Benedict Cumberbatch Rewinds the Present in Spoiler-ish New 'Doctor Strange' Promo

Benedict Cumberbatch in 'Doctor Strange' (Marvel)
Benedict Cumberbatch in ‘Doctor Strange’ (Marvel)

Benedict Cumberbatch will imbue the Marvel Cinematic Universe with some mysticism and magic when he stars in this fall’s Doctor Strange, and while its teasers have shown us quite a bit of upside-down city-centric footage, its plot particulars remain shrouded in mystery. A new promo, however, suggests that Marvel is ready to let at least one giant cat out of the bag.

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In a TV spot posted to Twitter late yesterday, we get a brief collection of footage from the film, most of which has been seen before. The novelty of this teaser, however, is that — like the tweet that announced it — it runs backwards.

That fact, coupled with a shot of Cumberbatch’s hero stopping Mads Mikkelsen’s villain mid-air and then apparently reversing his course, implies that the cloaked character’s fundamental superpower will be the ability to manipulate time. And as The Hollywood Reporter perceptively noted, if that is Strange’s primary power, then it stands to reason that his saga may revolve around the search for the Time Stone, one of the remaining Infinity Stones yet to make their Marvel Cinematic Universe debut — and sure to be of interest to Thanos (Josh Brolin) in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War.

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That’s all speculation for now, of course, but check out the above promo to see Strange seemingly rewind the present. Doctor Strange checks into theaters on Nov. 4.

‘Doctor Strange’: Watch a trailer: