Spider-Man: No Way Home was a massive box office success back in 2021, and even after a few months, the film is still getting praised by fans who seem to continuously find new things to love about the film. The Sony film was a milestone for the MCU for featuring three generations of Spider-Man from Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire, and the current Peter Parker, Tom Holland. Thanks to the concept of Multiverse, we were able to witness such a memorable experience in the history of cinema.
Talking about the Multiverse, No Way Home won't happen without the help of the sorcerer, Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange, who helped Peter Parker (Holland) in creating a spell that would make the world forget his real identity. However, the spell has consequences that Parker and Strange had to face, the spell opened up portals from different universes where another Peter Parker also exists. This caused the villains from previous franchises like Doctor Octopus, Electro, Lizard, Sandman, and Green Goblin to be transported in Holland's universe and hunt down Spider-Man. Even in the end, Doctor Strange was a substantial part of the film by helping the three Spider-Man to defeat the villains from another universe and officially close the Multiverse portal.
Now, in a recent interview with Collider, Benedict Cumberbatch revealed a shocking revelation about his time while filming Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The actor says that he already knew No Way Home would be good, but still surprised by how No Way Home become such a big hit. Cumberbatch explained,
"The culmination of those first two films into the third, and those relationships and that triumvirate with those three actors, they’re so good. It was a brilliant set to be on. I knew it would be good. I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m just astonished at quite how big a hit it is. I understand the love of it because not only is it Spidey, it’s a brilliant Spider-Man film."
The actor then praised director Jon Watts on the success of the film, "He’s got such great taste. He’s very detail-orientated as well. He manages the tone so beautifully, all the time, and yet is still so nimble. Great directors are able to throw aside a piece of script or a big set piece and go, 'Oh, maybe that’s the story there.'"
Cumberbatch then revealed how he improvised a scene during reshoots to illustrate Strange's concern for Peter Parker by initially declining his sacrifice. Upon the improvisation, Watts liked the idea and wanted it for the film.
"There was this one moment near the end of the film, where we were really trying to make that moment work, at the top of the Statue of Liberty. Tom [Holland] was having a tough time with the script, as it was before the reshoots. And then, we did the reshoots and I came up with this idea of, to show that I love him, I didn’t want him to make the sacrifice of being forgotten. He was like, 'That’s gonna be in the film.' And I was like, 'Okay, cool. That’s great.'"
The actor added by explaining how the improvisation felt like an eye-opener, and that he got the idea from Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Holland from filming Avengers: Infinity War, "You throw yourself out there in those huge sandpits. The remarkable thing I learned from Tom Holland and RDJ on Infinity War was seeing how at ease he was, just in improvising about Aunt May with Robert Downey Jr. He did this thing which wasn’t scripted at all. I’m quite a canon guy. It’s about the text for me. To be free with that and to have some maneuverability in it and to be able to improvise, and on such a large canvas, was a real eye-opener."
While it isn't the first time to hear that an actor in No Way Home improvised a line, specifically with Andrew Garfield's "I love you guys" was also an improvisation from the actor. However, the ending scene where Strange took a concern for Parker shows that the two's relationship has gone better. Spider-Man and Doctor Strange first met at the events of Infinity War, together with the now-retired Iron Man. Now that Iron Man is out of the picture, is Doctor Strange Peter Parker's new father figure?
Spider-Man: No Way Home's digital release will be on March 15.
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