Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness may not be based on any one, particular comic book storyline, but it does draw heavily from the comics in one area. The superhero costumes seen in the movie look like they’ve jumped right off the page and into live-action.
Now that the sequel is about to hit Blu-ray and DVD and it’s safe to talk about all the cameos in the movie, let’s dig deeper into the costumes of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and why this MCU movie literally wears its comic book influences on its sleeve. We’ve even got creator commentary from the film’s costume designer, Graham Churchyard, who reveals some surprising details about the inspirations behind these MCU suits.
Benedict Cumberbatch plays no fewer than four versions of Doctor Strange in this sequel. While the main character’s costume is similar to the versions we’ve seen in past movies, it has been upgraded with a slightly brighter, comic book-ier color palette.
Churchyard: This one, because he'd been in so many other movies, I felt like the superhero element had to come into that world, so the whole tunic was a much more tailored. I mean, it's so detailed, and paneled, and just the whole structure of it, is in a sense, like you say, not much of a departure, but is a lot more fitted and tailored. So, but everything got an upgrade, the boots are sleeker, the arm defender, the vambraces, they're a bit more kind of... Well, they ended up being leather rather than vegan leather, at that, they ended up being not so fabric-based, just to give that superhero element.
We also see this Strange and his “Sinister Strange” counterpart manifest a third eye on their foreheads. In the comics, that third eye represents the power of the Eye of Agamotto, but in the MCU, it’s a telltale sign that Stephen Strange has been corrupted by dark magicks.
Then there’s Defender Strange, the version we meet in the film’s opening, and who returns in the climax as a zombie puppet. His costume is very closely based on Marvel’s 2012 Defenders comic, when Stephen Strange ditched his Cloak of Levitation and rocked a distinctive red and blue look. Even he wasn’t brave enough to go full ponytail, though.
Churchyard: There was that element of the Errol Flynn swashbuckler feel about it. That was the whole essence with the hair, and the costume, and no cloak in this world. Obviously, he has to use other methods to get around, because he doesn't have the cloak. But that costume, it does have the references that you talked about, but I was trying to create a slightly different Doctor Strange that was maybe somewhere back in -- believe it or not -- the Ottoman world... where the silks and fabrics in there just lended itself to be something a bit more near Eastern, that was the idea.
Finally, while we only briefly see the Earth-838 version of Strange in the movie, it’s worth pointing out that this character has a very coiffed, ‘70s-inspired hairdo, evoking the work of classic Doctor Strange artists like Gene Colan and Marshall Rogers. In fact, this version of Strange was originally planned to wear a blue cloak inspired by the original Stan Lee/Steve Ditko Doctor Strange comics.
Churchyard: We made the classic very high collared cloak in blue. Unfortunately, it wasn't used, and because I wasn't on the additional photography, because of the travel ban, I've still no idea to this day why they decided not to use the cloak. But it was at the point where he gets blasted by Black Bolt and he's in that costume.
Until Wandavision, Wanda Maximoff settled for wearing a functional costume that only loosely recreated the character’s comic book suit. Not so anymore. Not only is she wearing the iconic headdress and robes now, Doctor Strange 2 adds to that new look with a black undersuit. That color scheme hearkens back to the 2015 Scarlet Witch series and the striking cover art of David Aja.
Churchyard: Mayes Rubeo did something much more reflective of what's in the comics. Sam [Raimi] wanted to take that and come up with a treatment that honored the moments in the script where she was corrupted by the dark hold. So, I... gave her this printed sleeve, which is in itself very elaborate. I mean, it's a custom-made print that graduates along the arm. So, you fit the person, and then you take the whole empty sleeve out, and then you design a screen, and whatever your design is to fit that, so it fits the actual length of the actor that you're making it for. So, all of those things are custom printed and custom made, and we took the WandaVision molded bodice, and created the new one, which has pits, and scars, and deterioration in it that suggested the dark hold had some effect on the costume, as well as her.
Actress Xochitl Gomez definitely dresses the part in her role as America Chavez. America’s costume is practically 1:1 with the comic book incarnation, right down to the custom-painted denim jacket and the star-shaped portals she forms with her powers. The one difference is that the MCU America has a slightly grungier look, denoting the fact that she’s a multiversal refugee constantly on the run from the Scarlet Witch.
Churchyard: I just felt that she was like an emo teenager who in her room by herself was maybe trying to express herself in the only way she could, by writing some poetry and thoughts on her coat about her two moms, and where she came from, and what it all meant, and her adventures. So, the coat, all the lettering's in Spanish, and some of it is Portuguese witchcraft. So, there's a big combination of Day of the Dead, and other Latin influences on there, if you get really close, everything is like a real poem.
We’ve reached the point in the MCU when even talking green minotaurs are fair game. The movie introduced Rintrah as one of the many sorcerers defending Kamar Taj from the Scarlet Witch. But whereas the movie version wears traditional robes denoting his status as a magical trainee, in the comics Rintrah tends to wear a cloak… if he chooses to wear anything at all.
X-Men fans got a big treat when Multiverse of Madness introduced the MCU’s first mutant - none other than Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier. But this wasn’t any version of Xavier we’d seen before, as his costume proved. The combination of the olive green suit and the yellow hoverchair call back to the ‘90s-era X-Men comics and the art of comics superstars like Jim Lee.
But this look is also meant to pay homage to the Lee-inspired X-Men: The Animated Series, hence the needle drop of that iconic theme song.
The Inhumans TV series gave us one version of Black Bolt and his royal family, though at this point it’s anyone’s guess whether that series is still part of the MCU canon (or really, if it ever was). But Doctor Strange 2 shows us a different version of Black Bolt wearing a much more comic book-accurate costume, tuning fork and everything. Jack Kirby would be proud.
One of the many differences on Earth-838 is that Maria Rambeau, not Carol Danvers, became Captain Marvel. In the comics, Maria’s daughter Monica has shared the Captain Marvel name with Carol. But rather than adapt one of her costumes, the series draws from a short-lived Carol Danvers costume introduced in the build-up to 2015’s Secret Wars. At the time, Carol was wearing a black and silver variant of her traditional red and blue suit, and that costume has now made its live-action debut. It makes sense to pay homage to that storyline, as the Incursions referenced in Multiverse of Madness are a huge part of the plot in Secret Wars.
After months of rumor and speculation, John Krasinski made his MCU debut as Mister Fantastic in Doctor Strange 2. And while Reed Richards’ rugged costume hearkens back more to past FF movies than anything else, his beard is definitely straight from the comics. Reed’s beard is another look that debuted in Secret Wars, and it’s stuck around ever since.
Hayley Atwell voices a version of Captain Carter in Marvel’s What If…? And Doctor Strange 2 gives her the chance to play another version in live-action, one who wears basically the same exact costume. The idea of an alternate universe Peggy who becomes a super-soldier was introduced not in the comics, but in the mobile game Marvel’s Puzzle Quest. Marvel has since given us Captain Carter in the comics too, though that version is currently wearing a brand new costume we hope to see in live-action one day.
Multiverse of Madness saves its biggest cameo for last, with Charlize Theron’s Clea popping up to recruit Stephen Strange to save the multiverse. More than any other character in the film, Clea looks like she walked right off the page of a Steve Ditko Doctor Strange comic, between her stark white hair and flamboyant purple costume.
Churchyard: I wanted to create something that could almost be a bit more McQueen or Thierry Mugler fashion world, that was the idea. The entire character changed somewhat, and the early script was a gardener of the multiverse web of dreams that existed out there. She was responsible for tending this multiversal garden, and so she was a very soft character in flowing robes, which has actually nothing to do with the comic at all. Then we went right back to the comics, so we made the pants with the big circles on, and we made something which had the big shoulders. There's a big cloak there as well.
Not every actress could pull off such a bold look, but we like to think there’s a reason they cast Theron in the role.
What's your favorite costume from the Multiverse of Madness? Let us know in the comments below.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
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Now that the sequel is about to hit Blu-ray and DVD and it’s safe to talk about all the cameos in the movie, let’s dig deeper into the costumes of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and why this MCU movie literally wears its comic book influences on its sleeve. We’ve even got creator commentary from the film’s costume designer, Graham Churchyard, who reveals some surprising details about the inspirations behind these MCU suits.
The Doctors Strange
Benedict Cumberbatch plays no fewer than four versions of Doctor Strange in this sequel. While the main character’s costume is similar to the versions we’ve seen in past movies, it has been upgraded with a slightly brighter, comic book-ier color palette.
Churchyard: This one, because he'd been in so many other movies, I felt like the superhero element had to come into that world, so the whole tunic was a much more tailored. I mean, it's so detailed, and paneled, and just the whole structure of it, is in a sense, like you say, not much of a departure, but is a lot more fitted and tailored. So, but everything got an upgrade, the boots are sleeker, the arm defender, the vambraces, they're a bit more kind of... Well, they ended up being leather rather than vegan leather, at that, they ended up being not so fabric-based, just to give that superhero element.
We also see this Strange and his “Sinister Strange” counterpart manifest a third eye on their foreheads. In the comics, that third eye represents the power of the Eye of Agamotto, but in the MCU, it’s a telltale sign that Stephen Strange has been corrupted by dark magicks.
Then there’s Defender Strange, the version we meet in the film’s opening, and who returns in the climax as a zombie puppet. His costume is very closely based on Marvel’s 2012 Defenders comic, when Stephen Strange ditched his Cloak of Levitation and rocked a distinctive red and blue look. Even he wasn’t brave enough to go full ponytail, though.
Churchyard: There was that element of the Errol Flynn swashbuckler feel about it. That was the whole essence with the hair, and the costume, and no cloak in this world. Obviously, he has to use other methods to get around, because he doesn't have the cloak. But that costume, it does have the references that you talked about, but I was trying to create a slightly different Doctor Strange that was maybe somewhere back in -- believe it or not -- the Ottoman world... where the silks and fabrics in there just lended itself to be something a bit more near Eastern, that was the idea.
Finally, while we only briefly see the Earth-838 version of Strange in the movie, it’s worth pointing out that this character has a very coiffed, ‘70s-inspired hairdo, evoking the work of classic Doctor Strange artists like Gene Colan and Marshall Rogers. In fact, this version of Strange was originally planned to wear a blue cloak inspired by the original Stan Lee/Steve Ditko Doctor Strange comics.
Churchyard: We made the classic very high collared cloak in blue. Unfortunately, it wasn't used, and because I wasn't on the additional photography, because of the travel ban, I've still no idea to this day why they decided not to use the cloak. But it was at the point where he gets blasted by Black Bolt and he's in that costume.
Scarlet Witch
Until Wandavision, Wanda Maximoff settled for wearing a functional costume that only loosely recreated the character’s comic book suit. Not so anymore. Not only is she wearing the iconic headdress and robes now, Doctor Strange 2 adds to that new look with a black undersuit. That color scheme hearkens back to the 2015 Scarlet Witch series and the striking cover art of David Aja.
Churchyard: Mayes Rubeo did something much more reflective of what's in the comics. Sam [Raimi] wanted to take that and come up with a treatment that honored the moments in the script where she was corrupted by the dark hold. So, I... gave her this printed sleeve, which is in itself very elaborate. I mean, it's a custom-made print that graduates along the arm. So, you fit the person, and then you take the whole empty sleeve out, and then you design a screen, and whatever your design is to fit that, so it fits the actual length of the actor that you're making it for. So, all of those things are custom printed and custom made, and we took the WandaVision molded bodice, and created the new one, which has pits, and scars, and deterioration in it that suggested the dark hold had some effect on the costume, as well as her.
America Chavez
Actress Xochitl Gomez definitely dresses the part in her role as America Chavez. America’s costume is practically 1:1 with the comic book incarnation, right down to the custom-painted denim jacket and the star-shaped portals she forms with her powers. The one difference is that the MCU America has a slightly grungier look, denoting the fact that she’s a multiversal refugee constantly on the run from the Scarlet Witch.
Churchyard: I just felt that she was like an emo teenager who in her room by herself was maybe trying to express herself in the only way she could, by writing some poetry and thoughts on her coat about her two moms, and where she came from, and what it all meant, and her adventures. So, the coat, all the lettering's in Spanish, and some of it is Portuguese witchcraft. So, there's a big combination of Day of the Dead, and other Latin influences on there, if you get really close, everything is like a real poem.
Rintrah
We’ve reached the point in the MCU when even talking green minotaurs are fair game. The movie introduced Rintrah as one of the many sorcerers defending Kamar Taj from the Scarlet Witch. But whereas the movie version wears traditional robes denoting his status as a magical trainee, in the comics Rintrah tends to wear a cloak… if he chooses to wear anything at all.
Professor X
X-Men fans got a big treat when Multiverse of Madness introduced the MCU’s first mutant - none other than Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier. But this wasn’t any version of Xavier we’d seen before, as his costume proved. The combination of the olive green suit and the yellow hoverchair call back to the ‘90s-era X-Men comics and the art of comics superstars like Jim Lee.
But this look is also meant to pay homage to the Lee-inspired X-Men: The Animated Series, hence the needle drop of that iconic theme song.
Black Bolt
The Inhumans TV series gave us one version of Black Bolt and his royal family, though at this point it’s anyone’s guess whether that series is still part of the MCU canon (or really, if it ever was). But Doctor Strange 2 shows us a different version of Black Bolt wearing a much more comic book-accurate costume, tuning fork and everything. Jack Kirby would be proud.
Captain Marvel
One of the many differences on Earth-838 is that Maria Rambeau, not Carol Danvers, became Captain Marvel. In the comics, Maria’s daughter Monica has shared the Captain Marvel name with Carol. But rather than adapt one of her costumes, the series draws from a short-lived Carol Danvers costume introduced in the build-up to 2015’s Secret Wars. At the time, Carol was wearing a black and silver variant of her traditional red and blue suit, and that costume has now made its live-action debut. It makes sense to pay homage to that storyline, as the Incursions referenced in Multiverse of Madness are a huge part of the plot in Secret Wars.
Mister Fantastic
After months of rumor and speculation, John Krasinski made his MCU debut as Mister Fantastic in Doctor Strange 2. And while Reed Richards’ rugged costume hearkens back more to past FF movies than anything else, his beard is definitely straight from the comics. Reed’s beard is another look that debuted in Secret Wars, and it’s stuck around ever since.
Captain Carter
Hayley Atwell voices a version of Captain Carter in Marvel’s What If…? And Doctor Strange 2 gives her the chance to play another version in live-action, one who wears basically the same exact costume. The idea of an alternate universe Peggy who becomes a super-soldier was introduced not in the comics, but in the mobile game Marvel’s Puzzle Quest. Marvel has since given us Captain Carter in the comics too, though that version is currently wearing a brand new costume we hope to see in live-action one day.
Clea
Multiverse of Madness saves its biggest cameo for last, with Charlize Theron’s Clea popping up to recruit Stephen Strange to save the multiverse. More than any other character in the film, Clea looks like she walked right off the page of a Steve Ditko Doctor Strange comic, between her stark white hair and flamboyant purple costume.
Churchyard: I wanted to create something that could almost be a bit more McQueen or Thierry Mugler fashion world, that was the idea. The entire character changed somewhat, and the early script was a gardener of the multiverse web of dreams that existed out there. She was responsible for tending this multiversal garden, and so she was a very soft character in flowing robes, which has actually nothing to do with the comic at all. Then we went right back to the comics, so we made the pants with the big circles on, and we made something which had the big shoulders. There's a big cloak there as well.
Not every actress could pull off such a bold look, but we like to think there’s a reason they cast Theron in the role.
What's your favorite costume from the Multiverse of Madness? Let us know in the comments below.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
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