Benedict Cumberbatch Jokes About Tom Cruise Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness Rumors

By Russ Burlingame

In his appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon last night, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness star Benedict Cumberbatch teased the host, using those internet rumors about Tom Cruise appearing in the film as ammunition for a joke. Asked whether he could tease anything of note, Cumberbatch hinted that Cruise could make an appearance, and then immediately dispelled the rumor, telling fans not to get their hopes up. The joke plays on recent reports that Cruise had been spotted on the set of Multiverse of Madness, seemingly in the role of Tony Stark/Iron Man. And while that seems wildly unlikely, it would make a kind of sense.

Rumors that Patrick Stewart would reprise his role as Professor Charles Xavier seem likely to be true, after all -- and this wouldn't be Cruise's first outing with the role of Iron Man. Long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a reality, Cruise and Stan Lee tried to get an Iron Man movie off the ground in which Cruise was to play the title role. In the years that followed, Lee would lament the loss of the opportunity, and Cruise as Iron Man became a great "what if...?" for fans.

"Well look, I guess I am on the Fallon show, so maybe... Maybe, Jimmy, I can give you just one clue as to someone who may be in the film, because it's coming out quite soon," Cumberbatch teased. "I'm not gonna say their name, but I'll see if you can guess it from a theme tune of something else that they've done that's quite well known."

He then went on to hum the theme to Top Gun, before revealing that he was just playing. 

"No. Sorry to disappoint the people that have bought their ticket wanting to see two Tom Cruise movies in one month," Cumberbatch joked.

Here's the video:

You can see the official synopsis for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness below.

Now that Iron Man and Captain America have left after a fierce battle in Avengers: Endgame, former genius surgeon and the strongest magician of them all, Doctor Strange, is expected to play an active role as a central figure in the Avengers. However, using his magic to manipulate time and space at will with a forbidden spell that is considered the most dangerous has opened the door to a mysterious madness called "the Multiverse."

To restore a world where everything is changing, Strange seeks help from his ally Wong, the Sorcerer Supreme, and the Avengers' most powerful Scarlet Witch, Wanda. But a terrible threat looms over humanity and the entire universe that no longer can be done by their power alone. Even more surprising, the greatest threat in the universe looks exactly like Doctor Strange.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be in theaters on May 6.

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