Spider-Man: No Way Home has quickly become one of the most successful films of all time. This isn't all that surprising for several reasons. One, the conversation surrounding the film prior to its release was off the charts; fans practically did Sony's marketing for it. Then there's the fact that the project brought back old faces like Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin and Alfred Molina's Doc Ock—and, of course, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire's Spider-Men.
Of course, none of that could have happened without the Marvel Cinematic Universe's resident sorcerer. Though, it wasn't a purposeful occurrence; instead, it all went down thanks to Strange's spell going sideways.
When the trailer first came out, one of the first notes that fans made was how strange it was to them that Benedict Cumberbatch's character would ever cast a spell that big so frivolously. Many people across the internet started throwing out theories that it wasn't the real Stephen Strange but maybe a Variant or Mephisto himself (yes, really).
It was a big mistake on Strange's part, no doubt. But it was one made out of love and care; after all, he is only human—something that the man behind the cape agrees with.
A Strange Mistake in No Way Home?
During an interview with Variety, Spider-Man: No Way Home actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Doctor Strange, touched upon how much he loved the film and how genuine his character's mistakes were.
Cumberbatch noted that it "was extraordinary to be a part of [No Way Home]" and that he loved that his character was able to "make some hefty mistakes out of love... [and] out of generosity," defending Strange's decision to cast the spell:
"Amazing. I’m very spoiled because Tom Holland and I had petitioned that the neighborhood superheroes should cross paths again. To have those three films culminate in that moment was extraordinary to be a part of. And to let my character make some hefty mistakes out of love — really, out of generosity towards someone he realizes he really cares for. From a stand-alone success of a movie, of a franchise, it’s phenomenal."
Cumberbatch continued, saying that he was "genuinely... entertained, thrilled, [and] really moved" while watching Tom Holland's story unfold:
"I genuinely sat there entertained, thrilled, really moved. I laughed a lot. I cheered. It’s a fantastic feeling to be back in a cinema, being able to do that and to prove that not everything has to be streamed. And I think that’s important moving forward. It’s not just for exhibitors but for the social gain, the excitement of being in a crowd of people experiencing that live thing of watching it."
Doctor Strange's Kind Soul
It seems a lot of audiences forget that not only is Stephen Strange still a normal human like everyone else, but the arrogance established in his origin film remains—it wasn't cured or taken away by any means. He's still going to overestimate himself or shrug off the consequences, which is something that can lead to bad results when paired with love and care for another person.
After everything that Stephen and Peter went through during the course of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, it makes perfect sense that he would want to do everything he could to help the kid out in his hour of need. But, sadly, it didn't go as planned.
No doubt, these arrogant tendencies, good-intentioned or not, are likely to be a key part of whatever happens in Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness. It's even heavily implied in the first teaser that Strange's actions are going to have heavier consequences than he could ever imagine.
Fans only have to wait a few more months until they can watch Strange's next adventure unfold when Multiverse of Madness hits theaters on May 6, 2022.
