Many actors have reveled in the chance to play multiple characters in a single movie, from Alec Guinness in Kind Hearts and Coronets, to Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove, and Mike Myers in the Austin Powers movies, but for Benedict Cumberbatch, his title role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness allowed him to play several variations of the same character. Speaking about his role in the latest Marvel Studios blockbuster, Cumberbatch said that he had a lot of fun playing with different versions of the character.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness acts as a sequel to several Marvel projects, including Spider-Man: No Way Home as well as TV series Loki and Wandavision. In many ways, its titular sorcerer has progressed enough since 2016’s Doctor Strange that it almost doesn’t feel like a sequel to that movie. Having had the time to create Strange’s persona across multiple films, Cumberbatch has now been given the opportunity of portraying him across multiple universes as well, something that he had clearly relished. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor commented on the subject, saying:
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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Takes the MCU to a New Level
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
The story of the MCU is already a long and winding one, encompassing over 20 movies in one linear timeline in a way that no other movie series has ever achieved purely because they have never attempted it. Now Marvel Studios have expanded the franchise in new ways, with one of those being the introduction of the multiverse – a principle that effectively breaks down the boundaries of possibility and opens many other avenues to be explored.
We have already had a taste of what is possible with the multiverse in play thanks to Spider-Man: No Way Home, which brought characters from Sony’s old Spider-Man franchises into the world of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. Having dabbled in the multiverse once, Doctor Stephen Strange now finds himself fully immersed in it in ways that he could never have imagined, and it is safe to say that the MCU will be changed forever by the events of the movie.
As the first reviews start to roll in following the movie’s premiere last night, it is clear that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is another Marvel spectacle that will pay off in a big way for long-term fans and potentially entice others to head back through the Disney+ archive to see where many of these story threads began.
