Image credit: Marvel Studios
The Master of the Mystic Arts seemed to be acting very out of character, which inevitably led to him being identified as the Phase Four 438 candidate only to ultimately be revealed as Mephisto in disguise. Of course, that line of inquiry was drawn a blank once again, but there's no denying that Strange wasn't the same as always.
Doing a favor for a teenager who ended up tearing apart the very fabric of reality and allowing the multiverse to open up a bit more was not in keeping with the Sorcerer Supreme's duties as the man charged with keeping such things in check, but Cumberbatch asserted in an interview with Variety that he did it all in the name of love.
“Having those three films culminating at that moment was an extraordinary thing to be a part of. And letting my character make some serious mistakes out of love, actually, out of generosity towards someone who he realizes really cares."
Cumberbatch was one of the most sought-after names in the Spider-Man: No Way Home cast, but his actual contributions to the plot made him more of a cipher than a genuine supporting character, especially when he disappeared for a large part. weather. runtime, only to conveniently appear at the last moment during the third act's climactic action sequence.