While Marvel comic book readers had long been familiar with the concept of the Multiverse, the MCU has only started integrating character variants for the past couple of years, namely in Loki, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Doctor Strange 2, with Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania possibly expanding on it to kick off Phase Five. However, in last year’s Doctor Strange sequel, every variant, including the film’s Illuminati lineup, only enjoyed short-lived cameos, which is why the characters’ artwork comes in handy to appreciate them in further detail.
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In Supreme Strange’s case, the concept art comes from Marvel Studios Visual Development Supervisor Ian Joyner (@ianjoynerart). The artist shared artwork featuring Benedict Cumberbatch’s variant that showcases the sorcerer’s full costume. As Joyner explains in his Instagram post, a fellow Marvel artist had already designed a great concept for Strange’s foe Mordo, which is why he wanted both Earth-838 sorcerers to share the same aesthetic.
The standout feature in this design is the cape, as Cumberbatch is not seen wearing it in Doctor Strange 2 during his sole scene as Supreme Strange. In the scene, the corrupted sorcerer is blasted away by Black Bolt due to his use of the Darkhold, which triggers a dangerous incursion. Besides that flashback scene, Supreme Strange’s only other appearance is in statue form outside the Sanctum Sanctorum before the main Doctor discovers what’s going on in that Marvel universe.
It’s not clear why Supreme Strange’s costume and cloak of levitation are blue, but it’s fair to say that could have something to do with his relationship with the Illuminati. After all, blue is also Reed Richards’ signature colour, and it’s the one that’s most dominant in Maria Rambeau’s Captain Marvel costume. Along with Earth-616’s vanilla Doctor Strange, the other variants that appear in Multiverse of Madness are Defender Strange, Sinister Strange, and Undead Strange, all of whom get more screen time than Supreme Strange.
Joyner’s artwork has also been featured in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Avengers: Infinity War. So, it’s fair to say this talented artist has had a huge influence on the MCU’s look and feel for the past few years.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now available on Disney Plus.
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Source: Ian Joyner/Instagram
