Benedict Cumberbatch Speaks Out On His Future As Doctor Strange In Exciting Update
"Yeah! Absolutely. Absolutely. If they keep me, and it [is] interesting, and keep him evolving and try to exercise his full potential as a character, I think there's a lot of places for him to explore." -Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Cumberbatch is the iconic actor who has brought several notable characters to movies and television series over the years—most notably the disabled surgeon-turned-sorcerer Doctor Strange in several movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He announced he would like to continue playing as Strange for the next 10 years. Cumberbatch did have one stipulation, however: Marvel must continue to exercise his full potential as a character, advice that Marvel hopefully takes to heart and keeps him satisfied.
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Now that the latest Doctor Strange movie, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, is out in the theaters and performing well, both critically and commercially, Benedict also announced he plans to take a breather from acting for the moment to recharge, but as the fourth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues, it will be interesting to see if Doctor Strange crosses paths with characters in any of the upcoming projects, such as Thor: Love & Thunder, the Black Panther sequel, Wakanda Forever, or even the third volume of Guardians of the Galaxy.
Although I am, by nature, less of a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (or comics), and more of a fan of the Star Wars and Star Trek franchises, Benedict Cumberbatch has become one of my favorite actors in recent years. He has popped up in several franchises I enjoy, like Star Trek (2013's Star Trek: Into Darkness as an alternate timeline version of Khan Noonien Singh) and the Lord of the Rings franchise (The Hobbit as the voice of the fierce, gold-hoarding dragon Smaug). Like James Earl Jones, Cumberbatch has the kind of voice that could make listening to someone read a phone book completely mesmerizing.
Although I have yet to watch him in all of his appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date as Doctor Strange, I really enjoyed his presence as the sardonic mystical Doctor and his adventures when and where he appeared in the storyline, starting with his initial appearance in the titular Doctor Strange (2016). I don't know if it is this is a popular sentiment among all Marvel fans, but I personally cannot think of any current actors better suited to play him than Cumberbatch, so his desire to continue appearing as the mysterious Doctor is a good thing as far as I am concerned.
Cumberbatch has previously appeared as Doctor Strange in several movies within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including his origin story movie, Doctor Strange (2016), followed by appearances in Thor Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). He also voiced his character in an animated episode of Marvel's What If series. He currently stars alongside Elizabeth Olsen, who plays Scarlet Witch, in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (2022), where he plays multiple versions of his character.
So, what might be next for the mysterious Doctor? He has already gotten his origin story, he has helped Thor, he has assembled with the rest of the Avengers to help stop Thanos from ending half of the galaxy's population, he has helped Peter Parker deal with his Spider-Man-related issues, and he has traveled through the multiverse of madness to help a dimension-hopping mutant. Only the mystic time lord can see what lies ahead for his adventures, but with at least another 10 years of life in Cumberbatch to continue portraying him, the possibilities are literally endless.
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Sources: Gamesradar, Gamerant