Is Doctor Strange 2's Evil Variant From What If? Marvel Finally Answers

Benedict Cumberbatch reveals that the Sinister Strange variant in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is different from the variant that was introduced in Marvel's What If...? Audiences are gearing up for the release of Marvel's latest highly anticipated project which will see Cumberbatch return as Doctor Stephen Strange, following on from his involvement with last year's Spider-Man: No Way Home. Sam Raimi's MCU debut will also see Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong and, Rachel McAdams return, and will also welcome Xochitl Gomez who will bring America Chavez to the big screen for the very first time.

With just days to go until Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theatres, anticipation is at an all-time high with Marvel releasing various teasers offering exciting glimpses at what's to come. The film's most recent teaser shocked many by revealing Captain Carter's involvement in the film, a character who was first introduced in Disney+'s animated series, What if...? as a variant of Peggy Carter who took the super-soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers. However, Captain Carter is not the first variant from What If...? to have been spotted within promotional footage for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, as Sinister Strange and also Zombie Strange have also made an appearance, with the former having featured heavily in his own What If...? episode.

Now, however, Cumberbatch has confirmed that this Sinister Strange variant is not the same as the one previously introduced in What if...? In a recent interview with Total Film magazine (via GamesRadar) Cumberbatch revealed that this version of Sinister Strange is nothing like what audiences have seen before. The actor spoke to What if...?'s exploration of the multiverse's endless possibilities, calling the show "a beautiful riff of potential" before going on to reiterate, however, that this Sinister Strange is "something different." Check out Cumberbatch's quote below.

[This Sinister Strange] is nothing that you’ve seen before. What If...? is a beautiful riff of a potential. And this is something different.

Cumberbatch went on to poke fun at the intense speculation that has surrounded Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness so far, joking that the film will feature "5 Spider-Men" as well as "Spider-Everythings" before stating that he will "confirm or deny nothing" with regards to just who or what will appear throughout. With the film set to unleash any number of bizarre variants of many of Marvel's beloved characters, it remains to be seen just how this Sinister Strange will differ from the character that was established in What If...? Cumberbatch also previously revealed that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness sees Strange get put to the test in extraordinary ways, stating that there is much self-discovery involved for the film's titular hero.

Audiences will likely be eager to see what lies in store for this live-action Sinister Strange since he will seemingly differ from his animated counterpart in a number of ways. While there are likely to be points of convergence along the way, this darker version of the beloved hero will certainly be an interesting character to explore within the film. For now, there isn't long to go until Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and its multitude of Strange variants finally hit the big screen.

Next: Doctor Strange 2: All The Scarlet Witch Variants Who Could Appear

Source: Total Film Magazine (via GamesRadar)