we've seen in the photos above, the two men seem on friendly enough terms to walk through the street together, which seems odd considering Baron Mordo is a villain in the Marvel canon. One possible hypothesis that explain this is that Mordo helps Strange uncover and learn more about his abilities early on in his career as a sorcerer. Strange’s slovenly appearance suggests a man lost – searching for something to save him after his careers as a surgeon is threatened by the loss of his abilities as a world class surgeon.
Strange and Mordo’s relationship could start off on amiable terms, but devolve when Strange learns of Mordo’s villainous nature – not unlike the relationship between Batman and Ra’s Al Ghul in Batman Begins. However, as logical as this seems based on the images above, numerous rumors have suggested that Marvel is opting to steer clear of a direct origin story for Doctor Strange's titular character, so perhaps these scenes will take place in some sort of flashback – or Strange has simply hit a rough patch in his career as a mystic.
Until more details are released it will be difficult to tell exactly what sort of relationship these two characters share. They look friendly enough, but then again looks have a way of deceiving. We will keep you up to date on any and all information that comes out regarding Doctor Strange over the course of the next year. The mystical Marvel Studios movie will arrive in theaters on November 4, 2016.
