11
All Images Credit: Marvel StudiosMarvel Studios has remained hush on a scandalous topic that was raised at the end of 2022, but will the outcome result in the actor who plays Doctor Strange being recast in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Doctor Strange, portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch since 2016’s Doctor Strange movie from director Scott Derrickson, has quickly risen through the ranks as one of the MCU’s most powerful Avengers. A key player in the Infinity and Multiverse Sagas, the former Sorcerer Supreme returned in his own solo movie, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) with Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff AKA Scarlet Witch and Xochitl Gomez’s America Chavez, shortly after his supporting role in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) alongside Tom Holland (Peter Parker) and Zendaya (MJ).
Related: Marvel Officially Rebooting the Avengers With Brand New Team, Captain Marvel to Lead
It was the post-credits scene of Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange sequel that signaled more mystical adventures for Cumberbatch’s Avenger after Charlize Theron’s Clea arrived in New York City to transport him to the Dark Dimension. He wasn’t seen in the succeeding Marvel Phase Four movies meaning that his next appearance will be sometime in the current Phase Five or upcoming Phase Six; the latter including the next two Avengers installments, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2025) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2026).
So, with the continuation of Doctor Strange in the MCU, so do the many actors that also play the Mystic Arts wielder continue in the MCU also. Many fans know that Cumberbatch is Dr. Stephen Strange but for international audiences, characters are often dubbed, meaning more actors are actually credited for the part.
One of which is Ms. Marvel actor, Mohan Kapur.
Kapur starred in the Disney+ series last June as Yusuf Khan, the father of the cosmic-powered teen, Kamala Khan AKA Ms. Marvel, played by Iman Vellani. The family dynamic of the six-episode series was a highlight for many audiences with Kapur and Vellani joined by Zenobia Shroff and Saagar Shaikh as Kamala’s mother Muneeba and brother Aamir, respectively.
This was the first time Kapur himself had appeared in the MCU, but the actor has had a long tenure in Kevin Feige’s franchise as the Hindi dubbing actor for Doctor Strange. Kapur provided the Hindi dubs for the Sorcerer Supreme in Doctor Strange, Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), and most recently, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
However, his rather illustrious career as both a dubbing and live-action actor may come to an end as allegations of grooming a minor have been made. The accusations came in December when an individual claimed that Kapur had made inappropriate comments, sent explicit images, which he claimed he’d sent due to suffering from depression, and then further described how he wanted to marry and sleep with her when she turned 18. She was 15 at the time.
So far Marvel has stayed hush on the claims, as has the actor, but the industry tends to not favor allegations such as this; there is a chance that Marvel could remove Kapur from his role as Yusuf Khan and thus his role as Doctor Strange for the Hindi dubbed versions of any movies he appears in. This would mean a Doctor Strange recast would need to happen as the character will appear further down the line in the live-action Marvel Universe.
Related: ‘Doctor Strange’ Franchise Likely Continuing Without Benedict Cumberbatch
The only action that has happened as a result of the grooming accusations is the actor setting his Twitter account to private shortly after the allegations came out, according to this report.
At present, Kapur is scheduled to reprise his role as Kamala Khan’s father in the upcoming Phase Five movie, The Marvels (2023). Director Nia DaCosta’s film brings back Brie Larson as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel and WandaVision’s Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau/Photon.
Do you think Marvel will acknowledge the allegations? Let us know in the comments down below!