Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange played a pivotal role in Spider-Man: No Way Home where his efforts to try to erase the revelation that Peter Parker is Spiderman, led to the rupturing of the multiverse. Tom Holland’s Spider-Man eventually teamed up with the other two Spider-Men played by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in a face-off against the various villains from their realities.
Unlike Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, No Way Home did not feature Doctor Strange traveling through different realities. However, that almost happened as the concept artist from No Way Home has now opened up about unused material from the film.
Spider-Man: No Way Home Almost Had Doctor Strange Travelling to Different Realities
Spider-Man No Way Home brought forward an exciting multiversal narrative that combined the fun and exciting aspects of bringing together different realities into one. It also did not use the concept just for a nostalgic trip but rather, used it to tell an emotionally resonant story about responsibility. Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange played a big part in opening up the doors to the multiverse in the film.
While the character did not have a huge presence in the film, he had an integral part in the opening and closing of the multiversal portals in the film. However, it seems that the film had more plans for Doctor Strange, which involved some interesting multiversal travels that precede Doctor Strange 2.
Concept artist Josh Nizzi revealed an unused concept art for the film on Instagram where Doctor Strange ends up in an alternate reality in the world of Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man. He is mistaken for a street performer in Times Square, much to the amusement of people around him.
This would have been an extremely cool adventure for Strange and it would have also added a fun dynamic between Strange and Garfield’s Spider-Man before the climactic battle. Traveling to Garfield’s reality also means that Strange would have most likely landed in Maguire’s reality too. Fans would have gotten to see a fun banter between Strange and the two Spider-Men if this concept art had made it into the film.
Benedict Cumberbatch Feels Sherlock Holmes Is More Popular than Doctor Strange
Before playing Doctor Strange, Benedict Cumberbatch played Sherlock Holmes for over 6-7 years (from 2010 to 2017) in 13 episodes of BBC’s Sherlock. The series was huge and incredibly popular and continues to find new viewers who champion its narrative and Cumberbatch’s performance as the titular character.
In an interview with The Talks, the actor revealed that Sherlock Holmes still has the upper hand over Doctor Strange with regard to recognition and popularity. He claims that since Sherlock ran on TV, it reached more audiences across the world and more people had more appreciation for it than for his turn as Doctor Strange. He said,
“Well, as for this being a bigger pond than ‘Sherlock’…I don’t think it is. I think ‘Sherlock’ for me has had a bigger reach than something like ‘Doctor Strange’ because it’s television; it’s more democratic, more people have seen it. The reach that program has had is extraordinary.”
As for Cumberbatch’s MCU future, it is not known when Doctor Strange will appear next. He will return in a third solo film based on the ending of Doctor Strange 2. Beyond that, it remains to be seen how the MCU will bring him back before his next solo film.
