From a billionaire playboy in Tony Stark to a steadfast super-soldier in Steve Rogers, the Avengers have seen countless different personalities and heroes rise through their ranks over the years. And their super-powered story is about to dive headfirst into the magical division with Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, featuring one of the MCU's most powerful and important heroes.
After his introduction in 2016's Doctor Strange, Cumberbatch quickly made his way into two major Avengers team-up films in 2018's Infinity War and 2019's Endgame. He not only showed off his mastery of the Mystic Arts across both of those films but also built some entertaining relationships with some of Marvel Studios' top characters throughout the story.
More than anyone else, this came through with Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man, as the two huge egos worked together in an attempt to stop the Mad Titan Thanos from eliminating half of all life. Recently, Cumberbatch looked back to his first Avengers movie, even reminiscing on a moment where he almost got his own taste of Iron Man action.
Cumberbatch on Iron Man Moment
Speaking with Ali Plumb on BBC Radio, MCU star Benedict Cumberbatch reflected on a moment involving his Doctor Strange and Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War. Specifically, Stephen Strange was set to become Iron Man, albeit briefly, as he wore Tony Stark's suit, combining the two heroes' powers for a moment on one of Thanos' Q-Ships.
When asked if he was annoyed that the moment got cut, Cumberbatch admitted that he would have loved to see the scene actually make it into the final cut of Infinity War. While joking about what the character would have been called, he loved getting the chance to wear the Iron Man suit and find out how their powers would have worked together:
"Yeah, I was a bit, we both were, it took a long time to splurge those spliced costumes together. It was an amazing moment, and I think I definitely came out of it better than ‘Iron Strange’ or ‘Doctor Man,’ the other guy, ‘Strange Man.’ I definitely came out of it better. I mean, having a bit of that outerwear on you, it’s like, it’s very, very, very cool. I would love to have seen what that combination of wizardry and that tech would do. Bring it on."
Infinity War Bringing Stark/Strange Combo Hero
Avengers: Infinity War became one of Marvel Studios' biggest successes because of the way it brought dozens of heroes into the same story, including Stephen Strange and Tony Stark. Although they wound up working together in other ways throughout the plot, this scene would have meshed their powers together more than almost any heroes have done in the MCU before.
In the scene, it appears that Tony would have donned the Cloak of Levitation while Strange wore his own version of Tony's Mark LV armor - the suit even had the Eye of Agamotto in place of the arc reactor. How this would have come about is still a mystery, largely because Strange was incapacitated on the entire Q-ship ride before Iron Man and Spider-Man took out Ebony Maw.
This would have forced Strange and Stark to work more closely together quickly after meeting one another in Central Park, having the two heroes learn about one another's suits and abilities as they took out Thanos' forces. Of course, they are two of the smartest the MCU has to offer, and this scene was set to add to just how brilliant they both are in tight situations.
Looking back, Cumberbatch was all-in on the idea of switching superhero personas for a short moment, seeing what an immensely powerful sorcerer could have done with some of the most advanced technology in the world. Whether that happens in the future is still unknown, but considering that Strange's next solo movie is set to fully dive into the Multiverse, anything is possible.
Avengers: Infinity War is now available to stream on Disney+. Benedict Cumberbatch will star next in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which premieres in theaters on May 6.
