After a ton of speculation and false leads, Marvel has declared it official: Doctor Strange is none other than Sherlock himself, Benedict Cumberbatch.
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The Sherlock star was early on rumored to be in line for the part but was one of many really strong contenders. Aside from being the World's Greatest Detective (sorry Batman), the actor has most recently appeared as the voice for Smaug, the gold hoarding dragon, in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. His next film is Black Mass with Scott Cooper. He'll be starring opposite of Johnny Depp, another early contender for the Doctor Strange Crown.
The character of Doctor Strange was introduced back in 1963 to the Marvel comic realms but this will be his first big screen adventure although there have been a few animated films featuring him.
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Doctor Strange used to be an actual doctor but an accident injured his hands making him unable to perform surgery any longer. So of course he turns to the 'dark arts', as one does. His powers are actually magic drawn from various entities. He's also a very nuanced and tortured character which is why casting him took more than having the right "look".
Doctor Strange is part of an overall Marvel plan to release more and better movies while still giving us films about characters that we know and love which will help widen the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Doctor Strange is scheduled for November 4, 2016.