I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that Benedict Cumberbatch gives justice to the Doctor Strange role and at this point, it's hard to imagine anyone else playing the part despite the fact that he wasn't always the first choice. You'd be surprised to know, however, that the British actor has always been on Marvel Studios' radar. In fact, three years prior to the release of Doctor Strange, we would have seen Cumberbatch take on a very interesting character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
According to the new book The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (via The Direct), Cumberbatch came close to starring in Thor: The Dark World as the divisive and quite frankly forgettable villain Malekith. Admittedly, Benedict has been a longtime follower of the MCU but his lack of knowledge not only about the character but with Marvel Comics as a whole may have prevented him from joining the franchise much earlier.
He explains: "I had friends that I supported in the like Tom [Hiddleston], and I was as intoxicated as everybody else was with the mixture of themes, humor, and the scale of cinema, of spectacle. But I didn't grow up obsessed with any comics. I knew more about the cinematic universe than the comic universe."
Also Read: Doctor Strange 2: Real Reason Behind Multiverse of Madness Delay Reportedly Revealed
Thankfully, fate had different plans for the actor and while it would've been interesting to see him as Malekith, I don't think it would've changed the outcome of the 2013 film which is considered by many fans as one of the worst films the franchise has ever produced. He was always meant to play Doctor Strange, it seems and I'm glad the universe made it happen.
Speaking of, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is currently scheduled for release on May 6, 2022.
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