Benedict Cumberbatch Teases Wild New York Battle in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’

The trailers for Avengers: Infinity War reveal that Thanos makes several strides in his attempts to obtain the Infinity Stones, with the Space and Power Stones in his possession. And now he’s sent his forces to Earth for one major reason: Doctor Strange.

Actor Benedict Cumberbatch will reprise his role as the Sorcerer Supreme in the upcoming crossover epic. He recently teased to Empire Magazine that Doctor Strange will collide with Thanos’ Black Order on the streets of New York City, as briefly glimpsed in the new trailer for the film:

“They want me, and specifically what I’ve got hanging around my neck,” he says, referring to the Time Stone the Sorcerer Supreme has. “So a fight ensues, and it gets really fun and really silly very quickly. The scale blows from real-world jeopardy into reality jeopardy, and then unreality jeopardy. It’s very exciting.”

Doctor Strange revealed the source of the timeline-bending Eye of Agomotto’s powers is the Time Stone, housed within. Being the Sorcerer Supreme, Strange is tasked with protecting that item, though he might need protecting of his own based on the footage shown in the new trailer.

One specific scene shows Strange screaming in agony as translucent shards stab his body and face. The clip then cuts to show Ebony Maw in all of his sadistic glory. Thanos’ goon simply whispers for Strange to keep quiet, seemingly taking joy in torturing his prey.

This scene is reminiscent of the comic storyline in which Ebony Maw debuted.

In the Infinity event, New Avengers by Jonathan Hickman and Mike Deodoto shows Ebony Maw infiltrating the Sanctum Santorium and essentially brainwashing Doctor Strange, tricking him into revealing what he knows about the Illuminati and if they’re still protecting the Infinity Gems. Strange goes on to become a mole for Thanos’ Black Order for a short time before his allies catch on.

It remains to be seen if the movie will go a similar route and essentially copy the beat from the first Avengers movie, in which Hawkeye was brainwashed by Loki and fights on his side for the first two-thirds of the film. Strange is shown to be working alongside Iron Man and Spider-Man later on in the film, but is he still under the influence of Ebony Maw?

We’ll finally learn the answer to this intriguing question and more when Avengers: Infinity War premieres in theaters on April 27th.