Back in 1993, Groundhog Day redefined the time-loop comedy subgenre with an interesting story that was unique at that time. Well, Marvel Studios seemed to have been inspired by that movie since there is quite a similarity between the 1993 film and one of Marvel’s movies.
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead role, the 2016 film used the concept of the time-loop quite brilliantly. Being the ones creating the time loop for a change, the antagonist of the movie had no choice other than to surrender to Cumberbatch’s character in the end!
Benedict Cumberbatch’s Marvel Movie Used The Concept From Groundhog Day
Back in 2016, Benedict Cumberbatch starred in the iconic Marvel movie titled Doctor Strange, wherein he portrayed the titular character of Doctor Stephen Strange. With the introduction of the time stone in the movie and Wong explicitly warning Strange against creating a time loop, the creation of a time loop was inevitable.
To the brilliance of the writers, however, Benedict Cumberbatch’s character creates a time loop with Dormamu stuck in it. Unable to do anything himself, Doctor Strange has no choice but to die again and again while making a comeback every time. This seems to hint that Marvel did use the concept of Groundhog Day but instead reversed the roles for a change.
With the hero being the one who creates a time loop instead of getting stuck in one, Marvel Studios also reinvigorated people’s interest in the time loop comedy subgenre. The interest was further ignited by the success of movies like Palm Springs, Happy Death Day, and Edge of Tomorrow. Alongside babysitting Tom Holland on the sets of Marvel movies and during interviews, Cumberbatch has also done his fair share of different work. In an interview, Josh Brolin revealed how he was inspired by the Sherlock actor to take on the role of Thanos in the MCU.
When Josh Brolin Was Inspired By Benedict Cumberbatch
Old Footage Of Benedict Cumberbatch on Stage Will Make You Appreciate Shakespeare’s Hamlet Even More
Benedict Cumberbatch is known for portraying the iconic role of Smaug in The Hobbit trilogy through the usage of motion capture. Josh Brolin revealed in an interview with SiriusXM that he had never done something like this. When he felt skeptical about the deal, he went onto YouTube and watched Cumberbatch’s performance behind-the-scenes and that is what inspired him to take on the role of Thanos.
“I saw Benedict Cumberbatch do – I think it was for The Hobbit. I looked on YouTube when I was deciding whether I wanted to do it or not. And he was in this [motion capture], and he was in this big warehouse and he’s crawling around like a snake, snapping his tongue out doing this incredible performance,”
He continued,
“I saw that and I was like, all right, that’s the bar. This is not like bulls—t. This is something you…have to sink your teeth into conviction, embarrassment, and all this kind of stuff. So then I decided yeah.”
Starring in an iconic portrayal of Thanos in the MCU, Josh Brolin found quite the fame with his role. As for Benedict Cumberbatch, his 2016 film, Doctor Strange, received a rating of 7.5/10 on IMDB and a whopping 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film, alongside the entirety of the MCU, is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
