A LONG, STRANGE TRIP
Actor Benedict Cumberbatch brings his Marvel character on yet another adventure
Over the past six years, Benedict Cumberbatch has played Doctor Strange across six Marvel movies and one animated series. And if he gets his way, he’ll continue to don the red Cloak of Levitation for another decade.
“If they keep him evolving, I think there’s a lot of places for him to explore. So yeah, bring it on,” Cumberbatch says.
After appearing in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Cumberbatch,
45, returns as the ex-Sorcerer Supreme in director Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. It’s a sequel to Scott Derrickson’s 2016 film that ushered the character, first created by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee in the 1960s, into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Away from the MCU, Cumberbatch has earned an Oscar nod for starring in Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog. Through his production company SunnyMarch, he has taken on smaller roles in films like The Courier, a Cold War spy movie released last year, and the Guantanamo drama The Mauritanian. Cumberbatch spoke more about playing Marvel’s most mystical character.
Q I think the journey that Strange goes on is literary in its ambition. How is he different after the events of Avengers: Endgame and No Way Home?
A I feel like we learn more about him and what motivated him to become a surgeon in his previous existence. As a sorcerer we’ve seen him grow in strength in the MCU, but we’ve never really dug into that and seen what the frailties and cracks are in his character and what his brokenness is. This (film) exposes that and stress tests it and gets us to a place where he has to reform, he has to change the way he’s doing things.
Even though he’s doing things for the greater good now — and doing it very well — he’s starting to let his ego take over ... In No Way Home (Peter) doesn’t have a mentor anymore and he tried to take on that mantle and failed spectacularly. But I think it came from a good place. There’s an extension of that in this film in many ways. We learn more about his heart and what makes him tick and what motivates him. The things that not only make him a great surgeon, but a great sorcerer, and all of that gets severely challenged this time.
Q How does the villain in Multiverse of Madness compare to Thanos?
A (Pauses) That would be telling.
Q You can tease us a little bit.
A I think I just did.
Q I can’t seem to ever get anything out of you.
A (Laughs) Mark, I’ve told you many things before without telling you anything.
Q What was it like leaning into some of the horror elements this film explores?
A Great fun. Especially with someone like Sam. He’s someone who comes from that background and he’s brought that into the superhero genre and he’s mastered both. I felt like I was in very safe hands when it came to working with him and I think fans of Sam Raimi are going to be very pleased.
He really brings to life a lot of horror elements and darker elements of this story ... this is the scariest of the Marvel films to date for sure.
Q We’ve seen how some fans want to spoil some of the film’s surprises. What do you think of spoiler culture?
A I look away because I don’t want to be spoiled. I like sitting in the audience and experiencing something for the first time. I’m certainly not on the phone with Kevin (Feige) or Taika (Waititi) to ask what happens in the next Thor movie. We create a lot of expectation and excitement around these films, so of course people want to know more before they start. But I’m fine keeping my mouth shut and talking about things in a weird way like we do on these press junkets in order to facilitate that experience for the fans.
Q We spoke a year ago and since then you’ve had an incredible run with The Power of the Dog, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain and now Strange. What do you hope to do going forward?
A It’s been an amazing few years and an amazing last year in particular. I want to focus on the kind of people I want to work with as well as the types of characters I want to play. Those are equally important. I found, especially with Jane (Campion), where I got the golden ticket of both a very complex character and working with her, that I got to evolve my art. I got to evolve my craft and find a new love for it. That’s what I want moving forward. I want to keep learning as an artist and I want to keep getting better as an actor