Benedict Cumberbatch Says He Rewrote Some Scenes in DOCTOR STRANGE 2, Leaning into the Darkness
Benedict Cumberbatch has more than proven himself as the Master of the Mystic Arts, Dr. Stephen Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, learning his magical craft, leading his co-Avengers through the snap, as well as its reversal, blasting open the multiverse and doing his best to patch it up again. While most of his MCU appearances have been within an ensemble, he’s had two of his own films, and the most recent was one of the darkest Marvel movies we’ve gotten from any of our heroes, and it turns out that he had a lot to do with that.
In a recent interview with Prestige, Cumberbatch was asked what it was like to play the Doctor Strange variants in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. He said that is was his favorite part of the movie, and explained the hand he had in bringing it to pass the way it did.
“That was the most fun bit, and I couldn’t talk about any of that pre-press, so it’s very nice to be able to speak about it now. I absolutely loved it, and it sounds so egotistical – but there we go, that’s what actors are – but I loved doing the scenes with myself because of the challenge of it. And I got to write some of those scenes … I suggested that it needed to get darker at a point. There was a slightly more saccharine version at one stage and I’m really happy with the way it evolved. Sam Raimi was so game for it and Michael Waldron really supported me to write it as well. We turned what was a very small combat between the two into a sort of very bizarre and inventive battle in that moment. I really loved it. It was how the original was pitched to me a long while back when Scott Derrickson was still working with us: Strange would meet versions of himself. It was something I wanted to lean into. We could have gone even further, and maybe it will go into the future. Who knows what other versions we might need in the multiverse chapter of the MCU? But it was very enjoyable to play all the variants of myself.”
I loved how Doctor Strange 2 came out. It was so much fun to see a Marvel movie get that wild and off the rails. I loved how they handled the cameos in the other universes and the twists and turns you didn’t expect, like Strange reanimating his dead other self. I’m glad they pushed the boundaries and gave us such a fun movie. It seems like the next two weeks are the perfect time for a rewatch!