Doctor Strange 2 More Ambitious Than Spider-Man: No Way Home Says Star
Benedict Cumberbatch weighs in on the "most ambitious superhero movie" discourse, saying that next year's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is more ambitious than the upcoming Spider-Man: No Way Home. Both are among the most anticipated films in Marvel Studios' endless slate of upcoming projects. Despite the friendly competition, the two films will presumably build off of each other given Doctor Strange's (Benedict Cumberbatch) significant role as Peter Parker's (Tom Holland) mentor in No Way Home.
Ever since the release of Avengers: Infinity War, superhero movie fans have debated over which films feature the most ambitious crossovers. Avengers: Endgame has arguably held this title after concluding more than a decade worth of storylines and sending off several of the most iconic superheroes of all time. While this discourse has intermittently manifested with each subsequent superhero movie release, Multiverse of Madness and No Way Home have reignited discussions due to the return of legacy characters from pre-MCU Marvel films such as Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus. The rumors that previous iterations of Spider-Man will make an appearance in No Way Home have further fanned the flames of speculation. However, it seems that Cumberbatch is challenging the fandom's collective anticipation for the next big MCU movie.
During a recent interview on Variety's Award Circuit Podcast, the Doctor Strange actor poked fun at his Spider-Man co-star, Tom Holland. In response to Holland's earlier comments that No Way Home "is the most ambitious standalone superhero film ever made," Cumberbatch added, "until ‘Doctor Strange 2’ comes out." Check out the full excerpt from Variety below:
[Cumberbatch] even spills a little bit of tea about “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and responds to Holland’s comments on a previous episode of the “Awards Circuit Podcast,” where he said, “I think this is the most ambitious standalone superhero film ever made.” Naturally, Cumberbatch has a swift response, “until ‘Doctor Strange 2’ comes out,” throwing down the gauntlet for the next phase of Marvel.
Like No Way Home, Multiverse of Madness met the same sort of speculative discourse as its predecessor. Given the title, fans have offered their best theories about what sorts of multiversal hijinks may arise in the film. The Doctor Strange branch of the MCU has always boasted the most abstract visual storytelling styles compared to the rest of the franchise, giving the rumor mill plenty of space to draw up the wildest theories. Elizabeth Olsen's involvement with the film has also left fans questioning how the fallout from the Disney+ series WandaVision would factor into the film.
Regardless of which film ultimately claims the title of "most ambitious," fans are all but guaranteed to have a blast with both. Spider-Man fans rejoiced at the return of Doc Ock and Green Goblin in the No Way Home trailer; if Cumberbatch's comments are to be believed, Multiverse of Madness may have even more mind-blowing surprises in store. With only three months separating the release of both films, fans won't have to wait long to crown the victor of this debate.
Source: Variety