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Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is currently in full swing, with new entries arriving both in theaters and on the small screen. Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange is expected to have a major presence in the franchise moving forward, especially thanks to his upcoming appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home. And the actor recently recalled the amazing Iron Man insult he improvised, and how it played with audiences.
Following his origin story, Doctor Strange began crossing over with other MCU heroes in Avengers: Infinity War. He and Tony Stark originally butted heads upon meeting, and it turns out that Strange’s sickest burn was actually improvised by Benedict Cumberbatch. As he recently explained,
I remember on the set when I called him a douchebag, there was this sort of ripple effect. ‘Oh my God. Did you just call Iron Man a douchebag?’ They kept it, good for them. And then, it got the same kind of response at the cinema. I was just … I got bored of being compared to Liberace or whatever other retorts the guy with the same camp goatee had opposite me, so I tried to knock him down. It’s great fun to play with that stuff. You find your feet. The more times you do it, the more familiar it becomes.
Nailed it. Watching the two goateed superheroes bicker was definitely a fun aspect of Avengers: Infinity War, before Iron Man and Doctor Strange eventually learned how to work together. Although it turns out we have Benedict Cumberbatch to thank for the moment where he referred to Tony as a douchebag.
Benedict Cumberbatch’s comments come from a long form interview with THR about his career. His past and present in the MCU were part of this discussion, where the Sherlock actor pulled back the curtain on filming Avengers: Infinity War. It’s moments like these where you see why casting Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange was such a victory.
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Unfortunately, the screen time shared between Doctor Strange and Iron Man was fairly limited. Benedict Cumberbatch’s character was dust through most of Avengers: Endgame, although they shared a powerful moment directly before Tony sacrificed himself. And now it seems that Strange might be following in Iron Man’s shoes.
Fans are eager to see what Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will entail, especially with the inclusion of Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch. But first he’ll appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home, seemingly becoming Peter Parker’s next mentor in the process. Only time will tell how these character pairings play out on the big screen.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is expected to arrive in theaters on December 17th. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
