In the MCU, there have been quite a lot of superheroes who feel like they are the leading, driving force of the franchise, paving the way for the story to continue its trek. But while many suspected this position to be held by the brave Captain America or the courageous Iron Man, it turns out that Marvel Studios prez Kevin Feige had been planning something different all along.
Back in the day, Feige once openly announced and admitted that it was none other than Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange who had become the anchor being of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And if that wasn’t enough, backing up this is further proof through a mind-blowing fan theory that proves that Strange may as well have been this mantle holder from the beginning.
Fan Theory Suggests Doctor Strange is the Anchor Being of the MCU
For quite some time now, there has been a lot of speculation about who could possibly be the anchor being of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While Captain America and Tony Stark were two of the strongest contestants in this list because of all the sacrifices they have made so far, it seems like the actual mantle holder had been someone else all along: Dr. Strange.
According to a theory shared by a fan, it all starts from the fact that Robert Downey Jr.‘s Doctor Doom will enter the super-verse through Avengers: Doomsday “to destroy the current anchor being and save his universe.” But this means that the anchor being is someone who is alive in the cinematic universe. This once again raised a lot of questions on who it could be.
As @storessunset speculated on Instagram, a lot of people thought that “it could be Wanda, Peter [Parker], or even Kang [the Conqueror].” But the truth started coming out with Avengers: Endgame. In the film, when Hulk goes back in time to take the Time Stone from the Ancient One, she mentions:
Strange is meant to be the best of us.
Of course, looking at it from an overview, it may be assumed that she was talking about Strange being “the best” as in Sorcerer Supreme. However, then came Spider-Man: No Way Home, which brought about the news that the wizard doesn’t even hold the title anymore. This raised the question: “What if she knew that he is the anchor being?”
This was further backed up by an odd but truly inevitable fact from Endgame pointed out by the fan theorist:
I always thought it was odd how Strange only saw one possibility out of 14,000,605. He never saw one where he could have sacrificed himself, like in Multiverse of Madness. But maybe he saw a version where, if he ever died, it would lead to the destruction of the entire universe.
Needless to say, all of this builds up the arc that it is none other than Benedict Cumberbatch‘s iconic Stephen Strange who is not only the anchor being of Marvel’s cinematic universe, but who also might as well be seen navigating the saga through the multiverse. And if even all of this isn’t enough, then there’s Marvel Studios president himself affirming to this.
Meanwhile, Kevin Feige Himself Previously Affirmed This
Two years ago, Cumberbatch was honored with the 2,714th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the category of Motion Pictures. During this event, Marvel Studios prez Kevin Feige also graced his presence to commend “the first, the best, the greatest, and the only Dr. Stephen Strange,” who really set up some historic records with his performances.
It was during this very event that Feige even went to affirm Cumberbatch’s character as the anchor being of the cinematic universe. He said (via Variety):
You’ve always seen the tremendous potential in this character, and because of that, you became the anchor of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the only actor capable of guiding us through the madness of the multiverse.
This, of course, further adds leverage to the theory that Doctor Strange 3 might be coming out soon. Of course, with all of this being put out there, it becomes inevitable to hand over the mantle of the anchor being of the MCU to Cumberbatch’s Strange. And since its the multiverse that we’re dealing with here, we’re sure no one could be able to lead better than him.
