‘Doctor Strange’ Benedict Cumberbatch Just Confirmed How Far Marvel Will Go to Avoid Leaks
Doctor Strange himself just proved that Marvel has a stronghold in its stars when it comes to possible spoilers.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has come of age in a social-media obsessed world. As a result, an entire industry has emerged founded on movie and TV spoilers. There’s an entire faction focused specifically on the MCU.
It’s something Doctor Strange star Benedict Cumberbatch and other Marvel actors have had to deal with for years. Just how far will Marvel go to avoid leaks?
‘Doctor Strange’ is part of one of the most secretive franchises in Hollywood
When Marvel actors do press tours, many often mention the “Marvel Sniper.” It’s a running joke among the stars of the MCU, that implies the studio is watching everything they say and do. The security has been relatively tight since the beginning. But things went to another level with Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, thanks to directors Joe and Anthony Russo.
The last two films of phase 3 had tons of secrets, and they managed to keep the vast majority of them under wraps. The gasps in theater audiences at the end of Infinity War were genuine because no one knew it was coming. Which is quite impressive considering how many major franchises have had huge leaks surface ahead of their premieres.
Not everyone gets a full script
According to Screen Rant, one of the keys to Marvel’s incredible ability to preserve secrets is their approach to the flow of information. There’s a small team that knows all. Everyone else gets info on a need-to-know basis.
In both Infinity War and Endgame, most actors in the cast received only the portion of the script that included their specific scenes. Robert Downey Jr. was among the select few that actually had access to the entire script during filming.
‘Doctor Strange’ star Benedict Cumberbatch hid his face in an interview
Cumberbatch is currently filming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. At the same time, he’s doing press for a new film called The Mauritanian. Recently, Benedict did an interview with the Concordia Forum via Zoom, and he called from his Marvel trailer.
However, Cumberbatch hid his face from the screen during the interview. All fans saw was the blank wall of his trailer because he is under an embargo. This tight restriction was most likely due to the fact that Cumberbatch was in costume and the studio didn’t want anyone to see him.
‘Doctor Strange’ star Elizabeth Olsen says Marvel waits until the last minute
Controlled information and hidden ages aren’t the only things Marvel will do to keep their secrets. According to Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch), sometimes the actors will get info at the very last minute in private. This is how the cast learned about the ending to Avengers: Infinity War.
Marvel also holds private test screenings of their films instead of testing in public. This is a big help when it comes to keeping secrets as long as possible.
Only Kevin Feige knows what’s really going to happen in the MCU
While promoting his new Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, star Anthony Mackie recently revealed that the MCU is just as much a surprise to the actors as it is to fans. He says the only person who truly knows the future of the MCU is studio boss Kevin Feige.
“When our script is over and our show is over, we’re just as excited as you are to see what happens next,” Mackie told The Toronto Sun. “That’s the beauty of Marvel and the appreciation you have for being an actor in a Marvel movie. Every cliffhanger is a cliffhanger for everybody, except Kevin (Feige).”
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will hit theaters March 25, 2022.
