Although Doctor Strange plays a central role in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Benedict Cumberbatch didn’t read the film’s full script so that he could also enjoy the thrill of watching it in theaters. Talking to USA Today, Cumberbatch also revealed he’s ready to play the Master of the Mystic Arts on the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a long time.
When asked if he could share any details about No Way Home, Cumberbatch was quick to say that pressing him for spoilers was a “dead end.” However, in Cumberbatch’s case, it’s not just a confidentiality contract that prevents him from revealing the movie’s secrets, but also the fact that he refused to read No Way Home’s entire script. In Cumberbatch’s words, “I haven't actually read the whole script! I did that on purpose because I just want the ride.” It seems like even for Doctor Strange there’s something magical about discovering the plot twists of a Marvel movie in theaters.
Cumberbatch also talked about his future appearances in the MCU, underlining how he’s ready to play the wizard for a long time. As the star puts it, “As long as the character is interesting and challenging and doing fantastic things in the MCU, why not?” After showing up in No Way Home, Cumberbatch will star in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but Marvel has not confirmed further projects with the hero.
In Spider-Man: Far From Home, J. Jonah Jameson (J. K. Simmons) reveals Spider-Man’s (Tom Holland) identity for the whole world after being convinced by Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) that the Web Crawler is a villain. No Way Home will deal with the reveal’s effects on Peter’s life. The movie will also destroy the barriers of the Multiverse when Doctor Strange is enlisted to erase Spider-Man’s real identity from everyone’s memory. Unfortunately, the spell doesn’t work and instead brings visitors from other realities into the MCU.
Spider-Man: No Way Home will feature Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus, Jamie Foxx’s Electro, Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, and, as recently revealed, Thomas Haden Church's Sandman and Rhys Ifans' Lizard. All these villains come from previous iterations of the Web Crawler, exactly one bad guy for each pre-MCU film — three starring Tobey Maguire as the titular hero, and the other two led by Andrew Garfield. While only villains were confirmed to be a part of No Way Home, fans also speculate that Maguire and Garfield will also be part of the upcoming film, although the stars deny it.
While Marvel and Sony are doing what they can to keep some secrets from being revealed before No Way Home hits theaters, it’s expected for the upcoming Spider-Man adventure to connect somehow to Multiverse of Madness. Both movies explore the concept of parallel dimensions, and No Way Home might introduce the Multiverse menace Doctor Strange will have to face in his solo film. Also, while not much is known about Multiverse of Madness yet, the return of Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch indicates the story will pick up where WandaVision left us, connecting multiple MCU stories in a single movie.
No Way Home hits theaters this December 17. Then, after a shift in several MCU releases, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness comes to theaters on May 6, 2022.