Benedict Cumberbatch talks about playing Doctor Strange and how he's similar to Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man. The British actor is gearing up for his big screen return as the MCU's primary sorcerer in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. As the franchise moves forward in Phase 4 without its inaugural hero, Cumberbatch opens up about Stephen Strange having hints of Tony Stark in terms of persona.
Downey kicked off the MCU in 2008 via Jon Favreau's Iron Man. There was initial backlash about his casting, but soon enough, Marvel Studios and the public realized that he was the best actor for the job. Since then, he played the genius, billionaire hero, becoming the universe's poster boy for the Infinity Saga. Downey's signature wit and snark made watching him so much more fun. So, when Cumberbatch's Strange debuted in 2016's Doctor Strange film, fans immediately noticed the similarities between the sorcerer and the Avengers' co-leader.
Speaking with KCRW to promote his critically acclaimed film, The Power of the Dog, Cumberbatch touched on Doctor Strange's arc in the MCU thus far, and how the character has grown since he was introduced. The actor then cited the similarities between his sorcerer hero to Downey's Iron Man. Both are geniuses, who are known for their sarcasm, but behind their confident demeanor is their struggle to get along with other people.
Downey and Cumberbatch didn't get a lot of opportunities to interact in the MCU. They worked extensively in Avengers: Infinity War as Iron Man and Doctor Strange teamed up to fight Thanos (Josh Brolin) in Titan. From the get-go, it's clear that there was some kind of ego battle between the pair. But, ultimately, they learned to collaborate effectively. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to keep the Mad Titan from collecting all six Infinity Stones. By Avengers: Endgame, they only had a couple of interactions, but both were significant ones as they motivated Tony to sacrifice himself to save the universe from the purple villain.
There's an assumption that with Iron Man no longer in the MCU, Doctor Strange can fill the void that he left. However, that may not be the case for a couple of reasons, including the fact that the sorcerer, apparently, isn't an Avenger. Given this, he isn't poised to spearhead the new generation of Earth's Mightiest Heroes with the remaining three original Avengers. It may be a bummer for many, but that also means that Stephen Strange's story can take on an entirely different direction than his fellow New York-based genius. That's more interesting, as it would offer fans something fresh rather than something that they've already seen before. -Screen Rant
