Is Benedict Marvel's Doctor Strange?

It seems somehow greedy to demand that the universe give us Benedict Cumberbatch as Marvel's Doctor Strange so soon after it gave us Lupita Nyong'o in the new Star Wars , but the rumors are swirling so incessantly that we've gotta believe the chances are real. Doctor Strange has a director now, after all — The Exorcism of Emily Rose's Scott Derrickson— which means it's time to buckle down and get to business.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of casting we should probably review a little bit about the Doctor (not that Doctor) himself:

• His name is Doctor Stephen Vincent Strange
• He's a brilliant but egotistical former neurosurgeon who now serves as the "Sorcerer Supreme," aka a protector of the world against threats magical/mystical/etc.
• He wears a costume that makes him look like a crazy magician (see below), which makes sense since he's also known as "the mightiest magician in the cosmos."

Aside from Cumberbatch, there seem to be two major names in contention: Tom Hardy, and Jared Leto. Hardy, it could be argued, already got his superhero movie time to shine, but it's not like that ever deterred Chris Evans, who's played not one but four super-characters in major movies. As for Leto, he may be an Oscar winner, but many Marvel fans have been groaning over how wrong that casting would be visually.

Hardy and Cumberbatch, on the other hand, could both fit into this with ease — all it'd take is the right costuming/facial hair/hair cut. Cumberbatch, for his part, has already proven himself an adept chameleon in his acting career.

While we're still in the early stages, let's throw out some other names, as well — names who haven't been rumored, but who fans have said they'd embrace in the role: Game Of Thrones' Pedro Pascal, The Mummy's Oded Fehr, and Idris Elba (honestly just gonna suggest him for every superhero until it happens, yes we know he was already in Thor).

Every Marvel project seems to have a brief window with the power to either make or break the mass sentiment toward it: Avengers was first made when they trotted out Whedon and the collected ensemble at Comic-Con; the excitement for Ant-Man was murdered (at least for now) when Edgar Wright left; Guardians of the Galaxy was made the day the trailer was released.

Doctor Strange will ride pretty heavily on whoever gets that top billing. Can't wait to hear who it is.

Images: Marvel