Benedict Cumberbatch Leaks ‘Doctor Strange’ Alliances And More On The Marvel Magician
Benedict Cumberbatch didn’t come to Marvel’s Doctor Strange out of a love for the character. In fact, Cumberbatch wasn’t at all familiar with the Doctor Strange character, when he was first presented with the prospect of taking the lead in a new Marvel franchise, but, as Benedict researched the role, he found that the character was much more than the usual comic book superhero. The “psychedelic, other-worldly” quality to Doctor Strange appealed to Cumberbatch and, now that the actor has become so completely intertwined with the Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme, Benedict opens up about his journey into the Marvel universe and answers the ultimate question.
Is Doctor Strange Team Captain America Or Team Iron Man?
Even before Doctor Strange has hit theaters, /Film shares the news that Benedict Cumberbatch is already on board for another appearance as Doctor Strange in the planned Avengers: Infinity War film. Going into Infinity War, Marvel’s most iconic heroes have already been divided up into opposing teams, creating an internal conflict that may jeopardize the future and, as Doctor Strange holds an interest in maintaining a cohesive reality, many Marvel fans are wondering where Strange’s allegiances will lie.
“I think he has to be Team Doctor Strange. His job title is ‘defender of the fabric of reality.’ I mean, he fights other-dimensional threats that are beyond the perception of that very potent squabble,” said Cumberbatch, when faced with choosing between the divided squad of heroes. “I’d like to think he’s going to help them both, rather than take sides.”
While the outcome in Infinity War will surely affect Stephen Strange, Benedict may be correct in suggesting that his Marvel character isn’t aligned with any one team or person, but more interested in protecting our dimension against contamination from the other dimensions. To that end, Doctor Strange is far more concerned with the greater good than with the Avengers’ superhero squabble.
Benedict Cumberbatch Reveals What Drew Him To Take On The Doctor Strange Lead
In talking with BBC, Benedict reveals that, not only didn’t he know anything about Marvel’s Doctor Strange, but that he also came to the Walt Disney Studios live action film adaptation very late in the game, leaving him in the position of having to play “catch up” to get up to speed. Cumberbatch says he was actually doing interviews to promote another film, Star Trek Into Darkness, when the idea of playing Doctor Strange was presented to him.
“I went, ‘Doctor who?’ and he said ‘Oh yeah, that too’, and I was like no, come on – who’s Doctor Strange? He explained it a bit to me and I said, ‘Wow, that sounds completely out there.'”
From there, Benedict began researching the project and the history of the Marvel character, including the comic book artwork from artist Steve Ditko, and was immediately spellbound by what he was finding. Benedict says he found everything about the Doctor Strange universe to be “beautiful, psychedelic, other-worldly” and that was just the beginning of his fascination with the planned Doctor Strange film.
Cumberbatch was equally intrigued by the character of Stephen Strange, who starts out as a rather unlikable egotist until a fateful car crash forever changes his life and gives him a deeper sense of purpose.
“There were so many pulls for me,” says Benedict Cumberbatch in explaining what drew him to the Doctor Strange role. “The other one really was the element of being an action hero and being an American lead in a film of this size, which was obviously a huge deal for me career-wise.”
Doctor Strange, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Rachel McAdams, is set to premiere in theaters on November 4.
[Featured Image by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images]
