Spider-Man: No Way Home: Benedict Cumberbatch Reacts to Mephisto Theory
Spider-Man: No Way Home will push the Multiverse into the forefront with the help of Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange.
After first being reported for the threequel, No Way Home's first trailer confirmed that Strange will have a major part in Peter Parker's next adventure.
Based on what's been revealed so far, the Master of the Mystic Arts will use a spell to make everyone forget that Tom Holland's Marvel hero is Spider-Man, but one mistake might cause massive ramifications not just to the MCU but to the entire Multiverse.
Fans noticed that Strange appears to be acting weird throughout the first trailer, mainly because he agreed to help Peter without hesitation. The reason behind his attitude has long been part of the discussions among MCU enthusiasts, leaving many to believe that the one featured in No Way Home is an impostor.
Now, ahead of the film's December premiere, Cumberbatch addressed his character's seemingly strange behavior.
Benedict Cumberbatch Addresses Mephisto Theory
Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays the MCU's Doctor Strange, sat down as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to talk about the Master of the Mystic Arts' weird behavior in the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer.
Kimmel first mentioned that fans have a lot of questions and theories about Doctor Strange in No Way Home. The late-night host pointed out that one of them is the idea that Mephisto is actually posing as Doctor Strange in the threequel.
Cumberbatch quickly turned down the speculation by answering with a firm "No."
The Marvel actor then shifted the topic to lie detectors, admitting that Kimmel should have one so that his guests wouldn't be able to lie next time.
The conversation ended with Cumberbatch playfully agreeing to a lie detector test down the line.
The full conversation is below:
Kimmel: "There are a lot of questions or a lot of theories, people are interested..."
Cumberbatch: "Sure, Jimmy."
Kimmel: "I figured I'd hit you with some of them. For instance, some of the fans think, Doctor Strange, they think is behaving a little bit strangely, and maybe he is not Doctor Strange but he is Mephisto who takes the shape and, by the way, [in] every Marvel trailer, the fans think it's Mephisto..."
Cumberbatch: "No. You need to have a lie detector on this show. That would be the surefire way to test the truth."
Kimmel: "Would you submit to it?"
Cumberbatch: "I'd definitely, for that one, yeah."
Kimmel: "Oh, you would?"
Cumberbatch: "Hell yeah."
Kimmel: "Next time, we'll hook you up. And by the way, I won't limit it to Marvel questions either. We will learn a lot about you."
Cumberbatch: "I will learn a lot about myself as well."
Kimmel: "I'm going to have a lie detector and a tumescence monitor."
Cumberbatch: "Oh, god. What's that? That sounds dirty."
Kimmel: "You'll look it up afterward."
Cumberbatch: "Oh, sh*t."
Doctor Strange Star Evades Marvel Snipers
Benedict Cumberbatch appears to have mastered the ability to not answer MCU-related questions to preserve No Way Home's secrets.
The Doctor Strange actor's one-word response to Kimmel's question is a classic way to suddenly end the conversation while his talk about lie detectors served to divert the attention of the host and audience to another topic.
Cumberbatch's firm negative response about the Mephisto theory could debunk the idea that the Marvel villain is actually masquerading as the Master of Mystic Arts. Still, the possibilities are endless, meaning that the actor could simply be lying about his character's spoiler-heavy role in the threequel.
The theories about Mephisto have long been a topic among MCU fans ever since WandaVision's successful debut, and it's possible that Marvel Studios took note of the discussion. Strange's weird behavior could be Marvel's way of acknowledging those social media theories, essentially becoming part of his personality throughout the film.
There's also a chance that there is indeed an in-universe explanation of Strange's actions, and all will be revealed when No Way Home premieres in theaters on December 17, 2021.
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