Watch: Benedict Cumberbatch Walks Into A Comic Store Dressed As Doctor Strange
Benedict Cumberbatch walks into a store dressed as Doctor Strange... It sounds like the set-up to the most wholesome joke, but we get to see the end result of thanks to a Doctor Strange throwback video shared by director Scott Derrickson on Twitter.
The behind-the-scenes video, shot while Cumberbatch and co. were shooting Doctor Strange in New York City in 2016, shows the actor in full Strange regalia and a few fake injuries, walking into a comic book store to the delight of surprised fans.
"While shooting in Manhattan right in front of a comic book store, I spontaneously suggested to Benedict that he go inside and he agreed."
Never before shown moment.
While shooting in Manhattan right in front of a comic book store, I spontaneously suggested to Benedict that he go inside and he agreed. pic.twitter.com/ge2DcqWpu1
— N O S ⋊ Ɔ I ᴚ ᴚ Ǝ ᗡ ⊥ ⊥ O Ɔ S (@scottderrickson) July 28, 2020
"I'm about to walk into a comic store in Manhattan dressed as Doctor Strange, come with me," Cumberbatch says to the camera at the start of the clip, before strolling into the comic book shop and surprising fans. In the video, two employees of the store, JHU Comic Books, strike up a conversation with Cumberbatch, who maintains the American accent he uses as Doctor Strange, joking with the actor and comparing his likeness to the cover of the Marvel Comics issue Doctor Strange: The Oath. Of course, the employees seized the opportunity to take a photo with Cumberbatch, who was happy to oblige.
The behind-the-scenes footage, shot by Derrickson while the crew was taking a break from filming scenes, shows an up-close perspective of the incident that was reported back in April 2016, which gave many fans a first peek at Marvel's Doctor Strange.
It's a sweet, fun video that offers a ray of light in these dark times and reminds us of the before times, when everything wasn't a dumpster fire. It may be a bit of bittersweet throwback for Derrickson, however, who won't be returning to helm the Doctor Strange sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, after parting ways with Marvel Studios over creative differences. Cumberbatch is set to reprise his role as the Sorceror Supreme in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which will be helmed by Evil Dead and Spider-Man director Sam Raimi. Elizabeth Olsen is also set to star in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as Wanda Maximoff, in what will reportedly be a crossover/sequel to the Disney+ series WandaVision.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was originally scheduled to be released next year, but it has been pushed back to March 25, 2022, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.