Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange Has ‘Become the Anchor’ of the MCU, Says Marvel President

At Benedict Cumberbatch’s Walk of Fame ceremony, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said the actor always saw the “tremendous potential in this character”

Benedict Cumberbatch’s magical superhero ties the Marvel Cinematic Universe together, according to Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige.

The Oscar-nominated actor, 45, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame earlier this week, and during Feige’s speech celebrating Cumberbatch, he explained how his magical character has grown to become a prominent figure in the world of the Avengers.

“To us and to millions around the globe, you deserve this honor for being the first, the best, the greatest and the only Doctor Stephen Strange,” he said. “Benedict has turned this character into an icon, appearing in a historic three of the top six films of all time.”

“It’s been quite a journey, I remember our very first meeting. … We wanted to pitch him this great character, and before we could he said, ‘So tell me about Doctor Strange,’ because somewhere you knew what this could be,” continued Feige. “You’ve always seen the tremendous potential in this character and because of that, you’ve become the anchor of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the only actor capable of guiding us through the madness of the Multiverse.”

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Cumberbatch next plays the part in his standalone sequel Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness after having a key role opposite Tom Holland in the recent box office smash-hit Spider-Man: No Way Home. He debuted in the role in 2016’s Doctor Strange.

WandaVision‘s Elisabeth Olsen plus Doctor Strange alums Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Benedict Wong star in Multiverse of Madness, which is directed by Sam Raimi — who previously directed the Tobey Maguire–led Spider-Man movies in the early 2000s.

In November, Cumberbatch reflected on taking the part of Doctor Strange, telling Esquire he had doubts at first: “I kind of had my doubts about it, from just going into the comics. I thought ‘This is a very dated, sexist character.’ And it’s very tied up in that crossover, that kind of East meets West occultism movement of the ’60s and ’70s. And then they sort of sold me on the bigger picture, on ‘Oh no, don’t worry, this will be very much a character of his time. And, yes, he has attitude problems … but this is what we envisage.’ “