Doctor Strange 2 Star Benedict Cumberbatch Compares His Role to Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man

When it comes to their powers, Iron Man and Doctor Strange are really nothing alike. One is a tech guru who flies around in armored suits while the other is a mystical sorcerer that deals with other realms and planes of existence. They couldn’t be more different in that regard. When you look at their personalities and demeanors, however, Iron Man and Doctor Strange have a lot in common, especially the versions of the characters we see in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Benedict Cumberbatch sees a lot of similarities in his Stephen Strange and Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark. While speaking to KCRW ahed of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Cumberbatch explained that Strange’s ego, wit, and general distance from other people make them two sides of the same coin.

“I mean, the trademark snarkiness, the kind of off the cuff wit and put down, the sort of the ego behind that, but also the enjoyable aspect of that, which is something we’ve seen very prevalent with Tony Stark, and especially Downey’s incandescent encapsulation of that, in his performance over the last decade,” Cumberbatch explained. “It’s definitely something where I feel it’s not just the goatees that the men have to talk about. There is a way that they have difficulty with other people or a manner in which their egos get the better of them. And their wit is something that comes up full score on many occasions. I think that in the past that has been the case with Strange.”

Cumberbatch went on to say that those qualities in Strange are going to be put to the test in the upcoming movie. Being a hero in isolation is nearly impossible, and it takes relying on others to get things done.

“I think this does veer into the realm of plot spoilers, so I can’t talk too much about it, because this film is definitely an evolution of that characteristic,” the actor said. “We’ll definitely see him being challenged on that front. That much I can say. And I think that’s a good thing. We need to shake him up. You can’t be a superhero in isolation. They have to interact with people. Good, bad or indifferent. And whatever the outcomes are, there has to be an exchange. I think there is a buddy thing going on with Wong, for sure. That’s the sort of odd couple relationship akin to Watson and Sherlock. It’s no secret that Wanda Maximoff is a big part of the next film, and that’s all I’m gonna say. I can feel the little infrared dots creeping over the horizon.”

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness arrives in theaters on May 6th.