Last month marked the five-year anniversary of Benedict Cumberbatch joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe via Doctor Strange, and later this month, we’ll see him reprise the Master of the Mystic Arts in Spider-Man: No Way Home. But just because Cumberbatch plays one of this superhero franchise’s most important characters doesn’t mean he’s kept updated on all aspects of it. Case in point, he apparently had no idea that former One Direction star Harry Styles is part of the MCU now too. Wait, really?
As those who’ve seen Eternals know, Harry Styles popped up in the movie’s mid-credits scene as Eros of Titan, a.k.a. Starfox, a fellow Eternal and brother of Thanos. While speaking with ET about his new movie The Power of the Dog, Benedict Cumberbatch shared his reaction to learning Styles is one of his fellow MCU costars thusly:
I didn't even know he was, I’m so out of the loop. He's great, really great.
While everything in the MCU is connected in one form or another, as things stand now, there isn’t exactly a straight line that can be drawn between Doctor Strange and the Eternals. So while it initially might sound odd that he was in the dark, upon further thinking, I can’t say I’m surprised Benedict Cumberbatch hadn’t been looped in on Harry Styles’s involvement in the MCU, but it sounds like the Sherlock star is happy to have him along for the blockbuster ride.
Eternals is Styles’ second time acting in a movie, having previously appeared in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk. Next year, he’ll perform opposite Florence Pugh in the Olivia Wilde-directed Don’t Worry Darling., and he’s also boarded the romantic drama The Policeman.
For those who’ve made it this far and either haven’t seen Eternals yet or need a refresher on its mid-credits scene, Starfox and his companion Pip the Troll (voiced by Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. alum Patton Oswalt) transported aboard Thena, Makkari and Druig’s ship to offer them help in finding their friends. There’s no word yet on when we’ll see Harry Styles’ Starfox again, but between a hypothetical Eternals 2 and other MCU cosmic film series like Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy, there’s definitely no shortage of ways for his presence in this franchise to grow.
As far as Benedict Cumberbatch goes, Spider-Man: No Way Home marks his fifth outing playing Doctor Strange, with the movie seeing him trying to help Tom Holland’s Peter Parker by literally working his magic to make the world forget that he’s Spider-Man. Unfortunately, something goes wrong with the spell, resulting in Spidey villains from other universes invading the MCU. But Strange’s multiversal troubles won’t end there, as next summer, the surgeon-turned-sorcerer will be back in action for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which costars Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams and Xochitl Gomez.
Spider-Man: No Way Home arrives on December 17, with the Doctor Strange sequel following on May 6, 2022. Keep track of what else the MCU is priming for the silver screen with our upcoming Marvel movies guide.
