Comic-Con 2014: Cumberbatch talks Doctor Strange

Benedict Cumberbatch has addressed rumours of being cast as Doctor Strange… sort of.

Making his Comic-Con debut to promote Penguins Of Madagascar , he answered a question about which superhero he’d like to play with “Nurse Normal”, quickly adding "that was a joke on Doctor Strange."

Before any further teasing of his possible involvement with Marvel’s Sorcerer Supreme, he decided the cape he’d most like to don would be Batman’s.

John Malkovich, in case you’re interested, said he’d like to be Lois Lane.

The DreamWorks Animation panel also saw Cumberbatch reveal – again, sort of – how he got into character for the Madagascar spin-off.

“I worked in Yellowstone as a wolf, and I got accepted into the pack quite quickly,” he said. “I became the alpha,

only to discover that two of the other wolves were Daniel Day-Lewis and Christian Bale.”

Co-star Malkovich scored a big laugh when comparing the look of his baddie, scientist-cum-octopus Octavious Brine, to his younger sister.

But the man of the hour was clearly Cumberbatch, who took the lion’s share – and then some – of audience questions.

Though moderator Craig Ferguson warned that “Comic-Con will be cancelled” if the subject of Sherlock arose, it inevitably did – with Cumberbatch prompting big cheers when he said he’d “love to” return to San Diego to talk Holmes.