How Doctor Strange Will Change The MCU, According To Benedict Cumberbatch

Not everything makes sense, and it often doesn't have to. That's the core thesis of Doctor Strange, and it's a sentiment that has been echoed time and time again throughout the film's marketing campaign. The film has absolutely no qualms about introducing magic and mysticism into the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the MCU will never be the same once Stephen Strange receives his proper introduction. Benedict Cumberbatch explained:

It was a real left turn for the comic universe, let alone the cinematic one. It was very dark and mischievous and psychedelic and otherworldly and to try and replicate that in modern cinema is one of the great challenges...It does feel like a new chapter for Marvel and it's definitely a new direction for me and I definitely enjoyed playing this character so if people are enjoying it then we've done something right.

While speaking with Reuters (via MCU Exchange) at the Doctor Strange premiere in London, Benedict Cumberbatch explained the ways in which the latest Marvel film really upends the entire universe. In the same way that the Doctor Strange comics very much injected elements of magic and sorcery into a generally science-based comic book realm in the 1960s, the Doctor Strange film has similarly introduced those elements to a cinematic universe that up until now was generally defined by science and science fiction. In layman's terms: the Doctor Strange comics were trippy and psychedelic, and the film finally brings those qualities into the MCU.

Although Captain America: Civil War was technically the first entry in Marvel's Phase 3 film slate, Doctor Strange is really the proper introduction of the new Phase. Phase 1 introduced the very idea of superheroes and their origins, then Phase 2 doubled down on the fantastical science of it all. Now Phase 3 will throw science out the window and introduce new shades to the MCU by giving audiences a hero whose powers don't necessarily require specific rationalization.

With Doctor Strange about to hit theaters, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will literally never be the same ever again. No longer encumbered by the need to explain every minute detail away with science, the Marvel films can now charge headfirst into the truly fantastical. We will get our first glimpses of that when Doctor Strange is finally released on November 4. Stay tuned for more details!