Marvel confirmed back in August that former Hannibal star Mads Mikkelsen will have a major role alongside Benedict Cumberbatch in its upcoming film, Doctor Strange. What Marvel didn’t confirm at the time is exactly what role Mikkelsen will play in the film. “Well, yeah,” said anyone familiar with with Mikkelsen’s work or face, “but he’s clearly playing the villain. I mean, come on.” And yet, despite all the mounting evidence, still no official word from on high. A mystery. Until now.
In an Entertainment Weekly exclusive, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed Mikkelsen’s role and, yup, he’ll be the villain. Specifically, he’ll be a renegade sorcerer who chafes under the leadership of the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), who believes it is the job of these sorcerers to protect humanity from what Feige describes as “very scary things” in other dimensions.
“Mads’ character is a sorcerer who breaks off into his own sect,” says the Marvel Studios boss. “[He] believes that the Ancient One is just protecting her own power base and that the world may be better off if we were to allow some of these other things through.”
The one thing Marvel isn’t revealing yet is the character’s name, with executive producer Stephen Broussard saying, “No one has quite picked the name that we’ve chosen for him. It would be fun to conceal that, if we can.” The funniest would be if his name was, like, Roger. Just Roger. Roger the renegade sorcerer.
(via Entertainment Weekly)
