STACK #213 July 2022

MOVIE FEATURE

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Benedict Cumberbatch hopes that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness reveals a better understanding of Marvel’s maverick hero. Words Gill Pringle D octor Strange and Benedict Cumberbatch fans alike will rejoice in the extra helpings of alternative versions to hold the knife and control it all himself. So, those are pretty leader-like qualities, I’d say. He’s evolving.” Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of

“And it’s the humanity that keeps people coming back for more. I think we see in the film an iteration of somebody who we’ve seen very omnipotent… but we haven’t really understood what the cost of that is. What it is that’s fuelling that – both him as a person, but also within this mysterious realm of sorcery and magic. So, this one is about examining that and finding his flaws, his faults, his humanity, as well as his strengths. And renewing and deepening our understanding of him.” What audiences will see is Strange finally emerging as a surprisingly heroic leader. “I would say more of a self

of Stephen Strange in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness . Reprising his MCU role as the arrogant Master of the Mystic Arts, Cumberbatch must confront himself in various forms across the multiverse. Reuniting with Benedict Wong’s Wong and Rachel McAdams’ Christine Palmer, alongside Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, this time Strange’s stony heart is pierced by newcomer Xochitl Gomez’s teenaged America Chavez, who possesses extraordinary powers.

Madness also marks the welcome return of director Sam Raimi to the superhero fold, having successfully directed one of the most successful film franchises – the blockbuster Spider-Man trilogy starring Tobey Maguire. At the beginning of the movie, we find Doctor Strange in NewYork City as master of the NewYork Sanctum and Earth’s foremost protector against magical and mystical threats. Not one to abide by rules, Strange works best when he works alone – that is, until he meets America Chavez. “We find him in a very secure, all-knowing, almost omnipotent place at the beginning of the film. We see him as somebody who’s looking at himself a little bit,” explains Cumberbatch. “There’s still the pilot light that is burning very brightly in his relationship with Christine. He hasn’t let go of it. Then, he’s sling-shot into this adventure at a breakneck pace.” Strange begins to realise from his experience in the multiverse, and the various versions of him therein, how much of a pattern of behaviour he carries. “It’s a kind of imprint, an identification of who

examination; of holding up a mirror to him through this incredible narrative structure we have of a multiverse of other selves, than it is examining what his potential is to lead,” offers Cumberbatch. “But I will say this: He’s far

When STACK catches up with Cumberbatch, the British actor admits he’s rather enjoying Doctor Strange’s evolution – the character perhaps putting others first and not being quite as selfish. “He’s quite a maverick. He’s an outsider. He doesn’t immediately strike you as a leader, despite his prominence in the MCU at this moment. And that’s what makes him

better at being a collaborator, at working with others,

really interesting and conflicted, I think, as a hero.

at realising he can’t always be the one

Elizabeth Olsen as ScarletWitch

12 JULY 2022

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