Why Marvel Created Half A Dozen Prototypes Of Doctor Strange’s Cape

In a recent visit to the set of the upcoming Marvel movie Doctor Strange, ComicBook spoke to costume designer Alexandra Byrne (Avengers: Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy).

Getting the look, style, and feel of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) has to be just right to bring the mystical character to life for the big screen while still paying homage to his comic book roots.

When asked how many prototypes it took until his iconic red cape was perfected, Byrne explained:

Some of them never quite made it to the fully realized … You go, “no that doesn’t work. Yes that does work.” Probably half a dozen, but more table tops and ideas and practices fit.”

Byrne went on to tell us just how important it is to choose the right fabric for costume design:

“The fabric, the wool that it’s made from came from Japan. I go to a textile fair in Paris called Premiere Vision where launch all the new fabrics and nothing is made other than in sample lengths so if you choose something you have to commission it.”

And how using the right colors can make a world of a difference in the final design:

“It’s quite hard making a decision about something so big as the cloak from a kind of hank of thread that you think is going to be ninety meters and whether the two colors really work together and that kind of thing. That was quite a gamble but it worked. The deadlines of then waiting for the fabric to arrive are quite scary.”

We can all agree that the final costume design for Doctor Strange is directly inspired by the comics. He looks as though he jumped straight from page to screen. His cloak, which the most definitive piece of his costume is a perfect shade of red and flows with both power and grace.

Doctor Strange releases in theaters on November 4, 2016.