Through the years, MCU stars have joked about the so-called "Marvel Snipers" during interviews, with them using this as an excuse to preserve the secrets of the project they are working on. Secret Invasion actor Kingsley Ben-Adir even confirmed that Marvel has been "training [him] not to talk" about the project, indicating that the studio is turning it up a notch when it comes to spoilers. However, it seems that one actor doesn't need this kind of training, and his name is Benedict Cumberbatch.
Cumberbatch, who plays the MCU's Doctor Strange, has been pretty good at dodging spoiler-heavy questions in the past. The MCU veteran was previously praised by Avengers: Infinity War directors Joe and Anthony Russo for "monitoring" Tom Holland (who is known for accidentally spoiling Marvel secrets) during the film's press tour.
In the lead-up to Spider-Man: No Way Home, Cumberbatch consistently played coy about his involvement before it was eventually confirmed by Marvel. The same goes for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, since it even came to a point where the actor didn't even show his face during a press tour to avoid spoilers.
Now, it seems that the actor's efforts are being recognized by the studio.
MCU's Employee of the Month: Doctor Strange
The latest Moon Knight promo, titled "Marvel Studios Waiting Room," featured an interesting Easter egg that is directly tied to the secrecy of Marvel Studios.
The waiting room that was featured in the video includes a wall dedicated to Marvel Studios' employee of the month which is none other than Benedict Cumberbatch.
The award is featured several times in the video as Moon Knight stars Ethan Hawke, Oscar Isaac, and May Calamawy talk about being trapped inside the waiting room.
The award serves as a hilarious nod to Benedict Cumberbatch's impressive run of dodging spoilers for MCU projects, such as Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
The promo can be seen below:
Marvel Studios and its Heavy Secrecy
While this is a fake award (admittedly), it's good to know that Marvel Studios is aware of Benedict Cumberbatch's incredible track record of keeping MCU secrets from the press and fans.
It's quite fitting that Cumberbatch has received the employee of the month award, especially considering the massive role of Doctor Strange in the MCU's Phase 4 and beyond.
Given that he stars in both No Way Home and Multiverse of Madness back-to-back, many would agree that it is impressive for the veteran actor to preserve secrets like major cameos and surprising story details that are presented in the aforementioned films.
Meanwhile, the concept of a Marvel Studios waiting room promo is an interesting one, but it remains to be seen if this promo will be retained for future projects like Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk. However, if the studio does continue with it, it's possible that the Employee of the Month award will go to a new actor or actress aside from Cumberbatch.
Based on a spoiler-free track record, notable candidates could include Loki actor Tom Hiddleston or Shang-Chi star Simu Liu.
For now, fans can catch Benedict Cumberbatch next in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 6.
