The Con Season’s Newest Celebrity is… a Giant Doctor Strange Head in Chicago?!
In a lot of ways, you never know what to expect at comic book conventions. What new tidbits of information might be revealed during an official panel? What ungodly number of steps will you have walked by the end of the day? What niche mashups will be found in cosplays or prints for sale in Artist’s Alley?
At this year’s Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo (also known as C2E2), one cosplay genuinely defied expectations… and it still has the Internet talking. Photos of a very specific Doctor Strange cosplay, brought to life by Creatures of the Night Studios, have been going viral since it first debuted at the convention on Saturday. While it’s pretty easy to find cosplays of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s biggest sorcerer at most major conventions, the proportions of this one — with gigantic, handmade head, arms, and feet — are truly something to behold.
The Internet has taken quite a liking to one particular photo of the giant Doctor Strange cosplay: an official photo op of them from Saturday, standing next to Scarlet Witch actress Elizabeth Olsen. There’s a lot to unpack: the giant head’s frozen expression and outstretched hands, Olsen’s confused expression, and the fact that the cosplay is so gigantic, the photographer had to zoom out and include the ceiling (which is something I’ve never consciously thought of with photo ops like this).
“Giant Doctor Strange meets the Scarlet Witch Wanda Maximoff ( Elizabeth Olsen ) ?,” their Instagram caption reads. “Wow @c2e2 was insane! It was definitely not easy getting this cosplay to Chicago to pull off this photo op! All of the stress and challenges we faced were well worth it when we seen her reaction! She was so kind and genuinely speechless when she seen our cosplay! She said this is a first for me! It was so awesome to hear she was telling other fans how impressed she was. It’s crazy to think we made this cosplay 4 years ago and this was its first convention appearance! More pictures and videos to come soon!”
Your Eyes Are Not Deceiving You…
As someone who attended C2E2 on Saturday, I can personally attest to the majesty (and speechlessness) that you feel when seeing giant Doctor Strange in person. I first saw the cosplay while turning a corner in the middle of Artist’s Alley, and was too flabbergasted to take my own photo. The hands and feet were so gigantic, the cosplayer had to have multiple handlers carrying those extremities around all day… but even when just the head was on, it was unlike anything I’d ever seen. The proportions felt like if Mr. Boss from Smiling Friends suddenly manifested in our real world, or like a deleted scene from some Sam Raimi-crafted body horror montage in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
What made it even funnier was the fact that I kept seeing the cosplay throughout the rest of the day. Even when turning out of the parking lot to drive home at the end of the day, the cosplayer and his handlers were impossible to miss casually walking down the street. Once the photo op with Olsen went viral, I tweeted about how seeing giant Doctor Strange in person felt like a “fever dream”… and even my brief reaction has gone viral. Some people have been glad to hear that the photo is not AI-generated, while other attendees have shared their own experience of seeing the cosplay when leaving the Daredevil: Born Again panel earlier in the day.
In the best way, the cosplay kind of breaks your brain… both because of the sight of it, and because of the artistry that went into it. Are the extra pieces made of paper-In the best way, the cosplay kind of breaks your brain… both because of the sight of it, and because of the artistry that went into it. Are the extra pieces made of paper maché? Where do you source the hair? How do you even see out of the head throughout the day?
Whatever tools Creatures of the Night Studios uses, they’re definitely not exclusive to Doctor Strange, as their Instagram shows that they also have similar big-headed cosplays for characters like Pennywise the Clown, The Grinch, and Michael Keaton’s Batman. Either way, it’s an approach to cosplaying that undeniably stands out… and illustrates just how much weird fun you can have at a comic con.
(featured image: Marvel Studios)
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