Marvel Studios concept artist Ian Joyner has shared Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness concept art depicting Defender Strange's death. Defender Strange was portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch, who portrays multiple variants of his character in the Sam Raimi-helmed sequel. Cumberbatch starred alongside Xochitl Gomez, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Rachel McAdams.
In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' opening, audiences were immediately thrust into one of the multiverse's infinite potentials, as Defender Strange attempted to help America Chavez (Gomez) escape a ribbon-like creature, which would later be revealed to be under the Scarlet Witch's (Olsen) influence. Wounded and unable to reach the powerful Book of Vishanti, Defender Strange attempts to take America's powers to prevent the creature from threatening reality itself, but is stopped when it impales him. Fatally wounded, Defender Strange's corpse falls through America's portal into Earth 616 along with her. Joyner previously shared concept art of Defender Strange's design, which was inspired by the costume first seen in 2011's The Defenders comic series.
Now, on his Instagram, Joyner has shared a keyframe concept art depicting Defender Strange's tragic end. In the Marvel Studios Visual Development Supervisor's piece, Defender Strange is on his back on a floating rock platform, casting a spell to defend himself from the ribbon creature. The artwork depicts Strange having already been impaled, with his face heavily scarred. In his caption, the artist promised to share more concept artwork from Marvel's Visual Development team as they share their own pieces. Check out Joyner's post below.
As first glimpsed in an early Multiverse of Madness trailer, death was not the end for Defender Strange in the movie. After being stranded by Wanda in a dimension destroyed by an incursion, the MCU's main Strange would "dreamwalk" into Defender Strange's corpse, which was buried in Earth 616 after he and Wong (Wong) first met America. Piloting the zombie-esque body of his fallen variant, Strange uses a Sling Ring to make his way to Wundergore mountain, hoping to save America from Scarlet Witch.
While his appearance was brief, Defender Strange still played a pivotal role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In the narrative, Defender Strange's choice to sacrifice America sets up the Strange of 616's conflict in regards to how he approaches tough situations with little regard for the smaller, more personal consequences. Defender Strange's death and resurrection also played into Raimi's talents, allowing him to craft a horror-inspired MCU movie that sets itself apart from anything that came before. Joyner's artwork is an exciting behind-the-scenes glimpse at Defender Strange's brutal, tragic end as the first multiversal variant that kicked off Strange's latest adventure.
Source: @ianjoynerart
